Chapter 4
Harris
Ididn’t go out. At the end of the day, I was too tired to socialize.
Running the sanctuary was hard work and I was as hands on as possible.
Half the time, I had guests staying at The Cabins and needed to be on site anyway.
But even if I wasn’t carrying the cell phone that rang when guests dialed zero, I just couldn’t be bothered to hit up one of the establishments in town.
Given my history with the residents of Hickory Hollow, I figured it was understandable.
Growing up here had been hard. Mostly because of my bastard of a father, who treated every living thing like shit.
Including his own son. I hadn’t had real friends, only a handful of people I’d been friendly with.
The only reason I’d stayed as long as I had was to take care of the animals.
Lord knew my father didn’t. Eventually, it all became too much and I left.
I’d been fortunate to find my place with Lucette and Janice.
I didn’t regret coming back. Owning Wayfair outright and being the one to make all the decisions had always been my dream. Now that I had that, had made it into a safe place for everyone, I was content with my life.
My little routine of making dinner and watching TV with my dog snoozing next to me was a solace at the end of the day.
Cheddar worked just as hard as I did. It was quiet and peaceful, and I was able to recharge to do it all again the next day.
So even I couldn’t explain why I took a shower, put on clean clothes, and headed into town.
The Emerald Lantern was busier than usual for a Thursday night.
Then again, the Winter Market started this weekend, and the festival itself kicked off tomorrow.
The town was already crawling with visitors, ready to spend their hard-earned cash on trinkets and presents, while partaking in whatever festivities Morgan and Barrett had arranged this year.
When I entered the pub, Barrett looked up from his place behind the bar. He often helped out on Thursday nights, I remembered now. He caught my eye and gestured with his head toward one end of the bar. I raised a brow even though I headed that way. The seats were already taken.
Barrett leaned over, said something to two of the guys, and though they didn’t look happy about it, they grabbed their pint glasses and got up. By the time I wove my way through the tables, the seats were clear. I pulled off my jacket, draped it on one stool, and sat on the other.
“What do you want?” Barrett asked, eyes roving the space. He was always on high alert, probably a holdover from his time in the Marines. Nothing happened in Hickory Hollow though, so I was sure we were safe.
“Whatever lager is on tap,” I said, pulling my wallet from my back pocket.
Barrett nodded once and pulled the draft. The dark liquid filled the glass, and Barrett titled it expertly so it had a perfect foamy head. He set it on a coaster in front of me and took the ten I held out to him. A moment later, he returned with the change, which I left on the bar.
“You good?” He asked. He knew this wasn’t my usual haunt as well as I did. I didn’t respond verbally, hoping he would leave well enough alone. I didn’t have an answer for his unasked question.
Fortunately, before he could say whatever he was thinking, I felt a presence beside me and turned to see a smiling Tyler. He crowded in a little closer than was necessary—the pub was loud but not that loud—and asked, “Is this seat taken?”
In answer, I scooped my coat up and placed it on my lap instead. The play of muscles as he slid onto the stool made my mouth go dry. It shouldn’t have. It wasn’t sexy or anything. Just him sitting down. But there was something about him that got my motor revving.
“Can I buy you a drink?”
Tyler’s face made a complicated expression before it smoothed out. “I don’t drink.”
“Okay. A soda then?”
That same expression crossed his face. “Sure.”
Barrett nodded once and walked away. I glanced back and forth between them before commenting. “He didn’t ask you what you wanted.”
“He knows what I like,” he said. He picked at his lip, and then dropped his hand, staring right at me. “Aren’t you going to ask?”
It took me a second to catch up. “Ask why you don’t drink?” Tyler nodded so I shook my head. “I can think of about seven reasons why you don’t drink. Why do I care? It’s none of my business, unless you want to share. Your reasons are your own.”
“Seven huh?” Tyler chuckled, which made me shiver. He had a good laugh. “It messes with my blood sugar too much.”
I smirked. “That was one of the seven, yep. It’s good that you take care of yourself.”
Tyler hummed, opened his mouth, but Barrett returned with his drink. He set it down. “It’s diet.”
“Thanks, sir.” Tyler’s tone was cheeky, and he clearly did it to get a rise out of Barrett, because the man shot Tyler the finger before heading off to take care of someone else.
