Their mother sent a raised brow to his sister. They were already ganging up on him and he was just trying to do the right thing.
“Of course other men want her. She’s beautiful and ambitious. I’m happy for her to find someone her own age.”
“Asa! You put a five in the vice jar right this instant.” His mother pointed to the jar on the counter she made them put money in if they cursed or lied. Of course she turned around and bought them things with it, so it wasn’t a real punishment by that point, but still.
“Why? What’d I do?”
“You’re a liar liar pants on fire, that’s what you did!” Courtney pointed her fork his way.
“She needs to find someone closer to her own age. It’s best for her. More stable.”
Courtney curled her lip at his excuses before she waved her fork at him again. “You’re decently handsome. You own your business. You’re respected and talented and you have a house. You’re even nice to your mom. You’re a catch, even if you’re still a total liar. Ew. You don’t really want her to find someone else, so why are you being such a quitter right now? You want Duke or someone like him to go out with her instead? Honestly?”
The idea of Duke seeing PJ the way he had? No way. “Offsides, Court!”
“Whatever. Asa, you’re nearing forty. You just going to ‘date’ forever? Like you’re twenty-seven instead of thirty-seven?”
“I resent the air quotes around ‘date.’ I date for real. I’m not a jerk.”
Their mother patted his hand. “Stop poking at your brother,” she said to Courtney before speaking to Asa. “No, you’re not a jerk. So, she’s pretty and she’s smart and educated. Other than her age, which is…?”
“Twenty-five.” He cringed.
But his mother waved it away. “Thank god. I thought you were going to say she was nineteen or something. Twenty-five, Asa. That’s not too young for you. You said yourself she wasn’t silly or giggly or immature. So? Did she just not, you know, do it for you in the bedroom?”
He clapped his hands over his ears. “We’re not having this conversation.”
“Well, they have doctors for that now. You can take pills. If you’re having trouble,” his mother teased.
“Now you’re just giving me a complex for your own amusement.” His mom’s eyes danced, and he couldn’t help but smile at her. A smartass woman was his weakness. “I hope you’re happy.”
“Generally I am, because my son takes care of me and my house. My daughters do the same. I’m sassy, which is an important quality in a woman with only one foot, you know. I don’t think you have issues with your zip zip.” She made a sound effect that he planned to never ever hear again. “So your issue is with this PJ. Is she snotty? I mean, should you break things off because she’s awful?”
“So, how has the steering been on your car, Court?”
His sister snorted. “Fine. Duke asked me the same thing two weeks ago. Why don’t you want to take a chance on this woman?”
Because she meant something and he was not going to be like his father and break a woman whose heart was as beautiful as PJ’s was. “Because I don’t. We’re friends. That’s all we’re going to be. Now, I’m done talking about PJ. I mean it.”
CHAPTER
Ten
Laughing, PJ and her friends spilled into the Ditch just before eleven. Of course, it was packed by that point, so the sound of music and the low hum of talking swallowed them up as they headed to the bar.
“Shit” was all she heard before Audra yanked her back into the alcove where the bathrooms were, shoving her inside the ladies’ room.
“What the hell?” PJ slapped her hands back.
“Asa is here.”
PJ narrowed her gaze. “Let me guess. He’s not alone.”
Audra waved a hand. “He’s got a gaggle. Way easier to defeat that than if it was just one woman. But let’s get you fancied up so you can go out there and gather a gaggle of your own.”
Bags opened as makeup was touched up. Audra stopped PJ with a glare when PJ moved to rebutton a few buttons on her blouse.
“You have fantastic tits. Use them, for god’s sake!”
He could get super-sexed-up women with few clothes and lots of motivation to fuck him. Any day of the week. Which was actually really annoying.
But none of them was PJ. Despite his little tale about just being friends, she knew he wanted her. Knew that for whatever reason, he was drawn to her in a way he wasn’t to other women. She needed to remind him of that.
“Bear with me here,” PJ said. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about this. He’s possessive. He has to be there to watch when his cars are used in photo shoots. He has a thing about his chair and his tools and that stuff.”
Those chicks shoving their tits his way were a fun distraction. But what if a man like Asa decided a woman was his? Boobs weren’t the key here.
“That makes sense. So we need him to aim all that possessiveness your way.” Audra lifted a shoulder before stepping back from where she’d done something to PJ’s hair.
“Exactly. This is why you’re my best friend. Because you know things.” PJ winked.
By the time she headed back out, her eyes had been lined darker to emphasize the blue, her lips now a glossy pink.
They strolled through the place and PJ pretended it wasn’t even a thing that Asa was off at a far end of the room surrounded by women.
She turned her thousand-watt Colman smile on the bartender like she planned to sell him tires. Except his gaze slid down her throat to her cleavage. PJ knew she’d been right not to flaunt but to hint at it, because there were mounds of mammaries as far as the eye could see in that place.
“Can we get a round of shots with a beer back, please?”
“Darlin’, you can have anything you like.” The bartender winked.
She laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
They did the shots, but before they’d taken the first sip from their beers they’d already been joined by two male friends. Who, thank goodness, were ridiculously gorgeous. Craig was there again, drowning his sorrows in liquor and harmless flirting with women he’d never do more than kiss because he was still crushing on his ex so hard.
She dropped her change into the jukebox and made some choices. Audra added hers, and they turned and headed back into the room.
“He sees you,” Audra said as she waved at some other friends who’d arrived.
“Good.”
This silly age stuff was done with tonight.
She hoped.
Asa needed to come to his senses or be punished by watching her look hot and other men appreciate it. And if he didn’t, maybe it was time to actually consider moving on for real.
“He came here. He wanted to see you. This is your bar.” Audra handed her another drink.
“He best step on it, or I might just decide the attention all these boys are giving me is just as good as anything he could provide.”
A flash of pink across the bar caught Asa’s attention. PJ stood with her girlfriends, necks of beer bottles between their fingers, smiles on their faces as they got chatted up by… fuck, by Asa’s friends. Including Craig, who’d been sniffing around her before.
It was for the best. She wasn’t for Asa. She’d probably be better off with one of those other guys standing around ogling her. He knew he was no doubt better off with one of the women surrounding him right then.
Women who entertained him, but he didn’t think about it much more than that. Women who liked it hard and rough. Who were old enough to know what it was they wanted.
Though PJ had made a fair enough point about him telling her what she felt and wanted. It had been sort of dickish. He probably should have talked it over with her more before breaking things off entirely. It wasn’t as if they’d remained friends like they had been before that conversation in his office. She’d kept her distance and he’d felt it.
One of the men with PJ put a hand at her waist and Asa wa
s three steps in her direction before he even realized it. He paused then, watching through a haze of annoyance that she’d even consider letting a dumbass like Craig Salazar touch her in the first place.
Much less give him the smile she just gave him.
That smile said they had some history. Some intimacy. Had they slept together? Had Craig seen her naked with that look she got right before she came? Had she licked down Craig’s spine? Nibbled the backs of his knees? Which, by the way, had been an unexpected pleasure.
Asa frowned.
She had a fantastic smile. A fantastic mouth.
He flashed back to the first time they’d been together, that mouth of hers wrapped around the head of his cock. Her tongue dancing over his piercing.
It had been so fucking good he’d reeled for days. And now she was… with someone else. And he realized suddenly that wasn’t okay after all.
Craig leaned down from where he stood behind her, sliding an arm around her waist. He spoke in her ear and Asa could see her blush from where he stood.
“Excuse me,” he said to the group of people he’d been standing with as he moved away from them and toward PJ.
He could hear her laugh as he approached, like a hook; he was caught until she looked up from what she’d been doing and noted him standing there.
Mine.
Those big blue eyes peered up at him. He held a hand out and she took it without any hesitation. He pulled her to him and danced her away from her admirers. Stealing her away all to himself.
“I surrender,” he said in her ear.
She turned so they were nearly nose to nose. “Yeah? What does that mean?”
“It means I want you. It means you want me and I’ve been dumb to think I could cruise on by and let you go. I don’t want to.”
He kept her close and she didn’t make any attempt to move away from him. Damn, he liked the weight of her against his body. Couldn’t wait to get her back to his place so they could continue in private.
However, he got the sense it was going to take more than a squeeze and saying he wanted her to get past the wariness in her eyes.
“Can we talk?” he asked.
“Aren’t we talking now?”
“You’re going to make me work for it, aren’t you?” He couldn’t stop his smile of appreciation. She was so much stronger than he’d given her credit for.
“Everything worth having is worth working for, don’t you think?”
He kissed her. In front of everyone in the club. In front of all her friends and every man who even entertained a fantasy that he could have her the way Asa did. He claimed her.
Oh yeah, this was much better than the last discussion she’d had with Asa, that was for certain. He’d hauled her close and hadn’t let go, and then the kiss…
He tasted her for a few moments. It was sweet, gentle. She sighed into his mouth and he gripped her a little tighter as everything sweet and gentle fled. His kiss heated to scorching, carnal hot as his tongue slid into her mouth and owned it.
This wasn’t just a kiss of reunion. This kiss told everyone in that room that she was with him. Seemed like her plan to awaken his possessiveness had been pretty effective.
It sent shivers all over her as his taste settled back in to her system. She wasn’t prone to making out in public, but wow, this was pretty fantastic. She might have to reevaluate her prior stance on it.
He nipped at her bottom lip and she stared up at him. “I’ll make it worth your while if you agree to come to my house so we can talk. We could go to your apartment, but I don’t want to walk up the hill. And all my gear is at my place. I have champagne and beer and food and a lot of condoms.”
“I’ll agree to the former. We’ll see if you get to use the latter after I hear you out.”
His grin told her his thoughts on the matter, and truth be told, she wanted him. This was what she’d hoped for. Now he needed to grovel a bit and they could get on with the fun part of the evening.
“I need to tell my friends I’m leaving.”
“Okay.” He spun her neatly, his arm around her shoulders, holding her close as they headed through the crowd.
