The Silver Fox (Red's Tavern 3)

Rock dropped his hand from my arm. “Because once my mouth starts running, I swear sometimes just can’t stop it,” he said.

He gave me a half-smile, but his dimples didn’t make an appearance. I missed his touch already.

“I’m—I’m sorry, Rock, I didn’t mean it like that at all.”

“No, no, believe me, I know I’m a lot sometimes,” he said, turning to head for the kitchen door. “I’ll quit buggin’ ya.”

“I just meant… why me?” I said. “There’s a million interesting people out there in the bar, and you’re back here listening to me complain about my family drama. You don’t have to do this. You don’t have to feel sorry for me.”

He furrowed his brow. “I don’t feel sorry for you at all. I think you’re pretty damn cool, actually,” he said. “I’m just hanging out because I like you. But I also just glimpsed a bachelorette party walking through the front doors, and I’m pretty sure you’re about to be slammed with more of those nacho orders, so I’m going to buzz off.”

He gave me a little salute and was out the kitchen door a second later. I was still standing frozen in place a minute later when the door swung open again, this time revealing a gothic fairy rather than a rugged firefighter.

“Red alert: bachelorette party,” Isobel said. “Let’s get ready to bust our asses.”

5

Rock

The next night at the bar was no different. I was starting to feel like I was in a mini version of Groundhog Day, where I showed up expecting something exciting and ended the night drunk, lonely and in the same place I started.

“All I want to know is whether you’ve actually rescued a kitten from a tree before,” Sam was saying, leaning back with his arms crossed. I’d been sitting at this same barstool all night and Sam had already had one wardrobe change: from a pink tank top that said Get It to a neon green one that had a big eggplant emoji on it.

“Can’t say I’ve done exactly that,” I murmured. “I did once rescue a family’s beloved dog from their backyard, though.”

“Oh my God, was the house burning down?”

I shook my head. “No. Everything was fine. They’d just thought he was lost.”

“Oh,” Sam said, blinking.

“He was out back, nestled deep in a pile of leaves, sound asleep. Wouldn’t have seen him if he hadn’t wagged his tail.”

Sam grinned. “I bet you’re a local hero back in Kansas City.”

I shook my head slowly. “I don’t even think I’m a local hero in my own neighborhood.”

I lifted my whiskey glass and let the thin dregs on the bottom coat my tongue. I wanted another drink, but last call had been thirty minutes ago. The bar was already closing down for the night.

“What’s got you down tonight?” Sam asked as he did a final pass cleaning the bartop with a rag.

“Lonely in this town,” I said.

He waggled his eyebrows at me. “You can come home with me any time you want.”

I puffed out a laugh. “I know. You’ve made that clear. Can’t say you’re really my type, though, Sam.”

“I know, I know, you’re straight as an arrow.”

Fuck. Straight as an arrow, other than the fact that yesterday I’d weirdly gotten half-hard for Perry.

I watched Sam as he kept working, bending over to pick up a cardboard box in the corner.

Was I attracted to him in any way? I purposely checked out Sam’s ass, which was always on full display in his tight-as-hell jeans. Sam certainly had a great body, and I could appreciate that he probably worked out, but as far as attraction went…

Zero. Zip. Sam just didn’t get my cock hard.

Maybe it had just been a fluke with Perry last night. I’d barely seen him at all tonight, after all. The bar had been slammed most of the night and he’d stayed tucked away in the kitchen. I wondered how he was feeling about the family drama. I’d hated seeing him so upset.

Red emerged from the hallway and nodded at me. “I should be ready to head back in about fifteen,” he said. “Need to finalize the last two registers and we’re good.”

“Beautiful,” I said. “Want to watch another couple of Lucys tonight?”

Red, Liam and I had started watching old episodes of I Love Lucy this week. I was certain that I was going to hate the show—I didn’t like old movies, and I sure as hell didn’t want to watch it when they first put it on.

But from the first episode I was hooked. And if I couldn’t end up warm in someone’s bed tonight, I at least had Lucy Ricardo.

“Well, Liam and I…” Red started, trailing off for a moment and scratching the back of his neck. “Well, we just—”

“Shit,” I said. “Don’t say it. I get it.”

“We need some time to ourselves, Rock,” he said anyway. The look in his eyes might not have been pity, but it sure as hell felt like it to me. “Don’t get me wrong, I… love Lucy, too. But I also love my boyfriend.”