“Sorry!” I said over my shoulder as I approached the table filled with gropey college kids.
School was going to start soon, but the frat boys were already here, partying. It was like they needed a warm-up, stretch those partying muscles or something.
“Hey, thanks, Sarah!” Lance said. I remembered him from last spring. He was a sweetheart. But I couldn’t say anything close to the same for the two guys he was with. Maybe they were pledges or something, but they were assholes.
“You’re welcome. Ready for school?”
“Hell no!” the guy with a lip ring said. “But I’m ready for you. Come here.”
He snatched my wrist, but I twisted out of the wimpy grasp.
“Wow. You’re quick.” He winked.
“And you’re a loser. Touch me again and I’ll sic my bouncer on you.” I gestured to Hunter. The dumb kid didn’t need to know he was actually a Cooler, but his size alone was enough to detour anyone with half a brain.
The wimpy kid shrunk into his seat.
“Got a problem here, Sarah?” Drey’s voice streamed over me, warming me in places that did not need warming right now.
Lance looked up at Drey, but I didn’t. I couldn’t. Ever since he got here for his shift, which he shouldn’t have, considering he got stabbed less than twenty-four hours ago, I’d been avoiding him. He was too tempting.
But for some reason, Bill let him clock in to work the floor and help with tending bar.
“Nope. Just setting some rules withjuniorthere. We’re good.” Lip Ring blanched as his gaze shifted to over my shoulder.
That made me look. Drey’s eyes were dark, the amber clouded and cold. His jaw was tense and his eyebrows furrowed. His hair was a perfect mess fashioned into more of a faux hawk tonight than the rigid spikes he normally wore.
I loved it when he wore it that way.
He wore the standard issue uniform here at Rage: white The Rage shirt and black jeans. His combat boots really made the look tough, too.
And sexy.
Through the shirt, on his waist, I saw a block of white. It was the gauze over his stitches. Why the hell was he at work? And not taking pain meds had to make it worse!
“Try me, guys. Please try me,” Drey said as he lay his hand on my forearm. “Let’s go, Sarah.”
Each step away from the table had me more and more confused. Drey had never done anything like that before. Hell, I’d get my ass groped quite a bit before he ever stepped in, and by that time, punches were getting thrown and the customer was escorted to the back exit.
If I were honest with myself, though, what had me really confused was how long he’d held me today at his apartment. I’d never let anyone hold me like that. If it’d been someone I hooked up with, I was out of his house or he was out of mine within an hour. And theyneverstayed overnight.
Never an option.
Yet taking care of Drey last night and then how he held me this morning, saying how badly he wanted to kiss me…I almost buckled.
And now, an act that some waitresses might view as detrimental to their tip earnings, I saw as chivalrous. I’d not seen any of that in my life, so when I did, it really stuck out.
And that was right now.
“Nicely done, Drey,” Hunter said as he walked by, heading to the staff locker room. “See you tomorrow.”
“Say hi to Angelina.”
“Will do.”
He didn’t work many closing shifts since getting married. Couldn’t blame the guy. I set my tray on the bar and checked my section of tables. A couple beers and a cherry soda were getting low, but other than that, I was fine.
“You’re not pissed?” Drey stood next to me. “Or are you doing the girl thing?”