front of me.”
They shook their heads. Then we spent a few minutes catching up before they returned to their friends. Throughout the night, the different members of their group, including them, made their way to the bar at intervals to talk. The seats on either side of me filled in, and as was my way, I made friends for the night, and chatted with whoever entered my space. They all teased me, trying to figure out who I had my eye on, not believing me when I shook my head and assured them that I was merely people watching.
But the whole time, I stayed conscious of Bartender Logan. He’d gone from flustered to the picture of serenity quickly once he began pouring drinks and taking orders. He didn’t chat up his customers the same way Bartender Bobby did, but he seemed content to let the other man entertain the crowd around the bar. He remained attentive to every person he poured for, stopping to chat whenever anyone started a conversation. He didn’t rush the customers or the waitresses when they were hemming and hawing their orders, staying serene and calm, patient.
At one point, the music over the sound system changed to an upbeat tempo, and Bartender Bobby danced over to Logan, grabbing his hand and lifting his arm to spin under it. Bobby giggled hysterically as he got Logan to take a couple of stiff, shuffling steps, causing the larger man to shake his head and chuckle a deep rich sound. My pants tightened unexpectedly as I watched his shoulders fall as the tension drained away at his coworker’s silliness. I’d never seen a man’s face transform so thoroughly. He went from lumberjack to appearing much sweeter than such a grizzly looking man should. For some reason, I found him utterly captivating.
After walking my brother and his men out to their car, I went back to the bar. I had no reason to seek out the gentle giant who’d served us all night, but there was something about him, and I couldn’t leave without at least talking to him.
“Did you need something else, sir?” Logan asked politely as I approached where he was cleaning up.
“I’m Creed,” I said, extending my hand and flashing the cocky smile that had landed many women in my bed.
“Um, Logan.” I resisted saying I know. He dried his hands off quickly on the towel at his side and shook my hand. “Was there a problem tonight?” he asked warily.
I casually leaned my elbow onto the chair right in front of him, hoping to relax him. “Not at all. The food was good and the drinks were great. I overheard you and the other bartender talking though, and since you don’t normally work nights and are leaving soon, I thought I’d hang around and keep you company until you’re done.”
His whole body startled, pale gray eyes widening and fascinating me further. Why did this man appear so vulnerable and call out to every protective instinct inside of me? For the second time tonight, my pants tightened. Yeah, I wasn’t going anywhere without getting to know the sweet Logan a little better.
Chapter Three
Logan
“You don’t have to. Bobby, the other bartender, is one of the best, and if he says he’s got it, he does. I’ll be heading out shortly.”
Creed—not that I’d needed him to introduce himself, I’d caught his name hours ago—shrugged his broad shoulders and eased onto the stool. “Well, humor me. You finish what you’re doing, and I’ll walk you out.”
To hide my confusion, I lifted my lips in my best customer service smile. “Okay, well, let me know if I can get you anything else.”
He waved me off with a grin, so I went about my business cleaning glasses, wiping down the bottles, and restocking things to make the rest of Bobby’s night smoother. The whole time, Creed’s fingers flew across the screen on his phone. Every now and then, he’d groan, but otherwise, he appeared content to just wait. But why? He’d spent a lot of the night standing at the end of the bar. Where others went back and forth from their table to get their drinks, or waited on the waitress, he’d hung out and chatted with whoever happened to walk up. Based on the conversations I’d overheard, socializing and shooting-the-breeze came easily to him. Honestly, it had made the whole night easier for me. People loved to chat up their bartenders, especially the evening crowd, and talking had never been