28. Clara
CLARA
“Hey, girlie.”
I startle, spinning around so fast I almost knock poor Maci over with my drink tray.
She takes a step back, hands held up in the air in surrender, pretty face stark. “Woah, don’t shoot,” she jokes.
“Shit,” I mutter, sweeping my hair back from my face. “I’m sorry.”
Maci lowers an eyebrow, looking closely at me. “You okay, baby?”
I heave a sigh, rolling my eyes at myself. “Yeah. Sorry. I just—” Looking around the club, I shake my head. “Tonight just feels… weird.”
“Did somethin’ happen?” Maci’s brows knit together, fury flashing in her eyes. “You need me to get security? Or my switchblade?”
My eyes widen. “No, it’s just—” I can’t even explain it without worrying that I’m going to sound like a paranoid idiot. “I can’t shake the feeling that someone’s… watching me,” I say, scanning the club again.
Maci snorts a laugh, and I find a wry smile playing on her lips. “Baby. You’re a scantily clad, hot-ass waitress serving drinks at a titty bar full of fuckin’ perverts. Of course someone’s watchin’ you… everyone’s watchin’ you.”
I can’t help but laugh because she’s right. I’m being silly. But since I arrived here tonight, I haven’t been able to shake this feeling. It started in the parking lot when I pulled in, and it hasn’t stopped, even inside.
I force another smile, shaking my head at myself. “You’re right.”
“I’m always right. Use it to your advantage and earn those tips, baby,” Maci says with a salacious wink, clicking her fingers.
I giggle.
“How was your date?”
I jump at the voice over my shoulder, turning to see Kendra grinning knowingly behind me.
Blinking at her question, I look around again for what, I don’t know, my brows pulling together. But before I can question her, Maci butts in.
“Date?”
Kendra nods, folding her arms across her chest, smile smug. “Clara went on a date with Cole last night.”
“Not the bling king,” Maci murmurs with a laugh.
I shake my head sufficiently flustered as I turn back to Kendra. “How… how do you know?”
She shrugs a nonchalant shoulder. “Brady told me last night when I fucked him in his truck.”
“You fucked Brady last night?” Maci asks with a thinly veiled grimace.
Kendra lifts a shoulder with another shrug in response.
“Ew,” Maci mutters.
“So not the point,” Kendra says dismissively, turning to me, eyes wide, eyebrows dancing. “How’d it go?”
I roll my eyes, feeling my cheeks heat at the memory of my date with Cole last night and what we did in the back of his truck.
Honestly, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it, my smile returning as the vision that flashes through me.
But when I remember the two women standing in front of me with matching smirks, I school myself, shrugging a shoulder like it’s no big deal. “It was fine.”
Kendra and Maci trade a glance, Maci sticking her tongue inside her cheek in an attempt to hide her growing smile.
“Fine?” Kendra cocks her head to the side, deadpan. “Clara, be so for real.”
“What do you want me to say?” I laugh incredulously.
“Did you see his”—Kendra grins deviously—“bling?”
Maci throws her head back on a laugh.
I shrug, at a loss for whatever this whole bedazzled, bling king bullshit is all about.
“Maybe date number two.” Kenda winks at me.
This time, it’s me who deadpans.
“Order up!” Kevin shouts from behind the bar and I breathe a sigh of relief to see that it’s my order.
“You guys are so annoying,” I huff, flashing the girls a sidelong glance and ignoring their barely contained laughter as I walk to the bar to collect table four’s order.
“These assholes keepin’ their goddamn hands to ’emselves?”
I gasp, spinning around, both relieved and shocked to find Cole standing there looking down at me, face shadowed by his hat, smirk flashing beneath the flicker of disco lights.
“What are you doing here?” I hiss, unable to hide my grin, or stop myself from reaching out, trailing my hand down the front of his shirt and tugging him closer. God, he smells good.
“I was on my way back from Canyon. Thought I’d stop by to make sure I don’t need to cut off some asshole’s fuckin’ fingers.”
My eyes go wide because why is that so hot? I’m definitely not one to condone violence, but when Cole gets all protective and, dare I say, possessive, it does things to me that I should probably be ashamed of, considering everything I’ve been through.
“But, also,” he says, shrugging a broad shoulder, his self-assured grin turning shy as he continues, “I missed my girl.”
My girl? Oh, my heart.
Gaze flitting side-to-side, I shove Cole backwards through the archway that enters the corridor to the bathrooms. Cornering him, I reach up and press my lips to his.
And I fully intend on keeping the kiss chaste, brief, but when his big palm lands on my ass, squeezing me and pulling me flush against him, when his tongue slides into my mouth, causing my stomach to bottom out, I’m suddenly ravenous.
A loud throat clearing sounds behind me, and I pull away, turning to find Bruce walking past and stopping, his steely gaze glaring as it lands on us.
“Shit,” I mutter, smoothing back my hair.
But Cole just grins, lifting his chin at my boss with a cocky smirk, his hand remaining firmly fixed on my ass the entire time. “How you doin’, Brucey?”
Bruce mutters something unintelligible, walking off and I release a breath, gaping up at Cole. “He’s so going to fire me.”
