Not that their problems give me permission to act on the thoughts that keep me up at night. The ones that have me taking cold showers at dawn and praying for forgiveness in the same breath that I’m choking on her name. But Christ, the longer I carry this weight, the harder it gets to remember why I shouldn’t just take what I want.
Watching her now, all I can think about is claiming her on that pool table, my hand wrapped in her dark hair, showing her what a real man feels like between her thighs. Making her scream my name until she forgets every cock that came before mine, especially the one who’s spent his whole life spitting on my name.
God help me, but I’m going straight to hell for the things I want to do to her.
“You gonna stand there staring all night, cowboy, or are you gonna make yourself useful?”
Not. Fucking. Helping.
“What do you need?” I ask, trying to shake off the pull she has on me.
“Could you make sure everything’s shut down out back? I’ll finish up out here.”
Moving through the back of the bar, I turn off lights, lock doors, and make sure my brother won’t have to deal with a half-assed bar closing. But when I come back in, the sight of Piper nearly brings me to my knees. She’s perched on the edge of the bar like she was put on this earth to ruin me, one ankle crossed over the other, looking like every fantasy I’ve ever had. Two shot glasses of clear liquid sit beside her, but all I can focus on is the way those lips curve up into a smile that promises trouble.
“One for the road?” She lifts a shot glass my way. “I think we both need it after the shit show tonight turned into.”
I settle onto the barstool beside where she’s perched, trying like hell to ignore the fact that her thigh is brushing against my shoulder. But I feel it. I feel her. It’s like I’m being fucking torched from the inside out.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
“Are you okay?” she whispers.
Three words. Just three. But they hit like a gut punch because am I? I don’t even know what that means anymore. Every day is the same as the last; it’s predictable and a routine I don’t mind, but do I want more? Fuck, I don’t even know.
I knock back the shot, letting the burn chase away the truth trying to claw its way up my throat. “I’m as okay as a guy like me can be.”
“That’s not really an answer.”
“It’s the only one I’ve got.”
When she starts to slide off the bar, something primitive and desperate takes over. My hand shoots out, gripping her thigh, and those green eyes snap to mine. They’re the kind of eyes that hold entire forests, deep as midnight pines and dark enough to swallow a man whole. And fuck me, what I wouldn’t give to have her do exactly that. On her knees, hermouth stretched wide around my cock, spit dripping down her chin as she gazes up at me like she’d never look at anyone else again.
Jesus, I need to get my shit together.
I hold her stare, silently begging her to stay, and when she settles back, I force myself to release her.
“Life is what it is, and I’ve learned to live with the hand I’ve been dealt.”
She nods, something flickering in her gaze before she lets it go, pushing away whatever’s running through her mind.
“What about you? Are you okay? Travis aside, I mean.”
“I’m as okay as a girl like me can be.” She smiles, and I swear to god, her eyes sparkle. “No, I love working here, and living with my sister is fun. We’re really close, but she’s as unfiltered as I am, so we definitely clash at times.”
“Your sister is terrifying.”
“I’m worse.”
“Is that right?”
“So people have said.”
“Hmm.” I drag my gaze over her. “I’m yet to be terrified by you.”
“Weird… because I’m terrified of you,” she whispers.
