Chapter 3
Hayden hadn't planned on the bar being so crowded. He weaved his way past a couple making out and decided to sit at the bar instead of a table. He wasn't going to stay long.
He sat on a stool next to a pretty young blonde. She gave him a smile, and he waved over the bartender. "Johnny Walker Blue, please."
The young woman was fidgety. She swirled the last of her beer around her glass and swept her eyes around the entire bar, except at him. Maybe she was waiting for someone and was nervous. He’d been there before. "I'm Hayden," he said.
"Anna. Nice to meet you."
"Are you waiting for someone?"
She shook her head. "No, my friend abandoned me. I was actually leaving."
"No, stay. Can I get you another drink?"
She frowned at him. "Okay, thanks. But just one. Then I should go."
He waved over the bartender. "Please get Anna whatever she wants."
The bartender wiggled his eyebrows at Anna. "Oh, I know exactly what she wants." He moved to the other side of the bar, pulling out glasses.
"You know the bartender?"
Anna nodded. "Eileen and I have been coming here for years. Long before it was legal."
Hayden snorted. "Really and how long has that been?”
"Since we were eighteen. Heath didn't buy it, but he gave us our drinks anyway. When we finally got legal IDs, Heath asked how it was possible that we were still twenty-one."
"So what is he getting you?"
"That depends."
"On what?"
"Well, if he thinks I should go home, he'll bring me a beer. If he wants me to flirt with you, he'll bring me a margarita, and if he wants me to go home with you, it will be tequila shots. Three probably."
"How often does he bring you the shots?" Hayden was intrigued by this young woman. It’d been a long time since someone interested him.
"Never. He’s always joked that he would, but usually it's a margarita."
The bartender came back with three shot glasses and raised his eyebrows at her. "Drink up, sweetie."
Anna burst out laughing, and Hayden joined her. She was charming. She raised one of the shot glasses to him and swallowed it with a grimace.
"So tell me, Hayden, what brings you to my bar?"
"Work sucked today so I thought I'd get a drink before I went home."
Anna fingered the next shot glass. "What do you do?"
"I'm a doctor."
She snorted, and he was insulted. Maybe she thought he was lying to pick her up.
"What?" he asked.
"I'm a nurse. Sort of. I have my CNA. I used it to take care of my grandpa. What kind of doctor are you?"
Hayden didn't want to tell her. Her reaction would be one of two things. Either she'd roll her eyes and make some snide comment about what he might do to her body, or she'd start gushing over him. He didn't want to see either one. She must've sensed his hesitation.
"You don't have to tell me, if you don't want. It's a dumb question anyway. Why does everyone lead with that? When I was taking care of my grandpa, I always told everyone that I was a nurse because it was easier than explaining I wasn't actually working. How about we skip all the stupid normal questions and only ask questions you never ask someone you meet at a bar? Also, this is totally the tequila talking."
She eyed the second shot.
“You’ve never drank tequila before, have you?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I’m not looking forward to the next shot.”
“Here, let me help.” He pulled over the salt and the lime wedges the bartender left.
He pointed to her palm. “Lick that.”
She pursed her lips and then did as he instructed. He took her hand in his own. Her skin was soft and warm. He poured salt onto the spot she had licked.
“Okay, now lick the salt off, do the shot, then suck the lime. It should be easier that way.”
She followed his instructions, and he grinned at her grimace.
“Better?” he asked.
“Yeah, still burned though.”
He took a sip of his scotch. She was proving to be quite interesting. If he'd met her in college, she would be exactly the kind of girl he’d want to get to know. But now she’d be obliterated by the wives.
"Okay," he finally said. "You start. Ask me anything."
She tapped her finger on her chin. "Okay. Who's your favorite family member?"
"My mom."
"Ah, mama's boy."
