Page 6 of Junkyard Dog

“Two hours.”

With a shrug, he scooped up the rest and gnawed through them. “That group of rangers come in here often?”

Thomas glanced back at the order. “Ah. The nachos are for Chuck. She likes the cheese layered. Max must be the steak sandwich, double garlic toast. Next time just note who it’s for at the top of the bill.”

“They a thing?” he asked, cracking the door open a sliver to scan the lounge. And to get a quick glimpse of Miss Charlotte. “Max and Charlotte?”

Thomas’s eyes narrowed as he appraised Alex. “No. Why?”

“Just getting to know the locals.” He grinned, pushing the door fully open.

Charlotte’s back remained to him, just as it had all evening. The tantalizing blush of her cheeks had disappeared, her profile animated while she spoke rapidly with one of the younger women in the group. Leaning against the bar, he crossed his arms over his aching ribs and watched as she stood for a moment to adjust her low-slung jeans. Seemingly oblivious to the attention her movements were getting from several men in the lounge, she proceeded to fix the hem of her shirt before hooking her thumbs behind her and inelegantly tugging the band of her bra down. Apparently comfortable again, she flopped into her chair and smoothed her hair back.

“Alex!” Thomas yelled from the kitchen. “Order up.”

*

Thomas downed aglass of water and joined Alex in his monitoring of the dance floor.

“Not a thing?” Alex reiterated wryly, nodding toward Max and Charlotte as they screamed and emoted their way through a Meatloaf song.

“Nah,” Thomas replied, refilling his cup. “Stay on here for a few months and you’ll see Max swing through with a new woman every two weeks. Chuck’s been his best friend since she was transferred to the park last year.” He side-eyed Alex. “She’s a nice girl.”

“I’m a nice guy,” he muttered.

Thomas looked pointedly toward a table of return customers, college women impeccably dressed and manicured. The redhead had tracked him all evening, her knowing smirk giving away the night he’d spent with her.

“I’m still a nice guy,” he insisted, tearing his eyes off the pair to settle a tab at the register. Flashing the women a smile, he pocketed the substantial tip, phone numbers, and rejoined Thomas. “Why haven’t I seen the rangers in here before?”

Thomas hefted himself onto the counter. “Depends on shift schedules. Max and Chuck are on nights right now, so we’ll be seeing them only on nights off until that changes.”

Alex turned away from the dance floor and focused on preparing the bar for closing.

He had no interest in dating. Definitely no interest in dating a nice girl. Flings, one-night stands, booty calls—those were more his thing. Answering to someone else, being responsible for someone else—definitely not his thing. The idea of tying himself down to someone when he could be gone at any moment held no appeal, no matter how hot that someone looked when she was concentrating on loading a nacho chip with the perfect amount of cheese.

“Excuse me?”

He glanced up from the beer fridge. “Hey, Miss Charlotte. What can I do for you?”

Her cheeks flushed instantly, her dark brown eyes narrowing as she studied him. “I just want to settle up my tab.” She glanced back for a moment, scanning the room. “And Max’s, before he gets back to the table.”

As he rose to his feet, she held out two bills and a wad of cash. “You’re about five minutes too late.” He grinned.

“That sneaky bastard,” she muttered, shoving the money into her back pocket. “Now I’ll be stuck making lunches for the next week.” She smoothed her ponytail and tilted her head back, drawing his attention to the smooth skin of her neck. “I hate cooking.”

“You know,” he said, leaning on the bar to get just a little closer, “you could always swing by here on your way to work and pick up some of Thomas’s sandwiches.”

And maybe keep me company at the bar while you wait.

He straightened, pushing the thought to the back of his head.

Keeping company outside the bedroom was definitely not his thing.

Stepping back, she tugged at her shirt. “Yeah, maybe. Have a good night.”

She walked back to the table, beelining straight for Max and wagging a stern finger. Alex knelt back down, his ribs protesting when he twisted around to grab a case of beer.

Yeah, he definitely didn’t need to be keeping company with Miss Charlotte.

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