Page 1 of Teasing a King

Chapter One

Van

I watch Molly, Mack’s newest bartender, serve up a round of drinks to a group of ladies in scrubs who’ve clearly just left work at the hospital. They all look like they’ve had a long day. Molly says something that makes them all laugh and nod in agreement. I smile, thinking I made a good choice hiring Molly. She’s a great mixologist, but she’s even better with the customers. She has just the right amount of charm mixed with steel that’s needed to work as a bartender. Plus, she gets along great with the other employees. I haven’t had a single complaint about her since I hired her a month ago. I hope she sticks around because hiring new help is stressful. And with Wyatt busy wedding planning, a lot of the work at Mack's has fallen to me lately. Not that I mind. I love this place.

I'd even lived here for a few years. I’d turned the upstairs into an apartment and lived there until just recently when I'd finally bought a house of my own. It had been convenient, if a little noisy. I'd liked living in the building, but the older I get, the more I value peace and quiet. Living above a busy restaurant and bar doesn't leave a lot of time for peace and quiet. So, last year I'd bought an older house in the historic downtown section of town. It had needed a lot of work, but I’d fallen in love with it right away. The challenge had been trying to modernize it without taking away the things that had drawn me to it in the first place. Plus, I'd had to keep the city's historical society happy and not violate any of their many rules.

Since I officially finished remodeling the interior of the old house last month, there isn't much to keep me busy aside from Mack's. I still have some outdoor work to do on the house, but that shouldn’t take too much time. I wonder what I’ll do to pass the time once I finish that project. I feel a hint of loneliness creep over me and do my best to push it away. I’ve got plenty to occupy my time, especially with the tourist season approaching. I ignore the little voice telling me that I need more than work in my life.

All my siblings have a life outside of work. My brothers are all settled and happily engaged, except for Finn who got married a few months ago. Claire's boyfriend Garrett officially moved in with her last month after his discharge from the Marine Corps. It seems like everyone around me is making big life changes. From getting engaged and having babies to getting married. But not me. Nope. I'm happily single. The biggest commitment I’ve made lately is that old house, and that’s enough for the moment.

I turn to see a cute redhead at the end of the bar give me a little wave to get my attention. Molly’s busy with another customer, so I nod in the redhead’s direction and walk over.

"Can I get you anything else?" I ask, flashing a polite smile.

She gives me a shy smile and shakes her head. "I was just getting ready to leave," she says. "But I wanted to give you this."

She slides a napkin across the bar, and I reach for it. Her hand brushes mine and I can tell the touch is deliberate. I look back to her face. She's pretty with flawless skin and blue eyes that sparkle with a hint of playfulness. Her full mouth l wears a teasing smile. I take a second to consider whether I’m interested in this woman, but there’s nothing. No spark of curiosity. No flare of desire. Nothing but flattered amusement. But I give her a polite smile anyway.

"Give me a call sometime," she says, turning to go.

I watch her walk toward the exit, joining up with two other women. Before she leaves, she turns back to look at me, meeting my gaze. Her smile seems to dare me to follow her. Instead, I wait until she walks through the door before glancing at the napkin in my hand. It has a name, Hailey, and a phone number with a little heart drawn next to it. I shake my head and crumple the paper before dropping it into the trash can in the corner. There hadn’t been any sort of spark for Hailey. I mean, sure, she’s an attractive woman. She’d clearly been interested in me. I sigh. She’s just not my type. That’s all.

Plus, I'm not interested in a random hookup with a customer. I'm not that kind of guy. Or at least, I never was before. Before Finn's wedding, that is. I still don't know why I’d left with Mya that night. Well, that's not entirely true. I know part of the reason. I'd been lonely. I can admit that now. I'd seen all my siblings in happy, committed relationships and I'd felt a twinge of envy.

Then Wyatt had proposed to Hope, shocking everyone, including me. I’d found out later that Hannah and Finn had known it was coming. Wyatt had wanted to make sure they were okay with him proposing on their big day. They'd both assured him that they didn't mind a bit. But Wyatt hadn't mentioned it to me. His twin. I know it's silly to feel upset by it, but at the time, I had been. That, I tell myself, is why I'd left with Mya.

