CHAPTER ELEVEN
AVERY DROPPED INTO Rowdy’s chair and stared at the ceiling, appalled, stunned.
Wow, just...wow. Who knew such a thing was even possible?
Rowdy, damn him, took it in stride as if he got fully dressed women off across his desk with little effort every other day.
For all she knew, maybe he did.
Putting both hands over her eyes, she groaned. And smiled.
He was so remarkable in every way.
And boy, she wanted more. A lot more.
The trick would be to take all she could get without him ever knowing how she really felt. She had too much pride to get dumped, so when it ended—and she knew it would—she wanted Rowdy to believe it was by mutual decision.
Somehow she’d find a way to convince him of that.
He was used to calling the shots, so he probably expected her to hang out in his office for a while. She refused to be one more woman who fell into line for him, so she pushed out of his chair and, ignoring her exhaustion and still-shaky limbs, went into his tiny bathroom and refreshed herself.
Within ten minutes she was back out front. On her way to the bar, she picked up a heavy crate of liquor from the back room to bring with her.
Cannon saw her, excused himself from the bar and hustled over to retrieve it from her. “Where do you want it?”
“Behind the bar near the ice chest.” She went along with him. “So you’re working the bar right now?”
He nodded. “Only until you’re ready.”
“Then what are you doing?”
“Whatever needs to be done.”
So if she took over now, he’d have to...what? Wash dishes? Clean tables?
Cannon flashed her a grin. “Don’t worry about it. It’s all the same to me.”
Avery noticed again what a good-looking man he was. The bar lamps put blue highlights in his shiny black hair, highlights that matched the pale blue of his dreamy eyes. And those thick lashes, the warm way he smiled, that small dimple...
His grin widened.
Such a wicked grin it was, too. Avery shook her head and collected her flagging wits. “I’d prefer to bartend.”
“Then have at it.” He turned to go, but Ella had approached. He nodded at her, saying, “Ma’am.”
Which made Ella twitter and blush.
Wow. Avery had to do a double take over that. “Never thought I’d see the day.”
“Excuse me?” Cannon said.
“Nothing.” Avery smiled at Ella. “Everything okay?”
Ella slid an order slip over to her without looking away from Cannon. “Just stopping by to greet our new coworker.”
“Thanks.” Without missing a beat, Cannon took the slip and filled the drinks. “We met last night, right?”
“We did, very briefly,” Ella said. “But with all the confusion I didn’t get to welcome you proper.”
“Appreciate it.”
She wound a finger in her brown hair and flirted shamelessly. “So you’re staying on?”
“Looks like.” He loaded her tray and then glanced back at Avery. “Rowdy told me to take my direction from you, so what’s it to be? Anything you want me to do to help out here, or should I check with Jones?”
Ella stared at him adoringly.
So Rowdy had put her in charge? After what had just taken place in his office, she would feel self-conscious about that, except that neither Ella nor Cannon seemed to think anything of it.
She took in the crowded floor, growing more so by the minute, and said, “Looks like we have a crush all of a sudden.”
“Friendly football rivalry,” Cannon said. “The guys at the bar are the winners, and the ones sulking in the booths by the far wall are—”
“Not happy,” Ella supplied. She winked. “But I’m working on cheering them up.”
Cannon lifted a brow. “I bet you’ll have them downright giddy in no time.”
It was nice that Cannon fit right in. She’d have to remember to tell Rowdy what a good choice he’d made. “Why don’t you help Ella get the orders going, and then see if Jones needs a hand? Maybe bounce back and forth.”
“Sounds good.” He grabbed an order pad and pen from behind the bar and started out to the floor.
The second he stepped away, Ella pretended to collapse back in a heap, making Avery laugh.
“Dear Lord,” Ella said, “that young man is potent.”
“He is easy on the eyes,” Avery agreed.
“That apron looks better on him than it ever will on me. Now, if he only wore the apron...” Her gaze tracked him as he went across the floor. “I could really appreciate it when he walks away.”
Laughing, Avery swatted at her. “Behave yourself.”
“Ha! Look who’s talking about behaving.” While Avery tried to fight off a blush, Ella winked. “Rowdy’s a morsel, no doubt about it. But you just might have a tiger by the tail with that one. Know when to turn him loose, okay?”
Dreading the answer, Avery asked, “How much did you hear?”
