Page 10 of The Trouble With Attraction (Rock Canyon, Idaho 6)

Gracie considered her options. If she refused to do it, she’d spend the next hour being heckled by her friends about something going on between her and the Neanderthal bartender. If she did it, she’d have to deal with Eric and all his shit.

For whatever rea

son, her friend’s teasing was the last thing she wanted to endure tonight. Standing up, she headed towards the bar, ignoring their “Ooooohs.”

She would have her revenge on them later.

As she came around the bar and grabbed one of the black aprons off the hook, Eric did a double take. “What the hell are you doing behind the bar?”

“Coming to your rescue.” Grabbing a pitcher, she faced Michelle Winters with a smile.

“What do you want?”

“An Appletini.”

Gracie’s cocky smile slipped a little. Beer was one thing, but fancy drinks?

Setting the pitcher on the bar, she climbed up and let out a loud whistle. They whole room, including the band, stilled.

“Listen up! If you want anything besides pitchers of beer or plates of fries, get lost. Take your hoity toity ass elsewhere for the night!”

Suddenly, large hands had a hold of her ass and were pulling her down off the bar. As the music resumed, Eric glared down at Gracie and hollered, “What the hell are you doing?”

“Simplifying things.” She could still feel his warm palms gripping her hips and the touch sent her heart pounding into overdrive. Damnit, of all the guys to send her hormones through the roof, why did it have to be him?

“Driving paying customers away, is how I see it.”

Placing her hand in the middle of his chest, she pushed hard, but he didn’t budge.

“You can yell at me later. Right now, I’m actually trying to help.”

When someone shouted his name, he released her. “Do you actually know how to fill a pitcher?”

“Considering you do it, I figure it can’t be that hard.”

Chapter Five

Eric Henderson couldn’t help finding Gracie distracting; it had been that way since she was a flirty teenager trying to get one over on him.

But watching her lean across the bar to listen to customers, her cute, perky ass sticking out in a pair of painted on jeans, left him mesmerized.

Thank God the night was winding down. The place had been packed full and when his other bartender had called in, it had been just him behind the bar while Grant had watched the door. If it hadn’t been for Gracie jumping in, he would have had a lot of pissed off people instead of just a handful.

Once he yelled, “Last call,” people began settling their tabs and trickling out the door. Eric saw Gemma carry what must have been Gracie’s purse over to her, and she shoved it under the counter.

When she started untying her apron, he said, “Hey, Gracie, can you hang on a minute?”

She paused, her eyebrow arched, but said nothing.

“Just have a seat at the bar, and let me get the rest of these people out of here.” Filling a pitcher and handing her a glass, he said, “Here. It’s on me.”

“Hey, how come she gets free beer?” One drunk bitched.

Eric sent him a thunderous look. “‘Cause she fucking earned it.”

Another asshole snickered, “I bet.”

In a blink, Eric had reached across the bar and grabbed him by the front of his shirt. Dragging him across it until they were nose to nose, he growled, “Apologize to her and get the fuck out of my bar.”

---