Page 5 of Bad Boy for Hire
“The entire state of Ohio,” Brady corrected.
“The entire country,” Elliott chimed in.
“The entire country,” Xavier agreed. He came out from behind the bar and lifted his cup. “Let’s make it a night to remember. Except for Brady. We’ll make sure he can’t remember anything about it come morning.”
May sipped from her cup, her dark eyes on him the entire time she drank. He closed the gap between them to ask, “So, what do you think?”
“Definitely potent. I’ll have to be careful.” One of her eyebrows hitched, letting him know that she was okay with flirting with him tonight. “Or not.”
“Not has my vote.”
Like that, her eyes shuttered, her smile sliding from come-hither to polite. Damn this dance. Apparently, she was sticking to her no-hot-men rule tonight. And, barring some sort of amendment, he was forced to play along.
Chapter Three
May wasn’t drunk, but she was certainly feeling looser than she had been earlier. She was relaxing on an Adirondack chair on the dock with her girls, and her third cup of juicy IPA was being delivered right now.
“Thank you, sweetheart,” Lou told Ant.
“Yes, thank you, sweetheart,” May echoed when he handed over her cup.
“You’re both welcome. Lis, what’s up with you and that water bottle?”
Lisa looked up from her cell phone to peg Ant with a bored expression. “I have work to do. The city never sleeps. Unlike you, lumberjack.”
His smile broadened at the moniker. Ant was a skilled craftsman who was able to build stunning furniture as well as unique chainsaw art.
“Sadly, kids, duty calls.” Lisa stood.
“What? Noooo.” May wasn’t ready to go yet.
“Wanda needs me.” Lisa’s lips compressed in a line. “May, don’t leave. I’ll pay for your Uber home. I’m so sorry to bail on you.”
“Why does the mayor need you on a Saturday night?” A deep frown communicated Lou’s dismay.
“If it wasn’t urgent, I would stay.” Lisa moved to kiss Lou’s cheek.
“It’s always urgent.” Against her better judgment, or perhaps in favor of it, May stood from her chair as well. Which took some doing, considering it was an Adirondack. “I’ll come with you. I shouldn’t drink more anyway.”
“We’ll drive you home,” Lou and Ant said at the same time.
“No,” May stated emphatically. Those two had recently moved in together, and she refused to insert herself—even for a car ride—into their love bubble. They’d been through enough adversity. They didn’t need to take care of her too. “You two stay and enjoy yourselves. Go home the moment you can’t bear being in each other’s presence with your clothes on.” She waved the topic away. “I can leave now. It’s not a big deal.”
But she was disappointed. For the last few hours, she’d been wishing Xavier would come over and tickle her fancy with one of those sexy smiles of his. If she couldn’t sleep with him, she damn well was going to flirt with him. It made her feel warm and fuzzy—a lot like the beer she had been drinking.
Plus, the view from his dock was spectacular. The sun was setting, and the stars would soon shine. If only he would come down here and sit next to her, talk in that low, rough way he had…
She sighed. Not tonight, apparently. Hosting had taken up a lot of his time and attention, and understandably so. Xavier was a good friend.
“I heard that sigh. I refuse to allow you in my car.” Lisa leveled May with a hard look. “Stay here and flirt with Xavier instead.”
“I never…” May started, and then realized that bullshitting Lisa was a fruitless pastime. “He’s busy. I’ve watched him being pulled into one conversation after another, and when he’s not, he’s stepping behind the bar to do what he does best.” She offered a small smile. She really did love watching him move around with such confidence. “Couldn’t convince him to take a night off, could you?” She aimed this question at Ant.
“Me? It’s not my job to pull the stick out of his hardworking ass. In fact, anything around the topic of his ass should probably involve the woman who’s had her eyes on it all night.”
Lou burst out laughing.
“I have a rule that clearly states—” May began.
