Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
Taylor
C ole was gone when I awoke the following morning, and I wasn't surprised. He was still battling his feelings on the situation, and this was us now, and I had to accept that, but what did surprise me was when he walked into the bar that night dressed in a pair of tight faded jeans, a black fitted t-shirt, boots, and his black ball cap twisted backward.
I leaned over the bar in front of him, my eyes widening. "What are you doing here?"
He slid onto a bar stool. "Turns out this is still the only bar in town."
A laugh escaped my lips as I wiped my hands on my apron. "What can I get for you?"
His lips curled into a grin. "Whiskey."
By the time I poured the glass and returned, he was surrounded mostly by women, but a few local men were excited to see Cole after all this time. I laid down a small square napkin and set his drink on it before going back to work.
The bar wasn't usually busy on a Sunday night, so it was only me and Rocky, my chef, working.
After refilling my regulars’ drinks, I strolled onto the floor to do a round of cleanup.
I leaned forward over a high-top table and grabbed the glass, but when I straightened, my spine stiffened, and I thought I was going to have to knock a drunk man on his ass tonight. This was part of the job.
"Do you always wear that to work?" Cole purred in my ear, and chills raced over my body as his nails raked up my bare thighs to the hem of my skirt. "Or did you wear it for me?" There was no way I could have known Cole would show up at the bar tonight, but I didn't have a chance to tell him before he was gone. I exhaled a shaky breath. He had no idea what he was doing to me, and it was starting to feel like a game. A game I wasn't interested in playing.
Sucking in a deep breath, I twisted around on the heel of my boot, expecting to see Cole, but he was gone. My gaze swept over the room, spotting him in a back corner with a brunette wearing a black cowgirl hat, black boots, a red sequins dress that barely covered her ass, and bright red lipstick. "That was fast." I strolled behind the bar.
Women loved him, and I couldn't blame them, but they only really loved what he could offer them, and that was sad—sad not knowing if someone actually liked you for you and not what you could do for them or how much fame and money you had.
Word spread pretty quickly that Cole Montgomery was home, and the bar hadn't been this busy in months. Thankfully, Bailey came in to help with the overflow.
Bailey leaned over the bar, her gaze fixed on her brother. "What's Cole doing here?"
I followed her line of sight, shaking my head slightly. "Honestly, I have no idea. He crashed at my place last night, but he couldn't wait to get away from me, and when I woke up, he was gone. I didn't expect to see him again."
"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 obviously didn'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.
I rolled my hips over his, and he groaned into my mouth as his hands fell to my waist. His tongue thrust through my parted lips, sliding against mine, tasting and teasing every inch of my mouth. He was thick and hard underneath me, and I ground my core against him, desperate for friction.
"Fuck," he grunted, and I whimpered as each stroke hit my clit. It had been too long. Way too long. His hands slipped under the hem of my shirt as his mouth slid over my jaw and down my neck. I increased my speed, working myself over him. I was already so close. His hands slid under my bra, brushing his thumb over my hardened nipples.
I moaned, rolling my hips, my body desperate and aching for a release. Heat bloomed in my belly as my body tightened, and I was ready to scream out his name when his mouth disappeared, and his hands curled around my waist before tightening, lifting me, and dropping me on the bar. "What the fuck?"
He shoved his chair back and cleared his throat. "I should go."
"What?" I panted. "Cole."
He pushed out of the chair and bolted out of the bar. I dropped my head, trying to steady my breath. "I can't do this," I breathed. "I can't play this game with you, Cole."
He was already gone.
I hadn't been with anyone since the night before we told everyone Caleb and I were getting married, and I was desperate for what I couldn't do for myself. I could give myself an orgasm, but it didn't take away the craving for his touch, and this wasn't helping.