As if her thoughts held the power to conjure him up, Paige sent a beer sliding down the bar just as Troy sauntered inside. Awareness flooded her system, sending her pulse into overdrive as she watched him head straight toward her while combing his fingers through his hair in an absent-minded gesture. Her vision narrowed to his loose-limbed walk, and conversations and music dimmed until the only thing she heard as he slid onto a stool was his voice.
“It’s a good thing Penny knew where you were,” he stated by way of a greeting. “I’ll take a whiskey on the rocks.”
Gritting her teeth to fight back her instant response at seeing him again, Paige pasted on her bartender’s smile, the one that said be nice to the customers. “Sure thing, Detective.” She heard him greet people while she dropped a few ice cubes in a glass and poured the amber liquid over them. He was alone when she returned to set his drink before him, his dark eyes scrutinizing her features with one of those intent gazes that drew tingles down her spine.
“Thank you.” He frowned. “You look tired. Everything okay?”
“Yes, and thanks for pointing that out. Anything else I can get you?” Since he’d looked her up at work, she could only assume he wasn’t here to see her home to fulfill the time she owed him. Why that bothered her so much, she refused to question or delve into.
“No, thanks. Tell me how you liked the vampire glove. You fell asleep so fast on the way home, I didn’t get a chance to ask.”
Paige’s face heated, and that disconcerted her as much as Troy asking that question here and now. Casting a cautionary look around, she breathed a sigh of relief when she verified no one stood within hearing range. Leaning over the bar toward his smug face, she hissed, “Don’t ask me about such things in here,” before straightening back up.
His piercing gaze remained steadfast. “You answered Trevor’s questions, and no one can hear us, so give. Any lasting effects, scrapes I need to know about?”
“He didn’t pester me in public, and you know there aren’t, so change the subject. Or better yet, go away.” She didn’t really want him to leave, but she also didn’t care to air what had occurred on that decadent yacht at her work place.
“No, and he will if you stick with us long enough.”
What that cryptic comment and the rapid increase of her pulse meant, she didn’t dare speculate. Thank goodness he changed the subject without batting an eye.
“How’s Penny? I haven’t had time to follow up with her this week.”
Since he seemed sincere, Paige didn’t mind that question. “She’s good. Damien treats her well, or so she says.”
He sipped his drink before asking, “You don’t believe her?”
“I do, but I still don’t like how fast he’s moved with her.” Crap. Paige fidgeted when Troy gave her another long, probing stare, this one putting her on edge while curling her toes.
He nodded, stating with confidence, “You envy her ability to move on.”
“What? That’s absurd,” she scoffed, averting her eyes from his. She missed her twin, that’s all there was to her unhappiness with her sister’s decision to remain with Damien for longer.
“Is it? Be honest, with yourself, if not with me,” he insisted.
Paige didn’t know what it was about his quiet demands that compelled her to comply without hesitation, but she found herself doing just that when she admitted she had missed Penny when she’d lived with Jim, but had never resented their separate living spaces or felt put out over the relationship. After Jim had shown his true colors and Penny didn’t hesitate to leave him, Paige only recalled being grateful her sister hadn’t suffered worse and that she’d washed her hands of the bastard. She didn’t want to believe she envied Penny’s new relationship, or the contentment her sibling couldn’t hide, but knew it was something she needed to consider. Later. When one of the men who had figured prominently in her nighttime fantasies for so long was sitting in front of her, her body insisted she think of other things.
Two customers strolled up to the bar and Paige turned to Troy with relief. “I have customers. Like I said, I’m fine, no lasting effects from your debauchery last Sunday,” she drawled, a teasing hint of appreciation for those hours they’d tormented her seeping into her tone.
She turned away, intent on leaving with the last word, but his sharp command halted her without conscious thought. “Stop.”
A shudder accompanied her quick compliance, unsettling Paige as much as his presence and leaving her to wonder how she’d ever get over either Troy or his brother. “What now?”
Troy ignored the irritation lacing her voice as he answered in a calm, unperturbed tone. “You’re off in less than an hour. I’ll walk you out.”
“That’s not necessary,” she insisted.
“Yes, it is. There’s still time on your obligation to fulfill.”
Reaching into the M&M bag stashed under the counter, Paige tossed a handful of chocolate morsels into her mouth, hoping the sugar burst would distract her from the ripple of pussy-dampening longing rushing through her body. The banked heat in his eyes and underlying suggestion he meant to use up that time when she got off work added heat to the mix, reaffirming she needed to finish with that contract—and the Carlsons—as soon as possible. Her ability to move on, to get over them, not to mention her sanity, depended on it. Without replying to his comment, she strode over to her customers, praying the next thirty minutes flew by fast.
* * *
It wasn’t like Troy to enjoy spending his free time bantering with a woman, trying his best to get under her skin, rile her just to see the sparks in her gray eyes light up or relish the uncertainty crossing her face from her reaction to him. He couldn’t say he liked that big brother had been right about their fiery bartender, but wouldn’t fight the inevitable any longer. His insistence that whatever this was between the three of them was just sex had lost momentum with each passing day this week and every time he caught himself thinking about Paige non-stop. Her obvious love for her sister, along with her over-protectiveness, reminded him of his close bond with not only his brother, but with each of his friends. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for any of them, just as Paige had proven she would set aside her own convictions to get justice for Penny.
But he hadn’t been doomed until he’d witnessed the signs of submission she possessed without even knowing it. He hadn’t been ready to admit that a few days ago, but in this case, the short absence between then and now had worked to open his heart to other possibilities besides sex. Since he intended to fluster her more when he escorted her out, Troy let her finish her shift in peace, and slid off the stool to join a detective he knew well at his table.
By the time he saw her retrieve her purse from under the counter after Mel dimmed the bar lights, shutting down service, Troy debated whether he could go through with his plans he’d run by Trevor without caving and fucking her. Only Mel and his employees parked in the back alley, and tonight it was just the owner and Paige working. Once Mel took off, they should be ensured privacy for a short time. Should being the operative word, he thought with glee. Pushing her boundaries was proving to be his favorite pastime.
* * *
“Goodnight, Mel.” Paige lifted a hand to her boss as he got into his car, Troy’s warm tight grip of her other hand keeping her close to his side as he opened the door to her Jeep. She noticed his SUV squeezed into a space in the small back lot also and surmised he’d planned ahead to walk her out.
“See you tomorrow, Paige. I’ve got you covered for Saturday,” Mel called out, shutting his door before she could ask him what he meant. As far as she knew, she wasn’t scheduled off this weekend.
“I mentioned I’d like to take you out,” Troy said as he pressed up against her.
Only one small light above the back door illuminated the few parking spaces behind The Precinct. The dull orange glow left the two of them shrouded in shadows and the sudden silence following Mel’s departure revealed her rapid breathing, proof of
her uneasiness over accepting Troy’s invitation. Since she couldn’t choose which brother she wanted the most, any relationship beyond these few hours would lead to heartbreak. But holy douchnozzle, she’d never been so tempted to shuck consequences and risks and go with her libido.
Her temper flared from the position he’d cornered her into. “You could’ve checked with me first,” she bit out. “I don’t appreciate you going to my boss before talking to me.”
“You will. We’d like you to attend our friend’s wedding in Miami and then join us for a short cruise after the reception. You’ll like everyone,” he assured her.