4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

~ Heath ~

I t was on the tip of my tongue to bark out a retort, but my breath caught in my lungs far too fast for me to say anything. The woman before me knocked me on my ass faster than I had ever been before.

And I couldn't even tell you why.

My type of lady wasn't someone as low-key as this one was presenting, but I could admit that I liked the look. Far more than I ever thought I would. Dare I say she was real?

Her face was gorgeous, with big brown eyes that I swear had gold flakes in them, at least in the neon light around the bar.She also had a dusting of freckles that ran over the bridge of her heart-shaped nose and over her cheeks. It made me wonder if they traveled all over her body.And her jeans were skintight, and given that, I'm sure they cupped a shapely ass.

"Sorry," she muttered, finally ducking her head and I could see some long, luscious locks pulled up into a high ponytail.

"Don'tapologize. I wasn't paying attention either. Where are you off to?" She held up the quarters in her hand and it was then I took in her shirt. An 80sband. Did this woman step out of some dream that I didn't know I was having?

"I was going to go see what I was in the mood for tonight."

My eyes flicked from her to the jukebox, and I grinned.

"Care if I tag along?"

She laughed but shook her head.

"Free country, I do believe."

She turned around and I followed, easily seeing how right I was about her ass in those jeans.

"I'm Heath, by the way." I wasn't sure why I blurted that out. Most people noticed the face, but it was like she didn't even pick up on it. Someone who didn't know Jameson was news to me.

"Tiff," she offered, throwing a smile my way.

"Pleasure." I stopped right next to her as she looked over the selection. "What are you in the mood for?"

"80's. What do you think?"

"Well, sure, given your shirt. Hmm, gotta have some Queen, Joan Jett, Poison is a must too."

"A man after my own heart." I watched as she put in the few quarters she had and pushed the buttons. "That should tie me over for a bit."

"I have some more quarters if we need to change it up."

She crossed her arms as she leaned her hip on the machine and looked at me.

"I'll remember that. So, what brings you by toBeeAnn's," she asked.

"Friends.You?"

"Friends," she answered, causing me to grin. "They told me I need to come out some more, so they drug me here."

"I love this place. I know the owners and go way back with them actually. But I'm glad your friends managed to get you out.Their loss though."

Her brows crinkled and she cocked a brow.

"How do you figure?"

I ran my fingers over my constant stubble, enjoying the rasp it made.

"Because I'm totally going to monopolize all your time now and they won't be able to stop me."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," I countered. "You owe me for nearly mowing me down." Her jaw dropped and she shoved me lightly, causing me to laugh."It sounds good, though, right?"For the first time in forever, I didn't want to play the fame card to make her hang out with me. Not that I felt I needed to most of the time. After all, everyone was drawn to Jameson.

But this felt too right, too real , to go that route.

And because of that, I felt like I didn't have to put on an act. I could be Heath. Hell, I was starting to wonder what he looked like too.

"It sounded good, yes."

"Join me," I told her, holding my hand out to her and nodding outside. The bar was busier than normal, and I didn't feel like trying to yell to be heard. Besides, outside, you could hear the music a whole lot better than you could inside.

"So, Heath, since you know the owner, you must come here a lot," she started, taking a seat at one of the high-top tables outside.

"Not as much as I should. But enough.I made their house burger famous; you know?"

"Ugh, did you tell them to put that all together?"

She made a face and I had to laugh.

"Tiff, have you tried it?"

"Why the fuck would anyone think jelly, peanut butter, and bacon go together?"

I rolled my eyes at her but laughed right along with her.

"How about this? I love the burger, so I'll place an order and you can have a bite. Try it and I'll ignore the fact that you tried killing me."

She laughed again and shrugged. I was starting to enjoy that sound, and I was starting to feel like I needed it a lot more too.

"Fine, I can't deny those terms. Though my friends have my beer, can I go grab it really quick?

"Nah, I'll just get us some. Unless you like wine?" She quickly shook her head and shuddered. "Okay, why?"

"All the wines I've ever tried have given me a massive headache. So, I stay clear of them. Either hard liquor, cocktails, or beer."

"That's a shame. But that does it. I'll have to get you to try some of mine in the future." She crossed her arms and rested them on the table, watching the waitress and me as I placed the order.

"What makes you think there's anything in the future"

"Your laugh." I couldn't help but grin as she just raised an eyebrow at that. "I absolutely love your laugh and have determined I just need more of it."

"That's a hell of a pick-up line, sir. First time I've heard it. But it got my attention."

I took the beer the waitress put down and pointed it at her.

"I'm glad it did, Tiff, but it wasn't a line. It's a true statement. You have a great laugh, and I would love to hear it again. Beyond just tonight."

"Right."She took a sip of her own beer and then looked around. "You and the owners go way back?"

"We do.You could say they helped push my career."

"You mean, Jameson?" I could feel my cheeks heat up and she grinned. "It's hard not to know who you are. But if it helps, I like Heath a lot more."

"Good to know.So, should I ask the boring questions?Like favorite color, food? What do you do for work? How did you get into 80's music?"

"Purple, Chinese, and I love the 80s. My brother was a die-hard 80's lover and got me into music. Especially the hairbands. I could say I'm a rocker at heart." I took another swig of the beer, noticing the work question wasn't answered, but I didn't feel like pushing it. "Maybe like you?"

"I've been a rocker since I was a baby. If you hear the story from my mom, I came out with the horns sign at birth. Which only ever made my parents laugh as Dad was into Country and Mom was into classical. I was the odd man out."

Why that came out, I wasn't sure. It was a story no one knew, but it felt good to share it with this woman, who captivated me like no other had in the past. I wasn't sure if it was a good thing, but I was determined to keep on this path.

"Now that's funny. I can picture you, a little baby, horns up." She laughed as she threw the sign and I chuckled, taking another pull of my beer."Can you tell me the difference between Jameson and Heath?'

"Heavy hitter question," I teased her, peeling at the label. "Somedays, I wonder if there is a difference. I've lost a lot of myself over the years. Not quite a good thing. Early on, I fought the company, wanting to be me, to stay true.But fame, that shit has a way of ruining you. It's ugly, nasty, and before you know it, you've morphed into someone that's sorta like you but isn't."

Shit, who was this ?

Who was she to have me saying stuff I hadn't before?

"Here you go," the waitress said, putting the plate down. I smiled my thanks and then cut the burger, holding a piece out to her. She took a breath before grabbing it and taking a bite.Which, I was glad to see, wasn't some dainty bite. She paused in her chewing, her eyes wide open, and stared at me.

"Oh my god," she muttered, covering her mouth full of food.

"Told you," I replied, taking my own bite, the flavors exploding on my tongue, and I damn near groaned. I could finally taste how awesome it was. I slid my eyes over her, taking in her small frame, those big brown eyes, and her long ponytail. Was this really what real looked like?