Chapter 19
CHAPTER NINETEEN
shay
“You go horseback riding with Jules?” Old Man Morris asks from his stool in front of the bar.
Thank fuck I’m facing away from him because the blush that tints my cheeks is embarrassing as hell. “Nope.”
“You been ridin’ out in the pastures with Ridge?”
“No.”
When I turn around, he’s studying me with his head tilted and bushy white brows furrowed. He’s wearing his usual flannel that barely covers the bulk around his middle and a cowboy hat that’s seen better days. “Then why the hell are you walking like someone shoved a cactus up your ass?”
The bar door opens, and August walks in followed by Ridge and Lyon.
The latter two had been hanging around despite my protests, helping me clear tables, but they stepped away to meet with the second contractor this afternoon.
I’m not sure what August has been doing all day, or why he’s here now too, but the butterflies in my belly tell me I don’t really care. I’m just glad they all showed up.
“Well, that explains it,” Old Man Morris quips gleefully. “You been ridin’, all right. Just something a lot more fun than horses.”
I set his whiskey down a little harder than I should, the liquid tipping over the rim. He just chuckles knowingly.
August steps toward the end of the bar, his tight jeans and black tank showcasing all of his beautiful tattoos. When one eyebrow quirks up, I have to stop myself from drooling.
“What are you doing?” I ask, resting my hands on my hips.
“That any way to welcome your new co-worker?”
My mouth opens, then snaps closed. Shooting a look toward the back room, I stare at the swinging wooden doors when I shout, “Luke, what the hell’s he talkin’ about?”
“Hired him. He’ll be more reliable than Ty, and he actually seems to like you.”
My glare meets the smug Alpha getting comfortable behind the bar. “What the hell’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means,” Luke shouts, pushing through the two doors to meet my glare head on, “You’re as prickly as a cactus, but August here swears he can handle you. That gonna be a problem?”
My head drops back, a long sigh escaping. “I am surrounded by men who make me want to reconsider my stance on murder on a daily basis.”
“C’mon, firecracker. Just admit it. We work well together.” He steps closer, his hand discreetly gripping my hip as his lips brush against my ear. “Both in bed and out.”
My pussy clenches, sending a twinge of pain through my worn-out body.
Absolutely not. My hole has a Temporarily Out of Order sign posted at the entrance. These boys had better just stick to a clear boundary of six feet of separation at all times.
When I look up, he’s still staring down at me with a smug smile that I kind of want to kiss off his handsome face.
Jesus fucking Christ, Bennett. Give your wrecked pussy a break and get back to work.
“I hate you all,” I grumble, stalking down the bar to where Jake Dalton is waiting. “What do ya need, Jake?”
“Five shots of Crown, two whiskeys, and three beers. And keep ‘em coming. We’re gonna wipe the floor with these young bucks.”
I groan once I notice the crowd surrounding the pool tables. Impromptu pool tournaments usually end up requiring a call to the sheriff. Fabulous.
I get to work making the drinks, doing my best to ignore August in my space as he refills the condiments and bar stock.
Ridge and Lyon have made it their duty to keep clearing the tables of glasses and garbage, but if Luke gives a damn two men he never hired are workin’ in his bar, he ain’t showin’ it.
For a moment, I pause, my mind stuck on the fact that not that long ago, I thought I was satisfied with doing life on my own.
I had a roof over my head, a job, friends, and the potential to become a permanent fixture here in the town that remade me.
Now, after having the guys infiltrate facets of my life that have been in the dark for so long, it’s like spotlights are suddenly shining down on all the emptiness I’ve been ignoring in order to get through each day.
“Hey, girl. You just went all pale in the face,” Old Man Morris whispers. “You okay?”
I look up and find concerned, weathered eyes staring at me intently. “Yeah.” My voice cracks, so I clear my throat. Checking on where the guys are, I see August engaged with a customer down the way, and Lyon and Ridge are each at different tables with rags. “Beau, what the hell am I doing?”
“Is that a rhetorical question?”
Sighing, I shake my head. “I swore off Alphas. Promised myself I wouldn’t fall down that rabbit hole again.
With that, any dream I ever had of having a pack died a cruel death.
I mean, have you ever seen a pack without Alphas?
Now here I am, playing house with a bunch of men, Alphas included, who make me feel things. ”
“Honey, if those fellas didn’t make you feel things, I’d be concerned for your well-being.”
