Page 20 of Fourth Wheel
“What’s that?”
“Order me extra tots, please.”
Can do, Dempsey Haas.
Chapter 12
Dempsey
Everyfiberofmybeing is screaming at me that this is a terrible idea. But I’ve already let things get this far. And I have no idea how to reel it in now.
Maddie Wheeler hung out at the bar all night, and I didn’t hate it.
She’s fun to be around now that I set some boundaries and we’re not dancing around an attraction I refuse to pursue. She’s also more extroverted than even my brother, which is saying something. She’s quick. She’s hilarious. And she has this way of convincing anyone to do what she says, which would be scary if I didn’t see right through her sweet-as-sugar pout.
I spent the night mixing drinks, keeping an eye on her, and laughing as she made Cole and Tristan compete to see who could catch the most tots in their mouth. She even fashioned a drink napkin crown for the winner, Cole.
Now it’s the end of the night—way past last call—and everyone has vacated the premises, including the rest of my staff.
I don’t know what possessed me to insist they head home. I hadn’t meant to be alone with her at the end of the night like this.
Yet here we fucking are.
“Ready?” I ask cautiously, watching as she lifts her lithe body off the stool and walks the length of the bar.
“Ready when you are,” she declares as she stops near one end.
I freeze where I stand, hesitating and holding my breath. She’s all smiles as she waits for me, her hip cocked out to one side as she runs the other hand through her hair. She’s got on these loose jeans full of holes, then this ridiculously tight white shirt that only covers her boobs and the top of her stomach. What do girls call those? Crop tops? Might as well be a Cock top for the thoughts it’s inspiring in my body.
Dammit.
There’s nothing but sweetness behind her eyes. True to her word, she hasn’t made a single inappropriate comment or innuendo all night. She’s acting like she genuinely wants to be friends. And yet, something tells me she could transform that sweetness into sex appeal in the blink of an eye if I gave her the go ahead. Which I won’t. Because I can’t. I really fucking can’t.
I blow out a long breath as I work up the courage to step out from behind the bar. When I do, she takes a step forward, coming within arm’s reach. The scent of strawberries fills the air around me again, and my dick instantly twitches in remembrance.
Dammit.What was I thinking sending the other guys home?
It’s too late to dismiss her now. All I can do is grab my jacket and put her in her car.
“I have to lock both doors. Let me get the back taken care of, then I’ll meet you out front. Don’t walk out without me,” I add. I’m not about to chase after her across the green again.
“Oh, Dempsey,” she sing-songs as she turns on her heel and heads toward the front of the bar. “What do you really think’s going to happen to me on the streets of Hampton after dark?”
“Just wait for me,” I huff, too annoyed by my reaction to deal with her sass.
I stalk through the narrow hallway that leads past the bathrooms and the liquor cage to the back. I make quick work of locking and bolting the back door, then hit the lights as I backtrack.
I can see her silhouette against the front door as I approach. I watch, transfixed, as she runs her hand through her thick blond curls. I’m standing all the way across the goddamn bar, and yet I swear I can smell her scent when she shakes out her hair.
I hit the main panel, dousing the bar in shadow. The blue-teal backlights that line the liquor shelves behind the bar are the only source of light that remains.
I can’t see her anymore. But I can feel her.
Her sass. Her sweetness. That inexplicable lightness I feel when she’s near.
Her eyes are on me. I don’t have to see her to know that. My body’s humming with want, my insides aching for an encore of what happened the last time we left this bar together.
I steel my spine and scowl as I make my way over to her. I’ve got to get this shit locked down. Nothing can happen tonight. Nothing can ever happen again with Maddie Wheeler.
