Phoenix Burning(8)
She pressed her palms to her face. Her skin felt cool and clammy. It’d been years since she’d ingested this much liquor all at once. She would probably pay for it in the morning. She’d waitressed full time in a bar while Chris was in law school. It had been the perfect place to get rip-roaring drunk on her nights off. The odds of someone taking advantage of her in a gay bar were somewhere between slim and none. The regulars had thought of her as a sort of mascot, not a sex symbol.
Inhaling deeply, Emory took a slow sip of water. The cool liquid slid across her tongue, the lemon leaving a hint of sweet and sour. It wasn’t unlike the enigmatic Alex. Letting her gaze wander around the room, she realized some guy was watching her. Her heart rate picked up, and she squashed down any thoughts of the bartender with the gorgeous body and blue eyes. Was this where a stranger propositioned her for casual sex? What if the guy knew right away that she had little to no experience? Thank God she’d had a few drinks to loosen up.
Chapter Three
“You’re new around here.”
Alex tried to ignore the introduction that almost always began Wade’s pickup speech. The words shouldn’t have bothered him. Wade had been coming to the bar for more than four years. Alex had heard Wade pick up more women than he could keep track of during that time. So why did this latest attempt cause Alex to grind his teeth in agitation and strain to hear Emory’s response?
“How do you know I’m new?” She spun lazily on her barstool, one combat-booted foot braced against the rail beneath the bar. “What if I’ve been coming here for years and you’ve just never paid attention to me?”
Wade’s eyes raked Emory from head to toe, lingering appreciatively on her narrow hips and the dark hair curling over her slender shoulders. “I’ve been around for several years myself, sweetheart. I think I would’ve noticed you by now.”
“What if I hit on you before and you turned me down?”
A long, slow smile spread across Wade’s friendly face. “I can’t imagine a world where I’d turn down anything you had to offer.”
Fury burned through Alex’s body. His hand shook on the bottle of Seagram’s he held, and he closed his eyes to gain some control. What was wrong with him? Wade had every right to hit on Emory. This was Phoenix Rising, for fuck’s sake. Not only did Wade have the right to hit on her, he could take her to a back table and screw her sideways if she was agreeable to the idea.
The thought left Alex breathless, a fine sheen of sweat popping out on his forehead. Running his free hand through his already messy hair, he tried to gain back his equilibrium and found it more difficult than he ever would’ve imagined it to be.
“So.” Emory paused and took a long drink from her glass. “What is it you hope I have to offer?”
Someone waved at him from down the way. “Hey, can I get a Bud draft over here?”
Alex wordlessly grabbed a frozen mug from the freezer and flipped it upright, pulling the tap and filling the cold glass with frothy beer. He paid the customer no mind, his attention riveted on the pixie verbally fencing with Wade.
Wade stood, moving behind Emory’s barstool. His big hands settled on her upper arms and she tilted her head to one side. Wade’s mouth lowered, whispering something in her ear before brushing his lips along the delicate line of her neck and placing a kiss at the base.
Alex was mesmerized, the sight like a fiery torment he could not look away from. Sexual heat scorched his body, his dick springing to rock-hard awareness even as his anger flared to life. The sight of Wade’s hands on Emory’s body and her welcoming smile was like a kick to his gut.
Wade spun her around to face him, pulling her hands up around his neck and stretching her lithe body full length against his. A slow burn began to eat at Alex when Emory welcomed Wade’s embrace. She seemed a little awkward at first as she enthusiastically melded her mouth to his.
The burly construction worker settled his muscled forearms beneath Emory’s ass and scooped her up off the barstool. He turned away from the bar and carried her toward the shadowy recesses of Phoenix Rising. Just before the shadows swallowed the pair of lovers, Emory darted one glance over Wade’s shoulder, her brown eyes meeting Alex’s for the span of two breaths.
“I need a break,” Alex grunted, turning abruptly away and escaping to the back room.
A strange sensation settled in Emory’s gut when Alex turned and disappeared from view. She felt suddenly off-kilter. She shouldn’t have given a damn about Alex or anyone else. She was kissing a total stranger in a semi-public place. This was better than she had ever expected. She was finally going to take her destiny into her own hands and move on, put her past behind her. It was a chance to see if she could let herself go where no one would judge her for it.