You're to Blame(46)

The main floor is packed full for a Wednesday night. Bodies bump into each other. The line at the bar is three people deep, with everyone yelling drink orders in hopes of getting alcohol in their system before the others.

I scan the main level and lock eyes with Duke. He stills in front of the cash register. His stare intensifies while the seconds tick by and my breathing labors. The black t-shirt allows me the chance to appreciate the tattoos adorning his forearm and bicep. We haven’t seen each other since the furniture store. Let’s just say I’ve been writing a lot of random thoughts in my notebooks. The way he looked and spoke freely is permanently imbedded into my brain. He made me feel important and wanted. I don’t know what it means, but it sets my entire body on fire.

Derks slides in beside me, interrupting the stare down between Duke and me. “You ready to do this?” With his hand on the small of my back, he guides me to the bar. “Since you’re not exactly of age, despite what the driver’s license in your purse says” —he raises an eyebrow, and Lydia laughs, pulling out a bottle of vodka and pouring a line of shots— “I’m going to have you hang back. Observe. I was first a bartender at a college bar back in Wisconsin. It’s where I learned everything I know.”

While filling drink orders, Derks tells me a little more of his past. He treats every customer like a friend. A wink here. A handshake there. It’s impressive the way he has built a lucrative business based solely on his bright, welcoming personality.

“I have a quick question,” I say as Derks skirts by to put a food order into the system.

Derks hands several dollar bills and coins to a blonde standing at the edge of the bar. Her eyes darken as she takes him in. It doesn’t take a genius to know she’s interested in him. It also doesn’t come as any surprise that Derks is used to girls throwing themselves at him. He flashes his pearly whites, and her cheeks immediately color a light shade of pink.

“What’s up, sweetheart?” He turns to me, ignoring the girl.

“Why a bar?” I lean against the open spot beside the register. “I mean, of all the businesses, why a bar?”

“I told you I worked at a bar in college, and I’m only thirty. A bar seems like a fitting business to get into,” Derks answers, popping the tops on two beers.

“No, I don’t believe you. You’ve got these smile lines right here.” I grace my finger against the soft skin beside his eye. “They tell me a different story.”

“She’s impressive,” Derks says to Duke as he empties his pockets for what has to be the first time tonight.

Duke sucks on his bottom lip, and heat sparks between us.

“She sure is,” Duke whispers, slamming the drawer on the register.

The rest of the bar fades away. Duke’s back stretches as he leans over to hear the next order. He fills the shot glasses like it’s an art form. A drop of rum lands on his thumb, and he slips it into his mouth. My pulse pumps wildly at the sight. His jeans are snug, showing off his lean but muscular thighs.

“Choosing to open a bar was an easy decision because of him,” Derks says.

“What did you say?” I ask, my gaze glued to Duke. He and Lydia dance around each other, somehow avoiding collisions, even at their neck-breaking speed.

“You asked me the real reason I opened Murphy’s.”

“I’m so embarrassed,” I apologize. “I wasn’t listening.”

“He distracts you,” Derks observes.

Like a whip, I flick in Derks’ direction. “What do you mean?”

“You two have this weird fire between you.”

“There is no fire.” I shake my head. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Whatever you say.” A skeptical smirk slips onto his face. “I’m just pointing out what I notice. I could be wrong.”

Derks heads towards the DJ booth. I follow him when he waves me on. He whispers in the DJ’s ear and almost runs into me on his way back to the bar.

“What do you mean, there’s a fire between us?” The better question is how does Derks know how I feel when Duke’s around?

The gap between us grows smaller. Deliberate steps bring him to right in front of me.

“Have you ever been to a bonfire, Charlotte?” he asks, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. His nearness is primal. He’s hunting, and I’m his prey. “You know that moment where you step close to the flames, and the heat hits your bare skin?” Under his verbal assault, I still as he tilts his head to the side and grazes his lips along the sensitive skin above my collar bone. I’m not attracted to Derks a single bit, but damn, that man can cast a spell. “It’s damn good. A relief you never knew you were in desperate need of.”

In one single moment, Derks peppermint breath is fanning over my skin, and then, in the next, he’s disappeared into thin air. My skin chills from his absence.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Duke shoves Derks in the chest. His words shake me loose from the spell Derks put me under.

Derks’ snicker only pisses Duke off more.

“Seriously, Derks, what the fuck were you doing?” Duke looks down to where I stand closely beside him. Never had there been a second where I thought Derks would hurt me in any way. He’s not the kind of guy, but he didn’t do what he did for his own pleasure. He did it to get a rise out of Duke. They stand toe to toe while I’m a step behind, shaking in fear of what one of them will do next.