Chapter 2
Anders watched the clock as time seemed to pass by slowly. It had been like this ever since Harper walked into his life. Watching for her. Waiting for her. Anticipating the moment when she would walk through the door. After that first night, he could not get enough of her. That first night, she sat in the corner of his bar for over two hours. Silently reading on that electronic device. People-watching. Slowly eating her dinner.
Ever since then, she came back often, and he waited for her each time. It became their routine. He knew what she liked to eat, drink, and would make sure the seat at the bar was open and available for her—just in case she came in that night. It got so bad, he planned his nights based on seeing her.
He knew it was probably unhealthy, like the desserts he loved so much. He could eat a dozen cupcakes in one sitting, especially those caramel apple cupcakes his mother made for him ever since he was a little boy. Maybe that’s what she reminded him of. Something sweet, savory, and addictive.
Every time she looked at him, he wanted to capture her lips with his. Whenever she walked into his place, things seemed to get a little brighter. His staff loved her as well. She was kind to everyone. Well, she would occasionally get sassy with him, but he enjoyed their banter. It didn’t hurt that she was drop-dead gorgeous. He did not have a standard type of woman he was attracted to, but when he looked back on his past relationships, the women looked nothing like Harper.
To him, that was a good thing.
He didn’t think her intention was to drive him crazy, but she did. That walk of hers got his dick hard every time. The movement of her hips called out to him. She exuded confidence with every step. Harper had a beautiful body that he only glimpsed based on her clothing. Whenever she wore jeans, they caressed her ass so beautifully. It almost made him want to cry. He would squeeze his cock and tell it to calm down. They didn’t have that type of relationship. Not yet. He was working on it, but it was taking some time.
Harper didn’t appear to be the type of woman who would do one-night stands, so he had to make sure she knew he wanted more than that. Just once with her would not be enough. That he knew.
Glancing up, he looked over at the spot reserved for her and noticed it was still empty. “Where is she?” he mumbled under his breath.
“Say something boss?” Carrie, one of his longest employees, asked. Her eyebrow was raised as she looked at the empty spot by the bar. “Waiting on someone?”
Anders shook his head. “None of your business,” he said. His tone was grumpy, but he wasn’t upset. His staff had also become used to Harper being in their space. When she arrived, most of his attention would be on her, so they had to pick up the slack with the other customers.
Carrie smiled at him as she walked backward, hands up as if surrendering. “Don’t worry. I’m sure she’ll be in tonight.”
A smirk came over his lips at the thought. If she didn’t, he would be disappointed. It may seem like such a small thing to some, but seeing her almost every night was the one thing he looked forward to.
Before she walked into his life, he knew shit had been going downhill for him. When he bought this bar, he thought it would be his escape. A place where he could let the dark memories from his time in the military fade away. Every once in a while, he would reach out to his old military buddies, Ian Williamson and Parker Donovan, to shoot the shit. But they both had things going on in their lives. Maybe he would plan a trip up to the DC area to visit them. Getting a change of scenery might be a good thing.
But then he would miss seeing Harper.
Glancing up at the clock again, he frowned. “Where is she?”
“Hey, Anders. We’re running low on a couple of mixers. Things are heavy tonight, and people are very thirsty. Do you mind helping your favorite employee out?”
When he tracked his eyes around the bar, he noticed they were busier than normal tonight. Not that he would complain at all. Almost every table was full of people drinking, eating, and laughing. The televisions played multiple sports to keep their patrons entertained. Even the bar was getting full of people standing around. The regulars knew not to sit in Harper’s seat. And if a new person came in and tried to sit there, they learned quickly.
“Yeah, I got you,” he said before he walked to the back area. A few minutes later, he came back with several containers of mixers in his arms. “Anything else?”
Carrie shook her head. “No, we’re good for now. But it looks like someone may need to place a food order.” Her head canted to the side, which caused him to look in that direction.
Harper.
A smile lifted his lips as he caught her gaze. Her elbows leaned on the bar while she waited for him to come over to her. If only he could get more than just a couple of hours a night with her. And he sure as shit wanted to spend time with her outside of this bar. In here, everyone was in their business. Too many eyes and ears were wide open, watching for the slightest movement.
