Chapter 3
3
CASSADY
I t was definitely April in Seduction Summit. I didn’t even have to look outside to know. All I had to do was walk into the Glacier Bar and Grill and see every table empty and the bar completely unoccupied.
Granted, it was early. And last year at this time, the whole place would have been shut down. The cook would have been on his way to Florida—or wherever it was he went—to track down tourists in our town’s off-season. The few other employees would have gone on to other jobs as well, never to return.
The bartender, a youngish guy who always seemed to be trying to get laid, gave me a big smile as I walked up to the bar. I’d say it was because he was hoping to get me in bed by the end of the night, but I had a feeling he was just grateful to have a customer at this point.
“Good evening,” he called out. “Looks like you have the whole place to yourself…for now.”
I climbed up on the stool and pulled my phone out of my pocket, setting it on the bar top in front of me. “A sweet tea and a menu, please.”
I added the menu request so he knew I wasn’t just going to cheap out on him. He probably hadn’t noticed before, but I didn’t order drinks here. It wasn’t that I was against drinking. I just had to drive down this mountain back to my apartment in Adairsville—the next town over. No way was I going to get on the road, even after one drink.
“You meeting someone here tonight?” he asked as he walked over to get the tea, dispensing it from a container on the other side of the bar.
“Supposed to,” I said. “Not sure if he’s going to show up or not.”
I looked back over my shoulder, realizing too late that Dane might have been back there. He wasn’t, but I was a few minutes early—twelve minutes, to be exact. I’d been too anxious to hang out at the office any longer.
“Well, he’s an idiot if he stands you up,” the bartender said.
I winced. Why had I started talking to this guy? This could very easily lead to him trying to hit on me. He never had before. I assumed I wasn’t his type, but I’d sat here and watched as he tried to pick up various waitresses.
He even tried to pick up my friend. She worked for the guy who built custom log cabins here in town. She had sworn off dating and had no interest in going home with a guy who was only after her for sex.
“Thanks,” I said as he set the drink and menu in front of me.
I opened the menu and stared down at it, doing my best to act like I really needed to concentrate. I was hoping this guy would get the hint.
“Boyfriend? Husband?”
Nope. He definitely hadn’t gotten the hint, and I didn’t like to be rude.
I looked up at him, offering my best confused expression. “Sorry?”
“The guy you’re meeting. Is he a boyfriend? Husband?”
“None of the above,” I said. “He was just part of a really, really bad day.”
Wait, that made it sound like the bad day was his fault. Not at all. After realizing my mistake at the cabin, I got in my SUV and headed down the street until I was out of view. Then I pulled into a driveway and looked up the original email from my boss. Sure enough, I’d been at the wrong house. I corrected the mistake quickly and was back at the office before anyone knew what was up.
But one thing had remained. This Dane guy. He’d stayed on my mind all day. Would he show up at the bar? Was he as attracted to me as I was to him? Did he think I was a complete doof and wanted nothing more to do with me?
I’d tried all day to shove those thoughts out of my mind. They weren’t doing me any good. But they persisted.
It didn’t even have anything to do with seeing him naked. His cock barely entered my thoughts when I remembered him. It was those eyes and that cocky smirk he’d worn when he finally did make an expression.
Yeah, this was one guy I wouldn’t easily forget.
“Welcome!” the scrawny bartender yelled out.
I jumped a foot. I was so startled, I was surprised I didn’t slide off the stool. Yes, I was that on edge.
He could be welcoming anyone, I told myself. There would likely be other people showing up for dinner or drinks. The mountain men would fill up these stools even if tourists didn’t.
“Gin and tonic?” the bartender asked.
I continued to stare down at my menu. It could be anyone. It could be anyone. It could be anyone.
“Sure,” a male voice said.
He was approaching now, just behind me. That definitely sounded like the voice I’d heard earlier today, but what did I know? I’d been around him for all of five minutes at best. Hardly time to get to know his voice all that well.
“Did you find what you were looking for?”
As the question filled the air around me, the sound of the stool next to me sliding backward followed. I looked up…and into the intense gray eyes of the first man I’d ever seen naked.
“Yes,” I said. “I’m so sorry I barged into your place.”
I was all too aware of the bartender standing close by. He had his back to us as he grabbed liquor from the shelf, but then he turned around and poured the drink right in front of us.
“Didn’t bother me,” Dane said. “I’m not shy.”
Thank God he hadn’t directly mentioned being naked when I’d seen him. That was definitely something I didn’t want getting out.
“What are you drinking?” Dane asked.
I looked at my glass. “Tea.”
I didn’t clarify that it was sweet tea. Maybe he’d think it was a Long Island Iced Tea. Then again, Long Island Iced Tea wasn’t just alcoholic—it had about twenty different liquors in it. It would knock a woman like me on her ass, and I was no lightweight.
“Not drinking, huh?” he said. “Smart move. You never know what this guy will put in your drink.”
“Hey!” the bartender said, looking up.
But he didn’t seem offended—amused, if anything. Did that mean he’d been slipping things into people’s drinks? Now I had to wonder.
“He could put something in a sweet tea too,” I said, eyeing my drink. Then I lifted my gaze and smiled at the bartender. “Just kidding.”
I didn’t want him messing with my food. I had to play nice.
“Gotcha,” the bartender said. “Will you two be ordering dinner tonight?”
“I will,” I said. “I’ll take the burger with onion rings.”
Dane looked over at me. I wasn’t sure what to make of his stare. Was he surprised I could put away that much food? Or maybe he was thinking about kissing me later. Onion breath wouldn’t be that appealing.
“I’ll take the same,” he said. “And a sweet tea to go with my drink.”
We’d both have onion breath. That meant if we kissed, we wouldn’t be able to detect it on the other person, right?
My last kiss had been senior year at a school dance. Not prom, either. My experiences had me wondering if maybe I just wasn’t that sexual of a person. But today, when I’d seen this guy nude—well, it was clear that wasn’t true at all.
Maybe I’d just been meeting the wrong guys. Maybe a guy like Dane was exactly what I needed.