by Laurie Roma
“Sometimes wanting isn’t enough.” Zoe could hear the sadness in her own voice, and immediately wanted to take the words back. “Thanks for walking me home.”
She made it two steps away before she heard him say her name softly. Knowing it was a mistake, she turned back to look at him. He looked so alone standing there in the shadows, his hands clenched into tight fists. Zoe desperately wanted to fling herself into his arms, but she made herself stay where she was.
Dante studied her for a long moment before he spoke. “You and I are going to have to figure out how to deal with this…thing between us, Zoe. I’m trying to understand why you’re trying to put a wall up between us, but it’s not working. It never will. Go inside now, angel. I’ll wait here until you turn your light on.”
Taking the out he gave her, she nodded and hurried inside. Dante shoved his hands in his pockets as he waited, watching for the light to come on in the second floor apartment he knew belonged to her.
Zoe was running. From him, from her past.
He could feel it. Perhaps her holding back on him was why he was so fucking intrigued by her when other women had never been able to hold his attention for more than a few nights. They were too easy, and Zoe made him work for it. No, that wasn’t it. It might be a small factor, but his obsession for her was something was too complex to try to figure out.
Dante told himself he had to be patient, to let her come to him when she was ready to face whatever was haunting her, but fuck it all, he wasn’t a patient man. Knowing she was holding back something from him made his hands itch with the need to grab hold of her before she slipped away. But even if she tried, Dante wouldn’t let that happen.
Zoe belonged to him now, and he damn well planned on keeping her.
Less than a minute later, the light came on in her living room, and he watched as Zoe walked up to the glass door of her balcony. Her hand came up in a hesitant wave before she pulled the curtains closed, leaving him alone in the darkness again.
A flicker of movement in the space below her apartment had Dante’s eyes narrowing. He stared hard, then relaxed when the sound of a patio door sliding opened reached him. Dante’s friend lived in the ground-floor apartment below Zoe, and he knew that Noah Brixton had just as much trouble sleeping as he did.
Former Delta Force, Brix had come to town five years ago after his career in the military had ended with an injury to his leg. He was a quiet man who mostly kept to himself, but when he did speak, he commanded attention. No one knew much about him, except that he was originally from Louisiana, which was evident by the slight Cajun drawl that came out when he spoke.
With massive arms and a broad chest, the sheer size of Brix made most people nervous, so he fit in well as a bouncer at The Fox Hole. Only those closest to him knew that he made his real living as an artist who carved the most beautiful wood sculptures imaginable. He’d once told Dante that wood carving was his therapy, something that helped him get through the long nights.
From killing to carving art with a knife. Somehow, it made perfect sense.
It had surprised him when Brix continued working at the bar after Dante had found out just how well off the other man was from selling his art, but Dante had sensed that it was more about making himself socialize than actually making money. Over the years, they’d become good friends, and Dante hadn’t hesitated to make Brix a manager since he trusted the man implicitly.
Walking over, Dante joined Brix on the patio and sprawled out in chair next to his friend. Brix lit a cigarette, blowing out smoke as he said, “Stalking your woman again, boss?”
“Fuck you.”
“You are pretty, but you’re still not my type.”
“You’re one to talk, Thor.”
Even in the dark, Dante could see Brix glaring at him. Admittedly, Dante was a good-looking man, but there was something about the other man that drove women absolutely wild. Maybe it was because Brix looked like a Viking warrior of old, or perhaps it was just because the man kept to himself so much he’d become some sort of challenge to the females of Breakers. Dante figured it was more likely because Brix really did look like he could be that damn movie superhero’s twin, and he took extreme pleasure in teasing his friend about it.
“What are you doing up?”
Brix took a deep drag of his cigarette before he answered. “Leg woke me up. Was stretching it out when I saw you guys walk up. Zoe didn’t seem too happy with you, Fox.”
Dante grunted. “When is she ever?”
