Page 41 of Freshmeet
“What are you drinking?”
His smile dimmed. “Whiskey Coke.”
I kept my eyes down and got started on his drink.
“We’re having people over after close, if you and the Frattic girls want to come.”
“Maybe. The girls are pretty drunk, so we’ll probably just head home.”
“I hope you change your mind. It’s been too long since we ran a beer pong table together.” Carter was trying to be nice, even if it was in a bumbling, drunk kind of way.
“We’ll see.”
Carter slapped the bar top. “Great! I?—”
“Can I get you something?”
I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sound of Connor’s gravelly voice. Carter and I turned toward the frowning bartender, a sliver of excitement slithering its way into my chest.
Carter stood a little taller. “Sarah’s got it.”
Connor took his cup from my hand, and his eyes narrowed as he asked, “What’s he drinking?”
“Whiskey coke,” I mumbled, stunned at the hostility in Connor’s motions as he refilled the cup.
Neither Carter nor I looked away from Connor. Me, because, duh, Connor was hot as hell. Who knew what Carter’s deal was?
“Here you go.” Connor slid the drink over, and Carter shoved a tip in the jar.
“Connor, when are you going to come hang out at the Gamma house? Your brother is there almost every day.” Carter took a sip of his overflowing drink.
“It’s not really my scene. Thanks for the invite though.” Connor’s hand brushed my elbow. “I’m going to get you some water.” Before I could say anything, he was gone and back, placing a cup of ice water in front of me. “I’ll bring you another when this one’s gone.”
“Thanks.”
He gave me a tight smile and returned to the other end of the bar, but kept his attention set on me. Even while he poured the next drink, I could feel his gaze. Despite the magnetic pull, I kept myself angled away from the temptation at the other end of the bar.
“Is there something going on between you guys?” Carter took a drink, watching Connor’s retreating back. Much to the annoyance of the people waiting behind him, he hadn’t left his spot at the bar.
“I’m tutoring Jamie.” I poured gin into a cup. “He doesn’t like me being around his little brother.”
Carter barked out a surprised laugh. “Oh yeah, Sarah Tilney, bad influence. He clearly doesn’t know you.”
Turning away from Carter, I found Connor staring right at me. “Clearly.” Once I’d given in, I couldn’t look away. Carter kept talking, but I didn’t hear him. All I could pay attention to was the buzz between the two of us, a tether that kept us orbiting one another. It’d be so easy to just?—
Meg yanked Connor’s arm, shattering the magic.
“All right, I’m going to go back to the guys at the shuffleboard tables. Come get me when you’re done, and I’ll walk with you?” He didn’t wait for me to answer before he left.
Typical.
“Carter needs to learn how to use less cologne.” Mona scrunched her nose, shoving another dollar in the tip jar. “I’m drunk as hell and even I was offended.”
I glanced down the bar at Connor and lifted my water.
“He is a more-is-more kind of guy. There’s a reason we never really dated.”
Connor dropped off the water but didn’t leave. Instead, he leaned against the bar on his forearms. “Can I get you anything else?”
