Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 59422 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 238(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59422 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 238(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
It had sucked, but it had been clear cut.
Cody?
Confusing!
The moment I walked through the front door of Cody’s and spotted him behind the bar, his eyes snapped to mine. By his look alone, I knew he’d meant what he said.
He was real. The thing between us was real. I could tell by the intensity of his gaze. The way his eyes flashed amber even across the bar, as if I glimpsed his wolf lurking beneath all that hard-packed muscle.
A half dozen other men looked my way, too. I was sure I looked like fresh meat–dressed to kill, young, and not a regular. Some faces I recognized. It was a small town, and Dad was deputy sheriff. But these were adults, not kids. This was… different.
One man smiled as he approached. Stood right before me. “Hey, pretty girl. Never seen you before.”
Yeah, I hadn’t seen him before either. While he didn’t send up any creepy vibes, I realized this was how adults picked each other up. Bars. Bad lines.
“Nope,” I replied with a fake smile, hoping it would get him to look for a little fun elsewhere.
Of course, Cody picked up on what was happening. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his body go taut as he sent a dark look the guy’s way. Next thing I knew, he barreled out from behind the bar and shouldered the guy out of the way. More like body-slammed him because he got knocked back a foot, sloshing his beer in the process.
A possessive hand settled around my waist.
“Taken,” Cody snapped at the guy while keeping his eyes on me. He tipped his chin down, met my eyes, and expected the guy would leave, which he did. “Riley.”
It was as if the entire confrontation never happened. Or that he pretty much peed on me, so the guy knew I wasn’t looking for fun with anyone but Cody. Just like at the bowling alley but a hell of a lot less subtly.
Damn. I loved how that felt. Being claimed by a possessive male. By the very hot owner of the most popular bar in Cooper Valley. An older man.
“You look incredible.” He leaned down as if to kiss me but then seemed to think better of it, sending a quick glance around before he ushered me–with that big hand settled gently at my lower back–to a barstool at the bar. Before I could climb up on it, he lifted me by the waist–like I weighed exactly nothing–and gently settled me on the seat.
So. Those muscles weren’t just for show.
“Are you showing off?” I murmured.
“Definitely,” he growled in return. “Working?” He offered me a wink before circling around the bar. He leaned down on his forearms right in front of me.
His gaze held mine. There was the look that made my stomach flip. The dark look. The intensity. As if he could see past my “I’m a grown-up” facade and see the nervous girl. The inexperienced virgin. To see me.
“I’m glad you came, sugar.”
Cue the blush because I remembered his dirty texts from the night before. I definitely came.
My cheeks turned fiery hot. I couldn’t help but smile because he hadn’t meant that at all. Not entirely. “Quite the place you got here,” I commented, trying to get my mind out of the gutter.
He grinned. I swooned.
“I forget you’ve never been in here before.”
I shrugged. “Everyone knows me in Cooper Valley or at least knows I’m not twenty-one. No way my friends and I could try to get a drink. I wouldn’t get past the door, and then someone would tell my dad.”
God, I sounded like I was thirteen going to a middle school dance and sneaking a cigarette.
“Sorry, I don’t mean to bring him up,” I muttered.
He cocked his head. “Your dad? Why not?”
“I bet the other women you date don’t have to deal with an overbearing, gun-toting father.”
“True.”
“Cody!” His name got yelled down the bar.
Cody pushed up to standing and turned his head. The other bartender caught his gaze. The line of people waiting for drinks was three deep. He nodded before grabbing a glass, loading it with ice from the chest below the bar, then using the tap to fill it with soda.
“Gotta go pour some beers.” He set the drink in front of me. “What do you want to eat? Burger?”
I nodded. That sounded so good. After a day with toddlers, I wanted more than carrot sticks and fish-shaped crackers. “With cheese?”
He nodded. “Fries?” he asked.
“Yes, please.”
He wrapped his knuckles on the bar. “Stay right there, sugar.”
Over the next half hour, I watched Cody at work while I ate my dinner. He filled pitchers and poured shots. Collected money and chatted it up. He was easygoing and calm, even in the craziness of the bar. When it was hectic with customers, he remained steady, quick with a joke or a smile. He glanced my way often, as if checking I was still there. One guy started talking me up, but Cody came down the line to stand before us. “Move it along, Paul. She’s taken.”