Page 35 of Wasted

"Well, he's good for business." She smirked, and I blew out a heavy sigh. Her gaze shifted back to me. "I have to leave as soon as it slows down though. Colt thinks Molly is going to go into labor tonight." Molly was Bailey's horse, and she'd been waiting all year for this moment.

"I appreciate you coming to help."

She shrugged, a half-smile tugging at her lips. "I got you."

Bailey and I busted our asses for the next three hours, and at 1:30 a.m., the kitchen was closed, and Rocky was gone; and the locals had begun to lose interest in Cole, so it was finally slow enough for Bailey to leave.

Chase Bennett leaned across the high top I was attempting to clean, his voice low and smooth. "Hey, Tay."

"What's up, Chase?" I forced a smile.

"What do you say I help you close down this place, and we have a little fun after?"

I refrained from saying ew and curling my lip in disgust. Chase wasn't a bad-looking guy. In fact, he was hot. He was tall with dark hair and dark brown eyes, but I wasn't really into man whores, and Chase was the biggest man whore in Bridgewater.

"Uh, I think I'm going to have to pass." I grabbed the last beer bottle off the table and turned to walk away, but he was faster than me stepping into my path. This wasn't my first encounter with Chase. In fact, we'd been doing this same dance since high school. He asked, and I always declined.

As far as anyone in this small town knew, I'd lost my husband only six months ago, and that usually kept the men at bay, but there was always that one drunk asshole.

I groaned, shifting to sidestep around him, but he mirrored my movement. "Go home, Chase."

"Oh, come on, Taylor..." He trailed off as his gaze lifted, staring past me.

The heat of his body surrounded me as he pressed his chest to my back.

"She said go home, Chase." Chase and Cole had history and not a really great one. I knew some of that history had to do with me.

Chase threw up his hands in surrender. "Yeah, man." Chase chuckled. "I get it. You're back, and she's yours for tonight." My spine stiffened, and my eyes widened because I knew exactly where this was going. "But when you're done with her..."

Cole surged forward, nearly knocking me into Chase. I twisted, bumping my chest into Cole's, using everything I had to force him back, but I knew that I didn't stand a chance. If he wanted to get to Chase, he would. "If you finish that sentence," Cole said, his tone low and deadly, "you're going to choke on your teeth."

Chase pursed his lips and nodded his head. "Catch ya later, Taylor." Chase smirked as he backed away.

I shoved Cole hard, but he didn't move. "What the fuck was that?" I snarled. "I can handle myself. I've been doing it for years."

Cole said nothing as he dropped onto a stool and spun away from me back to the bar. I opened my mouth to say something, but the 2 a.m. alarm sounded, which meant it was closing time. I had never been so ready to close up.

I rounded up everyone, pushing them toward the exit. Blowing out a heavy sigh, I latched the lock and turned to see Cole still sitting where I'd left him at the bar.

My eyes narrowed on him. I couldn't figure him out.

I sauntered up to him, twisting to lean against the bar between him and the next stool. "So what are you really doing here, Cole?" I asked, hopping up onto the bar. "You obviouslydidn't come to drink because you've been nursing that same drink all night, and now the bar is closed, and you're still here."

He leaned forward, setting his half-full glass on the bar. "I don't know." His gaze met mine before slowly raking down and over my body. "For some reason, I can't seem to stay away from you."

"Do you want to stay away from me?"

He swept his tongue between his lips as he slowly shook his head. "No." Hooking an arm under my leg closest to him, he jerked me down the bar, so I was straddling him. His eyes locked on mine as he shoved his massive body between my thighs, forcing my legs to spread wider and my tight skirt up. I sucked in a sharp breath when he leaned forward, curling his fingers into my ass and jerking me off the bar and onto his lap, hiking my skirt up around my waist. "I have no idea what I'm doing anymore, but I know that I don't want anyone else touching you."

The heat of his breath fanned across my lips, and I breathed in the sweet smell of whiskey as his arms wrapped tightly around me, holding me flush against him. "I don't think I can stay away from you." His voice was low and rough, and his intense gaze held mine as his arms slid back and his hands curled around my waist.

"Then don't," I whispered as my fingers curled into his shirt. Our labored breathing filled the quiet bar as my pulse raced with anticipation and desire.

His hands cupped my face, his thumbs brushed softly against my cheeks as his eyes searched mine for... something. "I want to kiss you." He pulled my mouth mere centimeters from his, letting the whiskey-scented breath ghost over me.

I brushed my lips against his, a challenge in my eyes. "So do it."

His lips crashed against mine. It started slow and soft but quickly turned hungry and desperate, all-consuming.

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