Craig’s eyes widened as they approached and Asa stiffened, so he’d clearly seen that they’d been flirting. Hell, Craig had suggested they go back to her place and finally actually fuck to see if they had something.
It had been halfhearted, but a nice thing to hear anyway.
“Hey, Asa,” Craig said.
Asa tipped his chin as a hello. PJ turned to him. “I’ll be right with you. Just need to tell Audra I’m going.”
He kissed her again and she avoided rolling her eyes. If he wanted to mark his territory she’d let him. Temporarily, until she got a better read on whether he was in this all the way or just to get his dick wet.
“Well, that worked.” Audra handed over PJ’s stuff before hugging her.
“Maybe. We’ll see.”
“I got you on that. Don’t go through with it if he’s an ass. I know it’s a great ass, but you can get great ass without letting him walk all over you.”
PJ snorted. “Thanks, Mom.”
She waved at everyone else and headed back over to where Asa and Craig remained chatting.
“Ready. See you later, Craig.” She shifted to hug him and at first Asa held on, but then he let go.
Craig hugged her quickly and stepped back. She’d have to get the story later on what Asa had said.
“I’m glad you’re not wearing a skirt because I’m on my bike. You can have my helmet,” he said once they reached the sidewalk.
He’d come to her bar. Clearly he’d hoped to see her. She’d have been more impressed if he had two helmets, but then again she might have thought he brought it for another woman and that would have sucked.
“Can we stop by my apartment so I can grab a jacket? I also have a helmet, so then you wouldn’t be doing something dangerous to keep me safe.”
He indicated his bike and she paused, mouth wide open for a moment. A custom Softail. Matte black. Simple and super badass. Masculine. Yum.
“It makes me hard to see you look at a machine like that,” he murmured into her ear before he licked it and made her wet.
“Did you build this?” She ran covetous fingers over the seat.
He handed her the helmet and she got on after he did.
“I did. It was one of my first projects. Come on, let’s get your stuff.”
The ride wasn’t nearly long enough, less than a minute to get from where he’d parked his bike to her driveway. PJ promised herself she’d get a heaping amount of hanging on, plastered to his back, when they left for his house.
Sure, she didn’t actually need to hold on at all. But she would, because hello.
When he keyed the bike off, she slid free and handed his helmet over. “I’ll be right back.”
“I’m sure you will be.” He swung his leg over and stood, taking her hand. “Let’s go.”
Okay then.
“It’s a mess, I’ll warn you now.” She unlocked the door and they went inside.
He looked around and rolled his eyes. “This is messy?”
“My laundry is on the couch unfolded. I have work stuff all over my table. My shoes are everywhere. I was rushing around this week.”
He pulled her to him. “Do you have to work tomorrow?”
“Yes. In the afternoon, most likely. You should know, I’m using a painting bay at Twisted Steel.”
“Stay the night with me then. I’ll take you to breakfast before I drop you either at the shop or here.”
“Your tune changed.” She put a hand at her hip.
He sighed. “Pack a bag. We’ll go to my house and talk. Okay?”
She hoped like hell he was going to take responsibility for this and that she wasn’t making some fruitless trip to his place only to have to call a cab and leave.
He looked really good and she wanted him so much, but she couldn’t let her hormones make her choices right the
n.
She shrugged after giving him a close look and then headed to her room. And he followed her and tossed himself onto her bed as she grabbed a change of clothes for the next day and tossed them into a backpack. One quick trip to the bathroom and she was ready to go.
He looked her helmet over once they’d gotten back to his bike. “I don’t like this one. Why do you have it?”
“Um. Wow, you’re pushy as hell.”
He pulled her close. “I’m testy because I want you so much. Also, this is a shitty helmet. It’s not safe.”
“You could have had me at least a dozen times over the last six weeks, mister. So don’t get testy with me. And the helmet was some sort of freebie I got at work.”
“You can’t use it. Nope. You can have mine. I have extras. We’ll get you a better one soon. There are plenty of great days left to take a bike trip.”
He handed her his helmet again and tossed hers in a nearby trash can. She had no idea why it was so bad. She rarely used it, but the two or three times she had it had seemed fine.
“You okay wearing the backpack?”
She tiptoed up to kiss him quickly. “I’m fine. God. Get on and let’s go.”
He raised a brow. “There’s something really wrong with me, but I missed your attitude.”
“You got some of it over the last month.”
He grinned, kissing her one last time before he got on the bike. She put the helmet on and climbed up behind him. “I don’t like it that you’re not wearing a helmet. I can use that other one until we get to your house.”
He keyed the bike on. “It’s a ten-minute drive. We’ll be fine. If I get a ticket you can say you told me so. Or smile really pretty at the cop and get me out of the ticket to start with.”
CHAPTER
Eleven
He wasn’t sure why, but as they pulled up his driveway and into the garage he was self-conscious. Hoped she liked his place. Hoped she liked what he had to say too.
He took the helmet she handed over and hung it on the grip like he usually did. “Come on.”