“True.” Brix studied him for a long moment before asking, “When are you two going to stop dancing around one another and just give in?”
“Fuck if I know,” Dante muttered. “That woman is driving me bat-shit crazy.” He started to say something else, but stopped himself. Even though he was friends with Brix, his relationship with Zoe was too personal, too intimate to talk about with anyone else.
“That woman sure does put you in a pisser of a mood most days. The sooner you two finally get together, the better for everyone at the bar. Just saying.”
“I’ll be sure to make a note on how this effects all of you,” Dante said dryly.
“Please do.” Brix flashed a grin his way, then he sobered and his dark-blue eyes took on a hard edge. “I usually catch Zoe when she goes on her late night walks. I didn’t hear her tonight.”
That made Dante scowl. “She does this often? Damn it, Brix. Why didn’t you tell me?”
Brix shrugged. “Zoe deserves her privacy, same as we all do. She’s only done it a handful of times over the last few months. I usually follow her to the bar, then wait until she’s ready to come home.” He paused. “Did you hear her? That girl can play, can’t she?”
“Yeah, she can.” Dante brooded in the darkness. He wasn’t surprised that Brix hadn’t said anything, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t be pissed about it. He felt a surge of rage that someone else had heard her playing her violin. Selfishly, he’d wanted that keep it to himself. It wasn’t rational, but then again, he was never rational when it came to Zoe.
Brix’s lips twitched, but he held back his smile. Dante had it bad for the little bartender. Everyone knew it. He usually made it a point to stay out of other people’s business, but hell, it was getting pretty painful to watch them fumble around one another.
Giving Dante a little push, Brix said, “Zoe doesn’t know I’ve been following her. The only reason I’m telling you now is because I’m gonna be moving into my new house soon, and I won’t be around when she goes out at night anymore.”
Dante’s jaw clenched. “Don’t worry about Zoe. I’ll be protecting her from now on.”
Satisfied, Brix nodded as he leaned back in his chair. “I figured you would.”
Chapter Three
“Hey, doll. We need more beer!”
Zoe sighed as she heard the slurred voice of a drunk frat boy behind her…again.
Spring break in Breakers was a bitch. On one hand, The Fox Hole was packed nightly for almost two weeks—which meant the tips were good—but on the other, it meant they had to deal with drunk college kids that seemed to flock to the small town in droves.
Since Breakers, Texas was located on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, it was a hot spot for families and local college kids to rent houses where they could enjoy the beach and the boardwalk. All the businesses in town benefited from the influx of tourists, but Zoe had little patience for the idiots that came into the bar looking for trouble.
A prime example were the three morons who thought slamming their empty beer bottles on the bar would give them faster service. Zoe rolled her eyes when they continued to call out to her as she moved to the computerized system to close out a bill for another group of customers.
One of the other bartenders shot her a look of understanding as she moved closer to Zoe in order to grab a bottle off one of the glass shelves against the wall behind the bar. “Those three are going to be a problem,” Georgette said, the irritation clear in her voice even though it w
as hard to hear her over the music. “They started off annoying, but now they’ll be lucky if I don’t punch them in their fucking faces before the night is over.”
Most of the staff that worked at the bar called Georgette Tate “GT” because of her quick temper and sharp tongue. GT was a loner, with a hard-ass attitude that made Zoe envious. She was also a single mother who protected her young daughter like a lioness would her cub. Perhaps it was that fierceness that made Zoe like her so much, or maybe it was because Georgette reminded her of someone she used to care for in the past.
The gorgeous redhead claimed she didn’t get along with other women, but Georgette had never been anything but nice to Zoe since they’d met. Both women had secrets, and perhaps it was their shared caution that made it easier for them to understand one another. Georgette didn’t talk about her past, but she was a local, and Zoe had heard bits and pieces about her while working in the bar. She brushed away most of the rumors, but she couldn’t deny that most of what she’d heard made it clear GT hadn’t had an easy life.
