Chapter 26
The day before Thanksgiving was always the busiest in the bar industry. People trickled into town to spend the holiday with their families, and everyone was off work early and ready to have the next four days off. It didn’t matter what bar you worked at; it would be bustling with people who didn’t want to cook dinner the night before they made their kitchens a mess.
Peaks was no exception, especially being the only bar in town. There were plenty of local restaurants scattered about with their own bars, but they closed down early every night. Peaks was the one place to go and let loose until two o’clock in the morning.
We’d need all hands-on deck for the crowd that was expected to show up tonight. One of the best cover bands that played here was in the process of setting up while Sophie and I worked on stocking the bar.
“So, what’s the update on you and the hot Cooper brother?” Sophie asked. I hadn’t worked with her in a while to update her since I last spilled my guts about the night I spent dry humping Declan.
“You could say there has been quite the development,” I answered nonchalantly while cutting up lime wedges.
“You aren’t getting away without filling me in this time. I have been deprived of details since we last talked and I’m dying to know. Spill,” she demanded.
“Okay, so you know how I said we were pretend dating or whatever?” I started.
“Yeah. What the fuck is that about? I didn’t even know that was a real thing outside of movies.” She laughed.
“I guess you could say I’ve seen one too many rom-coms when I proposed the idea to him. But it kind of just slipped out of me when my ex realized I was back in town, and he didn’t want to leave me alone.”
“Who is your ex?” she questioned.
I cringed before saying, “Logan Brooks.”
“Okay, wow. There is so much more we need to dive into but I’m going to let that one slide while you finish telling me all about the adventures of Declan’s penis.”
“Oh my God!” I busted out laughing, looking around to make sure one of the few customers around the bar right now didn’t hear her. “It’s definitely been an adventure, that’s for sure,” I said under my breath.
Sophie gave my arm a light slap. “Whoa, careful! I’m armed. I could have cut my finger off with this knife.” I shrieked.
She put her hands on my shoulders as she turned me around. “Don’t be so dramatic. The knives are dull as fuck and my dad needs to replace them but that’s not the point. Tell me what you’ve been working with the last couple of weeks. Did you finally get to meet his penis properly?” I laughed at Sophie’s eagerness.
“What’s the proper way to meet a penis?”
“Naked. Bare. Taking it for a test drive in every hole possible.” My jaw dropped as I shook my head. This girl was something else.
“We have had quite a few proper meetings in fact. Basically, we dropped that fake dating bullshit and admitted there was something more. We didn’t put a label on it or anything, but we are just having fun. Going with the flow.” Deep down, I knew what we had was more than we were admitting. Not throwing a label on it was just our way of avoiding the inevitable.
“God, I love this for you. Can you say upgrade? You went from Logan Brooks to Declan Cooper. Good for you girl!” She let out a giddy squeal.
“It’s been like a decade since I was with Logan. I wouldn’t even say I went from one to the other. But I will say that Declan is definitely the best I’ve ever had,” I admitted with a blush.
“Would you say you’re working with a five-dollar footlong? A popsicle? Or something a bit thicker like a breakfast burrito?” Sophie, being her lighthearted self, asked with her hands in the air like she was measuring something. She was dead fucking serious too.
“You are something else, Soph,” I laughed and added, “why are we comparing Declan’s dick to food?”
“Well, you could say I’m hungry. Maybe in more ways than one. No need to divulge that kind of information if you don’t want to. I can assume you’re just working with a solid home-grown cucumber. Yeah, home-grown is a safe assumption. I bet he’s not the only one full of surprises in that family.” The last part of her rambling caught my attention.
“You and Myles are around the same age, right? Anything ever happen there?” I asked, prying for information.
“Myles Playboy Cooper? Hell no. He may be gorgeous as fuck and probably has a big dick like his brother, but he’s an asshole and has probably fucked every single girl in town.”
“Hey, I never admitted to any sort of dick size!”
She gave me a side-eye like she could see right through my bullshit. “Anyways, Myles is always in here trying to pick up a girl. A different one at that. I refuse to be just a notch on his bedpost.”
“Fair enough. Sounds like he has some growing up to do in more ways than one. Declan says he’s had some drinking problems in the past.”
