Chapter 10

ten

. . .

Ruby

I had just finished dryingoff a few cocktail glasses when the light from the open door flooded the space, and River walked inside. There was no one here at the moment, as it was country music night, and the bar would be packed in a couple of hours.

This is the calm before the storm.

He looked all broody and pissed off, and it worked for him.

He wore a black collared button-up, dark hair a bit more tamed than usual, and—Oh.

His jeans had a clearly obvious stain covering his entire groin area.

“Wow. You’ve been here for thirty seconds, and you already lost control from my mere presence?” I smirked.

Couldn’t help myself.

His lips turned up in the corners as he pulled out the barstool and sat down. “One can wish. That’s a title I’d wear proudly.”

I rolled my eyes and poured him a beer and slid it across the wood bar top. “I’m guessing you could use one of these.”

He took a long pull before setting the glass down. “Thanks.”

“Do you want to unload your problems on your bartender?” I leaned against the edge of the bar and batted my lashes. “Evil queens are good listeners.”

“Fuck. That has to get old, listening to everyone’s shit. I feel like a damn therapist myself lately. I don’t know when attorneys became sounding boards for everything going wrong in their clients’ lives.”

“Let me guess. You were so busy listening to a client that you couldn’t make it to the restroom?” I bit down on my bottom lip to keep from laughing.

“I didn’t piss my pants, but odd that the first place you looked when I walked through the door was at my dick.”

My heart raced faster than normal, but I acted completely unfazed by his words.

“It comes with the territory. First sign of a guy needing to be cut off from the booze is if he wets himself.” That was completely made up, but it did seem logical enough.

“I see. So, it’s not my dick in particular that you can’t take your eyes off of.”

“Correct.” I raised a brow.

“I’ll tell you what. I’m not big on sharing my shit, but I’ll trade you. One shitty thing for another. I tell you something, you tell me something.”

“I thought you were tired of being a therapist.”

“I’m tired of listening to meaningless shit from people I’m not interested in,” he said, reaching for his glass and taking another pull.

“Fine. Tell me why you have a giant stain on your crotch, and maybe I’ll tell you a fun fact about my day.”

“My receptionist is a complete train wreck. She can’t follow the simplest of directions. She also can’t walk for shit, and she tripped over her own feet and poured a scalding-hot cup of coffee on my dick.”

“Are you sure it wasn’t intentional?” I smirked. “You seem like you’d be a tough boss to work for.”

He looked flattered by what I’d said, as if it were a compliment. “Thanks. But no, she doesn’t have a manipulative bone in her body. She’s just too bubbly for her own damn good. It was an accident.”

“And your dick? How’s it going down there?”

His tongue slid along his bottom lip, and I squeezed my thighs together in response. “Seems to be fine. You want to check it out for me just to be safe?”

“I told you. I don’t play in wild rivers.”

“Yeah, that’s right. You like boring professors.”

“Don’t deflect. Why don’t you just fire her?”

“It’s Cassie Windfield.” He reached for the bowl of nuts before grabbing a handful.

“Samantha Windfield’s daughter? Yes, I remember her. She is a bubbly ball of joy, isn’t she?”

“Yep. That’s the one.”

“So, why can’t you just tell her it isn’t working out?”

“Samantha runs Magnolia Haven, and she pulled some strings to get my grandma a room where she could have a little garden area. She lives for her flowers.”

“Ah, that was nice of her. I always liked your grandmother. She worked at the library. I remember her talking about her flowers even back then. Is she still able to work in the garden?”

“No. King and I keep the garden up. Well, I do most of the planting. King just shows up and entertains her most of the time.”

This was unexpected. I couldn’t picture River Pierce planting flowers. Although I guessed this man liked to get dirty. I just didn’t imagine there were flowers involved.

“You’re sweeter than I would have guessed.”

“Don’t get excited. It’s only for her.”

I nodded. I understood that. I felt the same way about my father.

“So, you owe Samantha a favor, and employing Cassie is the way to repay her?”

“Correct.”

“Then you just have to try to make it work. Suck it up, buttercup. Maybe praise her for the things she does right and try not to focus on everything she’s doing wrong.”

His heated gaze locked with mine. “You like praise, Queenie?”

I cleared my throat. “Not particularly, but I think most people do.”

“All right. I’ll think about it. But let’s get back to business. I told you something. You tell me something now.”

“You didn’t get enough at the hospital when I had my meltdown? How about we focus on you today. I’m sure there’s more to commiserate about than your bubbly receptionist being a pain in the ass.”

He took the last swig of his beer, slapped down a ten-dollar bill, and pushed to his feet. “All right, then. I’ll just head out.”

I rolled my eyes. “That’s a bit dramatic. Stop being a baby.”

“I don’t think I’m the one being a baby. If you want more out of me, then you need to give me something.”

“I’m certainly not desperate to get more out of you. If you don’t want to share anything else, why should I care?” I raised a brow.

“I see the way your breathing has accelerated. You’re enjoying this. So stop fucking denying it, and have a goddamn conversation with me.”

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re extremely bossy? And rude?”

“Daily.” He fixed his gaze on me and stared, letting me know that he was waiting.

“Fine. Let’s see… I went to the hospital, and my father is making progress, so that was great. I then met my mother at the property management company and paid her rent. Then she called me a piece of shit because I paid them directly, and that pissed her off. And then I came to work where fifty locals will be coming in a few hours to get their giddy up on and dance to country music, and Demi and Peyton want me to line dance with them and make it a girls’ night out, and I’d rather stick myself in the eye with a hot poker. Is that enough sharing for you?”

