Was I imagining the chemistry between us, the hot look from before? I had my answer when Landon’s gaze traveled up and down my body. Tingles spread through me. It was a scorching-hot look.
Chapter Six
Landon
I saw her the moment I stepped inside the bar. Maddie was impossible to miss. Her blonde hair was once again pulled up in a messy bun, several strands dangling around her face. She was also behind the counter, pouring a draft beer.
I made my way through the patrons, inspecting the location. Whenever I went to a new bar, I automatically compared it to the pub Val and I ran years ago. It had been all black wood and shades of green, and had an air of general shabbiness.
This one was all warm tones, the dim lighting casting a pleasant glow on the brown wood. The place was packed with patrons standing around the high, round tables. A few servers milled around, and at the far end of the room was a makeshift stage, but it was still empty.
“Fancy seeing you here, stranger,” Maddie greeted me playfully when I reached the counter. “Where’s your friend?”
“Couldn’t make it after all.”
“And you came anyway because...?”
“You promised fun, Maddie. Why are you behind the bar?”
“My sister has the flu, so I’m filling in for her.” A frown marred her forehead as she reached to the rack above our heads where wineglasses were hanging. “She gets sick a lot lately. I keep telling her it’s not normal, that she should go to a doctor, but she doesn’t listen. Calls me a nag.”
I grinned, plunking my forearms on the bar. She filled the glass of wine, handing it to the redhead next to me. Then Maddie pointed at me. “Don’t make fun of me. I know she’s a grown-up, but I can’t help myself.”
My grin widened. I recognized the behavior. “Far from me to make fun of you. I’m the same. I call it eldest sibling syndrome. Nice to find a kindred spirit. So, you know the owner, or how come you can work instead of your sister?”
“I used to work here. When I first moved, my business wasn’t bringing in much income, so I was supplementing it with bartending. So now, if my sister has to miss a shift, I cover for her so she still gets the money. What can I get you, Landon?”
I looked at the blackboard hanging on what I assumed was a fake-tile wall to our right. Several cocktails were scribbled on it in white chalk. “I’ll take the house specialty.”
She made a come-here motion with her finger, and I leaned in over the counter. Even though alcohol fumes were swirling around us, I still caught a clear whiff of her perfume. I barely refrained from leaning in even closer.
“It’ll give you a really nasty hangover tomorrow. Several people already complained about it, including yours truly. I don’t recommend it. You look like a bourbon type of guy anyway.”
I pulled back, laughing. “I look like it? Is that translation for Val talking about me?”
“She might have said a few things. So, bourbon?”
I nodded, watching her prepare my drink. I’d been watching her more often than I wanted to admit over the last days. I’d talked her into eating lunch with me every day. I brushed her fingers when I took the glass, and she drew in a sharp breath, jumping a little as if the contact electrified her. What would she do if I trailed my mouth up to her neck, tugged with my teeth at her earlobe? An image of Maddie arching her hips and back into me filled my thoughts. Her scent was still fresh in my mind, as was the feel of her skin under my fingers. I could practically feel her pressed against me.
“I want my goddamn drink.”
We both looked in the direction from where the voice had come. A surfer, by the sorry look of him. He raised his brows at Maddie, tapping his hand on the counter.
“Come on, how hard can it be to make a mojito? Fucking get to work already.”
“Apologize to Maddie, or you’ll be out on your sorry ass in ten seconds.” Maintaining my calm, I shifted closer, straightening up.
He hunched slightly when he realized I towered over him. His eyes darted to Maddie, then back to me, and he raised both hands in surrender.
“Okay, I’m sorry.”
Maddie smiled sweetly at him while working on his cocktail. “Rule number one. Never be disrespectful to the person serving your food or beverage. You never know what they might put in.” When she slid his glass toward him, the guy looked down at it as if afraid to touch it. I held my glass up in her direction, grinning. Her sass was contagious.
She tended to the other patrons as I enjoyed my bourbon, perched on one of the barstools. The servers milling around the room prepared the orders they received themselves, but Maddie still had her hands full.
A band climbed on the stage soon after and performed covers of well-known songs, as well as some of their own. Maddie was right; they were very good. Several of the patrons started dancing. So did Maddie behind the counter. She was wearing a blue dress with a black belt
around her tiny waist. Her shoulders were bare.