Reckless Surrender

by R. C. Martin

  I told Roman to text me any time he was working and Daphne or Trevor showed up at the bar. When my phone alerted me to a new message at eleven, just when I was thinking about powering off my computer and heading to bed, I had a hunch it was Roman.When I saw that it was, I knew immediately that Trevor was at the bar—seeing as how my mopey bestie was at her own desk directly across from me. At the prospect of planting Roman-loves-Logan seeds in Trevor’s head, all thoughts of going to bed were quickly replaced with what outfit I could throw together in ten minutes. Normally I’d allow myself a lot more time, but I wanted to make it over to Cooper’s before Trevor went home with some skank.

  From here on out, he’s only allowed to go home with one skank—and that’s my skank.

  Given that it’s only Thursday, that I’m only looking to impress my fake-beau, and that I only have ten minutes, I keep my attire simple. I wiggle my way into a pair of black shorts, slip a loose, white, silk tank top over my head, and step into my floral print stilettos. I drape a few necklaces about my neck, slap on a few bracelets, run my fingers through my hair, and I’m out the door with barely a peep from Daphne.

  She knows where Trevor is and what he’s doing. Suddenly, her mood makes all the sense in the world. I knew something was wrong the minute she came inside, slamming the front door behind her. She didn’t want to talk about it when she got home. She brushed it off as nothing and told me she was just being overly sensitive. Well, lucky for her, I’ve got her back.

  Now that I’m here, I’ve got my game face on. I totally plan on being the biggest cock-block Trevor has ever gone up against while, at the same time, convincing him that I now have a thing for his girl’s brother. I’m also going to have a few drinks while I’m at it.

  Damn. I can’t believe I was getting ready to go to bed.

  Thank you, Roman, for saving me from old-lady-syndrome.

  I spot Trevor and his hottie-hubby-friend and hold back a mischievous laugh when I see an available bar stool only two seats away. I snag it and pretend that I don’t notice them, catching Roman’s attention first.

  “Were you just sitting around, dressed and ready to go, or what? It hasn’t even been a half an hour since I texted you,” he says, throwing a towel over his shoulder.

  I grin because he just inadvertently told me I look better than what ten minutes can buy me. That’s a big deal, coming from the Ice King himself. “This is our lucky break,” I say, pressing myself against the bar. “Pour me drinks, flirt with me, and help me keep any handsy-hussies away from Trevor.”

  “Just how am I supposed to help with that last bit?”

  “You’re smart. I’m sure you’ll figure something out.” He smirks at me before he goes to get me a drink. I decide to keep my awareness of Trevor a secret until he spots me or starts hitting on some girl and forces my hand. For just a moment, I wonder how late I’ll be out tonight. I’ve got work in the morning and I need to make sure I get enough rest to be useful—especially considering all the time I’ll be spending with Jude.

  He hasn’t flirted with me since Monday, after my lunch date. Neither has he mentioned seeing me at The Tap Room later on that same night. He’s been all business, which works for me. It’s helped me find the focus I need to block out his devilishly handsome looks and concentrate on The Archibald, and whatever scraps of genius he’s willing to share from his designer brain.

  “It usually starts to pick up around twelve-thirty. Think you can work your magic before then?” asks Roman upon his return.

  I raise an eyebrow at him. “I can do so much damage in forty-five minutes, it’s not even funny. You just have to remember to play along. Now, what did you bring me?”

  “How many times do I have to tell you, M, you don’t have to remind me of my role. I have it covered. As for your drink, it’s Woodchuck.”

  “You brought me a girly beer?” I ask, scrunching my nose at him. “Double-O, it’s not even really a beer…”

  “You’ll get full before you get drunk.” He astounds me, closing the distance between us so that he can whisper directly into my ear. My back stiffens in response, but I soon relax when I feel the sensation of his warm breath against my skin as his deep, velvety voice glides into my ear. “I need you operating at full capacity tonight. There’s only so much I can do from behind the bar and I do have to keep working. By the way, we’ve been spotted.”

