Chapter 17
A week had gone by since Declan and I dry humped each other in his living room. Every day last week, I was consumed by the thought of him coming undone. The memory of Declan lived rent free in my mind and probably would for days to come. When that switch flipped, it was like he turned into a completely different person.
And the dirty mouth on that man? I never would have guessed some of the things he said to me while we were intimate would come out of his mouth.
It had been a while since I’ve been in a relationship, but out of all the flings I had in Phoenix, I could never find someone to match my sexual energy. It always made it easier to end things because I was never fully feeling it.?
Declan and I hadn’t even had sex yet, but somehow, I knew it would be fireworks. The sexual chemistry between us was obvious.?
Since we had only been intimate behind closed doors, it didn’t come as a surprise to me that when I ran into Declan at the bar and we had no one to fake it for, there was a tiny bit of awkwardness. He flirted with me like he always did, greeted me with a hug and a kiss on the forehead, but nothing as intense as the other night.
Maybe he was still stuck on only being physical when Logan was around or when we were alone. Maybe he didn’t want to cross a line in front of other people. Or maybe I was getting in my head and overthinking everything. I needed to chill the fuck out and go with the flow, even though deep down, I hoped for another moment like that spent with Declan.?
I tried to shake the thought of Declan from my mind as I realized it was only a few weeks out from Thanksgiving and the weather was taking a turn for winter. I woke up to the first snow this morning, noticing the trees were coated in white powder and the roads were freshly plowed, making it an easy drive to work. The snow always made it brighter outside when the sun reflected off the white surfaces. It had been a while since I’d seen a snowy day, but this view made me realize I missed the mountains more than I thought.
I was on my way to work as my mind bounced around from one thought to the other. One minute, distracted by the thought of the insanely attractive man I was pretending to date and crushing hard on, and the next, I was looking at the blankets of snow around me trying to figure out how I was going to continue to drive around in the mountains this winter.
The more I thought about it, the more I considered this rental car wasn’t going to hold up in the harshness of a Colorado winter. I had the day off tomorrow, so maybe I’d go take a look at a more suitable vehicle.?Who knows, maybe I could convince a certain man I couldn’t get off my mind to help me with the daunting task of buying a new car? I’d been working my ass off with all the extra shifts Sophie had given me since I started, and I wanted to believe I had a pretty penny saved up for a decent down payment on a used car. It was a huge help that I didn't have to pay rent this month, thanks to my mom letting me crash at her place while I decided what was next for me.
I’d figure out the rest of the details later. All I knew was that I needed a new car, and I wanted Declan’s help with buying it.
I continued to drive down the final stretch toward High Street where Peaks was located. The view this time of year was stunning downtown. White lights twinkled in the trees and around light posts, red bows and garland hung around buildings and signs. It was like stepping into a winter wonderland, and even more so when there was fresh snow. The holidays were creeping up quickly and Alpine Peak was the perfect place to visit around the holidays if you wanted to feel like you were in a Hallmark movie.
Making my way inside of the bar, I immediately felt the warmth from the heater greet my skin. Sophie was behind the bar, laughing it up with her regulars. I was looking forward to working with her tonight. It was supposed to be a busy Saturday night, and the more we worked together and got to know each other, the more I enjoyed finally having a girl friend here to talk to about all things girls usually talked about. Which usually happened to be sex, periods and relationships.
It was the calm before the storm. The regular Saturday night customers were enjoying a nice dinner out on the town before a fun night of drinking and dancing to the live country band. Before it got too wild in here, it gave me and Sophie some time to catch up.
“How’s it going, girl? The regulars seem to love you!” she greeted me with a hug. “I’m not sure who is more excited that you work here…me, because I finally have time for a social life, or the customers who can’t shut up about how sweet you are.” Sophie giggled at her remark.
“The extra shifts and money have been great. I can’t complain.” I wanted to take this moment to open up to her and say something I have yet to admit out loud. “I’m trying to get a new vehicle so I can return my rental. I’ve been able to save a lot, which is nice. Who knows, maybe I’ll get a place to rent next?” The omission made me blush, thinking about staying. Starting over again here in Alpine Peak was not a possibility I saw for myself when I originally left years ago.