“In the past? Yeah right. The boy is still drinking his life away. A walking red flag. Bet you he will be in here tonight with the rest of the town.” She rolled her eyes like there was something else there I was missing.
It’s like the people of Alpine Peak heard us talking when they all started to trickle into the bar, leaving the cold weather behind them.
“Alright, let’s get this party started!” Sophie hollered. We were fully stocked, plenty of extra beer in the coolers, ice bins full, and all the fruit and drink garnishes prepped. I looked down at my cleavage to make sure the girls were ready for the night shift. Check. We were ready to make some money.
Tonight had flown by. Locals were out, ready to let loose with their friends and family. The alcohol was flowing, and the tips were generous. The music was beating through the speakers, hypnotizing one patron after another. The dance floor was crazy, body after body gliding around and somehow not running into each other. They all looked like pros dancing out there, unlike the time Declan asked me to dance.
Declan and Myles had come in hours ago, but I had been so busy that I didn’t have much time to chat with them. Declan was hanging out with some friends from work, while Myles was looking for his next victim, as Sophie put it. I had been pouring drink after drink, so busy I realized I hadn’t gone to the bathroom in hours.
“Hey, Soph, I’m going to run and pee really quick. I’ll be right back! You good for a sec?”
“Yeah, go ahead, I’ll hold the fort down!” she called out from the other side of the bar.
I ducked underneath the bar, heading for the bathroom. Before I could approach the door, an arm snaked around my waist pulling me against them. I knew that smell anywhere.
I confirmed it was Declan when I heard his gravelly voice whisper against my ear, “I miss you, baby girl. You’re working too hard. You deserve a little break.” His voice sounded sultry and every bit sexy.
“It’s the busiest night of the year, I can’t leave Sophie behind the bar for round two in the cleaning closet this time,” I joked.
“I know. I know. Come over after work? Stay at my place tonight. Your mom and Chase can meet us at my parents’ house tomorrow for dinner.” I couldn’t say no to another night wrapped in his arms. His house felt a lot more like home lately than my mom’s house did anyway.
“Of course I’ll be there. I won’t get off until late though, so leave the door unlocked and I’ll crawl into bed with you when I get there. Don’t wait up. This place is going to be a fucking disaster to clean when everyone leaves, so I know I’ll get stuck late.”
“Can’t wait, baby.” He held me from behind for a few more seconds, laying a few kisses down my neck as he gave my shoulder a light nibble with his teeth.
“I have to go to the bathroom and get back to work. We will finish this later,” I promised as I tried to wiggle away from him.
He had a way of turning me on at lightning speed. Over the last couple of weeks, we had learned the ins and outs of one another. What we liked and what we didn’t, which was almost nothing. I’d let that man do anything to me. But fuck, all he had to do was look at me and I was turned on.
When he approached me at work like this, it was absolute torture, and he knew it. He loved to get me all wound up so when he saw me later, I’d let out all of my pent-up sexual energy.
He let me go but not before he gave my ass a little slap and headed to the bathroom.
I was headed back up to the bar when I saw what looked like a verbal argument happening between a couple of customers. They were hiding in a dark corner, so I couldn’t make out who they were right away. When one of the stage lights moved in their direction, I had the perfect view.
What were Myles and Logan arguing about? I didn’t even know they knew each other. But then again, everyone knew each other in this town.
I needed to get back to the bar, but when I saw Declan, I figured I’d let him handle it since it involved his brother. Whatever it was, it looked tense, and I didn’t want to get stuck in the middle of it. He had a sixth sense when it came to me. He seemed to pop up every time I thought about him.
“Hey, what’s going on over there between your brother and Logan? Seems like they are having an intense conversation.” I nodded my head in their direction. “Mind handling it? I’d hate for anything physical to break out. I’m not in the mood for a bar fight tonight.”
With a quick snap of his head, he turned to look where I was gesturing toward. With a scowl etched on his face, he started to walk in their direction.
“Declan! Don’t do anything stupid!” I called out to him.
He shot a thumbs up behind his back before disappearing into the crowd of drunks. I hoped I didn’t have to worry about whatever was going on over there.