"No. But she completely holds our family together. She's smart, is accomplished, and was the best mother anyone could ask for. I don't talk to her every day or anything, but she’s definitely my favorite. Though, our whole family is pretty close." He often wondered if he should throw the towel in and move home. He could work with his mom, fish with his dad, and give his brother a bad time.
Anna gave him a grin. "Sure. Whatever. Okay, your turn."
He thought. He'd never done something like this before. "What’s your secret wish?"
The smile fell from her face. "That my parents were still alive." She dropped her eyes, and he grabbed her hand. He felt horrible for bringing up sad memories. He wanted to see her laughing and smiling.
"Hey, I didn't mean to be a downer. How old were you?"
"Twelve."
He picked up the last shot and handed it to her. "No more serious questions. I'm sorry."
She threw back the last shot. "What's your favorite Disney character?"
He hadn't watched cartoons in a very long time, so he spouted out the first one he thought of. "Bugs Bunny."
She giggled. "Bugs Bunny isn’t Disney."
"He isn’t? Sorry, I don’t watch cartoons."
"Then you are missing out. You should come to my house and watch Disney movies with me."
He nodded, wondering if that was the alcohol talking, but he was enjoying their game. "Who's your favorite Harry Potter character? You can't say Harry, Hermione, or Ron." You could tell a lot about a person by who their favorite Harry Potter character was. Even if people hadn’t read the books, they’d seen the movies. And if they weren’t fans, they weren’t worth getting to know.
"Luna. Hands down. What about you?"
That was a decent answer.
"Dobby."
She put her hand on his knee. "Yep, you need to come watch Disney with me. Then we'll binge watch the Harry Potter movies."
“Is that so? Aren’t all the Disney movies pretty girly, like Cinderella or Snow White?”
She leaned closer to him with a silly grin. “No. They’re plenty of Disney movies for boys.” She started ticking them off on her fingers. “Finding Nemo, Hercules, Monsters, Inc., Toy Story.”
"Okay, point proven. We’ll need to start with those. I’m not sure I could stomach a princess movie.”
“Hey, princess movies rock.”
“We’ll see about that. Favorite flower?”
“Oh, now I know you’re trying to pick me up. Can I expect a bouquet of lilies to show up at my house tomorrow or what?”
No, but he wasn’t going to tell her that. They were just playing anyway.
“Maybe. Tell me your favorite gemstone, and there might be a tennis bracelet in there for you too.”
She laughed. “No gems for me. Only pearls.”
“Classy.”
“Hey, that was two questions. My turn.”
“Fair enough. Ask away.”
“Cats or dogs?”
“Dogs.”
“What's your favorite dessert?" he asked her. He liked asking the questions, learning more about her.
"Applebee’s lava cake."
"Okay, can I take you to get some?" He wanted to get her away from the alcohol. He didn't know why, but he had this desire to know her, and he didn't want her wasted. She seemed so innocent, yet aside from a little silliness, the tequila didn't seem to affect her.
She winked at him. "Sure. And we'll let Heath think I'm going home with you."
H
e didn't tell her, but that was the plan. Though he did want her completely coherent. Drunk girls weren't much fun in bed.
"I gotta go tell Eileen."
He threw down a hundred for the bartender and slipped his arm around her waist. Just as they were walking away, the bartender yelled, "Use protection."
Anna giggled, and he waved to the bartender. They found her friend Eileen making out with a guy in a corner booth. Anna tapped her on the shoulder, and Eileen untangled herself and stared up at them.
"I'm leaving," Anna said.
"With him?" Eileen asked with narrowed eyes.
"Yeah, we'll talk tomorrow."
Eileen stumbled out of the booth and gave Anna a hug. Then she turned to Hayden and gave him a big hug, which he was not expecting. She whispered low in his ear. "You be good to her, or I will hire someone to gut you. Do you understand?"
She pulled away with a smile. "Understood," he replied.
He guided Anna out to his car. She ran her hand across the bright yellow hood.
"This is a pretty car."