“Oh, wow, look at you making all the big girl moves. New car, new job, and soon a new place to stay?! Who even are you?” Giving me a soft slap on the arm, she giggled in excitement.
“I already moved my shit out of my old apartment in Phoenix and gave up my place I was renting. And it sounds exhausting to make the drive back just to have to do it all over again, so I figured I’d just stay here a little while.”?I shrugged, pretending like it was no big deal, I had essentially just made a life altering decision.
“You trying to convince me, or yourself? Or maybe a hot tattooed local that’s been spotted here almost every time you work?” She nudged me and winked as I let out a gasp.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I lied, tucking my hair behind my ear.
“Uh huh, sure. Word travels fast in a small town and I hear you two have been quite the pair when he’s hanging around here.”
“What do you mean? Declan is always here after work whether I’m here or not. He just likes the wings.” I blushed.
“I KNEW IT! You’re freaking blushing at the mention of his name. Girl, you’ve got it bad for him and I don’t blame you. He’s hot as fuck. I say to go for it,” she encouraged me.?
I didn’t know why I was trying to hide it. Sophie was the one person I could confide in lately, so I might as well let my guard down completely.
“Okay, fine,” I admitted, blurting out, “we kind of… hooked up last week.”
“Oh my God! Paige! I’m going to need all the details. How have you kept this in the vault for a whole week?!” she started rambling off a million questions while my attention was caught on the men walking through the door.?
I assumed she noticed them too when she snapped her mouth shut at lightning speed.
“Oh, speak of the devil. Looks like the other Cooper brother is with him today too,” she whispered, wiggling her eyebrows at me.?
I started pouring up two Coors Lights before they even approached the bar and sat down. Taking a moment to address Sophie, I said, “We will talk more about this later. But to answer a couple questions I know are burning in your brain right now… No, we did not have sex, but I did have an orgasm. He’s got a filthy mouth, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about him. And we, uh, we are sort of pretend dating…” I let everything slip out of my mouth before Declan and Myles walked up to the bar.
She silently mouthed, “OH MY GOD!” and slapped my ass. “We definitely need to have a conversation and go over how all that has already happened in the matter of a couple weeks,” she whispered as she walked away.?
Pretending I wasn’t just talking about the gorgeous man in front of me, I set down their beers with a smile.
Looking between the two of us, Declan pointed and said, “Did Sophie just slap your ass? In my place of work, that would be considered sexual harassment.” Hands on my hips, I looked at him and rolled my eyes.?
“Why, are you jealous, Cooper? Plus, you work in construction and already have the reputation of letting out cat calls and gawking as women walk by. So, it would be more pervy if you did that in your workplace.”
He slapped his hand on his chest and reared back. “Oh, someone woke up sassy this morning! I am appalled you think I’d be a pervy construction worker. But if you walked by while I was working, that would be a different story,” he said with a wink.
This is how it had been over the last week. Fun, flirty conversation. Basically eye-fucking each other, but with no action. It was Saturday, so he hadn’t come straight from work in his dirty clothes. Instead, he wore a pair of dark blue jeans that made his ass look amazing, a fitted black tee under a blue and white flannel, and a backwards hat with wisps of his dirty blond hair sticking out from under it. I was a sucker for this whole get-up he wore; it would easily make me melt every time.
Looking between the two men sitting in front of me, I noticed Declan was casually sipping his beer while his brother's drink was practically gone.
“Looks like you’re thirsty, Myles. Should I grab you another beer?”
“Would love one. It’s Saturday night, and maybe if I’m lucky, I'll find a girl to join me on the dance floor.” He already seemed a bit buzzed, but then I remembered being twenty-one and what it was like going out every weekend to the bars.?
Pouring up another cold one, I placed it in front of him as he chugged the rest of his first beer. Declan wore a look of concern on his face when he asked, “Hey, Paige, mind grabbing us a basket of fries too?”
“Of course, carbs are alcohol's best friend.” I laughed.
Something about Declan seemed off. One minute, we were flirting, and the next, he seemed bothered by Myles. I had a gut feeling there was more to that story.