  “Oh, goody!” I say with a grin, reaching for my drink with both hands. He grins back at me before he goes to help another customer. I nurse my beverage, which is too sweet for my taste, and wait to see if Trevor will acknowledge me. After a couple of minutes, I wonder if Roman saw wrong—but then I hear my name. I turn toward his voice and feign surprise.

  “Hey, guys. What’s up?”

  “Nothing. What’s up with you? Are you here alone?”

  I nod my confirmation. “Daph was in a funk and so I figured I’d let her stew on her own tonight.” The people between us catch wind that I’m alone and talking around them, so they offer to switch spots with me. Before Trevor can say no, I’m sitting beside him. “So, any idea what’s got our girl in such a state?” I inquire innocently.

  “She’s probably mad at me. She thinks I should be sleeping and not drinking,” he says, signaling for Roman.

  I fight the urge to roll my eyes with every ounce of willpower I can find. I know he knows I’m smart enough to piece together why he chose this bar on this night. I know exactly why business will be picking up around twelve-thirty. The drink specials at Monkey Town end at midnight. I know for a fact it’s ladies night. In fact, Brittany invited me to come out with her and some of her girlfriends earlier. I declined, of course—not because I’m suddenly an adult who thinks about going to bed before midnight, but because Monkey Town is just too tacky for my tastes.

  That, however, is not the point. The point is, Trevor is not here just to get his drink on with his bestie. He’s here to pick up some ass. Not that I blame him entirely. If Daphne just told him what she wanted, I bet he’d stop prowling. Stubborn girl. Then again, she’s not the only stubborn one. By the looks of him, she was right about him needing sleep, but I don’t say so.

  When Roman comes over, he makes sure to give me a once over before he takes Trevor’s order. When he comes back with another beer, he delivers it to its owner and then returns his attention to me. “How about you? Need another?”

  “You mean another cider? I’m still working on this one. But if you want to bring me something stronger…” I prop my elbows against the counter and lean toward him. He mimics me and I pull my lower lip between my teeth coyly.

  “A girl like you can’t be trusted with something stronger—not when you’ve just thrown yourself into the realm of dating.” I open my mouth to object but then he places a finger to his lips and shakes his head at me. “I’m not going to stand back and watch you get drunk and flirt with every guy who buys you a drink. Since Daphne isn’t here to play the role of your wingman, I guess that leaves me.”

  “Is that so?” I ask, pressing further into the space between us.

  “Yes, it is,” he answers, doing the same. Now our noses are practically touching.

  “Tell me, what did I do to deserve such a generous offer?”

  “I like you like this,” he tells me, sliding a finger along my jawline. “When you’re not trying so hard. When you’re not auctioning yourself off to the highest bidder. So tonight, I buy your weak drinks and you get to flirt with me, which, I think, makes me an even better wingman than my sister.” He winks at me and a rush of tingles spreads throughout my entire body. “Don’t tell her I said that.”

  Holy hell.

  Okay. He was right. He doesn’t need any help playing this game with me. He’s got it.

  He’s gone before I can respond and I literally shake off the tingles he seems to have left behind. I allow myself a moment before I return my focus to Trevor, who is staring at me with a curious scowl.

  “What were we talking about again
?”

  “What the hell was that?” he asks, jerking his chin toward Roman.

  “What was what?”

  “You and Roman,” he answers flatly, unwilling to beat around the bush.

  “Oh,” I smile, look over my shoulder at the subject in question, and then turn back at Trevor. “I don’t know. He’s been acting really nice to me, lately.”

  “That wasn’t Roman being nice. That was Roman flirting. I might be a few drinks in, but not nearly drunk enough for the two of you flirting to make sense.”

  Just as I open my mouth to speak, a loud group of girls walks into the bar laughing. They’re hard to miss, which is why when I look back at Trevor, he’s twisted around checking out prospects. I have to fight the urge to smack him for being such an idiot. Instead, I rest my hand on his forearm and lean close so I might talk softly. With any luck, I’ll not only distract him, I’ll also discourage anyone else from bothering us.