It was more than just wanting to know what he was up to, but that could be part of it as well. He had grown up in this area. Knew everyone. When he came back from serving in the military, everyone had been worried he would have Post-Traumatic Stress. They heard all about it on the news and figured every military person would have it. At first, they watched him like a hawk to see if he would lose his shit.
He never did.
There was still a healthy dose of local curiosity about him. His interest in Harper was just the icing on the cake. It wasn’t like he hid his powerful attraction to her. Hell, his eyes almost never left her when she was in his presence. When she left at night, he made a point of watching her walk across the way to her apartment. Occasionally, when things at the bar were light, he would walk with her. Just to keep her safe and all.
Carrie told him he was coming on too strong. He told her to mind her business.
They came to a compromise. He would be less overbearing and protective. Occasionally, Carrie would sometimes walk with Harper. It was the best he could do. Not that Bluestone Ridge was a dangerous place, but that didn’t mean he could relax. Not when it came to Harper.
“Hey you.” Her lips were curled up in a smile as she greeted him. “I was wondering if you had taken the night off.”
Anders shook his head. “A night off? What’s that? I don’t know if I’ve taken an actual day off since I opened this place.” He leaned over to stare into her eyes. Damn, he wanted her underneath him so fucking bad. Only seeing her at the bar was not enough for him. He had no fucking clue why he was letting this drag out for so damn long, but it was wearing on him not to be with Harper the way he wanted. Needed.
“Long day?” He wanted to ask why she was late getting to the bar, but still wanted to keep things light between them. It had only been a month since they first met. He had no reason to question her that way. It had gotten harder over the weeks to not make his intentions known, but he was doing his best.
“It was, but it’s better now that I’m here,” she said with a wink in his direction.
Was she flirting with him? Because to him, it sounded like she was. She had better be careful. Give him an inch, and he’d have her knees by her ears as he pounded inside her while she screamed his name. “Yeah, I’m better now that you’re here as well.”
A yell of celebration rang out across the room, and she turned her head to look. Anders never moved his gaze from her beautiful, brown-skinned face.
Harper turned back and caught him staring. He wanted to turn away but couldn’t find the strength. Her eyes widened for a moment before she cleared her throat.
As they stared at each other, he couldn’t stop his eyes from conveying a message that could no longer be denied. He wanted her to get where he was, but Harper was still too afraid to take him up on his offer. What if things didn’t turn out the way they both wanted or expected? He knew that was a real possibility.
“Well, I think you deserve a night off. Just to relax. Maybe see the stars. I see you here every night. Well, every night that I’m here.”
He nodded. “Oh, sweetheart, I’m here every night. Don’t worry about me. I don’t need to relax. I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” Looking around, he saw more people milling around the bar. “I’ll be back in a few. Let me go take care of a few people before Carrie comes for me. Know what you want for dinner?”
Harper shook her head. “Not yet. I think I want to try something new tonight.” She eyed him with a look that he wanted to interpret as inviting and sensual, but knew he had to be imagining things. Now, if she gave him a chance, he would have no problem turning her ass out and giving her everything she needed and more. She would become addicted to the sensation of his dick sliding inside her body. He wanted that more than anything, but didn’t think she was ready for what he craved from her.
“Well, if there’s anything I can do to help you decide, you just let me know.”
He stepped away from the bar to take care of other clients. If he had turned around, he would have seen Harper lick her lips as she stared at his ass.
Harper, on the other hand, was ready to climb that tree and make him scream her name. But she knew if she made a move too soon and he turned her down, she would be mortified. It had been a month of her coming into Callahan’s almost every night, talking with Anders, getting to know him. The time may seem short, but it had been perfect for her. Just enough time to become a regular.
And the right amount of time for her to fall head over heels for Anders—a man who gave no sign that he felt the same.
When she was here, Anders never treated her differently than any other customer. When she was here, she wasn’t the Bluestone Ridge Princess, daughter of one of the founding families. She was just Harper. Someone here to enjoy the food and drinks. Just another patron. No one special.
It felt good. She enjoyed being here without all the pressure. Since the night she walked out on the family dinner, her mother had been making small overtures to her. Leaving brief messages every other day over the past couple of weeks. Surprisingly, they weren’t pressuring her to reconnect and talk with her father. It was Harper’s own resolve that was breaking down.
