Page 48 of The Bachelor

Lauren had told her when they’d arrived that her boyfriend of a few months had just broken up with her via text, so Avery was happy for her she was getting a distraction as cool as meeting one of her country music crushes.

But she’d already had two beers herself and Shane being there was just… tempting. She was worried she might do something stupid.

It wouldn’t be fair to ruin Lauren’s fun. She would just be polite, talk, have another beer, and try her best not to stare at Shane and think he was the hottest man in the bar. Michael was friendly and he seemed to know about her meeting with Jolene, so she figured Shane had mentioned it. She tried to stay by Michael, asking him questions and chatting, but Lauren kept stealthily edging her out of the conversation to snag Michael’s full attention. It was clear she was completely and totally in lust with the drummer.

The least Avery could do was let her have a breathless flirt fest.

That left her with Shane, who had returned to the bar. She sipped her beer and looked at him, trying to figure out what he was thinking. He smiled at her, that easygoing, charming smile he wore so frequently.

“Would you be mad at me if I said you look beautiful right now?”

“Yes.” Which was such a lie. She wanted to hear him say sweet things to her, at the same time she knew it was so dangerous. Her attraction to him was too great to remain aloof, and she didn’t trust herself not to melt like butter when he turned those sultry eyes on her like he was now.

“Then I won’t say it.”

“Did you know I was going to be here?”

“No, this is actually a coincidence, I swear.” He held his hands up.

A girl jostled her and her beer sloshed onto her chest. She gave a startled cry. It wasn’t a big deal, but it was unexpected and cold.

Shane reached out and wiped at her sleeve with his hand. “Got it.” His eyes were dark as he looked down at her, and she could see that he remembered, just like she did, what it had felt like to have his hands caressing her bare skin.

Just the mere act of him touching her arm made her breasts heavy, her nipples tight, her inner thighs ache. Damn it. She turned to Lauren for help, but her friend was doing a shot with Michael. That looked like something Avery wanted no part of, so she quickly pulled away, excusing herself to go to the ladies’ room.

She was afraid she was going to cry. She could feel the tears pressing hard, relentless. The office gossip had been too much. She was vulnerable and she had wanted to release tension, not spend the night evading the source of that tension. That sexual tension was too much on top of worrying about her co-workers and their opinions all week.

Lauren was right. She needed to toughen up.

Instead of going to the restroom she bolted out the front door of the bar and leaned against the brick wall, breathing deeply the cool night air. The bouncer at the door gave her a curious look but didn’t say anything. It was too hot inside, too many bodies. The music was too loud. She sighed and pressed at her stomach, which was churning.

She was debating texting Lauren that she couldn’t go back in when Lauren came out, laughing, arm looped through Michael’s. “Hey, there you are! Shane said you were in the ladies’. He’s waiting for you inside.”

“I got hot in there. I needed some air.”

Michael lit a cigarette and offered it to Lauren. She took it and put it to her lips. “We’re going to the place a few doors down. Michael says they have the best whiskey ever there and he knows the bartender.”

Avery wondered how drunk Lauren was. She looked mighty cozy with the drummer. “Okay. I’ll go get Shane. We’ll be there in a minute.” She couldn’t let Lauren go off alone with Michael and do something she might regret.

“Toodles!” Lauren said, giving her a finger wave.

“Does Shane know the place?” Avery asked Michael.

He nodded. “Absolutely.”

“Okay. See you there, then.” She forced herself to go back into the bar. Shane frowned when he spotted her.

“I thought you were in the restroom.”

“I went outside for air. Lauren and Michael just left. I told them I’d get you and we’d meet them there.”

Shane drained his beer and set it down on the bar. “Okay, then.”

When they got outside he looked down at her. “Where did they go?”

“He said the place has the best whiskey ever and he knows the bartender. What does that mean?”

Shane started laughing. “He means his house. He’s taking Lauren home with him.”

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