Chapter One
Sierra
“Chicken salad, extra egg, extra tomato, and an additional ranch dressing on the side and… a refill of your sweet tea, extra lemons.” I set the salad and drink down in front of my customer. “Can I get you anything else?” I ask out of habit, immediately regretting my choice of words.
He opens his mouth, a sly smirk quirking at the corner of his lips, but before the words can spill out, I raise my hand because I already know what he’s going to say. For the past week, he’s shown up here and sat in the same spot, ordering the same drink and salad while making the same request. Go out on a date with me.
And every day, despite how badly I want to do just that, I’ve given him the same answer: No.
“Besides me.”
His sexy two-dimpled grin splays across his face. “Well, if you’re still off the table, then I’m good.” He grabs the ranch dressing and pours it over his salad.
“I’m still off the table,” I reiterate yet again. Technically, I’m very much available, just not to him. Because when he walked in here on that first day and our eyes met as he sat at the bar, I immediately felt something course through my veins. Like fireworks waiting to be set off on the Fourth of July, they’ll all shoot off with one spark, beautiful and dazzling, and explode in the sky. But what happens once they burn out? When the colors fade into ash, and we’re left with only the aftermath?
Even though I have no doubt those sparks would be worth chasing, knowing the destruction they’ll leave behind means I can’t risk it.
The first time Kolton spoke to me, and those damn dimples popped out of his cheeks, I knew he would be bad for my heart. I went into self-preservation mode the best I could, locking away my organ in an attempt to protect it. But Kolton isn’t making it easy on me. Every conversation, every joke, and every shared laugh cracks my shield a little more. I know it’s only a matter of time until my heart is exposed, and I’ll have no choice but to either flee the country—okay, maybe that’s a bit dramatic—or give in and say yes to him, risking everything I’ve worked hard to protect over the past several years.
“Maybe so,” he says, mixing his dressing in with the salad. “But I can feel you caving.”
I bark out a laugh, refusing to let him know he’s right. “How so? I’m pretty sure we had damn near the same conversation yesterday and the day before… and the day before that.” Usually, I’m not behind the bar. For the past couple of years, I’ve managed The Orange Sunrise, an upscale restaurant-slash-bar in downtown Carterville. But last week, I caught two of my employees stealing and was forced to fire them, leaving the bar unattended.
“True,” he agrees. “But today, you got my food without me even having to order it… a sign that you’re paying attention to my wants and needs. And when you turned me down, you smiled this time instead of glaring at me. Sierra, you’re caving, and soon, you’re going to give in to what’s brewing between us.”
Jesus, he’s right. I am paying attention. And he is getting to me. That force field protecting my heart simply isn’t strong enough to withstand his charm. What about him urges me to let my guard down?
I release a completely unladylike snort because you know… fake it till you make it. “For a man who’s been turned down a half dozen times, you seem quite sure of yourself.”
“I don’t hear you denying there’s something between us.” He points his fork my way. “I’ve been turned down five times, but I won’t let that stop me. I can feel it…” He leans in, and without thought, as though a rope pulls me toward him, I do as well. “The sexual tension is so thick between us that it’ll be worth the effort because when you give in, this thing between us will explode.”
His words roll off his tongue like the sweetest yet scariest promise, reminding me of when I was younger and would use drugs as an escape. When I was high, I was on top of the world, but the minute it ended, and I crashed, it left me in a puddle of pain and regret. And that’s what he could easily become to me… a drug. The high would be incredible, but the crash… it would no doubt destroy me.
“Besides,” he adds, unaware of how my heart pounds behind my rib cage. “It’s inevitable.” He stabs the greens with his fork and shoves a bite into his mouth.
I count to five, needing to get my feelings under control. Every day he shows up here, he gets more personal, revealing more of himself. And with every word he speaks, he makes it harder for me to resist him.