Chapter 15 #2
“He still doesn’t like people though,” said the very woman Whip had been talking about, as she cuddled up next to him and wrapped her arm around his waist. She was tiny next to the giant bar owner, and the love in his eyes when he looked down at her was easy to see.
“I keep trying to get him to sponsor Pickleport and to be more social, but he’d rather stay in here and serve beer than mingle with the Fallportians…what we call people who live around here.”
“Prefer cats. They’re assholes, but they’re honest about what they want. Sunlight, food, and to be left alone.”
Angel giggled. “Pretty much. Which is why we have about twelve scratching posts in our house, along with at least a hundred and two empty boxes for them to nest in, and about half as many little cat beds.”
Obi-Wan chuckled, along with Zita.
“How many cats do you have?”
“Officially, three. But we take care of as many stray ones as we can.”
“Now that we have vets in town who give a shit, it’s easier to help them when necessary,” Whip started.
“That’s a story for another time,” Angel told him. “I’m out of Clyde’s moonshine. Need you to go to the storage room and get me some more.”
“Won’t let her go in there on her own,” Whip mumbled. “It’s dark and secluded, and horny assholes think it’s a great place to get sucked off.”
Surprised, Obi-Wan and Zita both burst out laughing, while Angel rolled her eyes. “The last time I walked in on something like that was ages ago.”
“Don’t care. You doing okay? Need me to call in Bart to help you behind the bar?”
“No, I’m good. Just need that moonshine.”
Whip kissed the top of Angel’s head. “On it.” He nodded at Obi-Wan and Zita before escorting Angel back to the bar, then heading toward the hallway that led to the bathrooms and, presumably, the infamous storage room.
“Wow, I can totally see him running a less-than-reputable bar,” Zita said with a grin.
Obi-Wan could too. It was obvious Angel was the only thing keeping him from being mostly feral. The man had an undercurrent of hostility coming from him. But it just went to show how finding the perfect partner could smooth out a person’s rough edges.
And that had Obi-Wan thinking about himself and Zita.
She made him feel more relaxed than he’d felt in a very long time.
He used to live and breathe being a Night Stalker.
Resented his time in the States waiting to be called up for a mission.
Would’ve preferred to live full-time on a naval ship so he could fly every day.
And now? He was finding he liked the down time. Yes, he obviously loved to fly, but he could already feel a shift happening. Like with Zita to fill his days, he no longer lived to fly. Which was a huge distinction.
Her cheeks were already flushed just from her single drink, and she was looking around the bar with wide eyes, as if seeing it in a new light after hearing Whip’s story…which she probably was, because Obi-Wan was too.
Their waitress reappeared with two plates in her hands. “Can I get you anything else?”
“Two waters, please,” Obi-Wan told her, wanting to ensure Zita didn’t have a headache in the morning.
The food was as good as the atmosphere and the company. And it wasn’t long before both he and Zita were finished and had scooted their chairs closer together. They talked and watched people playing darts for a while before she suggested they try their hand.
Obi-Wan agreed and escorted her over to an empty dartboard.
She was terrible. Most of her darts bounced off the target and landed on the floor. And every time it happened, she simply laughed. She wasn’t competitive in the least, whereas Obi-Wan strove to hit a bullseye every time.
They were complete opposites in that regard, and he found he liked that. A lot.
Who was he kidding? He fucking loved it. Zita was cheerful and kind and made friends wherever she went. In fact, she’d already struck up a conversation with the couple playing darts next to them.
To his surprise, the man owned On the Rocks, the other bar in the Fallport square. And the woman he was with, Elsie, his wife, used to work as a waitress at his bar once upon a time.
Before he knew it, Obi-Wan and Zita were back at their table, and Elsie and Zeke were joining them. Zita was sipping on another lemon drop, telling her new friends how much she loved their little town. When she told them they were staying at the Mangree, Elsie perked up.
“Don’t you just love it there? I lived there for a while with my pre-teen son. It was ages ago, but sometimes it feels like yesterday.”
“Edna is awesome,” Zita said, clearly feeling relaxed from her drinks.
“Isn’t she? She put me and Tony in the room right next to the office, so she could keep her eye on us.”
“That’s where I am! Room twelve.”
Elsie laughed. “Some things never change.”
The two women talked a mile a minute, and Obi-Wan was content to sit next to Zita, a hand on her knee, just listening.
“You’re the Night Stalker, right? The helicopter pilot?”
Turning to Zeke, he nodded. “How’d you know?”
“Fallport’s tiny, and it has a very good gossip network.” He grinned. “When you retire, Fallport would hire you in a second for the Eagle Point Search and Rescue team. I’m one of the original members, and let me tell you, a chopper and a pilot on staff would be a huge advantage.”
“I don’t doubt it,” Obi-Wan said. “But I’m not planning on retiring anytime soon.”
Zeke nodded. “Don’t blame you. Loved my time in the Army, but if I hadn’t come here, I wouldn’t have met Elsie and Tony, and I wouldn’t have the family I have today.”
“You’ve got kids?”
“Three, including Tony.”
Obi-Wan’s eyes widened.
