Page 12 of Taming His Rockstar

I nod and watch as she dances her way back and into the crowds. I smile when she wiggles her ass in my direction and blows a kiss at me. Then she turns around and begins to move to the song. I watch her for a few minutes before turning around.

“Refill?” Jake asks before I even speak.

I nod and smile at him. “Thanks,” I say when he brings it back and frown when I realize my drink is no longer red. “What happened here?”

“Figured you’ve gone from I wanting to work up the courage to have fun to just wanting to feel good.”

“So more alcohol?” I ask.

“No, just sweeter.”

I pick up the new concoction and take a sip. It is sweet, as he said. But not too sweet. Fruity sweet. The best kind of sweet. I sigh and lean on the bar.

“So, are you like a psychologist or something?” I ask him.

He grins — seriously, this dude is missing out on some real business here — at me and picks up a used glass from the bar.

“I’m a bartender, so yeah you could say that.” He rinses the glass and returns it to the rack behind him. “Just saying, I’m pretty good at reading people.”

“Really?”

He nods. “For example, I could have told you that Ryan guy was not your type from the moment he stepped up.”

Ryan pretty much said the same thing, and I agreed with him. But hearing it from Jake makes my hackles rise.

“What do you mean by that?”

He gives me a lazy smile that says he isn’t bothered at all by my indignation. I wonder if he would feel the same way if he knew who I was? “He’s more the kind to charm and tease you until you invite him to your place. And you.” He leans on the counter, his face close to mine, and I suddenly get the feeling that his grin is more arrogant than breathtaking. “You’re the kind of person who’s waiting for a guy to tell you to come to his place.”

It’s hard to tell if he’s flirting with me. It’s annoying to realize that somehow this jerk is somehow having an effect on me. So, I decide to do what I always do when challenged and lean even closer to stare into his eyes.

“And I suppose you think you know me that well, don’t you?” I lean in even closer and give him my most flirtatious smile, licking my lips in a way I know sends men buckling at their knees and panting in thirst. I know because I’ve seen it work a dozen times. “I bet you even think you can get me into your bed.”

He stares at me. Right into my eyes. He’s are green. Smoky green. The kind of green that changes color and becomes bright when the lights hit them right. The kind of green that’s getting me all hot and bothered. So bothered I almost miss his answer.

“Sure I can,” he says with so much confidence it should piss me off. Then he stands up and takes a step back. “Don’t see the point though. Seems like too much work.”

I start to get mad at him, ready to fly off the handle, and then I pause and smile.

“Nice try.”

He smiles back. “Nice to know you’re not one of those.”

“You mean those girls who start protesting and then dare you to do just that?”

He nods. “It’s usually fun when they wake up in my bed the next morning.”

He’s still arrogant, but I have to admit, it’s kind of funny the amount of confidence he has in himself. Of course, his smile alone tells me he has a pretty good reason to be confident.

“Don’t you think you should attend to the other customers?” I say to him as I lift my straw to my mouth.

“Not my problem anymore. Finished my shift a few hours ago but was covering for a friend. She’s here now, so I’m off the clock.”

“Then what are you still doing here?”

“Good question.” He pretends to think about it. “I don’t know. But I think it has something to do with the beautiful woman sitting in front of me with the prettiest smile I’ve ever seen.”

It’s a clichéd compliment, and I’d roll my eyes if anyone else said it. From him, I have to clear my throat before I speak again and pray the flashing lights are enough to hide my blush.

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