“Hear?” Ella’s brows arched up. “I saw Rowdy drag you off, honey, and it was plain to everyone what he wanted.”
She swallowed hard, and squeaked, “What?”
“You.” Ella squeezed her hand. “I think it’s nice that he couldn’t wait to get you alone to steal a kiss.”
Steal a kiss? Is that all Ella thought had happened? As her spine turned into a noodle, Avery said, “He’s...impetuous.”
“I’d say he’s outrageous and downright sinful.” She lifted her loaded tray. “Every woman here envies you. Enjoy it while it lasts.”
While it lasts. Ugh. Such a depressing thought—one that wouldn’t leave her even as the hours passed and she stayed busy filling nonstop drink orders.
The football players said, “Keep ’em coming,” and they meant it. Avery barely had time to draw breath, much less rest.
Out on the floor, a drinking game almost got out of hand. Rowdy sent two men home, thankfully with their designated driver. He cranked up the jukebox and a few couples chose to dance. Toward the back, laughter and the clanking of pool balls rounded out the din.
All in all, it was an upbeat night.
Just when she thought she’d drop, Rowdy came over with Cannon. “Take your break. Cannon can fill in.”
“Perfect timing.” More than ready, she pulled off her apron and wiped off her hands. After the chaos of yesterday, the sleepless night and the crush of customers today, she was so tired that she felt like she could curl up in a corner and doze off.
Not caring what anyone thought, Rowdy took her hand. “We’ll be in the break room for about fifteen minutes if anything comes up.”
Already zipping through drink orders, Cannon said, “Take your time.”
Once they had some privacy, Rowdy asked, “Coffee or a Coke?”
“Coffee. And maybe a Danish.” She went to her locker to get her purse but Rowdy waved her off to a chair.
“I’ve got it.” He dropped coins into the vending machine to collect her drink and snack, then set everything in front of her before taking the chair to her right and turning it around. He straddled the seat.
Around a jaw-breaking yawn, she mumbled, “Thank you.”
“Do you need something more to eat?”
She shook her head. “Jones gave me soup and a sandwich for my dinner break.”
“You know, you could run over to my place to grab real food if you wanted.”
Another yawn snuck in on her, hiding her surprise at the offer. “No, this is good.” She didn’t want to start overstepping herself, or take advantage of the nearness of his apartment. “Thanks anyway.”
He used his baby finger to tuck her hair back. “You need a nap.”
She most definitely did. “Unlike you, I’m mortal and require sleep.” She added an extra sugar packet to her coffee. “But I have a feeling that if I took a nap, it’d turn into a full eight hours.”
Half smiling, Rowdy touched the top of her cheek. “You have dark circles under your eyes.”
“Great. Good to know.” Around a bite of Danish, she added, “You’ll just have to put up with it because I don’t feel like fussing with makeup right now.”
“You’re still sexy as hell.”
She shook her head. “Your idea of sexy is warped.”
He hesitated, his expression too serious, before he said, “You know, if you need to cut out early tonight, we’ll manage.”
She burned her lip on the hot coffee, then almost dropped the cup.
She hadn’t had enough sleep, they’d been busier than usual and now Rowdy wanted to ditch her?
Grabbing up napkins, he asked, “You okay?”
That little tease in the office had only whet her appetite and made her want more, but had it satisfied him enough that he wanted a reason to avoid her? Well, too bad. She wasn’t ready to end things yet. She narrowed her eyes at him.
Rowdy sat back in his chair. “What did I do?”
She worked her jaw a moment before saying, “If you’d rather I not be at your place tonight, just say so. You don’t need to trump up concern over a few yawns.”
Now his jaw tightened. “I wasn’t suggesting you not come over.”
“So you thought I’d go home, sleep then get up in the middle of the night and come over when you got off work?” How in the world did he think that would be restful?
“I figured you could go right on next door to my place and catch a few hours’ sleep before I get in.”
Was that a joke? No, he definitely looked serious, and a little put out that she’d misunderstood. Her chat with Ella had left her brooding over Rowdy’s habit of one-night stands, so no way had she expected him to want her in his apartment when he wasn’t even there.
Suspicion got an ugly hold on her mood. “So you’re going from a ‘no women allowed’ policy at your apartment to me being there without you?”
“I trust you not to snoop too much.”
He looked like he meant it, and that just leveled her. “I will never understand you.”