Now, GT’s emerald eyes were dark with a simmering annoyance as she served the drinks she’d just poured. It wasn’t difficult to figure out why. The three drunk college kids had been hitting on Zoe and GT since they’d sat down, ignoring the only male bartender that was working at the other end. It had only been a couple of hours, but the young men had consumed a few shots along with their beers during that time, getting louder and more obnoxious with each drink.
The women who worked in the bar were used to men hitting on them, but they didn’t allow anyone to cross the line to being offensive or abusive. If they were stupid enough to do that, the women had no problem putting the offenders in their place…and that was before the male staff members got hold of them. Then it was game over.
Zoe finished closing out the tab, then she put the change she’d been given as a tip into the big glass jar next to the register. “Don’t worry about them, hon. I’ve got them. At least we’re almost done for the night.”
“Last call won’t come soon enough with this crowd. Especially those three. God, I can’t believe it’s only Monday. By the end of the week, I’m gonna want to kill someone.”
Zoe laughed. “I’ll probably help you bury the body. Don’t worry about the stupid kids. If they keep acting up, I’ll call one of the guys over to take care of them.”
Each employee was fitted with an earpiece that connected to a small black radio that was hooked onto the waistbands of their pants or skirts. All it took was hitting the button on the box to open the link to the entire staff. It was a safety precaution that Zoe was comforted by, even though the system did seem a little extravagant for a small town bar.
The Fox Hole was a large, one story building, with the main bar on the left side of the wide room and a smaller bar in the back, so there was a lot of ground to cover for the staff on the floor. During the day, the floor was filled with tables for people to sit and eat at, but when the sun went down, most of the tables were removed or pushed back to open up the space for dancing and for crowds to gather.
Next to the bar was a doorway that led into the kitchens, and across the room were built in booths for groups of people who wanted a little more privacy. Around the area were several mounted televisions, so patrons wouldn’t miss their favorite teams playing a variety of sports. In the back were two pool tables and a couple of dartboards that always seemed to have a line of people waiting for their chance to play.
There was a door on the right side of the building that led out to a beer garden area that was set up with patio tables, which had been closed for the night. People still used the garden area to duck out for a quick smoke, but staff members made sure that no one lingered outside where the noise could disturb the neighbors.
Due to the spring break crowd, two waitresses stood by huge tubs filled with beer bottles set in ice for anyone who didn’t want to wait in line for a drink at one of the bars. It was a new addition the past couple of weeks, and one Zoe had fought Dante to add to the floor. He hadn’t thought it was necessary, but since they had added the extra beer tubs, the strain on the bartenders had lessened and their beer sales had doubled.
GT slid away to take care of a group of people waiting to place their drink orders and Zoe took a brief moment to glance around the room. She smiled when she saw one of the staff members carting a case of bottles to one of the beer tub stations. Making a note to tease Dante about it later, she turned back to the three young men, struggling to keep her smile in place.
“What can I get you?”
“A blowjob,” one of them said, making his friends snicker.
Fed up with their behavior, Zoe gave them a hard look. “Sorry, boys. The only way I think any of you’re going to get one of those tonight is if you help each other out. Now, do you want to order a drink or not?”
It took a moment for her insult to sink in, then the young man who had spoken sneered at her. “Come on, babe.” He slapped a hundred-dollar bill on the bar top and leaned forward close enough she could smell the liquor on his breath. “That should be enough for you to take care of all three of us. That’s more than you’ll make serving drinks. You can consider it a bonus.”
She knew better than to lose her temper with the drunk idiot, but she couldn’t help the anger that bubbled up inside her like molten lava. Before she could think, she was reaching out to shove the young man out of her face. “Back the fuck up, asshole.”
He almost fell, but held onto the back of the stool in order to right himself so he didn’t topple to the floor.
GT hurried over, ready to back Zoe up if she needed it. “Everything okay here?”
“No.”