But hearing Tyler call Barrett “sir” did something to me.
And it wasn’t good. Was that a flare of jealousy?
Couldn’t be. I barely knew the man. I shoved that thought right out of my head.
There was no denying the man was pretty.
Dark hair, dark eyes, strong jaw. Even under his sweatshirt, I could tell he had a good body.
Which made sense since he’d been an active Marine not that long ago.
According to Barrett, once a Marine got past boot, it was easy to pack on the muscle.
When there was downtime, Marines worked out.
Did I want to get my hands and mouth on that body?
Yes. Yes I did. But even though he’d been a little bit flirty the other day, that didn’t mean Tyler was down for some man-on-man action.
I’d learned that lesson the hard way. Some men were naturally flirtatious, it didn’t mean that they wanted anything more than fun banter.
Though there was something in the way Tyler looked at me that hinted at a spark.
I decided to test it, because he was hot as fuck and if he was down for some fun, I definitely was too.
I turned in my seat, opening my body position, and leaning the slightest amount.
Tyler caught it, his gaze tracking me, and he licked his lips.
Got him.
“So,” I said, leaning in further, creating a little bubble where it was just the two of us. “What do you say you finish that soda, and we find somewhere we can get to know each other a little better?”
His chuckle sounded a little breathy. “You’re not talking about conversation, are you?”
I gave him a heat-filled smile. “Well…mouths will definitely be involved.”
Tyler didn’t say anything. He kept his gaze fixed on mine as he lifted his glass and downed the drink in four big gulps.
I’d barely had half of my beer, but I left it there on the bar and stood up.
Tyler grabbed my wrist and towed me behind him.
I followed him around the corner of the bar and down the hallway.
I wasn’t opposed to bathroom hook ups, but I hadn’t expected him to drag me there.
To my surprise, he bypassed the bathrooms and continued down the hall to the back. Then he took the stairs up. I crowded behind him, pushing him up against the door when we made it to the top, pressing my pelvis into his plump ass.
“Should we be up here?” I asked, mouth right at his ear. I had the urge to lick his skin, and Tyler let out a tiny moan when my tongue made contact.
“I’m, unh, staying here.” Tyler panted a little as he fought with the lock. The door gave a second later and we all but tumbled inside. “Barrett’s couch is fine for a few nights, not a few weeks.”
I grabbed his hips, pulling him in close. I only had a couple inches on him, but it was the perfect height to look down into his eyes. “So you have a bed.”
“This way.” Tyler wiggled out of my hold and grabbed my wrist again. The apartment wasn’t that big and it only took seconds to get us behind a closed door. He shoved me up against it this time, pressing his body against me.
The only light came from the small bedside lamp and what crept through the window.
It cast Tyler’s face in shadow, but there was no denying the lust there.
His gaze was fixed on my mouth as his fingers clenched against my waist. He was strong, there was no disputing that, and while I loved it, I also needed to have things a certain way.
I gripped his chin and his gaze shot to mine, pupils blown in those pretty brown eyes. I lowered my mouth until I hovered right over his lips. His breath came in short pants and after a second, he let out the tiniest of whines, almost like he cut it off before it really could escape.
“What do you want, Tyler?” My voice was low and gravelly and clearly he liked that, if the full body shiver was any indication. My smile turned wolfish.
“You said…mouths…I want…” He sucked in a breath and tried to push forward.
He managed to press harder against me with his hips, but since I had a good grip on his chin, he couldn’t get his lips closer to mine.
In the back of my brain, I recognized that he had the strength and skills to break my hold.
That he didn’t sent a surge of power through me.
As a reward, I kissed him. All in, right from the start, controlling everything with my lips, teeth, and tongue. He surrendered to me instantly, sagging against me, fingers digging into my hips. He tasted sweet, probably from the soda he’d downed, and I chased that flavor until we couldn’t breathe.
“Tell me,” I murmured, lips against his, but kissed him again before he could answer. His whine was beautiful and I wanted to throw him down on the bed, strip him naked, and see how many of those sounds I could draw out of him.
“I want you in my mouth,” he said, breathing choppily, as soon as I let him have air.
“Right here? You wanna get on your knees for me?”