“What’s to understand? I’m horny, and you look dead on your feet. Doesn’t bode well for my evening.”
She almost choked on her coffee. So he wasn’t appeased. Thank God. She hated to admit the level of her own relief, so she mustered up some censure instead. “We’ve been over this already. The doctor ordered three days of inactivity before we...” What? Take the big step? To Rowdy, it wasn’t a big step at all.
He caught her hand. “Before we shed our clothes and reenact what we already did in the office?”
She didn’t know what to say to that. “It would be different and you know it.”
“Yeah.” His voice went rough and deep. “I’d be inside you.”
Avery’s heart tripped.
“And you’d be all nice and wet.” He lifted her knuckles to his mouth, pressed a damp kiss there. “Squeezing me tight—”
“Rowdy,” she pleaded. If he didn’t stop, she’d be begging him for an encore and to hell with what the doctor ordered.
For the longest time, he searched her face. “I scare you a little?”
He scared her a lot, but probably not for the reasons he thought. “I’ve been celibate for over a year.” And you make me feel every minute of the wait. She bit off another big bite of her pastry.
Watching her, Rowdy’s eyes darkened with anticipation. “That’s an awfully long time to deny yourself.”
Painfully long—though she hadn’t realized it until Rowdy came along.
He bent a little to meet her averted gaze. “Wanna tell me why?”
She shrugged. Out of necessity, and because you weren’t there to tempt me. “Sex wasn’t a priority.”
“And now it is?”
Sex in general, no. But sex with Rowdy? She got hot flashes imagining it. “You know I want you, Rowdy.” She wasn’t that different from other women. “A lot.” And she’d have him. “But I won’t risk prolonging your recovery, and that’s that.”
“Okay, then.” Rowdy unfolded his big body from the chair and stood over her. “Plan on sleeping tonight.”
She lifted her coffee cup in salute. “Just try to keep me awake.”
“I mean only sleeping.”
Avery couldn’t believe her ears. “That’s a major turnaround.”
Deadpan, he said, “Yeah, but unfortunately, I’m not that into comatose women.”
Well, she wasn’t that tired...but she’d go with any good excuse to give Rowdy the time he needed to recover from the knife attack. “If you’re sure...”
He smirked, letting her know he recognized her ploy. “When we happen—and we will—I want you to feel everything, Avery. Not be numbed by exhaustion.”
Wow. She sort of felt it right now.
Ella peeked into the break room, looked from one to the other of them and grinned. “Sorry to interrupt, kids, but Avery has a call.”
“Who is it?” Rowdy asked.
“Some guy.” She winked at Avery. “I didn’t ask for a name.”
“Next time,” Rowdy told her, “ask.” He pulled back Avery’s chair. “You can take it in my office if you want.”
Ella choked on her laugh, gave a quick wave and left.
“That’s okay.” Avery finished off her pastry and, carrying her coffee cup, started from the room. “I was about done anyway. And no, I don’t need to leave early, but I thank you for the offer.”
“You’re sure?”
As they walked into a boisterous crowd, she said, “Positive.” She’d carry her own weight and that was that. “You’re slammed tonight.”
“I’m glad I hired Cannon when I did.” Rowdy kept a hand at the small of her back as they maneuvered through the crowd.
She was thrilled for the success of the bar, but she wished Rowdy had a little more downtime. She’d taken each of her breaks and an hour for dinner, but Rowdy had barely slowed down at all.
They stepped around a cluster of people and both drew to a halt at what they saw.
Instead of the football players lining the bar, women of all ages and appeal sat perched on the bar stools, crowded in between, leaning on and over the bar—all ogling Cannon.
Avery barked a very unladylike laugh, then slapped a hand over her mouth.
Rolling his eyes, Rowdy said, “He’s going to cause a riot.”
“Told you he was a hottie.” She turned her face up to his. “Between the two of you drawing in ladies, the men won’t have room!”
“And then Ella might quit on me.” He gave her a quick kiss. “Take your call, and then tell Cannon to work the floor with Ella. That ought to help disperse the bar crush.”
At the mention of the phone call, Avery quickly lost her humor. Still, she gave Rowdy a salute and hurried along. It’s just a customer, she told herself. Not a big deal.
Lifting the receiver, she said in her cheeriest voice, “Getting Rowdy Bar and Grill. How may I help you?”