Maybe she needed a bit of advice. While Anders was off taking care of his customers, Harper pulled up the Messy Mandy page to see what gossip was going around. Sometimes people wrote to Mandy’s page asking for advice on relationships and family. The advice was always good, but it could occasionally be presented in such a way that she couldn’t help but laugh. She would shake her head in disbelief more times than not, but she enjoyed it too much to stay away.
So engrossed in reading about the shenanigans on Messy Mandy’s page, she didn’t hear Anders come back over to her.
“Do you have a taste for anything tonight?”
A smile lifted her lips. If only he knew. Harper wanted to tell him the only thing she wanted to taste was naked skin as she rode his dick into oblivion. The man would probably run in the other direction if she let her thoughts out. Maybe this was proof that she needed to date again. Her bed was getting lonely at night, and her battery-operated boyfriend could only do so much.
She wanted a man to hold on to at night. Not that she needed a man, because she didn’t. But she missed the feeling of having strong arms wrapped around her body, holding her close. Harper wondered how it would feel to be wrapped in Anders’ arms after a night of sweaty sex. Would he perform the way he did in her dreams?
Hell, she shouldn’t even be thinking about her friend this way. Well, maybe that was a question that needed to be answered first. Were they friends? Or did he only consider her a paying customer? The sudden wave of sadness that flowed through her at the thought made her entire body deflate.
“Hey, Harper. You okay, sweetheart?”
Now why did he go and call her that? Then again, maybe he called all the women that. “I’m good. Just had an uncomfortable thought.”
Hands on the bar, he leaned over, putting his face within inches of hers. “Anything I can do? You know I’m here to help, right? If you need something, all you have to do is ask me.”
She couldn’t take her eyes away from his lips. They looked… succulent, as if he knew how to use them to give mind-blowing pleasure all night long. When she realized he had stopped talking, her gaze shifted from his mouth to his eyes. “Oh, hey. What were you saying?”
Anders let out a laugh. “Oh, darling. You are something else. You have no idea.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means I’m going to choose your dinner for you tonight. You need to eat, and it’s my duty to take care of you.”
“While I’m here in your bar?”
Anders said nothing in response. He simply smiled at her, did his signature rap against the bar with his fist, and walked away.
“Now, what the hell am I supposed to do with that?”
For the rest of the night, he would stop by and talk with her in between taking care of customers. With the heavy traffic, she knew he must be doing well financially. There were other bars and restaurants, but people seemed to flock to this spot. Since she had been coming here, she learned Anders was a local. Well, from one town over, but he had spent enough time here, and from playing sports throughout middle and high school, everyone knew his name. Plus, he was a military hero. At least, that’s what everyone said. The one time she asked him about it, he downplayed his service. Not wanting to make him uncomfortable, she dropped the subject.
“Are you going to let me pay for my dinner tonight?”
He laughed. “No, so you should just stop asking.”
Harper smiled at him as she gathered up her stuff. “I’m going to head out. Early day tomorrow with a new client coming in from Winchester.” She hated to admit that leaving Anders’s bar and going back to her empty apartment was not high on her list. But she couldn’t stay here all night. Even if she wanted to.
After a few seconds, Anders spoke up. “Want me to walk you home?” He wanted her to say yes. Needed her to say yes. But he was also trying to be a better man. A patient man. More than anything, Anders wanted her to choose him. That’s the only way this would work.
“No, I’m good. You need to stay here and do your thing. It’s not far.”
He looked over his shoulder at the busy room and came to a decision. “Nah, it’s all good. Let me walk you home. I don’t like you being out there by yourself.”
She shook her head. “I’m fine. Please, Anders. Stay here. Take care of your customers. Plus, you can watch me from here.”
Harper enjoyed having someone like him in her life. He made her feel safe. Protected. If only that feeling would turn to desire. That’s what she really wanted from him.
As she walked out the door, she saw Anders standing behind her. “Text me once you get into your place. Make sure to put on your deadbolt.”
Harper simply smiled and continued walking.
As he watched her walk away, Anders wondered how long he would allow her to think he only wanted to be her friend. There was so much he wanted from Harper, and it sure as fuck wasn’t her friendship.