Page 7 of Gone for You

“I met him only once when I was seventeen. He lived across the hall from Owen but he doesn’t remember me.”

I explain how we met and she listens carefully then nods.

“I’m not sure he doesn’t remember you. Every time you’ve looked in his direction, he’s looked in yours. I think he’s trying to place you, like he knows he knows you from somewhere but can’t figure out where.”

Trying not to look hopeful, I roll my eyes. She laughs at me and shoves me out of my chair. As soon as he notices I’m walking toward him, he quickly finishes up working with his current customer and hustles over to where I stand. A few other customers call bullshit that I basically jumped in line, but he doesn’t seem concerned.

“My friend kept trying to steal my drink.” I lift my empty glass like that helps prove my point. I don’t know why I even told him that but my nerves got the best of me.

A dimple in his left cheek pops when he smiles. Damn. Dimples are a weakness of mine.

He wipes his hands on a white towel then drapes it over his shoulder, crossing his arms over his chest. “Did she, now?”

“Yup.”

“I’ll have to make two then, huh?”

I nod as he takes my glass from my hands, his fingers brush against mine and the contact sends sparks of electricity shooting up my arm.

And that’s all it takes. For the rest of the night, I can’t resist being close to him as often as I can.

“You think I’m jealous?” I ask, working to keep my voice even.

“I don’t think so, Iknowso.”

He’s close enough I can see the small mole next to his right eye. It’s unbelievably sexy. I want to reach out and touch it. Kiss it. That’s weird, yeah. But wowza he’s handsome. His dark hair is shaved close to his scalp, skin the color of a rich caramel, deep chocolate brown eyes. The light gray t-shirt shows off his muscular biceps and strong forearms. There’s a hint of a tattoo on the underside of his forearm that I want to explore and one that peeks out from under the hem of his right shirt sleeve. Even from behind the bar, I can tell he’s quite a bit taller than my five-and-a-half-foot stature and don’tevenget me started on his ass. The dark jeans he’s wearing mold to it perfectly and the hem of his t-shirt hits just below the waistband of his jeans, showing off every inch and makes my mouth water. Every time he reaches for a bottle, his abs play a game of peek-a-boo and I’m definitely peeking.

It’s no wonder the women in the bar can’t stop themselves from lingering here, asking for drink after drink so he has to turn his back on them to reach for more liquor bottles.

“And you think you know this, how?” I whisper, knowing he can probably hear the desire laced in my tone and hoping he can’t hear the thumping of my heartbeat.

His eyes darken as he stares intently into mine and his voice drops an octave. He crooks a finger and I raise up slightly out of my chair, meeting him halfway. “Because when I saw that douche with the shaggy blond hair talking to you earlier, I was jealous as fuck.” The last word comes out harsh and bold; my breath catches and he leans impossibly closer. I can feel his breath fan against my skin and I have to clench my legs together. “I wanted to do a lot of things I don’t have the right to do in order to get him to stop flirting with you. Why do you think that is?”

“Um.”

Lily clears her throat next to me and I couldn’t be more grateful for the distraction. I was about one second away from jumping over the counter and having my way with Ethan.

It’s crazy how strong my attraction is to this guy. Sure, I’ve seen men who I thought were good looking but this level of desire is new for me. Confusing, even. I’m drawn to his presence and something inside is screaming at me to get to know him better. Know what makes him happy and angry and annoyed.

“Hi, I’m Lily.”

Ethan’s eyes stay focused on me for a few more breaths before he turns his body, extending a hand to my friend. “Ethan. Your birthday?” he asks, nodding to the birthday tiara she’s wearing. It’s so out of character for her because she hates to draw attention to herself but I told her she had to wear it if I was going to come to her party. Just to mess with her.

“It is. Well, two days ago, actually.”

“But it’s no fun partying on a Wednesday.”

She closes one eye and points at him. “Exactly.”

A server comes over, orders a handful of drinks. He glances in her direction quickly, nods once, and returns his talking to Lily. “Well, happy birthday. Have you had a good night here?”

“I have. This isn’t my first time here, though. I’ve been here before when you’ve had live bands.”

“Wait, you’ve been here before?” he asks me surprised.

I point to myself. “Me? No. This is my first time.”

“Ahh. Shoot. I was hoping that explained it,” he mumbles. Ethan reaches down and grabs a glass then steps over and pulls the spigot to pour a draft beer.

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