The silence made her feel ill.
“Hello?” She waited, but no reply. From across the room where she’d left him, Rowdy watched her, his attention palpable.
Hoping he wouldn’t question her, she shrugged and started to put the phone back in the cradle.
Through the receiver, a loud crack—maybe gunfire—made her jump so hard that she almost dropped the phone. She stared at it in horror.
Was that a warning? Or had someone just been shot?
Laughter came over the line.
Masculine laughter.
In a rush, she slammed down the phone—and belatedly remembered that Rowdy stood there taking in the whole thing.
What to do, what to do. Forcing all panic from her expression, she glanced at Rowdy and tried for a cavalier laugh. He wasn’t amused. The determination in his gaze told her that he knew something was wrong.
Just how wrong it might be... That’s what Avery wanted to know.
Her heart continued to pound too hard and fast as she took over and sent Cannon to work the floor. As Rowdy had predicted, the women followed, and men quickly claimed their empty seats.
For the remainder of the night she was so frazzled that she spilled drinks, bruised her hip on the ice case and accidentally dumped a bag of pretzels all over the floor.
Over and over again, she heard that awful gunshot.
They had two more hours until closing, and she couldn’t wait to call it a day. Knowing she’d go home with Rowdy, that she wouldn’t have to spend the night alone, was the only thing helping her to hold it together.
Despite the exhaustion, the thought of sleeping with him again had her toes curling inside her shoes. Snuggled up safe against Rowdy, breathing in the essence of his skin and hair, feeling his warmth... It was almost enough to revive her.
She was mopping up the bar with a rag when she saw a woman come up to Rowdy. It seemed like her eyes just naturally knew where to find him and sought him out every few minutes.
Over and over again women came on to him. He’d laugh, tease, chat. But he didn’t get overly familiar with any of them.
This time, however, was different.
Rowdy greeted this lady with a hug.
Avery forgot what she was doing. The whiskey-soaked rag hung limp in her hand. The bubbly little brunette took care not to hurt his back, even cupped a hand to his face and spoke intimately with him.
Ice ran through her veins, followed by a tidal wave of heat. Without realizing it, Avery squeezed the rag, and the whiskey she’d just mopped up all squished out again. The guy sitting in front of her said, “Hey!”
Irked, Avery mumbled, “Sorry,” and again cleaned the spill. She tried turning away. She really did. But she couldn’t keep herself from looking back once more.
Rowdy smiled, teased, even tucked the woman’s hair behind her ear in that same tender way that Avery had stupidly felt was special for her.
Special. Ha! The only thing special was that she hadn’t yet slept with him. Once she did, Rowdy would move on. She knew that, and maybe, just maybe, that accounted for part of her insistence that they wait.
She glared so hard that Rowdy suddenly glanced up, and his gaze clashed with hers.
She thrust up her chin and turned away. Then had to peek back. Rowdy now had his arm around the woman’s shoulders, but he wasn’t smiling anymore.
It didn’t matter. Avery had already accepted that she had no hold on him. Of course he’d flirt. It was in his nature, a vital part of who he was as a man. And with the way women gravitated to him—
Her murderous thoughts stalled when Rowdy started leading the woman toward her.
He wanted to introduce them? No, no, no. That was too much to ask.
But what could she do? She glanced around in a near panic. Abandon the bar? Show that it bothered her?
The hell she would.
If he wanted her to meet his admirers, then she’d pretend it didn’t bother her at all.
Before he’d quite reached them, Avery pasted on a stiff smile that made her cheeks ache.
Rowdy dragged the woman right up to her. “Avery, this is a friend of mine.”
The woman smiled happily. “Hello.”
A friend, huh? Avery barely suppressed a sarcastic snort. And just what the hell did Rowdy’s “friend” have to be so happy about?
Doing her best to play along, Avery said, “Nice to meet you,” and then, even though she couldn’t see the bar through tunnel vision, she tried to get back to work.
“Avery.” Without lowering his voice one iota, Rowdy stated, “I’m not sleeping with her.”
Gasping, Avery spun back around. “Rowdy!”
The woman gave him a sappy, indulgent look of warm affection. “Of course he’s not.” She flapped a hand. “He’s tempting enough, but we worked that stuff out early on. I needed to know his expectations and he—”
Rowdy interrupted her, saying, “That’s enough.”
