Page 22 of Volt
The heat in my voice makes them recoil like I’d just slapped them. For a long time, Tommy and Dutch were harmless. Yeah, they flirted with me and took liberties I probably shouldn’t have let them take. But they had never crossed the line. Not until the night Blake showed up. Then they got their panties in a wad and started acting like real assholes. They acted like they had some sort of claim to me.
They’re guys who come into the bar I work at. It’s not like we’re friends. But even if they were friends, I still wouldn’t put up with somebody acting that way. I still wouldn’t put up with people who somehow think they’re entitled to my attention or whatever. They’re not. Nobody is. I turn and walk away from them and retreat to the corner where Blake is sitting. I can feel their eyes on me as I go but I’ve said my piece and there’s no reason to give them more oxygen.
“You all right?” he asks.
I nod. “Yeah. I’m fine,” I reply. “They just seem to think I belong to them or something.”
He chuckles. “I can’t say I blame them for trying.”
I give Blake a mischievous grin. “Well, aren’t you the charmer all of a sudden?”
“All of a sudden?” he replies. “Nah. It’s my constant state of being.”
“Is that so?”
He shrugs. “I try anyway.”
I can tell he’s trying to keep things light, but his smile is forced as is his laughter. He’s trying just a little too hard.
“I think the better question is, are you all right?” I ask.
He takes a long sip of his beer and nods. “Yeah, I’m all right.”
“How was the funeral?” I ask hesitantly.
“It was all right, I guess. Cathartic in some ways, harder than I expected in others,” he replies honestly.
“I’m really sorry about your friend,” I offer.
“Thanks.”
“Can I ask how—”
“I’d rather not talk about it if you don’t mind.”
I nod. “Of course. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be nosey.”
He shakes his head. “No, it’s not that. I’m just—it’s still a little raw is all.”
“Fair enough,” she says. “So, what should we talk about then?”
Before he has a chance to answer, Tommy and Dutch are calling for my attention. I blow out an exasperated breath.
“Hold that thought,” I say.
“All night if I have to.”
It’s such a small statement but it’s sweet and makes me feel warm. And I once again feel that connection I felt growing between us last night. I’m glad to know it wasn’t just a one-time deal. And I’m certain, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that he’s feeling it too. It’s not just me.
A smile on my face, I turn to fetch Tommy and Dutch their drinks. And that’s how the rest of the night goes—me trying to hold a conversation with Blake in between a pair of belligerent drunks who are doing everything in their power to ruin the moment between Blake and me. But that’s the thing that I like about what’s developing here. Regardless of how obnoxious those two are, Blake and I never skip a beat.
Our conversation never suffers or lags, and frankly, I’m impressed with his patience. A lot of guys would get pissed off and make a show of trying to intimidate Dutch and Tommy for their obvious attempt at cock-blocking. If anything, Blake seems amused by their childish antics. Eventually, the cretins gave up trying to get under my skin and left, taking the thousand-pound weight on my back along with them.
And over the course of the next few hours, we get to know each other a bit better. He told me more about his upbringing and his time in the service, and I told him a little bit about my life. We didn’t get too deep into things though. It all remained relatively close to the surface, but that sense of connection between us seemed to be growing. And I’m sure if we keep on this path, all the stuff we carefully avoided talking about will come out sooner rather than later.
We got to last call without either of us mentioning the elephant in the room—whether he was going to come home with me tonight or not. There were times when he looked at me that I could see that glimmer of wanting. Of desire. It was easy to spot because I felt it as well. In spades. But he’d been a perfect gentleman and hadn’t brought it up once. By all appearances, it looks like he really did just come back for the conversation.
It was a little bit disappointing in a way, but it was also incredibly sweet. Most guys have one thing on their minds. But Blake really seemed interested in me as a person rather than me as nothing but a tool for his pleasure. And there was something incredibly sexy about that to me. It was something new I hadn’t experienced before and it made him all the more intriguing to me.