  “I have a confession to make,” I begin, once I have his attention. “I like him. I mean—I’ve liked him for a really long time.”

  “Bullshit. You two can’t stand each other,” he scoffs before bringing his beer to his lips.

  “That’s not exactly true. I mean, yes, that’s how it looks—but I only bicker with him because he’s always rejected me.” He eyes me with disbelief. “I’ve been attracted to him since the moment we met,” I say truthfully. “We just didn’t start off on the right foot, is all.”

  “Right,” he mutters, looking back at the girls who have settled at a table just behind us.

  “First of all,” I pause, placing a hand on his cheek and forcing his gaze back on me. “Ew. We both know you can do better. Second, I really do like Roman. Now that I’m officially dating again—”

  “You can’t have that one,” Roman interrupts me. I smile at him and remove my hand from Trevor’s cheek. “I believe he’s spoken for.”

  Oh, way to drop a hint, I think before I say, “I was actually trying to convince him that I have feelings for someone else.”

  “Yeah? How does this someone else feel about you?”

  “I haven’t figured it out, yet,” I reply, offering a single shoulder shrug. “He hasn’t asked me out or anything so I can’t be sure.”

  “Maybe he’s apprehensive. You’re not exactly the dating kind.”

  “True,” I say with a pout. I look down at my hands in my lap before peeking at him from beneath my eyelashes. “But he knows I’m trying to be.”

  Roman studies me a moment before turning toward the guys. “Harvey, what are you doing Saturday night?”

  “Besides working, I’ve got nothing planned.”

  “Can you cut out of work early? I’m trying to put together a group date. You and Grace should come.”

  “I might be able to make that happen,” he agrees with a knowing smile.

  “You too, Trev. Bring Daph.” He doesn’t pause long enough to give Trevor the option to object.

  Inside, I’m jumping up and down screaming Go, Roman, go!

  “That is, if I can get Logan to say—”

  “Yes!” I exclaim with a giggle.

  “Alright then,” he says with a smile and a nod. “Trev, do you need another?”

  Trevor looks from Roman to me and then back at Roman but doesn’t respond.

  “Are you feeling okay?” I ask, resting my hand on his shoulder. “You look really tired. Maybe Daphne was right. Maybe you should get some sleep.”

  He shakes his head, as if to clear his thoughts. “I’ll take one more. You can close my tab,” he tells Roman.

  Well, that was easy.

  She smells good. Intoxicatingly good. I’m not sure how I never noticed it before.

  Then again—I’ve never gone out of my way to be so close that I could practically taste her.

  The second Trevor and Harvey walked into the bar, I had my phone out. I’d been given orders to alert Logan any time there was an opportunity for us to put on our show while I was working. It’s not ideal, playing this game while I’m behind the bar, but I figure the sooner we get the ball rolling, the better. Once it’s established that she and I are into each other, we can raise the stakes a bit.

  Truth be told, I was actually relieved by this whole twisted scheme tonight. I’ve seen Trevor leave Cooper’s with various women before and I don’t like it. My sister deserves better than that. I get that to him it doesn’t mean anything, but sex always means something, whether you want it to or not. I truly believe that. He gives a little bit of himself away every time he makes that connection. While I think sex is better left for marriage, I’d rather he give himself to Daphne than a bunch of strangers he met and then forgot at a bar. She’s the one who has his heart, and he hers.

  Anyway, having Logan around to spoil his plans tonight was quiet entertaining. Admittedly, I got caught up in our act as well. Watching Trevor squirm was proof that we were getting to him. I don’t know if he was just drunk enough to believe us or if we were convincing on our own, but he bailed with Harvey and that is a victory in my book.

  He left just as business was beginning to pick up, but Logan has stayed behind. I’ve had my hands full, but I’ve been keeping my eye on her as she sips at her drink. She’s been on her phone, doing who knows what, and I’ve actually watched her turn away a couple guys who have attempted to hit on her. Seeing her do that makes me like her just a little bit.