A loud laugh bellowed from his sexy mouth, and I couldn’t help but stare. He really was a beautiful man. All hard lines and muscled shoulders and dark eyes as he dropped back down on the barstool.

“Fuck your mom. She should be kissing your ass. I take it she wanted you to give her the money directly?”

“Correct. But we’ve been down that road one too many times. And she would have taken the money and paid half toward rent and kept the rest for God knows what. Then she’d hit me up in another week.”

He nodded. “She’s a real piece of work. So, what’s your problem with line dancing?”

“I’m just not a big joiner, you know? I don’t care much for group activities. But I like Demi and Peyton.”

“I’m not a joiner either. I hate that shit. But I’ll go out with the guys and sit on the sidelines. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“So, he plants flowers for his grandmother and sits on the sidelines while people are having fun. Inquiring minds want to know, Wild River, what do you do for fun?”

He asked for a water when I offered to refill his beer, and I set the water glass down in front of him.

“I don’t really care about having fun. I just do what I want to do, which means I work a lot, spend time with my grandmother, hang out with the guys, and I have my time with Cutler, which is usually the highlight of my week.”

This man was full of surprises.

“All work and no play?”

Why was I asking? Why did I care?

“Well, if you’re asking what I think you’re asking… Yes. I like to have a good time with a woman. Apparently, I’m a really good fuck. So, sure, sex is my outlet, I guess.”

Did it just get hot in here?

I cleared my throat and tried to play it cool, but I hadn’t expected that answer. Even if it was what I’d wanted to know.

“Well, we’ve already established that you aren’t very lawyerly, so you’d have to be good at something, I guess.”

Is my voice shaking?

He ran the tip of his pointer finger around the rim of his glass, and for whatever reason, it was the sexiest move I’d ever seen. “How about you? Do you enjoy sex? I wouldn’t guess the boring professor could keep you satisfied.”

The man could have his Ph.D. in psychology. He was really good at reading people. Maybe that was why I was so drawn to him. We were both guarded and always assessing everyone around us.

“I’ve never relied on a man to satisfy me. I’ve always been the only one who could get the job done.”

Yeah. I just went there. And it’s true. I have no shame in my game.

His tongue dipped out to wet his lips again. “No man has ever made you come? That’s a shame, Queenie. You’re missing out.”

“I don’t particularly find men to be all that skilled. So why would I rely on someone to do something I could take care of myself as often as I want to?” I waggled my brows, attempting to be playful.

But his eyes were jet-black now, as they bore into mine. “Sixty seconds and I could get you there.”

“So cocky,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady when I was anything but.

Have I ever been this turned on before?

“Not cocky. Because I wouldn’t even need my cock to get the job done.”

“Really?” I leaned forward, elbows propped on the bar, closing the distance between us. “You’re that sure of yourself, huh?”

“Oh, yeah. I could do it a few different ways, but I think I’d prefer my mouth. I’ve got a magical tongue, Queenie. I’d enjoy tasting you and making you fall apart with a few flicks.”

Oh. My. God.

What was happening right now?

And why was I enjoying it so much?

“I mean, I’ve never seen a man pull that off in sixty seconds. Hell, I haven’t been with one who could pull it off in twenty minutes. But I like the confidence.”

“Well, you seem pretty confident in your own abilities, as well,” he said, his voice gruff as he shifted forward.

His lips were so close to mine; his warm breath tickled my cheek.

“Oh, no doubt about it. I’m not the only one I please. I’ve never had a problem pleasing a man either. I guess I have a magical mouth, too.”

“Yeah? Yet they don’t get you off?”

“Nope. But I can take care of myself just fine.”

“It’s a lot better with a partner.”

“I guess I’ll never know,” I teased.

“Give me sixty seconds. I’ll make you come so hard you’ll never want to touch yourself again because you’ll be begging me for more.”

A burst of light flooded the space, and I pulled back just as Doreen strolled through the door. “Hey there, Ruby girl. You ready for country music night?”

She paused and looked between us. I was certain there was a layer of sweat across my forehead, and I made an effort to steady my features. “I’m as ready as I’m going to be.”

“Hey, River. Good to see you.” She waved at him.

“Yeah, you, too,” he said, as he reached for his water.

Doreen walked behind the bar and put the back of her hand to my forehead. “You okay? You look a little flushed. I think you’re working too hard.”

I shook her off and started unloading glasses from the dishwasher when I looked up to see River smirking at me. The bastard.

“I’m fine. It’s just warm outside today,” I said.

“All right. Well, we’re going to be busy tonight. I just need to go put my purse in the back and grab a bite to eat in the kitchen.”

I nodded, and she disappeared into the back just as River pushed to his feet. “Thanks for the interesting conversation. Think about my offer.”

“I think I’m going to stick with my usual plan. It’s been working out just fine for me. You best head home and make sure all your parts aren’t burned off.”

He leaned forward, pushing the cash toward me. “Oh, there’s no doubt that everything is working just fine down south. I can’t remember a time I’ve ever been this hard. I guess I’ll need to take a quick shower and take care of my own needs, too.”

“All right, then. I’d say this was enough sharing for one day.” I cleared my throat and forced a smile.

“You know the best way to shut me up, don’t you?”

I raised a brow. “Oh, I can’t wait to hear this.”

“You could just sit on my face, and then you’ll be the only one making noise.” He tapped on the bar twice, winked, and strolled right out the door.

I just stood there with my mouth hanging open as the door closed behind him.

And I wasn’t a girl who was easily surprised.

But River Pierce was full of surprises.