stomach makes me pause as images and sensations from last night flash through my head: the way he pulled me into his side, how I seemed to fit quite nicely under his arm, how it felt to have his fingers brushing along the back of my neck when we were seated at the dinner table. A warm shiver runs down my spine as I remember the shock of him licking me close to the corner of my mouth.
It’s so silly. He was just playing the part of my date, mostly because he couldn’t believe that my cousin was actually hitting on him in front of the entire family. Still, he’s smiling, and that’s a whole lot different from his usual “oh, you again” scowl.
He wipes his hands on a bar towel. “Hey, Alice, how’s Wonderland?” He winks, though, so I know he’s playing around.
“Wonderland was empty and I was bored, so I thought I’d stop by.” I set the box on the bar top. “Have you seen what’s going on across the street?”
He wipes down a pint glass before he shelves it, tattooed forearms flexing enticingly. I drag my eyes up to his face, which is also nice to look at. He’s wearing his glasses today, and I’ve decided they’re sexy. He looks like an intellectual lumberjack. A badass one. The plaid is definitely growing on me and so is the man wearing the plaid.
“Earth to Blaire? You sure you’re not still in Wonderland?”
“Huh?”
“You said something was going on across the street.” He arches a brow. “Have you been sampling the martinis this afternoon?”
“Oh! Right! No. I haven’t.” I crook a finger at him. “Come with me, I want to show you something.”
He looks pointedly at his customers and I roll my eyes.
“It’ll only take a minute and it’s better if I show you, rather than tell. Besides, Lars can watch the bar, can’t you?”
Lars winks at me. “Anything for you.”
“Thank you.” I wink back and give Ronan my attention again. “Why can’t you be so accommodating?”
“I can be accommodating. When the situation warrants it, and don’t encourage this one. His ego is already big enough. He doesn’t need you flirting with him to inflate it even more.”
Ronan whips him on the back of the arm with the towel as he rounds the bar and saunters toward me, apparently in no hurry.
As soon as he’s close enough I slip my arm through his, noting how nice and firm his bicep is. I have the urge to trace the outline of the delicate, colorful blooms decorating his forearm. I notice, for the first time, that there’s a woman’s face set in the middle of them. I realize it’s the same woman in the picture on Ronan’s living room wall: his mother. And now I understand what he meant about wanting to see his memories and remember.
I pull him toward the door, yank it open and step out onto the sidewalk. It’s cold and dreary, so I press myself closer, using him as a barrier against the wind and rain. “Look.” I point across the street at the ugly sign.
“Oh shit,” he mutters and looks down at me, eyes wide. “Is this a joke? This has to be a joke. That place was a damn law office three months ago.” I still have my arm threaded through his, so when he moves toward the edge of the sidewalk he takes me with him.
He checks for traffic before he drags me across the street. To be fair, I could let go of his arm, but I don’t really want to. He smells good—like beer, cologne, and laundry detergent. It’s a nice combination.
I snuggle in closer, trying to claim some of his body heat as I read the notice taped to the inside of the window beside the Dick and Bobby’s sign.
“Damn it, they’re supposed to open in a month. How is that even possible? They have to gut this entire place.”
“It’s a chain, though, right? They have loads of money. It wouldn’t take much for them to be able to afford to renovate.”
“Why aren’t you upset about this?” Ronan snaps.
I shrug, trying to understand why he’s so panicked. “It’s a huge, impersonal big box place. Loud, awful, and the food is terrible.”
“Newsflash, Blaire, college kids don’t have discerning palates. This is like an indoor play place for grown-ups, with food and beer and gross coolers that only college students can stomach.”
“And I should be upset that they’re going to serve disgusting coolers, gross