Page 3 of Blast from the Past

Both Mercy and Drew, the bartender, turn to look at me.

“It was busy,” she says, returning to the guy in front of her. “Drew was slammed, and Wesley is locked up in his office.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Drew gag. “Karmen’s here,” he says by way of explanation. “Supposedly to help me out but they’ve been gone for the better part of an hour.”

Shit. Since my oldest brother finally gave in and got the girl he has always loved, this has been an issue. He can’t keep his hands off her. I can’t begrudge him, though. If I could get my hands on Mercy, I would probably never let her go.

“Well, I’m here now,” I grumble.

I have no idea why I am acting like an asshole. This is exactly what I wanted—the opportunity to talk to her again.Everything about her knocks me on my ass and suddenly I feel like a hormonal teenager all over again. And the cycle continues.

“And you can watch the door,” Mercy throws over her shoulder. “Luca’s kid fell and needs stitches. He just left. So, there is no bouncer tonight.”

“Since when do you order me around?” I challenge.

“Since I was about six and broke your nose,” she sasses. “Want me to do it again?’

Drew bursts out laughing along with some customers. Mercy and I stare at each other for long moments before I shake my head. I want to say something in return, but a fight breaks out at that moment and I have to jump the bar to separate two drunk assholes before they tear the place apart.

****

Mercy West

Goddamn. That man is seriously fine. I can feel myself getting all heated just watching him manhandle the two men that were fighting. I never thought violence would turn me on but for the second time tonight, seeing Shane use his body to dominate another man has me hot under the collar.

If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed that straitlaced Shane Blake was hiding tattoos and a serious violent streak. I mean, he’s a goddamned real estate agent for crying out loud. The man is always wearing jeans and a button-up shirt with a tie. I sure as shit wasn’t expecting to find him in an underground cage fight earlier tonight.

“Can I get a beer?”

Dragging my attention away from Shane, I face my latest customer. The voice suits the man. Big, bulky, probably around thirty. But also, another fine-looking man. What the hell is in the water up here? I don’t remember there being so many gorgeousmen in Severn. Now I see one every time I turn around.

“I haven’t seen you here before,” the man says and smiles, showing his dimples when I hand him his drink.

“I’ve been gone for a couple of years.” I extend my hand toward him. “I’m Mercy.”

He takes my hand but doesn’t shake it. Instead, he places a kiss on my knuckles, and I giggle like a damn schoolgirl.

“Zane.”

“Nice to meet you.” I nod toward another customer down the bar. “But we are slammed, as you can see.”

“Do your thing, pretty lady,” Zane drawls before taking a sip of his beer. “I’ll be right here when you’re done.”

The rest of the night is a blur of booze and laughter. I forgot how much fun it can be working behind the bar at Blake’s even if my feet hurt like a motherfucker. At some point, Wesley emerges from his office with Karmen Jones tucked under his arm.

“Finally!” I call out, causing Karmen to blush.

“We weren’t gone that long,” she mumbles.

“That’s not what I meant. I’m just happy to see you two finally together. You’ve been mooning over each other for years,” I say, hugging her tightly. “And you were gone for over an hour,” I murmur in her ear.

Wesley smiles at me fondly and a pang of longing hits my chest. He has always been a big brother figure to me. Growing up as an only child can be hard but I always had the Blake brothers, so I was never truly alone. I mean, Wesley taught me how to ride a bike when we were kids and drive a car when I was old enough.

“Are you staying or just passing through?” he asks.

“Not sure yet,” I call over my shoulder as I hand a couple of tipsy ladies another round of cocktails. “But I’m here now.”

“I need a bar lady. Think about it.”

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