She leaned into him, but spoke to Avery. “I bet Rowdy has you confounded, doesn’t he?” She tipped her head back to smile up at him. “You do that to every woman.”
They were so damned cozy together that Avery’s molars ground together. “I know exactly what he does to every woman.”
Rowdy pulled his friend closer. “How can you know, Avery, when you and I haven’t yet—”
Avery threw the whiskey-soaked rag at him.
It almost hit the woman, who squealed and ducked back.
It did hit Rowdy, splatting right in the center of his solid chest, and then slowly dropping to the floor with a sodden plop.
He stared at her with incredulity.
Avery stared back, disbelieving that she’d done such a thing, but also sort of tickled with Rowdy’s look of shock. She’d seen many expressions from him, most of them intimidating, but never this hilarious blank surprise.
A nervous giggle escaped her.
Rowdy’s eyes narrowed.
All around them, the racket from boisterous drinkers seemed to fade. With a hand covering her mouth, Avery took a cautious step backward.
That only hardened Rowdy’s expression and tensed his broad shoulders.
Grinning, his friend—Avery couldn’t think of her that way without a mental sneer—grabbed napkins off the bar and patted Rowdy’s chest. “Oh, that was too funny. Glad it missed me, though!”
Avery said, “I wasn’t aiming for you.”
Ms. Touchy-Feely chuckled. “I’m sure Rowdy had it coming.” She leaned forward to whisper, sotto voce, “He’s the quintessential badass, you know.”
Rowdy’s gaze never left Avery. “I’m the one who was just attacked.”
“He’s a rascal, too,” she said while using the napkins to soak up some of the mess off his shirt—and in the process putting her hands all over his chest.
Avery tried not to care, but damn it, she did. Too much.
“He takes great personal pleasure in being disreputable and, well, rowdy.” The annoying woman leaned into him again and said with sugary sweetness, “But he’s also so lovable.”
“That’s enough, Alice.”
A dousing of ice water couldn’t have been more jarring. Avery felt her heart hit her feet. Oh, crud. So this was Alice?
Alice smiled knowingly. “Rowdy can take a punch—or a soggy rag, as the case may be—but beware if you try to compliment him. That’s when he gets surly.”
Avery wished for a dark hole to crawl into. She’d made a colossal fool of herself in front of the paragon who had connected so strongly with Marcus. She winced. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Alice said. “I understand. Rowdy is so special that he can have that disorienting effect on people.”
Proving he couldn’t take a compliment, Rowdy said, “I am not—”
Alice didn’t give him an opportunity to interrupt her praise. “I think he likes to cultivate the whole bad boy image. But at heart, he’s a really good guy.”
Rowdy stepped in front of Alice. “She really is just a friend.”
Alice leaned around him. “More than a friend,” she protested. “But we have never—” she looked around and bobbed her eyebrows “—gotten busy.”
Because Alice appeared to want a reply, Avery said, “Okay.”
“I have my own hunky guy,” Alice bragged. “He’s a police detective.”
Suddenly Reese loomed behind them. “If you want to hang on to someone, honey, my arm is available.”
Rowdy slowly closed his eyes—then pried Alice loose.
She immediately turned to Reese. “And here he is!” Hugging up to Reese—who truly was a hunk—Alice said, “Reese, have you met Rowdy’s special lady?”
Special lady? Avery sputtered, “I’m just the bartender.”
Saying nothing, Rowdy crossed his arms and looked put out by it all.
“Yes, we’ve met,” Reese said to Alice. “Remember when I helped Rowdy work on the bar? Avery was here sometimes, pitching in where she could. Last night she rode with Logan to take Rowdy to the hospital. That’s why she wasn’t here when you came to see Marcus.”
Alice took that as confirmation. “There, you see? She’s very special, just as I said.”
* * *
OH, HOW HE would have loved to see Avery’s face when he fired the gun. Though he’d never wanted her to hear him for fear she’d recognize his voice, he couldn’t stifle the laugh as he’d imagined her shock, her probable fear.
Fear was good; it’d make her more amicable to his plans.
If she didn’t feel safe at the bar, in the company of hoodlums, then getting her back where she belonged would be oh-so-much easier.
Already he’d wasted too much energy on this little endeavor. Time to bring the brat back home, where she belonged.
Once there, he’d see to it that she never ventured off again.