  Ashton was right. If there is one heartfelt truth about Logan that I can’t deny, it’s her love for my sister. Watching her sit alone—something that she is not known for, as beautiful as she is—it reminds me just how invested she is in this whole thing. She’s here for Daphne, to keep Trevor out of some girl’s pants; but she’s also here for me. At least for appearance sake.

  It might be against my better judgment, but I admire her determination.

  She looks up from her phone and catches me staring. She smiles and something inside of me seems to break. My reluctance. I realize, thinking back over the last hour, that we can do this. I want to do this. Not begrudgingly, not hesitantly, but legitimately. I think for the first time since she approached me, I see why this couldn’t work with anyone other than us. We can trust each other—as crazy as that sounds—and I think the things that make us different are going to be the reasons why we’re the most convincing.

  She was right. Her plan is brilliant.

  It’s also working.

  I make my way toward her and she holds up her empty glass. “Can I please have something better than Woodchuck now?”

  “Yes,” I snicker. “We started carrying this new IPA last week. Want to give that a try?”

  “Something new sounds perfect.”

  “I’ll be right back.” I return with a bottle and a clean glass. As I pour, I try and get a peek at what’s on her phone. It only takes me two seconds to realize I’m not going to be able to see, let alone decipher, what she’s up to, so I just ask.

  “Hmm?” she hums as I slide over her beverage.

  “What are you looking at? You’ve been engrossed in whatever it is since Trevor and Harvey left.”

  “Oh.” She turns her phone so that I can see what’s displayed on the screen. “I’ve decided to remodel the kitchen next. Daphne is going to kill me. I’m going to gut it.”

  “Ah,” I murmur in agreement. All summer long, I’ve been getting updates on the condo remodel. Daphne thinks most of it is overkill, but she’s been quite content to go along with the whole thing since Logan has decided not to tear down any walls or rip up any flooring, or worse. Apparently, worse is coming.

  “Good luck dropping that news. I thought you might have been meticulously planning our group date for Saturday.”

  “Ha!” she grunts. “That, Double-O, is all on you.”

  “What? You’re not going to help me?”

  She flashes me a sly grin as she shakes her head no. “You’ve made it very clear that you are more than capable of chasing after me—so chase on, handsome.”
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br />   “Oh, how convenient. You pick now to trust my abilities.”

  “My advice wouldn’t be very helpful, anyway,” she says before taking a sip of her beer. She furrows her brow as she swallows and I can tell she’s trying to decide what she thinks of the taste. She doesn’t comment before she continues. “I haven’t been on a date in forever. Something tells me whatever you come up with will be fine. Just make sure it’s really fun! Also, make sure it’s something that I would actually enjoy doing. Of course it has to be something that will help push Trev and Daph together, too. No pressure.” She winks at me before taking another drink. “Have you had this?” she asks, pointing at her glass.

  Taste testing our new stock is one of the perks of the job. The more we know about each beer, the easier it is to help our indecisive, novice, or experimental customers. What I know about this IPA is that it’s disgusting.

  That’s just my personal opinion.

  She must note my poorly disguised amusement at her distaste because she frowns at me as she folds her arms across her chest. “You knew it wasn’t any good!”

  “Correction, I now know you’re not a fan of IPAs. As your future boyfriend, that’s good for me to know,” I tease before I down a couple gulps. I grimace when I set down what remains. “Because I’m the chivalrous type, I’ll even help you finish it.”

  “Then do you promise to let me have something that doesn’t taste like grass and urine?”

  “Drink up, M,” I reply with a laugh. “Then, we’ll see.”

  I’m startled out of my sleep by a banging at the front door. For a second, I don’t move. I’m all alone—at least I was when I went to sleep. I’m not sure if Logan is back yet, but that can’t be her outside. No way she could make that much noise.

  I reach for my phone to check the time just as it starts ringing. Harvey lights up across the screen and immediately I know who’s here. I climb out of bed as I answer with a swipe of my finger. Before I can manage a hello, I hear bickering on the other end of the line.