You're to Blame(26)

“I’ll have a whiskey sour.” His eyes soften and command my attention. “Thank you.”

“You heard the girl, Lyd.” Duke’s cologne awakens all my senses when he leans over my short height. “A whiskey sour, and none of the bottom shelf shit you try to serve me all the time.”

“So, Duke, tonight your night off?” Rachel asks, sucking on the straw dipped in the bright blue drink.

“Sure is.” He waves at Lydia, and as if on command, she pops the top to another beer and slides it down the bar to him.

Next to Rachel, I’ve always felt mediocre, but Duke doesn’t flinch when Rachel plays with the end of the straw with her tongue. My heart is shocked.

“Wouldn’t you rather be anywhere else than your workplace on your night off?” I pop the straw between my lips and take a slow sip. The liquid blazes down my throat. His eyes focus on my mouth. I pull it away, slowly, to test his reaction.

Jesus Christ. I’m a horrible person. His zipper practically stretches in front of me. I guess I just got a glimpse of what’s inside his jeans.

“You’d think you’d have a hot date. It being a Thursday and all,” Rachel adds. She pops her tongue into her cheek and wiggles her eyebrows, testing the last ounce of my patience.

“This place is sort of like home.” Duke leans forward to gain Rachel’s attention. “And to answer your question, I don’t date.”

“Like at all?” My eyes widen, and the straw drops from my mouth. “From what I hear, you do.”

“You believe all the rumors you hear?” He envelops me between him and the bar.

“I think everyone on campus has heard something,” Rachel scoffs. “You have quite the reputation.”

“I don’t date. I never said I don’t fuck. There’s a difference.” My back stiffens when his lips move alarmingly close to my ear. “Have fun tonight.”

With his beer in hand, he leaves Rachel and me with our mouths agape. He waltzes over to Derks and sits at the corner booth.

Rachel fans her face and neck. “I bet he does. Have you checked out his body? Even under a t-shirt, the ripples and dips are evident.”

“Okay, enough.” It’s awfully annoying she’s even noticed his dips and ripples. “Nothing is less attractive than a guy who knows he’s gorgeous.” Who am I trying to fool with this bullshit?

“Oh, everything about the guy is attractive, and by the sweet little smiles you give him, I’d say you aren’t immune.” She raises an eyebrow. “Not to mention the little hand holding I witnessed.”

“Leave it alone.” I distract myself any way I can manage, focusing on the crowd in front of our table.

“It’s his hair.” She strains to catch sight of Duke across the bar.

“His hair?” I, too, look to where he is, curious by what’s so fascinating about his hair. His and Derks’ attention are on me. Derks offers a friendly wink and smile.

She may be on to something with the whole hair theory. The bottom half of Duke’s is buzzed short, while the top is longer. It’s a look most guys can’t pull off, but somehow, he does flawlessly. My curiosity gets the best of me, and I envision what his hair would feel like between my fingers.

“See!” Rachel eases her stare slowly to where he sits. His head stays tucked close to Derks’ while they have a deep conversation. “It’s the hair.”

It’s like the girl can read my mind.

From across the room, his smile widens as if he overhears our conversation. A chunk of dark locks falls perfectly over his right eye, and my fingers tingle to push it back.

Duke intrigues me. This is something I can either ignore or deal with head on. I’m confident in the reaction he stirs up inside of me. There’s a desperation to know the real him, not the version everyone gossips about. It’s who he is when no one looks that draws out the need inside my body to be near him.

“You going to stop ogling him any time soon or would you like to pull up your skirt for him right here?” Rachel smacks my arm, warning me of my slip-up.

“Don’t be crude. I wasn’t ogling him.” I roll my eyes at her ridiculous accusation.

“I’m not blind, Charlotte. It’s me, your best friend,” she says with determination. “Do I need to pretend I didn’t see him grab your hand? Or the way you leaned into him? Will that make you feel better? I’ll never judge you, Charlotte. Not like the rest of these fuckers.” She eyes the people in the bar. “I know you’ve been wrapped in this little world where Jacob is the end all, be all” —she laughs— “but you’re definitely seeing what the rest of us see in Duke. Perhaps, soaking it up more than us, too.”

“And what’s that?” She has me backed into a corner, and there’s no reason to deny anything.

“Sex on a stick, girl. Sex. On. A. Stick.” She giggles. “And trust me, you aren’t the first or the last girl to look at him like she wants to eat him up.”

“Knock it off, okay? Can we just let loose tonight?” I shift the direction of the conversation. No words have ever distracted my best friend faster.

“Did you, Charlotte Novak, just ask if we can let loose?” She leans over the bar, stretching her entire length, ass up in the air like a damn cat begging for attention. “I’ve been waiting a lifetime to hear those words.” She waves down Lydia. When she comes to stand in front of us, her smile softens in comparison to when she’s waiting on pushy male patrons. “We’ll have four shots of tequila.”