“Not if he values his fuckin’ teeth,” Cole says with the kind of smile that totally contradicts his threatening words.
I narrow one eye, unable to fight my own laughter. “You’re so bad.”
“Only for you, baby,” he murmurs, pressing a soft kiss to my lips.
I shudder, gripping the front of his shirt to keep myself upright.
“So,” I breathe out once I collect my wits, ignoring Cole’s knowing grin. “How’d you do tonight.”
“First place.” He says it like it’s no big deal, but I can see the pride in his eyes.
“Congratulations.”
“Thanks, darlin’.” He sniffs a modest laugh, his gaze flitting about over my shoulder. “What time you finishin’?”
“Not ’til two, tonight.” I frown. “One of the girls called in sick so I’m covering.”
“I’ll stay.”
“No, I’m fine,” I say, smoothing my hands down over his hard chest. “Go home and get some sleep. You look exhausted.” And he really does.
Not only did we not get home until late last night, but I’m sure he was up before dawn this morning for work.
His eyes are glassy and a little bloodshot. “I’ll be fine, I promise.”
He heaves a resigned sigh. “Okay. But you text me when you leave, and you text me—”
“As soon as I get home,” I finish his sentence with a knowing smirk. “I know.”
Cole’s tired eyes flit between mine then, something flashing in his gaze. And when he leans forward, pressing his forehead to mine, he closes his eyes and releases a soft breath, whispering, “I like you, Clara.”
I close my eyes then, basking in his words and the meaning hidden in them. “I like you too.”
Cole kisses me again, stealing almost the last of my breath and I walk him out of the club, stopping by the entrance, a few feet away from tonight’s doorman, Buddy.
“Can I ask you something?”
Cole looks down at me, his gaze roving my face, brow furrowing a touch. “You can ask me anythin’, whatever and whenever you want, baby.”
My gaze slides down to his mouth and, stalling, I consider my words for a long moment, rubbing my lips together.
“Clara?” Cole presses, his hand coming up to cup my cheek. “You’re scarin’ me, baby.”
I swallow around the lump of nerves in my throat, rolling my eyes at myself. “Maci and Kendra…”
“Oh god,” he mutters, scoffing. “This oughtta be good.”
I look down, dragging my teeth over my bottom lip. “They said you—”
Cole tucks his finger under my chin, forcing my eyes back up. “They said I what?”
“They said you’re… bedazzled.” I roll my eyes again, feeling utterly ridiculous.
Cole stares at me for a long pause, but then, I see the corners of his lips turn up before he rubs his mouth with his hand in some attempt to hide his own smile, clearing his throat. “Did they just?”
“What are they talking about?” I look him up and down, searching for whatever the word might mean but honestly, Cole doesn’t even wear a watch. The only shiny thing is his belt buckle.
He sniffs a laugh, scrubbing his stubbled chin, and honestly, the fact that he’s laughing right now, isn’t doing anything to help quell my curiosity.
“What on earth is funny?”
“You are just so…” Trailing off, he sighs, his smile remaining as he leans forward again, pressing a kiss to my cheek. His mustache tickles my skin as his mouth moves to my ear, lips grazing the shell as he whispers, “Don’t worry, baby. You’ll find out soon enough. That’s a promise.”
I pull back, gaping up at him incredulously, more confused than I was before. But Cole just continues smiling, taking a few steps back and winking at me before turning and striding across the parking lot to where his truck is parked off to the side.
“You know that doesn’t help,” I call out to him. “Like, at all.”
He turns when he reaches his truck, that dimpled grin hitting me directly in my chest where my heart sits. “Get that sexy ass inside, baby.”
I deadpan.
Cole looks to where Buddy is standing stoically by the door. “Buddy, you look after my girl.”
“Sure thing, Cole.” Buddy nods, his eyes sliding to me as he pulls open the door and waits.
Walking back inside, I turn and glance back at Cole once more, meeting his smiling eyes as he offers me a wink, and I bite back my own smile, shaking my head at him.
I’m exhausted. My feet are almost numb, sending jolts of pain up my legs with every step as I walk out into the quiet, stillness of night after my shit.
“Night, Clara,” Buddy gruffs from his post by the door, nodding at me politely as I pass.
“Night, Buddy.” I smile at him before navigating the parking lot to where my car is parked next to Maci’s sporty little BMW with the BADBITCH license plate that makes me giggle every time.
Pulling my keys out of my purse, I click the fob, but just as I pull open the door to slide in, I’m stopped, my brows tugging together when I see something foreign on my windshield, wedged under one of the wipers.
As I lean across the hood to get a closer look, my lips curl up into a slow smile as warmth spreads through me.
Redbud blooms. I pull the sprig out from under the wiper, my heart skipping a few beats as I lift it to my nose, sniffing the buds deep and reveling in the familiar scent I’ve come to love these last few weeks.
With a smile that makes my cheeks ache, I hop into my car and lock the doors, like I always do, starting the engine as Kacey Musgraves’ voice tamps out the silence, keeping me company.
I place the blooms onto the dash where I can see them, and as I pull out onto the road, and head home, my feet are still sore, I’m still dog tired, but I can stop grinning, my heart so full it’s almost overflowing.