Page 6 of Rookie Recovery

Like me, once.

Not anymore.

“Yeah, I slept like shit last night. I should—”

“Rum and coke, please?” The slurred British voice cut off everything else in my head. A lithe body slipped onto the bar stool beside me, and a set of strong, tanned arms leaned atop the counter. I definitely didn’t notice the way his fitted black T-shirt hugged his rounded shoulders. Or the way it accented the V-taper of his narrow waist.

“I’m gonna run to the bathroom,” Katie murmured in my ear as she hopped off her stool. “I’ll be back … Sometime.”

Which left nothing to distract me from the man now seated beside me. I kept my eyes averted as the bartender slid him another drink. I probably looked like a hunched old man, like a lonely local nursing drinks and pretending to watch the baseball game on the TVs behind the bar.

Archie Bowman still turned towards me.

Propped an elbow on to the counter as he shifted his shoulders in my direction. “Hey, gorge. Can I buy you a drink?”

Deep inhale, Sullivan. Play it cool, cause you’re not trying to start something. I allowed myself the briefest glance. “Nah, I’m good. Thanks.”

Great first words. Classic. You’ll be rolling between the sheets in no time—stop. Jesus.

“You sure?” He lifted his glass to tilt back half of whatever garbage well-booze was roiling around in there. Winced, as if to affirm my suspicions. “You’re way too hot to be sober at a bar.”

Shit, he wasn’t making this easy for me. “I’ve got to work in the morning.”

“Ah, me too, but that doesn’t mean we can’t live a little.” His eyes danced past me to Katie’s vacated stool. “Are you here alone? Where’s your girlfriend?”

“Not my girlfriend.” I grimaced. Why had I led with that? Should’ve gone with something more, Nope, not alone, so please leave.

“Oh, good. I was hoping you’d say that.” He winked. Sloppy, adorable. Off-limits. “Please tell me you’re gay?”

He set the glass down a little too hard; brownish booze sloshed over the edge. It explained some things.

“Yeah,” I said, “I am. And I think your 151 is hitting?”

“Oh, mate, that shit is minging.” He grinned again, and it wasn’t the soft, cute grin or even the cocky grin. This one was all intoxication. “Is that what you Americans drink all the time?”

Weirdly, his blatant sloppiness made me feel a little better about my own lack of suave. “Nope. Your friends are assholes. It’s team initiation.”

“Fuck, yeah, I know how that works.” For a moment, his drunken smile softened into something almost boy-at-the-door uncertainty again. “Been the rookie enough times.”

“Yeah, me too.” The words slipped out of my mouth, unbidden. “It sucks.”

His brows furrowed as he fought through the booze-haze. “You’re a hockey player? No wonder you’re so hot.”

“No, not anymore.” I tried for an off-hand chuckle, but it came out sounding jaded and bitter. I guess that was kind of my M.O. these days, wasn’t it? “Just the PT.”

“So, let me buy you a drink.” He leaned closer, and I breathed in his soft scent, now shot through with the sweet tang of booze. Flecks of marble darkened the green of his eyes, and his hair shone white gold as it fell across his forehead. “Or you could take me home.”

His fingers trailed along the outside edge of my thigh, and I’d be lying if I said every fucking nerve in my body didn’t sit up and take note of that brush of fingertips. It would be nothing to close the space between us. Find out what his perfect, bowed lips felt like under mine. Taste the soft caress of his tongue. See if his lean, honed muscles were as hard under my hands as they were beneath my gaze.

And from there, there’d only be more to uncover—

I leaned back.

Plucked his hand off my leg. Electricity burned under my fingertips at the skin on skin contact, so shocking I almost gasped from the unexpected pleasure-pain of it.

“Sorry, kid. Think you’ve had too many drinks for that.” Fuck, I really did sound like someone’s grandpa. I couldn’t have gone with—you seem like an asshole, or maybe, I don’t screw hockey douchebags, or even, what are you, sixteen?

But, nope. I go with the elderly gentleman response.

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