Page 4 of Blindsided

With that depressing thought in mind, I head back to the bar to get another beer.

“Look what the cat dragged in,” a familiar voice shouts from the bar.

“Hey, bro! I didn’t know you were working tonight.” I walk around to the open side of the bar to hug my youngest brother, Nolan. He’s been managing O’Malley’s for the last six months, and I’ve never seen him happier.

“Yeah, one of my bartenders got hit with a nasty stomach bug.” Nolan’s dark hair has grown out to curl around his ears, and he’s wearing his glasses tonight. He looks like a young Clark Kent but with longer hair.

“Sucks for them, but I’m glad I got to see you.” Given how busy we all are, I don’t get to see my siblings as often as I would like. As the CFO and co-owner of Sidelines Sporting Goods, I tend to get caught up in making sure our company is running as smoothly as possible. Since we have stores all across the country, that’s not the easiest job in the world. Having my oldest brother, Adam, running the show with me helps keep the workload down, but we still don’t get to hang out with our siblings very often.

Nolan heads back behind the bar and pulls my favorite beer from the tap for me. I sit on one of the stools, preferring to chat with him between customers. The same swell of pride I always get when I watch him work threatens to undo me. I’m not sure why I’m so fucking sappy tonight. It’s not like this is the first time I’ve been at O’Malley’s while he’s working.

But seeing how much he loves his job makes me happy. For a long time, Adam and I weren’t sure if he would ever find the right career path. He’s always been a passionate guy. He’d throw everything he had into whatever he was doing at the time and always ended up burnt out and depressed by the end. It’s a relief to see him thriving.

“You’re Matthew Ellis, right?”

I turn toward the blonde, who has just sidled up next to me. Her brown eyes are wide, as if she can’t believe she got the courage to come talk to me.

Being recognized for being an owner of Sidelines will never feel normal. Our company has grown exponentially in the almost ten years Adam and I have been in business. We grew up in Sonoma, and while we would’ve loved to have set up shop there, it made more sense to open the store here in Westlake. It was a little bigger and had the perfect storefront for our brand-new business. Since then, we’ve opened locations all across the country and have become the sports equipment provider for a few national sports teams.

Even though Westlake is bigger than Sonoma, it’s still a small town, and Adam and I have become well-known in the area.

I slide my most charming smile across my face. “Yeah, I am. I’m afraid I don’t have the pleasure of recognizing you by sight.”

The blonde blushes, her smile growing wider. “I’m Whitney.”

Well, my night has officially turned less depressing. “Can I buy you a drink, Whitney?”

* * *

My fingers slide through Whitney’s silky hair to expose her neck to my lips. Her perfume floods my senses, the floral scent a little overpowering. I’m rethinking my plan to use my tongue now. No one likes the metallic taste of perfume.

I pull away and enjoy the way Whitney sways toward me without realizing it. After buying her a couple of drinks, it became obvious where she wanted this night to end up. I wouldn’t have brought her back to my house if it wasn’t. But before we go any further, I need to ensure she is still interested.

“Whitney, are you sure you wanna do this? It’s totally okay if you want to stop.”

Her eyes light up with lust, as if my confirming her consent is a turn-on. Maybe it is. I’d hate to know how many guys she’s been with who took advantage of her slightly inebriated state.

“Yes, I want this so much.” She presses up to kiss me, and I get swept up in her passion.

I manage to pull myself away long enough to finish my normal speech for when I bring a girl back to my house. “And you know this won’t go further than tonight, right? I’ll make you breakfast in the morning, and then we’ll go our separate ways as friends and nothing more.”

Whitney’s eyes dim a little at my condition. Most girls know what this is when it happens, but there’s always a small amount of hope that they’ll be different. That they’ll be the one who brings down the biggest bachelor in Westlake. The notoriety has gotten worse since Adam started dating Ellie. I’ve become the whale that women want to land. I can assure them that’s never going to happen. Settling down is not in the cards for me.

“We can end things right now. If you’re not comfortable with that arrangement, I would understand,” I remind her. I’d rather not sleep with her if she’s going to feel bad about the one night.

“No, no. I had a feeling that would be the case. I’m good.” She smiles, her eyes heating again. I’ve gotten adept at reading when a woman is truly okay with the one-night idea and when she thinks she can still turn things around in her favor. All I’m getting from Whitney is lust.

“Fantastic.” I press my mouth against hers, allowing this kiss to turn dirtier than any of the others have been. My hands roam her small frame as I push her toward my stairs. I grip her thighs and lift, her legs wrapping around my waist automatically. My hard cock nestles against her center in a tantalizing tease. God, I love this shit.

My steps are sure as I climb the stairs while continuing to kiss her.

Whitney pulls away from me. “Did you hear that?”

I freeze in the middle of the stairway and listen. “I don’t hear anyth—”

A knock on my door interrupts my words. Who the hell could be at my house at this time of night? I drop Whitney’s legs with an apology and pull out my phone to make sure there isn’t a family emergency.

Seeing the screen empty of notifications only makes my confusion grow. “Go into the kitchen while I figure out what’s going on,” I tell Whitney, pointing down the hallway. If this is a setup, I don’t want her to be right here in my foyer where she could get hurt. And I know it seems like a stretch to think someone would be here to hurt me, but after what happened to Adam’s girlfriend, Ellie, I’m not taking any chances.

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