Pretend I'm Yours (Pretend 1)

My heart beats again, seeing her expression. She likes the place.

She bites her lip as she finally tears her eyes away from the sparkle of the room to me. “This is your favorite place in the world, isn’t it?”

I narrow my eyes. “No,” I lie.

She smirks and stares back at the room that is alive with people, despite it only being seven in the evening. This place usually doesn’t start getting crowded until nine.

“It’s fantastic. I usually prefer to be alone, but this place makes me feel alive, more than I’ve felt in years.”

I grin. “It’s my second favorite place in the world.”

She laughs. “I knew it. What’s your first?”

I shake my head and place my hand on the small of her back. “I’d tell you, but it’d make you fall in love with me.”

She licks her bottom lip slowly. “Oh, yea? I doubt that.”

“Good of you to finally show up,” Axel says, holding a tray of empty glasses.

I shrug. “I had to wait for Larkyn to shower. I figured we could use the extra help.”

Axel rakes his eyes over Larkyn. I know he’s doing it to piss me off, but I’ll still kick his ass later. I hold Larkyn closer to me and look down at her finger to notice she’s wearing her engagement ring with her wedding ring. Good, I need her to be mine tonight.

“Make sure you keep this one in line tonight. Kade hasn’t bartended in ages." Axel winks at Larkyn.

Larkyn laughs. “I’ll make sure Kade works his butt off.”

“Good. Nice to see you again Larkyn." Axel leans over and kisses her on the cheek.

I glare at him like I’m about to punch him in the face. He smirks as he finishes the kiss.

“I’ve got to go. It seems one of the waitresses and both of our best bartenders called in sick all in the same night. We need you to cover the main bar,” Axel says, before walking away.

Larkyn’s eyes follow him, and she blushes a little. Axel’s good looking. He’s tall, with a beard and a man bun to go with his muscular physique. But she’s mine, not his.

“Are you done ogling my best friend, wifey?”

She cocks her head to look at me. “Are you jealous?”

“No, just reminding you that you are my wife. So start acting like it.”

She shakes her head. “You got this being a jerk thing down.”

I sigh. “Come on, let’s get you set up at the bar.”

I show her the bar, where everything is, and how to work the cash register.

And then we both get swept away with a barrage of people.

“Larkyn, I need you to make two old fashioneds, a lemon drop, a manhattan, and two cosmos. That is if you know how to make all of those,” I say.

She gives me her best ’I’m going to punch you later’ stare while beginning to get the glasses out for the most complicated drinks anyone could order.

I’m busy pouring five beers for the men sitting at the bar.

“Seriously?” she asks, eyeing me as the sticky syrupy sugar from the lemon drop gets all over her hands.

I finish pouring the beers and hand them to the two guys.