“Pretty Allie, your hands are never too full that you can’t fit in a nice, sizable?—”
“Ross,” I said, with a grin.
He grinned back. “Guy. I was going to say fit a nice guy into your life.”
“No, you weren’t.”
“Which one asked you out?”
“The blond.”
“Best of the bunch. Easy on the eyes, and polite. Too polite.”
“Too polite?”
Ross nodded. “Can’t get over the sense that it’s for show. That he likes being in control of the situation.”
Hmm. “Anything else seem off?”
“Just that they make lots of friends really quickly. Who has time for that?”
“Not me. I have good friends but just a few of them. I couldn’t cope with more.”
“But you don’t have a dick in your life.”
I pointed a finger at him. “See, I knew that was what you were going to say. I can manage just fine without a man. Besides, this is Windward. It’s slim pickings. I went to school with most of the eligible males, and they are not for me.”
“How about I make you another cocktail?”
“Why not?” I could walk home, or get an Uber, if I needed to.
Ross bought me a new cocktail, and after a few more sips, I had a pleasant buzz. Two was definitely my limit. Mrs. Jenkins would put Ollie to bed, but I still needed to get home to him.
Swiveling on my stool, I took another sip and that’s when I caught Blake’s gaze across the bar.
He smiled and lifted a hand.
I smiled back and gave him a small wave. This could be my chance to find out more about him and his friends.
“Allie.”
Caden’s deep voice made me jolt.
He stood nearby, watching me, his eyes looking darker than they ever had.
My heart galloped into overdrive. “Caden, what are you?—?”
“Don’t have a drink with him.”
I licked my lips and set my drink down. “I told you, it’s not like that.”
That all-too-familiar muscle ticked in his jaw. “I don’t care. I don’t want you near him, or anyone else.”
I sucked in a breath. “You don’t get to come in here and boss me around, Broody.”
He stepped closer, his big body crowding mine, and I felt the heat of him. I also smelled him. That scent that haunted my dreams.
Now, I felt a blip. A big one.