“Yeah, it’s a lot. But Else and I wouldn’t have it any other way. We’re here tonight on one of our rare dates. We don’t like to go to On the Rocks, since we spend way too much time there as it is. And since Whip isn’t the asshole he used to be, this place is a nice change of pace now.”
“He told us he’s changed a lot, along with this place,” Obi-Wan said.
“He did? Wow. He’s usually not much of a sharer.”
“It’s Zita.”
Zeke nodded. “Yeah, Elsie has the same effect on people. They just seem to want to open up to her.”
Elsie turned to Obi-Wan then. “Zita says you’re an amazing helicopter pilot. That’s so cool!”
The conversation turned more general then, with all four of them conversing. Before they knew it, Angel made last call for food from behind the bar.
Surprised it was so late, Obi-Wan turned to Zita and saw she had a faraway look in her eyes, and she was kind of swaying a bit on her stool.
She looked exhausted. She was on her feet for hours at work, and the newness of The Cellar, meeting new friends, and a bit of alcohol had finally caught up with her. He needed to get her to bed.
And not in a sexual way, although that was never far from his mind.
She needed sleep so she could be alert on set tomorrow.
She’d said herself that rainy days always meant more work for her, and it would be irresponsible for them to stay out much longer, and have her show up to work at less than her best.
“I think we’re gonna jet,” Obi-Wan said.
He knew he was right about Zita being at the end of her reserves when she made no complaint. They said their goodbyes to Elsie and Zeke, promising to stop by On the Rocks before they left town.
Obi-Wan was steering Zita to the door when she stopped and said, “Hang on, there’s something I want to do.”
He watched as she headed toward the bar, where Whip and Angel were making drinks for the many people sitting at the stools. If anything, the bar was busier now than it was when they’d arrived, which just went to show how popular the place was.
She leaned over the bar, and it was all Obi-Wan could do to take his gaze from her ass. But he did, and just in time to see her hold out some money toward Angel.
At first she shook her head, but Zita seemed to insist, and finally the other woman took it. She smiled, and Obi-Wan could read her lips as she thanked Zita.
When she returned to his side, Obi-Wan said, “I tipped both her and our waitress already,” knowing he sounded grumpy but not able to help it.
“Oh, I know, I saw. And you were more than generous. I just wanted to give them a donation for the kitties. The stray ones. It can’t be cheap to feed them, and to keep those boxes full of clean straw.”
Damn. This woman. She was amazing.
Not able to help himself, he leaned in and kissed her. It was a brief kiss, but he still felt it down to his toes. He found he didn’t have the words that would adequately express what he was feeling. So he simply tucked her arm into his own and walked them toward the door once more.
His mind was spinning as he drove the short distance back to the Mangree. He once again parked in front of Zita’s door, so she wouldn’t have to walk to her room. He grabbed her med bag, knowing that she’d want to make sure it was restocked for tomorrow.
She unlocked her door then turned to him. Obi-Wan held his breath. He wasn’t going to presume anything, although there was nothing he wanted more than to be invited in once again.
“Do you want to stay?”
“Yes.” He wasn’t noble enough to turn her down. “I’ll go change and shower and come back. That okay?”
“You could shower here,” she said shyly.
“I’ll be back,” he insisted, knowing that if he got naked in her bathroom, it wouldn’t help the state of his cock. As it was, he planned on jacking off before he came back to her bed.
“Here’s my key,” she told him, holding it out.
Taking it, Obi-Wan once more felt grateful for this woman’s trust in him.
He would’ve been embarrassed by how quickly he was back at her room after showering, jacking off, changing, and getting his things ready for the next morning, but he wasn’t. He’d kind of resigned himself to being in a perpetual state of need around Zita—including the need just to be near her.
After a soft knock on the door, he let himself in using her key. Zita was already in bed, lying on her side, breathing heavily. Her hair was damp, and she must’ve fallen asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
Realizing he had a grin on his face, and not caring, Obi-Wan shut off the light she’d left on—probably so he wouldn’t trip over anything in the dark—and climbed under the covers behind Zita.
The second his arm closed over her waist, she turned, snuggling into him as if she’d done it every day of her life. He rolled to his back so Zita would be more comfortable. Her head came to rest on his shoulder, and one leg hitched over his thigh, as if she was claiming him.
Obi-Wan was completely all right with being claimed. As long as it was this woman doing so.
He was tired too, but sleep didn’t come right away.
He was enjoying the feeling of holding her.
Having her trust him to sleep in her bed and not do anything she hadn’t specifically consented to.
Smelling her shampoo. Simply being this close to another human being.
It had been way too long since he’d had anything like this. And he liked it. Craved it.
But only with Zita. No one else. He was sure being with any other woman couldn’t match the feeling he was experiencing right now.
He finally fell asleep half an hour later, a smile on his face and contentment in his soul.
This was what he’d been looking for without even knowing it.
If he could feel like this now, before being as physically close as two people could be, he was almost scared of how vital this woman would become if—hopefully when—they moved their relationship to the next level.
Scared, but one hundred percent willing and onboard. Zita Darlington could destroy the life he’d known up until now, and he was looking forward to seeing what that was like.