My eyes meet his, and he straightens, seeing the look on my face that probably resembles panic or fear.
“Look, I know this is probably scary as hell, considering your history, but if there was ever a pack that I thought was good enough for you, it would be them. I’ve heard the gossip about that ex-fiancé of yours, and the Young Pack couldn’t be more different than that asshole.
They’re honest, hardworking, loyal men. Surprisingly enough, they were able to look past this gruff exterior of yours and see the amazing woman I know is buried deep down inside you somewhere.
” He takes a healthy swallow of his whiskey.
Maybe I should feel insulted, but I don’t.
“Look, don’t let the past taint your future.
These men aren’t the kind you run away from, and God knows if you did, they’d just chase right after you.
Trust me on that. And don’t go thinkin’ you can just go back to ignorin’ your feelings.
That shit don’t work. You don’t want to wake up one morning with regrets, asking yourself all sorts of what ifs.
Because the next thing you know, thirty years will have gone by and you’ll still be alone with a dozen cats and a twitch in your eye that you can’t get rid of.
You’re too good to become the twitchy cat lady that smells like moth balls and days old coffee, Shay Bennett. ”
My laughter explodes out of me in a rush, and half the bar looks over to make sure I’m okay. I’m not a laugher. They probably think I’m having a seizure.
When I look back at the old coot, there’s a satisfied grin on his face.
“For the record, I know what you did there.” He just shrugs, hiding his growing smile with his glass. When I reach out and place my hand on his shoulder, I swear he gets a little misty-eyed. “But thank you. Somehow you always manage to know just what I need, when I need it.”
“You tryin’ to steal our girl, Morris?”
Memphis suddenly appears over Old Man Morris’ shoulder, and I suck in a breath.
He’s standing tall amongst the other men here, nearly six foot five inches of dark hair, muscles, and a smile so bright I’m pretty sure he could light a ship’s way home if we lived by the ocean.
But it’s his words that pierce my heart.
Sure, the other guys have alluded to things while we’ve been one on one, but here comes Memphis, staking his claim right in the middle of the busy saloon.
If the gossip tree hadn’t picked up on the shift in our dynamic yet, they have now.
“Your girl, eh?” Old Man Morris asks, shifting on his bar stool and trailing his gaze up and down the Alpha’s body.
Memphis shrugs. “We’re hopeful.”
When his blue eyes meet mine, I’m surprised at the depth of need staring back at me.
Aside from Ridge, I would’ve said I know more about Memphis than the others.
He’s the guy the whole town adores. Life of the party.
Lady killer. He’s always ready with a kind word and charming smile, genuinely happy no matter where he’s at or what he’s doing.
The two of us are the epitome of exact opposites.
I’m the grumpy to his sunshine. The darkness to his light. The pitbull to his golden retriever.
What I never would have expected to admit is that a distinct part of me is drawn to him because of all that. Before everything with the rest of his pack, I always told myself that a man like him deserves someone that can match his shine. He didn’t need someone like me dragging him down.
Now? Now, I want nothing more than to give him the chance to shine his light on me, helping me drown out the darkness for good.
“Hey…” His whispered words penetrate the brain fog that just keeps descending no matter how many times I brush it away today. “Where did you go just then?”
He’s standing up against the bar, leaning forward with his elbows on the deep mahogany as his large hand reaches up and pauses just before he touches my face.
Without thinking, my hand darts out, dragging his forward those last couple of centimeters.
The second he makes contact, my eyes flutter closed.
It’s like the world around us has gone silent.
“Shay, darlin’, you’re killing me here,” he says hoarsely.
His scent has gone tart, mixing with the spice of mine, and I take a deep breath just to get a hit of them together.
“I’m sorry. I’m just—”
“Tired. I know.”
My eyes whip open at the amusement I hear in his voice. “Do y’all gossip like schoolgirls, or what?”
“Oh yeah. We’re the worst.” His sincerity brings a small smile to my face.
The bar door opens, but I don’t pay it any attention. I also don’t realize he’s still got his hand cupping my jaw until Old Man Morris pipes up from beside him.
“So, are you officially courting my girl Shay? I feel like someone should’ve asked for my permission considering I’m her honorary father figure and all.”
My surprised eyes whip his way as my heart tumbles around in my chest. This is all too much when I’m running on less than a couple hours of sleep.