“Well, I’m just trying to make a living. Not really interested in making new friends.”
Garrett raised one eyebrow at her.
“There’s always room for new friends, Alana. I can vouch for those guys. Geno, Jeb, and Gator are good men. Tough Marines who hardly ever come in here or stay this late. Their other roommates, Jaxon and Gabe, are good men too. Just not real sociable types.
She swallowed hard at the mention of Gabe’s name. It made her chest ache.
“Well, I appreciate the info, but as I said, I’m not looking to make new friends. Thank you for asking me to bartend again.”
“Not just again, doll. As a new position. My dad already has my mom looking for two replacement waitresses. So welcome to the elite group of special bartenders here at Casper’s. Here. This is your share of the tips tonight.”
She took the envelope from Garrett and felt how thick it was. She figured there were a lot of dollar bills, but as she opened it up, she was shocked. There were big bills too.
“Like I said, you did great tonight. It was very crowded. You’ll make a lot more than you would have made waitressing.”
She smiled.
“Thank you so much. This will be a great help. Is it always so busy?” She reached under the bar for her backpack and light sweater.
“For the most part. Tomorrow night might be even more crowded. This is the last weekend of the county fair, so a lot of people will be here tomorrow night. Sunday is the final day.”
“Oh, I thought I saw some signs about that on my way in from Tranquility. Where is it located?” She pulled her sweater on.
Garrett gave her directions and told her that he, his brothers, and their wife, Gia, would be attending on Sunday.
“Maybe you want to go with us?” he asked.
“I’ll think about it. Thanks.” She said goodnight and had started walking around the bar when she heard chairs scraping against the floor. She looked up and saw Gator, Gabe, and Jeb standing up and shaking hands with the other men. It was as though they were leaving with her, and she felt panicked.
“We’ll walk you out, Alana,” Gabe told her.
“Oh you don’t have to. Stay and enjoy the night with your friends,” she replied.
Gator gave her a firm expression. “We were waiting on you,” he said, and boy, did those words do a number to her body.
Jeb held the door open, and she waved to the other guys who looked smug at the show of possession from Gator, Jeb, and Geno.
As they exited, she felt the cool night air, and it was nice against her heated skin.
“It’s a little chilly. You should button that sweater up,” Jeb told her as he squeezed her shoulders.
“It feels great. I was so hot in there tonight.”
“You looked hot in there too,” Geno replied as she got to her car and turned to face him. She was shocked at his comment.
Locking gazes with the very tall, muscular man intimidated her. He stood right in front of her, and Gator and Jeb stood on either side. They surrounded her, and she felt her pussy clench. God, this was really bad. Really, really bad.
“Listen, I think I should tell you that I don’t need looking after. I know you must feel compelled to keep an eye on me, but it isn’t necessary. I can take care of myself.” She turned to open the car door, but Geno pressed his hand over it, stopping her. She faced the car and could feel the heat of his large, sexy body against her hip and ass.
“Darlin’, we are not watching over you because we feel obligated to do so. We’re here because we want to be. We want to get to know you better.”
She turned around to face him. Them. “No. It’s not a good idea.”
Geno stepped closer and cupped her cheek and neck with his warm hand.
“Whether we like it or not, it’s happening.”
She shook her head.