Chapter 3
Myles was utterly charmed by the mysterious, exquisite Addison with her champagne colored chin-length, wavy hair.
In the dimness of the bar, he wasn’t sure of the exact shade of her eyes, but they were striking in how they held his gaze.
There was a hint of coyness along with sincerity that made his balls tighten.
The simple fact that desire burned through his veins should have been enough to send him running as fast and far from her as he could get. Yet he remained, hoping to hear more of her husky voice.
Her skin was dew-kissed, a healthy glow that made him itch to run his hands all over her body. Her sleeveless peach tank dipped low, giving him a tantalizing view of the swells of her breasts.
His hands fisted on the bar. It took a herculean effort to realize that Court was back and talking to him. He shot his brother a look, irritated to have his attention diverted from Addison. Myles returned his gaze to her as she put a bite of the red beans and rice in her mouth.
Her large eyes watched him, but he couldn’t make himself stop staring. She had the face of an angel, sweet and sensual. Her mouth was a temptation in itself, with her pouty lips that could have him on his knees in a matter of seconds if she knew her power.
An image flashed in his head of Addison in his arms, her head thrown back as she moaned in pleasure. His cock went instantly, achingly hard.
He was royally fucked.
“Y’all wouldn’t by chance be hiring?” Addison asked.
Myles blinked. It took him a few moments for her words to penetrate his fog of desire. He glanced at the women walking around in short denim shorts and tight, black shirts with the Gator Bait logo.
He really couldn’t think now. He’d be a puddle of need if he had to see Addison wearing those outfits every day.
“Yes,” Court leaned over and said. “We are, actually. I’ve got an application in the back. When you get finished eating, Myles can take you to his office.”
Myles definitely wanted to take her, but it wasn’t to his office. He cleared his throat and pushed away from the bar. He had to put some distance between them. “Yes. My office.”
Damn. Did he sound as stupid as he thought he did? When Court raised a brow in question while trying not to laugh, Myles had his answer.
With as busy as the bar was, Myles couldn’t stand around and talk. He used that excuse to help Court with the drinks since Solomon was in the back cooking, and Kane was still getting Riley settled.
A little while later, Myles looked up again. Addison had her back to him with her elbows resting on the bar as she nodded her head along to the music. Her gaze was on the pool competition that was a weekly event.
Her food had been cleared, and her drink was empty. Beside it was a glass of soda that was also empty. Myles dumped the melting ice and refilled it before pouring her a fresh soda.
He set it down. As he was about to walk away, she turned her head and their eyes met.
She glanced down at the drink. “Thank you.”
“Anytime. Do you play pool?”
Her laugh went straight to his still hard cock.
“I can get a ball in the hole if I’m lucky, but I’m rarely lucky.
I am enjoying the tournament though.” She turned around on the stool and took a long drink of the soda.
“I heard the guy next to me tell his friend y’all do this weekly, and then have a larger tournament for the weekly winners at the end of the month. ”
“Yep. We’ve been playing pool since we could walk. I think the first thing our father put in our hands was a miniature pool stick.” Myles smiled at the memory of their parents.
“Your father must have really loved to play.”
Myles pulled a frosted mug from the fridge and pulled the lever for a blonde ale, one of their bestselling draft beers.
Once the mug was full, he set it in front of the customer.
“My mom was pretty good at it herself. When we decided to open the bar, it just seemed natural to put in a couple pool tables.”
“So you and Court opened this together?” she asked.
“I have three brothers. Solomon, Kane, and Court. The four of us went in together.”
She wrinkled up her nose. “I’ve heard it’s never good to go into business with family.”
That was true for most families, but then again, those families weren’t cursed to turn into werewolves. “We’re a tight family.”
“And your parents? Do they approve?”
Court was walking past, and as he heard her question, a glass slipped from his fingers to bounce against the mat and then hit the floor, shattering. “Shit,” he mumbled and hurried to clean it up.
Myles started to help his youngest brother, but it took only one furious look from Court to stop him. Their parents were a sore subject, even after so many years. Myles turned back to Addison. “Our parents are dead.”
“I’m sorry.”
She said it without the embarrassment of discovering death, but with the sincerity of someone well acquainted with it. The more Myles spoke to her, the more he wanted to know.
“Thank you,” he mumbled. “It was a long time ago.”
“Those wounds never go away.”
Now he knew someone close to her had died, and he would bet it was her parents. “No, they don’t.”
“You’re lucky to have siblings to turn to.”
The conversation needed some levity. “When I’m not wanting to knock their heads off. Do you have any siblings?”
“It’s just me,” she replied with a too-bright smile. “So, how long has this place been in business?”
“Ten years or so. Are you sure you want to work here? The tips are good for the girls, but things can get rowdy on occasion.”
Addison shrugged. “I need the job.”
Kane did the hiring, but Myles knew there was nothing about Addison that would prevent his brother from bringing her on. “Give me a moment and I’ll take you to the office.”
“Take your time. I don’t have anywhere to be,” she said with a smile before turning back to the pool game.
Court stopped beside Myles and said over the music, “You’re looking at her as if you want to devour her. I say make your move.”
Every time Myles thought about having a relationship, all he had to do was look at Solomon. “We know how those things end.”
“If our cousins can do it, so can we?”
“The Chiassons don’t have our...affliction,” Myles reminded him.
