Page 12 of Beyond The Barre

Linc grinned. Apart from beer and women, his other great passion was golf, and the Maleny Golf Club had designed a very good course which meandered through bushland and over hilly terrain, making for an eventful round.

“Of course. I’ve already paid for our tickets,” he said.

Someone turned the TV up and everyone turned to see the countdown start.

Linc moved ever so slightly closer to Scarlett as the excited buzz of the room wrapped around them.

“Five, four, three …”

Linc turned to look at Scarlett. Should he try to kiss her? What about his rule never to start a new year with a woman he didn’t intend to finish it with?

Wait, did he maybe want to finish it with her? What the fuck?

“Two, one. Happy New Year!” The crowd whooped and shouted around them.

Scarlett was watching him, their faces only a few inches apart.

When her plump, pink lips parted, he lost all control, and his mouth pressed against hers. It took all his strength not to deepen the kiss—not to feed from her lips and explore that luscious mouth. He let his lips linger for just a moment longer than etiquette would deem appropriate, then withdrew slowly, searching her eyes for any sign of regret.

He saw none—only a glimmer of something. Disappointment?

Before he could think more about it, they were caught in the celebrations of the crowd. “Happy New Year’s,” was said to each other, and hugs and handshakes were exchanged by everyone around them.

Then he was being pulled away from Scarlett, but he held her gaze as long as he could as his friends swept him away.

Hamish was the first person to call it quits for the night, and it quickly became an exodus after that as people registered how late it had gotten. They had seen in the New Year—now it was time to head home and make the most of the following public holiday.

Scarlett lingered by the bar, unsure if she should wait around but eager to get a last glance at Linc before the magical night came to an end.

She had seen a different side of Linc tonight. He had been friendly with everyone, making them all feel welcome and special. The bar was certainly a place people would want to come back to time and time again.

The way people had spoken of him—how generous he was with his time and money, always seeking to help the community—had made her see him in a new light. He might have been a player, but from all accounts, he wasn’t hurting anyone with his lifestyle. The hook-ups were consensual good fun. And what was so wrong with that? Men and women had needs. Itches that needed to be scratched from time to time. It had been a while since Scarlett had had that itch scratched. And with all that experience, Linc was probably very good at it.

A shock of lust barrelled through her system as she thought of how he might touch and tease her. Her senses said yes as much as her head said no. She didn’t need to be a rocket scientist to know that Linc touching her was a bad idea. When had a casual fling ever been enough for her?

She’d had a total of one lover and that had been a drawn-out episode of neglect and mistreatment. He had only been with her because of her position in the company, not for who she was as a person. She didn’t know how to be in a normal relationship, let alone play out a casual fling with a man she would then have to see at community events.

Audrey and Wes waved as they headed for the exit. She watched as they parted the crowd and found Linc in a corner of the room where Scarlett hadn’t seen him. He pulled his attention away from whoever he was talking to—she couldn’t see them—to say goodbye to his friends.

He remained in her line of sight after they left. As more people left, she could see who he was talking to.

A young woman with long brown hair, short denim shorts, and a tight black singlet was engaging in what could only be interpreted as flirting. She was touching his arm, laughing prettily, and playing with her hair. Linc’s back was to Scarlett so she couldn’t see his reaction, but she’d bet he was loving it. Flirting right back and lining her up for a fun night in his bed.

The jealousy that swept through her caught her off-guard. Scarlett had no claim on the ginger-haired man. He had made no promises or commitments to her. She had rejected his attentions and dismissed him, so what right did she have now?

She was preparing herself to look away and leave when Linc raised both arms, placed them on the girl's arms and removed her hand from his bicep.

The disappointed look on the girl’s face almost made Scarlett feel sorry for her.

Almost.

Then Linc turned and their eyes met. That delicious squirming of desire slivered all the way down to her toes. He looked at her like she was the only person in the room. Like she was the only woman he was interested in.

The feeling both empowered and scared her.

Even considering doing anything with Linc was a bad idea. He was a man who got what he wanted, and she could not risk her heart again—no matter how much she wanted to.

With that thought ringing loudly in her head, Scarlett turned on her heel and rushed out of the bar. She needed to put some distance between them and hope he soon forgot all about her.

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