Page 29 of Fly Back to Me
“Cade.”
Motherfucker, even his name is sexy.
A stupid-ass grin is plastered across Lauren’s mouth when she nods silently. No words exit her mouth, and instead, she just creepily stares at him.
Seriously, Lauren?
This is why she needs to get out more. She can’t be trusted.
I inwardly roll my eyes, unable to fathom that this shit show is unfolding in front of me and I’m being forced to watch it.
“Look …” I utter, stapling my eyes to him. “We’re not interested.”
I swear his crystal eyes quiver, and the startlement reaches the crook of his mouth right after. “Well, I wasn’t asking if you were interested.” He buries both hands in his jeans pockets, slightly widening his stance. “I was just wondering if I could get either of you another drink.”
“No,” I quip. “I definitely don’t want you to buy me a drink. Are we done with that now?”
A hint of a smirk carves from his face, straight teeth flashing in the corner. Then he pops his eyes up to the wall behind me. “I didn’t saybuy. I asked to get you a drink.” He jerks a shoulder, his stunning face greeting my vision once again. “As in you’d be buying your own drink, and I would get it from the bar.Happily.”
All the prepared insults dissolve in my mouth, confusion trickling through me when my head rotates to peer in back of me. “If I can give you some advice,” I say before circling my attention to him, “you may want to work on those pick-up lines of yours. They’re not the best.”
Cade’s eyes narrow, head mindfully tilting. “Picking up women isn’t really part of my job description.”
Fuck, fuck, fuckitty fuck, fuck.
“Ohhh,” Lauren croaks under her breath. “Didn’t see that one coming.”
I pierce her with a fatal glare, my jaw setting as she elevates her drink to her lips. Unbothered and ready to enjoy the showdown.
Thanks, Lauren.
And again, what the actual fuck? Where did this guy even come from?
“Then your bartending skills need some work,” I challenge, meeting his amused gaze. “This drink sucks.”
His brows cave, his left hand withdrawing from his pocket to gesture toward my beer. “Is that why it’s eighty percent finished?”
“I was thirsty.”
“What makes you so sure I bartended your drink? It could’ve easily been Jake.”
I follow the direction his stubbled chin bobs. Over my shoulder, I catch a glimpse of the blond-haired man that served me and Lauren before. “You just told me you worked here.” I steer my gaze back to his, sitting taller now. “You also have a knack for ruining things. Like people’s days.”
He’s cocking a weary grin, his throat rolling in tandem. Almost like there’s a shred of sympathy residing inside of him.Shocking.“May I ask for your name?”
“Absolutely not,” I scoff, wagging my head.
“It’s not fair that you know my name and I don’t know yours.”
“I didn’t ask for your name,” I retort before jabbing an index finger toward Lauren. “She did.”
“Come on, aren’t sworn enemies supposed to at least know each other’s names or something?” he taunts coolly.
“That’s definitely not a thing,” I deadpan, creasing my brows in feigned disgust. “And even if it was, you don’t deserve to know it.”
“I just think it would make the process more personal when I have to talk with the bartender who made your drink. I can’t have customers thinking our drinkssuck. It would be a huge dent in all the progress we’ve made the past few months.”
I shrug like I don’t have a care in the world, but in reality, I’m two seconds away from shitting a brick. “Then maybe you should talk to the owner about hiring better equippedemployees.” Before my eyes have to linger around his stupidly handsome face, I turn so that my forearms are crossed over the bar top.
