Dirty (Dive Bar 1)

"Is that it?" I knotted my fingers in front of myself, unsure.

One thick shoulder rose and fell. "Does there need to be more?"

"I'm not sure."

He took one step toward me, and then another. With him standing at the bottom of the stairs and me on the second, we were eye to eye. His hands tangled with mine, first one then the other. God, his skin was so warm.

Our bodies gravitated toward each other. The pull of one messed-up heart to another. I watched him warily, trying to hold something back for safekeeping. It didn't really work.

"You're right, I was an asshat."

"Yeah, you were."

A little nod. "I'm going to kiss you now," he whispered.

"Oh. Okay," I whispered back to him. I had no idea why we were whispering.

I didn't have a good reason not to let him kiss me. Well, there was always protection of the heart and all that. Really, though, given the grinder I'd already put mine through, it was a little late for that.

His lips brushed against mine. Such a soft touch. Up and down in the tiniest of motions, he grazed his mouth against mine. It was sweet, lovely, and a little weird. I'd never been kissed like this. Not by anybody. Every part of me yearned to press forward, to push for more. But at the same time, what he was giving me was so good. To rush him and his artistry would have been wrong.

His breath warmed my face and his fingers tightened around mine. I held perfectly still while he gently rubbed his lips against mine, doing what he wanted. The tip of his nose nudged my cheek, time and again, and my chest leaned against his. With what he was doing, I'd have been knocked on my ass otherwise. His kisses were hypnotizing.

When his lips opened a little, just enough to softly kiss my bottom lip, I swear I swooned. Over and over he kissed my lips, first the top then the bottom, the sides and the corner from where my smile started. No part was left untouched. My smile grew wider, my nipples hard and my loins Vaughan-addled. That's a medical term.

He drew back slightly, smiling too. "You forgive me?"

"I'd have forgiven you without the kiss."

"I know," he said, still speaking softly. "The kiss was more for me."

"Was it?" God, he was pretty. The prettiest man I'd ever met. "Do you believe in crazy at first sight?"

Lines creased his brow. "What?"

"I'm not down with the whole L-word and I don't think this, whatever this is, is that. So don't freak out and suddenly accuse me of being a stage-ten clinger or something, got it?"

"Okay." He looked amused.

"But what if there was crazy at first sight? Because I think we have a credible basis for that."

For a moment he just stared at me, obviously deep in thought. "I definitely thought you were crazy the first time I saw you, sitting in my shower in that dress."

"Mm-hmm."

"And you do drive me crazy, sometimes."

"Ditto."

His tongue played behind his cheek. "I might be a little crazy about you too."

"You definitely are about my breasts."

"Your tits are world-class," he said, hands flat on my back, pressing me harder against him.

"Thanks. I appreciate that."

"It's more of an all-of-you thing, though, on the crazy front. Just so you know."

I could only grin. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." He leaned his forehead against mine, getting closer. "What about you? I confessed. Come on."

"I came up with the idea in the first place."

"Doesn't let you off the hook."

I groaned. "Fine. I'm crazy about you too. Crazy in all the ways the word can be taken."

"We've only got a few days," he said, bringing all of the happy crashing to earth. Suddenly the sun didn't shine. The earth didn't spin. Everything was fucked.

No. I wouldn't let it be.

"I know. I mean, I know this isn't a permanent thing for either of us." Something inside of me screamed denial. "It's more of a crossing of paths on the great journey of life."

"Right." He kissed me lightly once more. "Doesn't mean I'm not crazy about you."

"I know."

"And about what you said," he started, gazing off over my shoulder. "I know you were trying to help. I'll think about it, okay?"

"Okay."

His hands rubbed my back, then he set me loose, exhaling hard. "Unless you want to go hit the mattress with me right now, I better take a breather. Go finish the car, start on mowing the lawn and shit."

I looked down. Yes, something was definitely hardening in the front of his pants. Huh. We hadn't even used tongue. And they said romance was dead.

Time on the mattress sounded great, but while we were short on time, I also didn't want to rush things. What if we had sex and then the build-up, the rush of all those good hormones and hopes and dreams through my, body was over? No. We needed to take it slow. Man, it was so hard to judge the ins and outs of this situation.

"I'll let you go do your jobs," I said in a rush, moving back from him a little.

"Okay."

