tell. She just looked like one. With raven hair and big blue eyes, she was easily one of the most beautiful women I'd ever seen. The dark hair was a stark contrast to her pale features, and I could tell it wasn't her natural color – still, it looked stunning on her.
Her hair fell in soft waves over her shoulders, leading to a nice view of her ample cleavage. Her rich, red dress fit her very well, showing off curves for days. With matching heels, she looked way too classy to be in a place like Pete’s.
And she was alone too.
“I'm gonna talk to her,” Caleb said, standing up quickly from his seat at the table.
“She's out of your league, brother,” Phillip teased.
“Oh yeah? Watch me knock this one out of the ballpark, brother,” he said, winking at all of us as he swaggered over toward the beautiful woman.
Phillip turned around to watch, a grin on his face. He seemed to think there was no way a woman like that would be into the likes of Caleb, but I didn't see why not. Caleb was a handsome guy, the type of guy most women would be proud to take home to mama.
“He has absolutely no clue how to talk to women like that,” Phillip said, shaking his head.
“What do you mean?”
“A woman like that – of her obvious station and caliber – doesn't want to be hit on. She doesn't need someone to buy her a drink, she obviously has money,” Phillip said softly.
“Then why in the hell would she come to a place like this?”
Phillip shrugged. “She's probably bored. She's just dipping her toes into the water, seeing how the rest of the world lives,” he said. “But she doesn't want to get in and immerse herself. Not fully and not with the likes of any of us. Caleb is the type of guy who comes on way too fucking strong for his own good and he's about to down in a big, fiery heap. You watch.”
Suddenly, I was curious too. I had to admit I sort of wanted Caleb to fail, but not because I wanted Phillip to be right. No, a knot formed in my chest as I looked over at the woman. Her eyes were crystal blue and filled with such depth that I found it compelling. Almost intoxicating. There was a sadness to her though, something I couldn't put my finger on. She seemed lost and alone – those were feelings I knew all too well. I wanted him to fail because I wanted her for myself.
Caleb approached her, and the woman didn't even crack a smile. She looked past him, her gaze falling on our table of men. I watched as she took us all in, one-by-one, and when her eyes fell on me, I felt my heart start to race all on its own accord.
I knew I was an attractive guy. I worked out a lot given the field I was in. I had to stay strong, fit, and agile; ready to carry people down ladders or several flights of stairs in a hurry. All of us were in great shape though, so if all she cared about was a body – well, she had quite a few to choose from.
No, when our eyes connected, she stared at me for a second longer than she had at the rest of the guys. Or maybe I'd imagined it. Either way, I knew I had to have her. Caleb was trying his best to talk to her, but she wasn't paying attention. I stood up, and before I knew what had gotten into me, I walked over to the beautiful young woman.
The closer I got, the more stunning she became. She truly didn't belong in a place like this and yet, the fact that she was sitting there all alone, piqued my interest even more. Why was she there? What was she running or hiding from? No one came into a place like this dressed like that. Not intentionally. It was as if she'd just ducked into the first shitty bar she could find to throw her rich, underwear model boyfriend off her scent.
Just as I stepped up behind Caleb, she spoke. Her voice was firm and strong.
“I'm sorry, I'm not interested,” she said, her eyes barely making contact with Caleb's.
Caleb started to argue, trying his hardest to get a second chance with her or to get her to at least notice him. I put my hand on his shoulder.
“Come on, man. She said she's not interested,” I said. “Let's move along.”
The woman turned her gaze toward me, and she looked me up and down. I'd assumed her not being interested meant she wasn't interested in being hit on at all – just like Phillip had said. But she pointed a long, perfectly manicured finger toward me and smile.
“You can stay,” she purred.
Caleb glared at me, but it didn't matter. It's not like I was really seeing him in that moment anyway. He turned and sulked his way back to the table, leaving me alone with the beautiful woman.
“I'm Jax,” I said, reaching out a hand to shake hers.
She looked down at my hand and frowned, and for a second, I feared I'd struck out as well. But she took my hand and gripped it firmly, surprising me. She knew how to give a good, firm handshake. I was impressed.
“I could really use a drink.”
“Coming right up,” I said. “What would you like?”
“Whatever's good in a place like this,” she said.
She scrunched up her nose in disgust as she took in the interior of the bar. Not that I could really blame her – Pete's really was a grimy little hole in the wall. But it was our grimy little hole in the wall.
I chuckled. “Not much good, I'm afraid, but I think we can make do,” I said.
Her lips pulled back into an almost-smile and she said, “I'm Maddy by the way.”
About the Author
K.C. Crowne is an International Bestselling Romance Author and author of Amazon top 20 US books.
Rainbow Canyons Cowboy Series
Untamed Cowboy |Taboo Cowboy |Cowboy’s Baby|Her Cowboy Daddies | Southern Charm| Cowboy’s Bride
Mountain Men of Liberty Series
Baby for the Mountain Man| Junior for the Mountain Man| Knocked Up by the Mountain Man| Baby For Daddy's Friend | Triplets for the Mountain Man | Taboo Mountain Daddy| Mountain Man’s Secret Baby | Mountain Man’s Accidental Surprise
Big Bad Daddies Series
Big Bad Doctor | Big Bad Daddy| Big Bad Taboo Daddy | Big Bad Prince|Big Bad Mountain Man| Big Bad SEAL| Big Bad Boss| Big Bad Sugar Daddy| Big Bad Mountain Brothers
Bearded Brothers Mountain Man Series
Her Mountain Daddy| Beauty and the Beard| Bride and the Beard| Built and Bearded |
Firemen of Manhattan Series
Big Bad Fireman’s Baby| Big Bad Firefighter| Big Bad Fire Daddy|
Spenser Sisters Reverse Harem Series
Men on a Mission| Christmas with Four Firemen| Dirty Cowboys
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