Million Dollar Christmas Bride - Holly Rayner Page 0,32
always sit over here, don’t you?” she said.
“What can I say?” He shrugged and reached for a laminated slip of paper that was perched between bottles of condiments in the center of the table. “I’m a creature of habit, I guess. Rufus likes to be out here in the fresh air.”
“And he’d probably dislike being around the corner, at a table that looks out on the river,” Bianca said with a grin. “That’s where Peaches and I always sit. She can’t handle being over here, close to the street.”
Jackson tilted his head back and gave a hearty guffaw. “Of course!” he said, his Adam’s apple sliding up and down as he chuckled. He looked out at the sidewalk that formed a border between the bar’s outdoor seating and the street. “All these skateboards and bikes… your Peaches would go nuts ’cause of the wheels, hm?”
Bianca nodded. “And Rufus would bark at the water.”
Jackson leaned forward. “So you’re telling me that we’ve been here—to this very place—probably at the same time, yet we didn’t meet because of our dogs?”
Bianca had to laugh. “That’s right. What a missed opportunity!”
“You got that right,” Jackson said. “All those beers I had with my boys, or on my own—and the whole time, I could’ve been in your company…?” He shook his head. “Man. I was missing out.”
Bianca felt her cheeks heat up. It was one thing to exchange friendly banter with Jackson, but another to accept a compliment from him—especially a compliment that was so charged with meaning. The way he leaned forward and spoke in a low, intimate tone that only she could hear made a shiver of pleasure run up her spine.
He shifted back, but his eyes lingered, and she couldn’t look away from his gaze. In a flash, she felt the heat of attraction that she’d first felt for him welling up inside of her.
Just like that, all of the legal jargon she’d consumed in his office faded from her mind. All she could think about was how gorgeous the man before her was.
And I’m here, sitting across from him, she thought, her heart swelling with gratitude. I’m the luckiest woman in this bar. Heck, I’m the luckiest woman in Memphis—or maybe even in the country!
Her cheeks burned and she looked down to the table. The edge of the laminated menu slid into her line of sight, followed by Jackson’s tanned, large hand.
“Take a peek,” he said. “I’m sure you know the beers they have on tap, but it looks like they have a Holiday special.”
Bianca scanned the page and saw that Jackson was right. The “Ho Ho Hops” beer was described as a “winter ale that will warm you to the core, with slightly bitter hops in contrast with rich, malt overtones.”
“Sounds good,” she said, as if she really cared about the flavor of the beer she was about to order. How could she care about such a thing, when all of her senses were so overwhelmed with Jackson’s presence? She wanted to take in every gesture he made: the light touch of his fingers grazing the brim of his baseball hat; the way his muscles rippled beneath his tee every time he leaned against the table; the faint smell of his cologne, which was becoming tantalizingly familiar to her.
When a server breezed toward them in the casual way that the Corner Bar staff usually worked, Jackson held up a hand. “Two of the Ho Ho Hops,” he said.
The server smiled and winked. “You got it, Mr. Wylde,” he said quickly, before passing by.
“This place is a far cry from the Heritage Manor,” Bianca couldn’t help but note, just as a group of college students erupted with rowdy laughter at a table nearby. “I can’t believe you hang out here.”
“I like the atmosphere,” Jackson said. “I told you—I’m a simple guy at heart.”
“I thought that over,” Bianca admitted. “And I’m not sure I believe you.” Her tone was light and flirtatious, and she stole a glance at Jackson through her lashes as she placed the drink menu back between the ketchup and mustard. “You were raised with all sorts of privileges, I bet. Private school, I’m guessing.”
He nodded. “I went to Bertram Woods, over near Castleton.”
Bianca uttered a dramatic moan. “A Bertram Woods boy!” she said with a laugh. “We had a few names for you guys, at my public school. They’re not friendly so I won’t repeat them here.”
He raised a brow. “Oh really? Come on, tell me. I’m tough.