He had to agree with her there. The poor Porsche wouldn’t see the light of day for another six months.
"I know."
"Why do you have such a pretty car?" she asked as she pulled on her seatbelt.
He shrugged. "I guess because I can. I work a lot, and I like cars. I'm going to miss it."
"Why?" She creased her eyebrows.
"I'm going to work overseas for several months."
"So this isn't going anywhere?" She stared at him with such seriousness. He didn't want to lead her on.
"No. I'm afraid this isn't going to go anywhere after tonight. Are you okay with that?"
She bit her lip. "Yeah. I am."
"Good. Let's go get that lava cake."
He was used to spending only a night with a girl. Since Faith, he hadn't let himself get close to anyone. He couldn't risk another girl turning out like her.
He pulled into the Applebee’s parking lot. Anna got out with a surprising amount of grace for a girl who just had three tequila shots. Maybe he'd misjudged her innocence.
The hostess directed them to a booth. Instead of sitting across from her, he slid in with her. Her eyes widened in surprise. He put his arm around her. He was being forward, but he wanted to get a feel for where this was going. If she shrugged him off, he’d probably be going home alone. She leaned into him.
"Real food or just dessert?" he asked.
"Dessert and then real food."
"That sounds like a great plan."
The waitress came, and they ordered the lava cake and two Cokes. He liked the feel of her against him.
"How old are you anyway?" he asked.
She shook her head. "Nope, that's not allowed. Remember, only questions that you wouldn't normally ask at the bar."
He nodded. "Fair enough."
They talked while they waited for their food. She was quirky and fun, and he liked her way more than he should. The dessert arrived, and Anna snatched the spoon and dug in. She closed her eyes and let out a moan. It was an incredible turn on. He had to think about something else and searched for another spoon. There wasn't one.
Anna opened her eyes. "Thanks. This is amazing."
"You have the only spoon."
She smirked at him. "Then I guess I get to eat it all." She scooped out another bite.
"That's not fair," he said with a fake pout.
"You're right," she said. "Open up."
He was so startled that he did as commanded, not breaking eye contact. She inserted the spoon into his mouth, and he was tempted to close his eyes as well. The flavor was incredible, but he kept her gaze. He chewed and quickly swallowed. Then he dipped down and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. He wanted to taste her.
She responded instantly, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him into her. She slid her tongue into his mouth, and he was slayed. She could ask him for anything, and he'd give it to her. He knew that. There was something about this beautiful woman who tasted like chocolate and tequila.
After what felt like an eternity, she withdrew.
"Wow," she whispered.
"No kidding," he said.
He put his arm around her and tugged her close. She dug into her dessert without looking at him. She offered him another bite, and he shook his head. There was only one thing he wanted now, and it wasn't food.
She kept one hand on his knee as she finished off her dessert. Then she met his eyes, and he had an overwhelming desire to kiss her again. But he refrained.
"Do you want anything else?" he asked.
“Nope.”
He threw a few bills down on the table. "Then let’s get out of here."
He held her hand out to the car, and before he opened the door, he pinned her against the window and leaned down and kissed her again. She was more than eager, running her fingers through his hair and pressing her body against his.
He pulled way, breathless. "Your place or mine?" he asked without thinking. He needed it to be her place so that he could leave in a couple of hours. It was much easier sneaking out of a girl’s house than kicking her out of his own.
"How far are you?" she asked.
"About thirty minutes. You?"
"Ten. So my place."
She didn't have to tell him twice. He opened her door and watched her long legs slide into the car. Then he raced around to his own door and sped out of the parking lot.
Chapter 4
Hayden knew he’d made a mistake when he woke up. He should’ve known the night before, but he’d been too enthralled with Anna and her incredibly sexy legs. He never stayed the night. He couldn’t believe he broke his rule. Maybe he could sneak out without her noticing.