Court glanced at Addison again. “You want her. There’s no reason you can’t have her, even if it’s only for a little while.”
“As long as she works here, all I’ll ever do is look.”
Two excruciating days later, Myles was still looking. Just as he expected, Kane hired Addison the night she applied. She started working the next day, and each time she came in wearing the tight black shirt and denim shorts, Myles couldn’t think of anything but her.
He tried staying in his office, but that didn’t work. He tried remaining in the kitchen so he could only catch glimpses of her, but it wasn’t enough. He then tried working behind the bar, which proved too much any time a patron so much as gave her an admiring look.
Nickleback played through the speakers, and Addison swayed with the music as she set up the tables.
“She’s pretty,” Riley said as she put glasses away, readying for the evening crowd.
Myles glanced at his cousin, knowing none of her brothers would likely approve of her working there. “I suppose.”
Riley snorted loudly. “You’re a terrible liar, Myles. You’ve been staring at her for days, and when you aren’t looking, she’s staring at you.”
That was exactly what he didn’t want to hear. It made him want to pursue whatever was between them, but it wasn’t something any of the LaRues would ever attempt again.
Riley set a glass down and positioned herself so that he had to look at her. “What is it? Are you telling me you won’t go after her? Why? My brothers manage it.”
“We’re not exactly like your brothers.”
She rolled her blue eyes and smoothed her hands over her hair pulled back into a sleek ponytail. “Your father and grandfather didn’t see an issue. Nor did any of your other ancestors.” She frowned suddenly. “Something happened, didn’t it? Something to make all of you shy away from relationships.”
Myles glanced through the arched doorway to the kitchen where Solomon was. “Leave it, Riley. Please.”
“Do my brothers know?”
“No, and we want it to stay that way,” he warned her.
She put her hand on his arm. “It must have been pretty bad.”
“You can’t begin to fathom it.”
Riley dropped her hand and swallowed. “Ava said her father is here. I haven’t seen him.”
“Jack does his own thing. He comes and goes often. There is a lot of hunting to be done around here.”
“Hunting?” Addison said as she walked up and placed some dirty glasses on the bar. “What do you hunt?”
Myles had been so lost in the past that he hadn’t realized Addison was near. Otherwise, he would’ve never spoken. “Anything really.”
“You know these Cajun boys,” Riley said as she turned to face Addison. “They do enjoy their hunting.”
Addison looked from Riley to Myles, and then back to Riley, a slight frown marring her forehead. “Right.”
Myles didn’t let out his breath until Addison disappeared into the kitchen. “Speaking of hunting, I think I’m going to go tonight.”
“I’m coming with you,” Riley said.
Myles jerked away from her. “The hell you are. It’s one thing to have you here and not tell your brothers. It’s another thing entirely to take you hunting.”
“Do you forget I’m a Chiasson? I’ve known what’s out there since I was old enough to hold a weapon. My parents made sure all of us knew how to hunt – and kill – those things.”
“Yes, but when was the last time you hunted?”
“Two weeks ago.”
Myles ran a hand down his face, suddenly very happy he didn’t have a sister. “Are you kidding?”
“Really?” she asked angrily. “You think I went to Austin and pretended evil didn’t exist?”
“Do your brothers know what you were doing?”
She put her hands on her hips. “They might have, had they bothered to visit.”
“You’re going to drive me to drink, Riley,” Myles said and sighed. “I know that stubborn streak within you. We all have it. If we don’t take you, you’ll go hunting yourself. You can come with me tonight. I heard about a wraith being spotted.”
She gave him a wink. “Thanks, cuz.”
Riley left Myles and made her way to the kitchen. It didn’t take her long to find Addison in the back peeling shrimp. “I thought you worked the front.”
Addison glanced at her and shrugged. “I do, but everything is ready, and I hate being idle. So I asked Solomon what I could do to help.”
“Did I hear Kane right earlier? Do you have another job, as well?”
Addison rubbed her chin on her shoulder. “I’ve got three all together, but if I can bring home as much money as I did last night on a regular basis, I think I can drop one.”
“Are you Super Woman?” Riley asked with a laugh. “Three jobs, and you’re still going for your degree? I’m impressed.”
“I’m taking the semester off.”
Riley was instantly on alert as she heard the break in Addison’s voice. “Sometimes we need that break. The classes will still be there in the spring. I was tempted to quit midway through my third year.”
“Where did you get your degree?”
“UT. My brothers sent me to Austin as soon as I got my high school diploma.”
Addison shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she leaned her hip against the stainless steel table. “So, you’re from New Orleans?”
“I was raised a few hours from here.” Riley hid a smile as she realized that Addison was trying to see if she was interested in any of the guys. Riley then decided to ease her mind. “I wanted to spend some time with my cousins. The LaRue boys can be a lot of fun.”
Addison’s head snapped to her. “Cousins?”
“Cousins,” Riley repeated and gave in to the smile. “I’ll warn you, they’re obstinate as mules. Sometimes we women have to show them what it is they want.”
“I don’t know,” Addison hedged.
Riley leaned close. “Trust me. Go after what you want. Or should I say who you want.” When Addison simply stared at her like a deer in headlights, Riley bumped her shoulder against Addison’s. “You never know what tomorrow will bring.”
Addison looked through the doorway into the bar at Myles. “That’s so true.”