to hear?” I ask, leaning against the bar.
She shrugs and just grins.
I tap the bar. “All right, Mallory Sargant, I’ll play something just for you.”
The moment Jameson finishes his last song up on the small stage, I head for the jukebox. Even with patrons trying to give me space, it’s still difficult to shuffle through the crowd. Damn, we’re busy tonight.
The bar quiets down and waits as I slip the quarter into the machine. I find exactly the number I’m looking for and press for my song selection. The opening beat to “Kickstart My Heart” starts, and the bar goes wild. I haven’t played this song since the last time Mallory was here on a Saturday night, which just so happens to be the night I realized she was different. The night I went to sleep with her in my arms and woke with her pressed against me on that lumpy old couch.
It was the start of something great.
Something beautiful and amazing.
The start of us.
I fight my way back to the bar and kiss her neck as I move behind her. Once I’m under the end of the bar and have more room to move, I prepare for tonight’s performance. I find my old ballcap and shove it on my head and place my hands on the hardwood. Then, I jump, shifting myself up on the bar effortlessly and quickly.
When I gaze out at all the faces, I can’t help but feel damn proud. My friends and I have worked our asses off these last few years, and our hard work shows. We have a successful bar and restaurant, and hopefully soon, a brewery too.
Everyone belts out the song around me, begging me to sing along. Sliding my hat on backward, I start with a little hip roll action, making the ladies go wild. A few dressed like slutty nurses and bunnies in the middle of the room and practically pushing and fighting their way up to the bar where I am. I’m seconds away from getting molested, if they make it up here, so I decide to move.
Besides, they’re not the ones I’m dancing and singing for.
I walk toward the end of the bar where my girl is seated, moving to the beat of the song and singing along. When I get to where she sits, I rock my hips and do a little dip. Mallory’s face is as a red as the devil costume just off to her left, but she’s wearing a huge grin.
I dance and sing for my girl before dropping to my knees. I kick something behind me under the bar, but Jasper’s there and catches it. I know she can’t hear me singing, since the noise level in this place is deafening, but I do anyway, hoping she understands what I’m saying. She’s the one who kickstarted my heart and opened it.
I rock back and thrust my hips upward in a move I saw on Magic Mike and laugh when she brings her hands to her face to cover her eyes. I grab her hands though, moving in to claim her lips right here in the middle of my bar, during the song. I’m making a statement.
To her and everyone around us.
The kiss is hard and intense, and if it weren’t for all the people screaming and cheering around us, I’d probably get hard.
I finish out the song, singing and dancing for only Mallory. As soon as the song ends, I plaster one more kiss on her lips. “You’re keeping your adoring fans waiting,” she hollers over the noise.
I shrug. “Don’t care. You’re the one that matters.”
“You know what I’m thinking?” she asks, leaning close and whispering in my ear. “Maybe you can show me that hip roll thrust move later tonight.”
A burst of laughter spills from my lips. “You got it, Mal.” With one last chaste kiss on her lips, I add, “Love you.”
“Love you more.”
“Not possible,” I reply with a wink before turning and heading back to the middle of the bar. It’s time to get back to work.
First, finish serving drinks to a bar full of patrons. Then, close down the bar for the night. Finally, take Mallory home and show my woman how much I love and adore her.
Sounds like one hell of a life to me.
Damn, I’m one lucky bastard. All it took was one woman and a tiny three-year-old to completely turn my world upside down, all for the better. To introduce me to love. To make me see how beautiful the world can be with a little color.
To kickstart my heart.
The End
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Books Also by Lacey Black
Rivers Edge series
Trust Me, Rivers Edge book 1 (Maddox and Avery) – FREE at all retailers
~ #1 Bestseller in Contemporary Romance
Fight Me, Rivers Edge book 2 (Jake and Erin)
Expect Me, Rivers Edge book 3 (Travis and Josselyn)
Promise Me: A Novella, Rivers Edge book 3.5 (Jase and Holly)
Protect Me, Rivers Edge book 4 (Nate and Lia)
Boss Me, Rivers Edge book 5 (Will and Carmen)
Trust Us: A Rivers Edge Christmas Novella (Maddox and Avery)
~ This novella was originally part of the Christmas Miracles Anthology
BOX SET – contains all 5 novels, 2 novellas, and a BONUS short story
With Me, A Rivers Edge Christmas Novella (Brooklyn and Becker)
Bound Together series
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Summer Sisters series
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My Kinda Night, Summer Sisters book 2 (Payton and Dean)
My Kinda Song, Summer Sisters book 3 (Abby and Levi)
My Kinda Mess, Summer Sisters book 4 (Lexi and Linkin)
My Kinda Player, Summer Sisters book 5 (AJ and Sawyer)
My Kinda Player, Summer Sisters book 6 (Meghan and Nick)
My Kinda Wedding, A Summer Sisters Novella book 7 (Meghan and Nick)
Rockland Falls series
Love and Pancakes, Rockland Falls book 1
Love and Lingerie, Rockland Falls book 2
Love and Landscape, Rockland Falls book 3
Love and Neckties, Rockland Falls book 4
Standalone
Music Notes, a sexy contemporary romance standalone
A Place To Call Home, a Memorial Day novella
Exes and Ho Ho Ho’s, a sexy contemporary romance standalone novella
Pants on Fire, a sexy contemporary romance standalone
Double Dog Dare You, a new standalone
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Co-Written with NYT Bestselling Author, Kaylee Ryan
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Fair Lakes Box Set
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Acknowledgments
A HUGE thank you to everyone who helped bring this book to life.
My editing team – Kara Hildebrand, Sandra Shipman, Joanne Thompson, and Karen Hrdlicka. You ladies are THE best!
The book team - Photographer, Wander Aguiar; Model, Pat Tanski; Cover Designer, Melissa Gill; Graphics Designer, Gel with Tempting Illustrations; formatting, Brenda with Formatting Done Wright; and promotions by Give Me Books. I couldn’t do it with each of you!! You make it easy and fun.
Kaylee Ryan, Holly Collins, Lacey’s Ladies, and my ARC team, thank you for listening, for your encouragements, and for your constant support.
To my husband and kids, thank you for always standing by my side and forgiving me when I submerge myself into my book world. It’s not easy, but we make it work together.
To all the bloggers and readers, thank you, thank you, thank you. I hope you enjoy this story as much as I loved writing it.
About the Author
Lacey Black is a Midwestern girl with a passion for reading, writing, and shopping. She carries her e-reader with her everywhere she goes so she never misses an opportunity to read a few pages. Always looking for a happily ever after, Lacey is passionate about contemporary romance novels and enjoys it further when you mix in a little suspense. She resides in a small town in Illinois with her husband, two children, and three rowdy chickens. Lacey loves watching NASCAR races, shooting guns, and should only consume one mixed drink because she’s a lightweight.