9. Ray #2
“You want a beer tonight, or is your stomach still revolting?” she asked, clearly trying to change the subject.
“I’ll just have a Coke for now, thanks.”
She nodded and walked back over to get a glass.
“Hi, Ray. Good to see you again,” Ruthie greeted me.
A couple had just left, leaving two empty seats next to me. On the other side of those seats were Ruthie and two other women.
“You remember Cat.” She smiled, pointing at the woman sitting to her left—Vince’s wife. “And this is Axel’s fiancée, Stella.”
Stella, who sat to Ruthie’s right, gave a small wave and smile as she greeted me. “Hi, Ray. It’s nice to meet you.”
Too far away to shake her hand, I nodded and smiled back at her.
“Not sure how long you’re here, but you should definitely check out Stella’s bakery. It’s the best in town,” Ruthie informed me, while Cat nodded emphatically.
“She speaks the truth, but you’ll gain five pounds just looking at the display case,” Tammy chimed in as she put my drink in front of me.
“But you will never be disappointed. Stella is a goddess in that kitchen and has single-handedly contributed to my hips and thighs going up a size in the last six months.”
Her comment drew my attention to said hips and thighs—body parts that I happened to like exactly as they were.
I met her eyes when my gaze drifted back up, and the look on her face told me she knew exactly where my gaze had been moments before.
“I guess we’ll just have to give you more treats to keep those thighs and hips looking so good,” I told her.
Cat choked on her drink, and my gaze moved to her as Stella spoke up.
“Oh, I like you.” Stella’s comment and smile were directed at me.
“Okay, all of you, I have a very important question,” Ruthie announced, her hands held up high by her head. “What’s a food you think is highly overrated, but a lot of people love it?”
“Matcha,” Axel said to the group, appearing from the kitchen and placing a plate of food in front of Stella. “I’ve tried it three times and can’t stand it.”
“Agreed,” Tammy said, nodding.
“Oysters,” Stella added. “It’s a texture thing for me.”
“Yeah, that’s the same for me with raw onions. I hate the texture,” Ruthie said. “Cat, what about you?”
Cat put her pointer finger to her lips as if contemplating. “Chia seeds. Because they don’t taste like anything, and they get stuck in all your teeth.”
“That is true,” Axel agreed.
They all turned to me, clearly looking for my input.
“I’m not a fan of Peeps,” I said.
There was a collective gasp from the women at the bar, including Tammy, who looked at me as though I had just announced I hated puppies and kittens.
“Wow, Ray… Do you hate children and Christmas too?” Ruthie teased me with a mock-shocked expression.
I laughed and held up my hands. “Sorry, not sorry. I just don’t really like marshmallows, and Peeps are basically just marshmallows covered in glitter sugar.”
Shocked gasps rang out again.
“Tammy, please save this conversation after Ray just ruined it,” Ruthie said.
Tammy gave a small smirk and tilted her head in thought. “Coleslaw. I don’t really care for cabbage or mayonnaise on their own, but when people put them together, I can only assume it is because they are trying to kill me.”
“Tammy, no one could kill you. You’re too much of a badass,” Stella said, using her fork to point at her.
“It’s true,” Ruthie said, sticking a French fry in her mouth. “I took one of her self-defense classes, and her roundhouse kicks would put Chuck Norris to shame.”
Tammy laughed. “I appreciate the compliment, but I’ve got nothing on Chuck Norris and his abilities. Remember, ladies, he won an arm-wrestling contest with both arms tied behind his back.”
I chuckled, as did all the women at the bar.
“Who is this?” Axel asked, pointing at her. “The Chuck man you are talking about. Did he serve in the military with you?”
The small chuckles grew louder.
“I wish,” Tammy replied, but Axel’s confused face remained. “Chuck Norris was the greatest and most famous badass in the whole world.”
I wasn’t entirely sure that satisfied Axel’s curiosity, but he let it drop for now.
Tammy bent over to grab some extra containers of lemons and limes from their small mini-fridge below the bar. My gaze moved like a magnet to her full, luscious backside, remembering how amazing and soft it was in my hands.
She cleared her throat, and my gaze jumped back up to meet hers instantly.
She tilted her head to the side and lifted her brows at me. “Are you looking at my ass?”
“Yep,” I replied with zero shame.
“Well, stop.”
“No can do.”
Her hands moved to her hips as she gave me a small glare. “You’re a grown-ass man. You can absolutely stop.”
I shrugged, my smile full of amusement. “Okay, maybe I can, but I won’t. I like what I see, and I’m not afraid to admit it.”
She groaned and rolled her eyes, but I saw the pull of her lips into the barest smile as she turned to face the other direction.
The other women next to me giggled, but I avoided eye contact with them, instead choosing to keep watching Tammy. I was drawn to her, and I found even when I knew sex was off the table, I genuinely enjoyed being around her.
About an hour later, all the women left, as Ruthie’s husband Jack was their designated driver and took them all home.
I was wiped out from not getting great sleep last night, and I wanted to surprise Tammy tomorrow morning at her place with breakfast again. I’d missed that opportunity this morning and wasn’t going to make that same mistake twice. So just after eleven, I finally called it a night.
The place was still busy, so Axel was going to stay and close with Tammy.
I would have stayed, but knowing she wouldn’t be closing alone made me feel better.
Plus, it was Andre’s turn to be the designated bouncer and bodyguard for the night, so she technically had two men who would walk her out and make sure she was safe.
Andre was a large guy, the ideal body build for a bouncer, but he was also friendly and down-to-earth. He had joined the group because of his friendship with Diego, and they both seemed to get along great with Tammy.
Just thinking about Tammy had me excited for breakfast tomorrow. She was feisty, chatty, and knew what she wanted, which was refreshing.
That little ball of fire and sass was quickly becoming important to me, and I found I didn’t mind one bit.