Chapter 6 #2
Taking a deep breath, I force myself to go back to mixing and preparing the drink orders while keeping an eye on them.
I had hoped that Ashley, our hostess, would seat them further away from me, but again, it doesn’t seem like luck is on my side.
She seats them three tables to my left and, of course, Kelly makes sure to sit in the chair facing the bar that I’m standing behind.
I force myself to keep busy, but another group of customers arriving a few minutes later has me looking up again, and this time I freeze for an entirely different reason.
Standing in front of the group is a man I’ve had a crush on since high school.
Reaper, the President of the local Steel Archangel’s MC chapter.
He was a couple of grades above me in school and he’s always had a dominant energy surrounding him. Like a ‘fuck with me and find out’ kind of vibe, even when we were in school. He never once paid me any attention, which was fine because it gave me tons of time to look my fill of him.
Tonight, though… Damn, he’s looking hotter than usual.
His blueish-gray eyes bore into me from across the room, and I feel myself blushing at the intensity in his eyes.
He looks away to answer something Ashley asks him, and I take the chance to look him over.
He’s wearing a dark blue t-shirt underneath his leather vest and it stretches across his biceps and chest, barely able to contain his muscles.
His black jeans hug his thighs and not surprisingly, he’s wearing black biker boots.
My gaze rises and I feel myself blushing again when I realize he caught me staring at him.
His lips kick up a little in the corner and that blush intensifies at that small gesture.
He takes his cap off and runs his hand through his short, dark brown, almost black hair.
His mustache and beard are neatly trimmed and I have a sudden urge to run my fingers through his beard to see if it’s as soft as it looks.
He follows Ashley while his other club members follow along behind him, and I quickly realize that Ashley’s leading him to a table that had recently been emptied and wiped down.
A table that is right in front of the bar.
I’ve never really been a big fan of muscular men in the past, mainly because most of the time they’re major assholes, at least in my experience anyway.
However, Reaper has always been an exception.
And watching him move as he walks toward his table has me wishing for things I have no right to wish for, but apparently, my damn libido isn’t getting the memo.
I’ve never had this feeling or reaction toward Aiden or any other man for that matter. Why the hell is it going crazy now?
Surprisingly, Reaper sits in a chair that faces me but also gives him a clear view of the table Kelly and the Cox’s are sitting at. I don’t know if he knows about everything that’s happened these last couple of days, but oddly, I find the gesture calming.
I shake myself internally and break eye contact with Reaper.
As I look down at the drink orders in front of me, I silently chastise myself.
There’s no way he’s here because of everything that went down and there’s no way he’s here for me.
I’m reading too much into this and I need to focus.
Thank God I’ve been working as our head bartender for years.
Muscle memory takes over and I continue mixing and grabbing the drinks that customers have already ordered.
I’d just finished making a drink, an old fashioned, when I hear Kelly’s high-pitched laugh. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath, reminding myself that she’s trying to get my attention. That she’s doing whatever the fuck she is on purpose to cause a scene.
Releasing the breath slowly, I open my eyes, only to pull up short when I find a pair of blueish-gray eyes watching me.
They soften as he gives me a little head tilt in question.
However, a second later when Kelly’s shrill laughter rings out once again, his gaze hardens as he breaks eye contact to glare in her direction.
Not being able to resist, I turn and look over at her table as well, only to find her almost plastered to Aiden’s side as she talks loudly about the wedding they are apparently planning at the country club his parents own.
And then I swear she rubs her baby belly a bit too obviously and flashes her gaudy-assed ring as she waves her hand around as she talks.
“Hey, are you okay?”
I startle, not having seen or heard anyone approaching the bar. Looking up, I’m surprised to see Reaper staring down at me in concern.
Swallowing hard, I nod, even though I felt anything but okay. His eyebrows dip down in what seems like concern before he frowns, obviously knowing I’m lying. Thankfully, he doesn’t call me out on it.
He leans against the bar causing me to bite my lip as my gaze snags on his muscular arms. “Can I order directly from you or do I need to snag our waitress?”
I blink out of my stupor and nod as I once again internally chastise myself. And my libido. “Yes, I can get you a drink and add it to your table’s tab. What can I get you?”
He half smirks, and I swear he’s checking me out as he thinks, but there’s no way that could be true. I’m nobody special. And I’m sure a man as hot as Reaper has women flinging themselves at him wherever he goes. Why would he want me, my plain Jane appearance, and curves?
“Surprise me.”
I blink repeatedly as I stare at him in shock, not expecting him to put me on the spot. Sparing a quick glance at his table, I realize he was the one that had ordered the whiskey on the rocks earlier.
Smiling at him, I nod and turn.
Deciding to take a risk, I start grabbing the ingredients to make him a dark and stormy. Going up on my toes, I pull a few other rum bottles off the shelf until I get to the one I want from the back.
Goslings Black Seal.
Turning back around, I will myself not to blush when I catch him staring at my ass, but that blush still rises when our gazes lock and I see the desire and heat in his eyes.
As I grab a glass, another peel of shrill laugher has me looking up in the direction of Kelly’s table. I frown when I notice a lot of other tables giving them looks of disapproval and I curse under my breath.
With a sigh, I glance back up at Reaper. “Give me a moment, please.”
“Of course,” he replies, but instead of going back to his table, he leans even more against the bar. He frowns as more laughter pulls his attention to Kelly’s table, and as I walk toward them, I swear I can feel his gaze on my back. Not in a bad way, but it almost feels... protective, in a way.
And surprisingly, I find that I like it.