That would be the cowardly thing to do, but he wasn’t looking forward to the confrontation. He sat up and pulled on his pants. She stirred next to him.
“Stay,” Anna muttered. “I’ll make breakfast.”
“No, I have a lot of packing to do.” Which was an excuse, but also completely true. He wouldn’t look at her, but he felt her disappointment.
She stretched and sat up. “Where are you going again?”
“Phuket. I’ll be there several months. You should come visit me.” He was lying of course, but it was easy to put girls off that way.
She laughed, and his heart constricted. Last night had been amazing.
“Yeah, right. I’ll just hop on a plane and head to Phuket, wherever the hell that is.”
“Thailand.”
She snorted. “Yeah, Thailand. Like I can afford that.”
He glanced around her tiny two-bedroom apartment and realized that Thailand must sound so exotic to someone like her. He also realized that in spite of talking for several hours last night, he knew nothing real about her. Aside from the death of her parents, her past was a mystery to him. Though he knew her favorite Disney princess was Belle, that she wanted a puppy but worried about being able to take care of it, and that she hated roses.
“Well, if you ever find yourself there, call me.” This was a safe bet and the easiest way to walk away from her. Let her think there was hope. He truly was despicable. He hoped she wouldn’t realize she didn’t have his number until after he left.
He found his jacket and wallet and slipped out without another word. Outside on the curb next to the run-down apartment sat his Porsche. Had he really driven that yesterday? No wonder she’d taken him home.
Phuket. Tropical paradise and up-and-coming medical tourist center. He was eager to get out of Michigan for a winter. He’d be back before summer, though he’d be arriving in the dead of summer there. He’d read about the heat. He wasn’t sure if he was prepared for what it would be like yet.
His day job would be easy, only a few days a week, but he didn’t relish the thought of working with medical tourists. People flew from all over the world to have surgeries done in beautiful third world countries because they got better care and a vacation for the same cost they would
have paid for the surgery in the States. The clients there were probably worse than the ones here. One of his colleagues at the hospital spent a year in Vietnam and said it was the most rewarding time of his career.
Hayden hoped Phuket would be that for him. He wanted to fill a hole in his chest that seemed to never go away, and he had no idea what it was or where it came from. He just knew he was missing something in his life. His mother tried to convince him that he was missing a wife and kids, but that was the last thing he needed.
Chapter 5
Anna met Eileen in front of the Pronto Pup stand in Grand Haven. It was one of their favorite places to eat and gossip about guys and friends. Eileen was everything Anna was not: gorgeous, adventurous, rich, and spontaneous, and Anna loved her for it.
Anna ordered two Pronto Pups and slathered ketchup on one side and mustard on the other. Eileen ordered the same thing. Napkins in hand, they found a bench and watched the boats come and go from Lake Michigan. Anna wondered what this would be like with Hayden. They’d had so much fun last night.
“We should’ve ordered ice cream,” Eileen said, wiping sweat from her forehead.
“Maybe we still will,” Anna replied. The sun beat down on them, but an occasional breeze came in off the water.
“If we had more time, maybe we could take the boat out.”
“That would be so fun.” Yet another reminder of the things she wouldn't be doing because Eileen was leaving her.
“So, it’s time to spill. What happened with sexy doctor last night? Did you get his digits?”
Anna flushed. She didn’t usually have juicy stories for Eileen.
“Um, sort of.”
“What do you mean sort of?” Eileen took a bite of her corndog and got both mustard and ketchup on her face.
“Well, when he left this morning, his business card was on the floor. He must’ve left it on the nightstand.”
Eileen’s eyes bugged. “Get out,” she said with her mouth stuffed with food. It was hard to make Eileen unattractive, but talking with a mouthful of corndog did the trick. She chewed quickly and swallowed. “No way. You’ve never had a one-night stand.”
Anna grinned, and Eileen laughed.
Monkeys and Mayhem (Omega Mu Alpha Brothers Book 4) Page 2
