Page 3 of Caramel Apple Cupcake

Carrie smiled at him as she walked backward, hands up as if surrendering. “Don’t worry. I’m sure she’ll be in tonight.”

A smirk came over his lips at the thought. If she didn’t, he would be disappointed. It may seem like such a small thing to some, but seeing her almost every night was the one thing he looked forward to.

Before she walked into his life, he knew shit had been going downhill for him. When he bought this bar, he thought it would be his escape. A place where he could let the dark memories from his time in the military fade away. Every once in a while, he would reach out to his old military buddies, Ian Williamson and Parker Donovan, to shoot the shit. But they both had things going on in their lives. Maybe he would plan a trip upto the DC area to visit them. Getting a change of scenery might be a good thing.

But then he would miss seeing Harper.

Glancing up at the clock again, he frowned. “Where is she?”

“Hey, Anders. We’re running low on a couple of mixers. Things are heavy tonight, and people are very thirsty. Do you mind helping your favorite employee out?”

When he tracked his eyes around the bar, he noticed they were busier than normal tonight. Not that he would complain at all. Almost every table was full of people drinking, eating, and laughing. The televisions played multiple sports to keep their patrons entertained. Even the bar was getting full of people standing around. The regulars knew not to sit in Harper’s seat. And if a new person came in and tried to sit there, they learned quickly.

“Yeah, I got you,” he said before he walked to the back area. A few minutes later, he came back with several containers of mixers in his arms. “Anything else?”

Carrie shook her head. “No, we’re good for now. But it looks like someone may need to place a food order.” Her head canted to the side, which caused him to look in that direction.

Harper.

A smile lifted his lips as he caught her gaze. Her elbows leaned on the bar while she waited for him to come over to her. If only he could get more than just a couple of hours a night with her. And he sure as shit wanted to spend time with her outside of this bar. In here, everyone was in their business. Too many eyes and ears were wide open, watching for the slightest movement.

It was more than just wanting to know what he was up to, but that could be part of it as well. He had grown up in this area. Knew everyone. When he came back from serving in the military, everyone had been worried he would havePost-Traumatic Stress. They heard all about it on the news and figured every military person would have it. At first, they watched him like a hawk to see if he would lose his shit.

He never did.

There was still a healthy dose of local curiosity about him. His interest in Harper was just the icing on the cake. It wasn’t like he hid his powerful attraction to her. Hell, his eyes almost never left her when she was in his presence. When she left at night, he made a point of watching her walk across the way to her apartment. Occasionally, when things at the bar were light, he would walk with her. Just to keep her safe and all.

Carrie told him he was coming on too strong. He told her to mind her business.

They came to a compromise. He would be less overbearing and protective. Occasionally, Carrie would sometimes walk with Harper. It was the best he could do. Not that Bluestone Ridge was a dangerous place, but that didn’t mean he could relax. Not when it came to Harper.

“Hey you.” Her lips were curled up in a smile as she greeted him. “I was wondering if you had taken the night off.”

Anders shook his head. “A night off? What’s that? I don’t know if I’ve taken an actual day off since I opened this place.” He leaned over to stare into her eyes. Damn, he wanted her underneath him so fucking bad. Only seeing her at the bar was not enough for him. He had no fucking clue why he was letting this drag out for so damn long, but it was wearing on him not to be with Harper the way he wanted. Needed.

“Long day?” He wanted to ask why she was late getting to the bar, but still wanted to keep things light between them. It had only been a month since they first met. He had no reason to question her that way. It had gotten harder over the weeks to not make his intentions known, but he was doing his best.

“It was, but it’s better now that I’m here,” she said with a wink in his direction.

Was she flirting with him? Because to him, it sounded like she was. She had better be careful. Give him an inch, and he’d have her knees by her ears as he pounded inside her while she screamed his name. “Yeah, I’m better now that you’re here as well.”

A yell of celebration rang out across the room, and she turned her head to look. Anders never moved his gaze from her beautiful, brown-skinned face.

Harper turned back and caught him staring. He wanted to turn away but couldn’t find the strength. Her eyes widened for a moment before she cleared her throat.

As they stared at each other, he couldn’t stop his eyes from conveying a message that could no longer be denied. He wanted her to get where he was, but Harper was still too afraid to take him up on his offer. What if things didn’t turn out the way they both wanted or expected? He knew that was a real possibility.

“Well, I think you deserve a night off. Just to relax. Maybe see the stars. I see you here every night. Well, every night that I’m here.”

He nodded. “Oh, sweetheart, I’m here every night. Don’t worry about me. I don’t need to relax. I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” Looking around, he saw more people milling around the bar. “I’ll be back in a few. Let me go take care of a few people before Carrie comes for me. Know what you want for dinner?”

Harper shook her head. “Not yet. I think I want to try something new tonight.” She eyed him with a look that he wanted to interpret as inviting and sensual, but knew he had to be imagining things. Now, if she gave him a chance, he would have no problem turning her ass out and giving her everything she needed and more. She would become addicted tothe sensation of his dick sliding inside her body. He wanted that more than anything, but didn’t think she was ready for what he craved from her.

“Well, if there’s anything I can do to help you decide, you just let me know.”

He stepped away from the bar to take care of other clients. If he had turned around, he would have seen Harper lick her lips as she stared at his ass.

Harper, on the other hand, was ready to climb that tree and make him scream her name. But she knew if she made a move too soon and he turned her down, she would be mortified. It had been a month of her coming into Callahan’s almost every night, talking with Anders, getting to know him. The time may seem short, but it had been perfect for her. Just enough time to become a regular.

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