The drunk’s friends snickered at the young man righting himself on his chair, which caused him to sneer at GT and Zoe in an attempt to save face. “Don’t worry, Red. We’ll pay you too if you wanna join in the action. We’ll show you a real good time. I think we’re being pretty generous offering to pay for what I’m sure you girls are used to giving away for free.”
Zoe grabbed hold of GT’s arm before her fist could make contact with the man’s face. If GT punched the stupid frat boy, things were going to get ugly quick. It was bad enough Zoe had shoved the idiot, and she knew it had gained the attention of the people around them.
Wanting to get the men out of the bar, Zoe’s other hand reached down to her radio to call for help. Before she could press the button, a large hand slapped down on the drunk’s shoulder. She relaxed when she saw the big form of Reggie Jones standing behind the three troublemakers.
Reggie was one of the newer bouncers at the bar, aptly nicknamed “Tank” during his time as a linebacker playing professional football. The man was absolutely huge, with a shaved head, dark, mahogany-colored skin, and thick arms the size of torpedoes.
He and his wife, Monique, had moved to town after he’d suffered a serious neck injury during a game when a brutal tackle had gone wrong. Instead of playing the odds, he’d retired and taken a position at Fight Hard, training other football players that came to the gym as well as the local high school team during their summer session.
Zoe had thought Reggie’s glamorous wife would have had a difficult time fitting into the small town, until she’d discovered that Monique was actually one of the owners of the new spa in town, Magnifique. Knowing her husband well, Mona had encouraged Reggie to get a position at The Fox Hole as a bouncer a few times a week since she knew how much he missed busting heads on the playing field. It was something he did well, and with flourish.
“Hey, there. How’s it going?” Reggie asked cheerfully, belying the sharp, calculating gleam in his eyes. He had obviously seen what had happened, and positioned himself behind the three drunks so he could reach all of them easily.
One of the men turned and blinked, then his glazed eyes went wide. “You’re the Tank! Oh man, I saw you play during one of your last games. The Austin Epics’ defensive line isn’t the same without you this year.”
“Thanks.” Reggie flashed him a grin. He kept his tone friendly, but there was an obvious warning in his tone when he spoke again. “You boys wouldn’t happen to be bothering these ladies, would you? GT, you and Zoe okay?”
The man Zoe pushed snorted. “Ladies? No lady would be working in a dump like this.”
The other man who hadn’t spoken yet decided to join in the conversation…foolishly. “GT?” He snickered. “Yeah, I’ll take her for a ride.”
“Like I haven’t heard that one before,” Georgette muttered, then glared at Reggie. “Christ, just punch him already or I will.”
Reggie didn’t hit the man, but his expression turned hard as stone. It was a look that had terrified countless men on the football field. He reached out and jerked two of the men off their bar stools, making them both squeak in alarm. “That’s it. You guys are done for the night.”
“We aren’t going anywhere,” the man who had started all the drama said, his voice rising in anger. He turned, glaring at Zoe as he pointed his finger at her. “This fucking cunt insulted me, and I’m not leaving until she—”
One second, the drunk young man was shouting, and the next he was squealing in pain as his arm was pulled behind his back by the finger he had been pointing at her. An enraged Dante gripped him by the neck, slamming him face down on the bar top so the man’s cheek was smashed against the hard surface.
Zoe’s breath caught. She hadn’t even heard Dante approach. None of them had. But there he was, his light-blue eyes glittering like twin shards of ice and an enraged snarl on his lips. He looked like a warrior or some sort of avenging angel. No man had the right to look so damn good when he was that pissed off…it just wasn’t fair.
She could all but see the rage emanating from him, and her heart skipped a beat. Not in fear, but in awe because she knew that Dante took any insult to her personally. She always felt safe when he was around, and it both terrified and thrilled her.
“What the fuck did you call her?” Dante’s low, menacing tone was enough to penetrate through the drunk haze of the young man he held.