It isn't like me to have a one-night stand. I'm not that guy. That had been the first time I'd spent the night with someone with the understanding that it was just sex and for one night only. In hindsight, I can admit that I probably shouldn't have had my first and only one-night stand with a woman who's likely to keep popping up in my life for years to come. She's best friends with my future sister-in-law, for God's sake. What the hell had I been thinking? I hadn't been. That's the problem. I'd let my dick do the thinking. Sure, I'd had the best sex of my life, but at what cost?

I just hope we didn’t manage to ruin whatever friendship we might have had. Not that I would know. I haven't seen Mya since that night. She'd left to go home early the next morning after gently turning down my invitation to stay another night. It’s for the best, I think. We’d had an amazing time, but we barely know one another. It’s not like I’d assumed we would have a full-blown relationship based on one night of sex. I'd considered calling her a few times since that night, but we'd both agreed to keep that night a one-time thing. We're never going to speak about it again and we agreed to tell no one. Besides, I don’t know how I’d get her phone number without asking Hope, and I don’t have a good excuse as to why I’d be asking for it.

I haven't told anyone, and I don't think Mya said anything to Hope. I'd probably know by now if she had. Hope would have said something to Wyatt or to me directly. Especially if she thought I'd taken advantage of her friend. Which I hadn't. It had been Mya's idea to leave the reception that night. We’d both had some champagne, but neither of us had been intoxicated. I’d even asked her, just to be sure. She’d teased me about being Mr. Responsible. But she’d assured me she’d only had the one glass before I’d brought a second one over. That had been when she’d suggested we leave together.

I'm glad she'd had the idea, because damn. It had been one of the best nights of my life. It was definitely the best sex of my life. Hands down. Mya had been beautiful, fun, adventurous and so very sexy. Just thinking about it is enough to make my dick hard in the middle of Mack's. I shake my head, trying to get control of my wayward thoughts. It's no use, though. Each time I remember my night with Mya, my cock seems to have a mind of its own, regardless of where I am at the time. I’d be lying if I said that night with Mya hasn’t been responsible for more than one solo session in the shower.

I try to tell myself that it’s only because Mya had been the first woman I’d slept with in over a year. That’s why it had been so amazing. It isn’t really about her at all. Because I’d been so sex-deprived, it had seemed so much more incredible when I’d finally had some. That’s all. It could have been any other beautiful woman and I’d have likely felt the same. Even I have trouble believing that load of bull. I’ve never been the kind of guy to sleep around, but I’m no virgin. I’ve had my share of sexual experiences. But that night with Mya? It had been different.

There hadn’t been a lot of conversation. She’d made it clear as soon as we’d left the reception that we weren’t on a date. She’d asked me if I was okay with sex with no strings. I’d taken half a second to respond with an enthusiastic ‘yes’. By the time we’d made it to my house, Mya’s lips were on my neck, her hand on my thigh. I’d struggled just to park the car. I’d turned to face her and taken her mouth in a searing kiss. Everything after that was wild and fast and hot.

We’d stumbled through my front door, pulling at buttons and zippers before I could even kick it closed behind us. Mya had produced a condom from somewhere. I’d taken her hard and fast against the closed door, coming in record time as her own orgasm rocked through her. The urgency had been like nothing I’d ever felt before. The second time had been more leisurely. I’d taken my time worshipping every inch of her body, touching her, tasting her, taking her. We’d spent the rest of the night alternating between sex and sleep.

Lost in memories from that night, it takes me a second to realize someone is calling my name. Someone has been calling my name for a while, if the tone is any indication.

“Earth to Van!” Wyatt calls, waving a hand in front of my face.

I pull myself back to the present and focus on my twin.

“What?” I ask. “What’s up?”

He gives me a puzzled look. “Where were you just now?”

“What do you mean?” I ask. “I’ve been here all day.”

He laughs. “That’s not what I meant. You looked like you were a million miles away.”

I shrug it off, even though I know he’s right. My thoughts hadn’t been anywhere near Mack’s and work. They’d been focused on a certain brown-eyed brunette looking up at me from her knees as she wrapped her hands around—

Fingers snapped in front of my face, shocking me back to myself. What the hell is wrong with me? I’ve never been this distracted, certainly not over a woman I barely know. I need to get my head on straight. Good thing Wyatt is here to relieve me for the night. I can go home, have a beer to unwind and shut my thoughts off. A quiet, relaxing night is just what I need after the hectic afternoon. Tomorrow is Saturday and I know it’ll likely be even busier than today.

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