Love to Hate You (Hope Valley #9) - Jessica Prince Page 0,4
that hugged me in a good way, and that I could actually button up, and an off-the-shoulder sweater. I’d slid on a pair of zip-up, high-heeled ankle boots and headed out the door with no makeup and hair hanging loose and wild. Hearing him call me gorgeous when I hadn’t really taken any care with my appearance was a major confidence boost—something I hadn’t had in a really long time.
I picked up my beer as soon as it was placed in front of me, bringing it to my lips. “I’m Hayden, by the way,” I told him before taking a drink.
He hit me with the full impact of a megawatt smile that made the space between my legs pulse and quiver. “Micah. Nice to meet you.”
“You too. And that stool’s all yours as long as you want it.”
Sometime into my second beer, Micah had suggested we move away from the bar and grab a table, something I was more than happy to do. Instead of sitting across from me, he’d taken the chair right beside mine, scooting it even closer so our knees brushed together with even a slight movement.
A couple hours later I was working my way through beer number four. My cheeks were hot, and not just from the alcohol. My head felt nice and floaty and there was a really pleasant warmth blooming beneath my skin.
At some point during our chatting, Micah had positioned himself so one of his arms was resting on the table beside mine, and every now and then he’d slowly drag his fingers across the back of my hand as he spoke, the touch barely there, as though he didn’t even realize he was doing it. If he wasn’t doing that, he was reaching out to brush my hair away from my face. Sometimes he’d tuck a lock behind my ear, dragging the pads of his fingers along the column of my neck gently before pulling back. Other times he’d simply reach out to caress the strands.
“Fuckin’ gorgeous hair, sweetheart,” he’d rumbled at one point. “And so damn soft.”
I’d nearly melted into a puddle right there in my seat.
As it was, those small touches had me riled up in a way I hadn’t experienced in a very long time. I’d been in a constant state of arousal for a while now. My nipples were so tight they ached and my panties got wetter every time he laughed or smiled at me. Hell, just the scent of his aftershave, something clean and musky, was making me lightheaded.
“So tell me something about yourself,” he insisted.
“There’s really not much to tell. I’m just a normal, boring chick,” I answered evasively, as I’d been doing every time he asked me about myself. I was in this bar in the first place because I needed an escape from the shitstorm that had become my life. I’d been in search of a reprieve from the dark, and I’d gotten just that in a very big and unexpected way with a sexy stranger. No way in hell was I putting a damper on any of that by talking about my ex-asshole.
“Somehow I doubt that very much, Red. You gotta give me something.”
I played off the fact that nickname sent a pleasurable tingle up my spine and arched a single brow as I sipped my beer. “Red?”
He grabbed another piece of my hair and gave it a playful tug. “Seems fitting. Now answer one question for me. You live around here?”
“No.” The answer fell off my tongue without any thought. It wasn’t technically a lie. Ivy and I would be moving in a matter of days, and it wasn’t like I was ever going to see this guy again. Evasion was the name of the game. “Just here for a few days for . . . work.” I lifted my beer and gulped. “You?”
“Grew up here but moved away after college. Just came back for the weekend ’cause my little sis is having a baby and the devil woman decided the shower was gonna be co-ed.”
“Ah, gotcha. So, family obligation brought you back.”
“Partly. Mostly it was the threat of death from my old man if I made my sister cry by not showing up.”
My head fell back on a long laugh. When my hilarity tapered off, I caught Micah staring at me, his green eyes flashing with heat that made my heart beat faster. I cleared my throat and teased, “So, if you’re supposed to be here for a baby shower,