Undenied (Unspoken #3)(2)

“I’ll take a water,” she said.

She turned back to Wes, a million questions burning in her eyes. “Well? Tell me about you. What are you doing these days?”

His tongue felt thick in his mouth. Like he’d just swallowed a cup of sawdust or eaten a dozen crackers without a drink.

She looked beautiful, but then she’d always been gorgeous. The years had been good to her, how long had it been? Eleven? Twelve years? Good God, it had been twelve years. She’d been sixteen then. Sweet, innocent and so very beautiful.

She hadn’t changed much. Not now when he soaked in her appearance up close and personal. She still had a sparkle about her, something that inexplicably drew him to her, just like it had twelve years ago.

“Wes? Are you all right?”

He blinked and opened his mouth to try and say something to smooth over the awkwardness of the situation, but damned if he knew what to say. Sorry? Apologize for hurting her? Apologize for being a clumsy, inexperienced dumbass?

“I’m fine,” he mumbled. He looked around…for what, help? He met Zack’s gaze, sure panic was etched in his features.

Zack looked curiously back at him, nodded once in silent understanding then reached for the phone under the counter. A few seconds later, Wes’s cell phone rang.

Wes yanked up his phone, knowing when he answered there wouldn’t be anyone on the other end, but he gripped the receiver like a lifeline.

“Yeah,” he said shortly. He waited an appropriate amount of time before saying, “Okay, I’ll be right in.”

He closed the phone and donned an expression of regret. “That was the station. I’m a local cop. They need me to come in. I’ll, uh, catch you another time.”

“Oh,” she said. “Well, it was nice to see you again.” She flashed a smile that didn’t quite reach to her eyes, eyes that reflected suspicion.

“Uh, yeah, you too,” Wes hedged. He nodded in Zack’s direction. “Thanks, man. I’ll see you later.”

He turned tail and all but ran the hell out of the bar. When he reached the outside, he sucked in several breaths, trying to rid himself of the embarrassment blazing a torch over his face.

Bless Zack for resorting to the oldest trick in their repertoire. It wasn’t something they’d done in a long time, the last when a very drunk, very married woman had come on to Wes. He definitely owed Zack for this one, and he’d be more than happy to pay up.

Payton sighed and turned her attention to Zack. She pinned him with her stare and arched one eyebrow. “Slick move if I do say so myself.”

His eyes widened in exaggerated surprise.

She snorted. “Don’t play innocent with me. Come on. That has to be one of the lamest tricks ever. You guys were so obvious, a blind man could have ratted you out.”

He chuckled but had the grace to look abashed.

“So what’s his problem?” she asked as she looked again at the doorway Wes had fled out of. “I mean it wasn’t like I threatened to rape him.”

Zack shrugged. “Honestly? I have no clue. I’ve never seen him act like that. I was kinda hoping you could clue me in. How do you two know each other anyway?”

She smiled, the soft echo of a memory, a much younger, innocent memory whispering across her mind. “I knew him in high school.”

“That’s all? I was sure by the way he was acting that you were some crazed felon he’d arrested before or something.”

“Yeah, you’d think,” she murmured.

“Can I get you something stronger than water?” he offered. “My treat to make up for the dirty trick I pulled.”

She smiled. “Thanks, but no. I’m stuck driving all these lunatics home after they’ve gotten too drunk to remember their names.”

He turned to acknowledge another customer who’d walked up to the bar but then he looked back at her again. “I don’t know what was up Wes’s ass tonight, but he’s really a good guy. Couldn’t ask for better.”

“I’ll remember that,” she said dryly.

She swung around on her stool and leaned her back against the bar, glass of water in hand. She sipped idly as she watched her girlfriends laugh and whoop it up.

Wes Hoffman. After all these years. And lordy but he’d grown up well. As much as he sent her hormones buzzing when she was sixteen, her adult girly parts were all a-tingle from a simple glance.

When she’d driven into town, she’d wondered about him. Wondered if she’d run into him or if he’d long since left the small town they’d grown up in. But here he was, a cop, apparently still quite rooted in the community.

Had she grown up so awful? Had the idea of seeing her again been so horrible that he’d tucked tail and run at first sight? Because that’s exactly what he’d done, and the expression on his face when he’d seen her… Well, it couldn’t exactly be classified as priceless.

She sniffed in irritation. She might not be a playboy centerfold, but she wasn’t paper bag ugly either. And she knew damn well she had a decent body. Never had a man run from her like Wes Hoffman just had.

The more she thought about it, the more pissed she got. Was that any way to react to someone you hadn’t seen in twelve years? Would a “hey nice to see you!” be too much to ask for?

Jerk. Gorgeous, hunky jerk, but a jerk nonetheless. God, she was a sucker for a man with a goatee. It had bristled across her lips when she kissed him. Okay, well maybe she shouldn’t have kissed him, but again, she’d never gotten any complaints before.