It was great at first, and I do really like him, but he’s more serious about me than I am about him.
Committing to someone else isn’t something I’m interested in. That’s how you lose yourself, and I quite like who I am.
“He dropped the L-bomb,” I say, lowering my voice. “We were watching a movie and he just… wrapped an arm around me and blurted it out.” At Nik’s grimace, I groan. “I don’t even know if he realizes he said it, but I wanted to puke, and it’s all I can think about now.”
Her eyes widen. “Oh, shit. I’m sorry, Lil.”
“I like him, but damn. It’s not that serious.”
She winces. “I think it is for him.”
An exasperated exhale leaves me. “I need a drink,” I mumble as Nik laughs, following me to the bar.
The bartender, Kara, smiles as we approach. “Slacker.”
Nik works at the bar we hired the bartenders from. They wanted her to work tonight, too, but she nearly pissed herself laughing. She said it’d be a cold day in hell before she’d serve the boys in the club. I don’t blame her. They’d have given her shit all night.
Nik flips her off and narrows her eyes. “If you make me one of those drinks you made last night, I’ll tell the boys to tip bigger.”
Kara huffs a laugh, then turns to me. She’s tall and lean with tattoos up both arms and dark curly hair thrown up in a bun on the top of her head. Her eyes linger on me for a moment before a smile tugs at her lips. “What can I get you?”
“Whiskey sour, please.”
“You got it.” She doesn’t take her eyes off me right away, taking two steps backward, then winking and busying herself making both our drinks.
Nik huffs. “Ignore her. She’s my cousin, and I love her, but she flirts with literally everyone. Honestly, she might be worse than that idiot Gabe.”
When Kara slides our drinks to us, Nik flashes her a wide grin. “Love you!”
“Uh-huh.” Kara flicks her gaze to Nik for only a second. My cheeks catch fire when she turns her attention back to me and sucks her teeth. “Have a good night.”
I swallow the lump forming in my throat. “Uh… yeah. You too.”
Nik rolls her eyes and mumbles under her breath, “You’re not her type.”
Kara chuckles, shaking her head as she gets back to tending the bar.
I’ve never been with a woman in a romantic sense, but I’ve slept with a few of them. I wouldn’t say I’m opposed to the idea, but I’ve just always found myself in relationships with men.
I mingle as the place fills. It’s a combination of members, their friends and family, and the other chapters. They throw parties here all the time, but New Years Eve is always the biggest.
I’ve just ordered my third drink when an arm snakes around my waist. I know it’s him before I turn around because I’d know that scent anywhere. It’s spicy and woody and incredibly sexy.
Tucker Bennett is the man of my dreams—or he would be if I dreamt of settling down anytime soon.
“Fucking hell, Lily. Are you trying to kill me in that dress?” His deep timbre rattles my bones as his warm breath splays across the shell of my ear.
I peek over my shoulder at him. His chocolate hair’s slicked back under a cowboy hat. No matter if he’s on a bike in a leather cut, or on a horse with a cowboy hat, this man exudes sex.
But this time, there’s no flutter in my stomach, no heat creeping up my neck.
He winks, and I spin to face him.
“Hello, handsome.” My eyes lock with his whiskey gaze, and I rest my palms on his chest.
His hand finds its way to the small of my back like it always does, and normally that would have me wanting to pull him into the bathroom to rip off his clothes, but it would seem the dreaded L-word killed my sex drive for tonight.
He looks over me to place his drink order—bourbon neat—before pinning his attention back on me. “How was work?”