"Oh, another thing I was thinking about, though." I put a hand on his super-hot bare chest to stall him.

He gave me a wary look.

"Relax. I was just wondering if you'd help me buy a car. You know about their insides, right?" I pawed at his chest in a totally nonsleazy subtle way. "I'm going to need wheels to escape this place."

"Sure. Be happy to, babe."

"Babe?" I looked at him down the length of my nose.

"Babe," he said, resolute.

Meh. Who was I to fight him? "Fine."

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Nell waltzed into the house late Monday afternoon, with Rosie the waitress hot on her heels. One carried booze, the other pizza boxes. Immediately my stomach rumbled in need. Pizza was just the best.

"Did I miss the part where you knocked?" Bent in half, Vaughan sat on the sofa, tying his shoelace.

"You're funny, little brother," said Nell breezily, dumping her box full of wine bottles on the kitchen counter. She was wearing a denim miniskirt and orange shirt. Rosie rocked a breezy blue maxi dress. Definitely not Dive Bar uniform.

"I'm serious," said Vaughan.

"I know. That's what makes it so amusing."

"What's going on?" I asked, stuffing crap into my handbag. We'd been preparing to head to work. Given the swift departure of Eric's waitress friend, Stella, I'd agreed to fill her shifts until a replacement was found. Or until it was time for me to leave town. Whichever came first. I was wearing my best black slacks and a matching Dive Bar shirt Nell had given me the night before.

"I'm giving us the night off." From a cabinet she pulled out three wineglasses, rinsing them beneath the tap. "Lydia, Rosie, and I are doing some girl time. Be a darling and go away, would you?"

"I really need to start locking the doors," Vaughan muttered, stretching out on the couch. "Who's running the bar?"

"Eric."

"And?"

"Just Eric." Nell beamed. It was an unnerving sight. "He'll also be tonight's waiter. Boyd has got the kitchen under control, but otherwise, Eric's on his own."

Rosie also grinned like a loon.

"Is that good for your business?" I asked without thinking, and accepting a very large glass of red. "Wait. Never mind. Forget I said that. I will not rain on people's parades with unnecessary practicalities they can figure out for themselves."

Over on the couch, Vaughan gave me a small smile, a look of understanding.

"O-kay. It's fine." Nell laughed. "We probably need a voice of practicality around here. But the thing is, sometimes, you just have to teach people a lesson. Either that or resort to homicide, and I'd rather not go to jail."

"Word," said Rosie, taking a sniff of her wine. "Ooh. You grabbed the good stuff."

"Of course I grabbed the good stuff." She turned to her brother and me, curiosity filling her eyes. "So what have you two been up to today?"

"Vaughan worked on his car for a while, then he helped narrow down s

ome potential sets of wheels for me." I left out the part where my real estate agent pal had stopped by to take a look at the house.

"She wants a Prius." Vaughan snickered.

"They get good mileage."

"Lydia." Nell winced. "No. Just no. Okay?"

Even Rosie seemed mildly terrified by my taste in vehicles.

"Do none of you care about the environment?" I raised my shoulders, amazed.

"It's for your own good that we save you from this." Nell held her glass of wine high, toasting my lack of style, apparently. "You'll thank us one day."

"I doubt that." So this was what having friends involved. Maybe I should just get a pet rock or something. A plant, maybe. Anything incapable of answering back.

Once again the door swung open, this time care of the opposite sex. A tall dude with a massive beard and the sides of his head shaved walked in with a growler full of beer in each hand. Almost every inch of skin on him was covered in ink and a silver ring hung from his nose.

The instant he saw Nell, he stopped dead. "Shit."

"Pat," she said in a low careful voice. "I thought you were going to Whitefish."

"Changed my mind."

She nodded, gnawing at her lip.

"Hey." Joe walked in behind him, another couple of growlers in hand. Seemed everyone was planning a party.

Last came a slightly older guy. Not as tall as the other two, but built and very good looking, in an I've-seen-some-life way. Gray streaked his short spiky hair and the stubble on his jaw and cheeks. In one hand he carried a guitar, in the other he balanced a couple of big pizza boxes.

"Andre." In a rush, Vaughan got to his feet. "Fuck, man. Good to see you."

"Thanks for letting me know you were back." Andre thrust the guitar at Vaughan, all the better to grab the pizzas with both hands. "Joe had to tell me."