Jade
Pulling into an unmarked spot next to a row of cars, I look up at the building in front of me, double-checking my directions to make sure I have the right place. Valentine’s Bar and Grill. My eyes lift to the glowing neon sign that says as much, and I let out a nervous breath. This place is literally in the middle of nowhere.
Not that it looks creepy. Actually, it’s quite cute with its wooden exterior set against the backdrop of a forest that seems to be venting steam as the sun goes down and the earth cools. If I wasn’t here on my own to meet someone new for the very first time, I’d be loving this log cabin vibe. But since I am here alone to meet someone, everything seems kind of freaky. Even the way that bird sitting on the gutter is looking at me seems kinda freaky…
I shudder and cut the engine, sighing because I just drove almost two hours for a Tinder hookup. How desperate is that? My roommate, Charity, thinks I’m mental. She told me that if a guy isn't willing to come to me, or at least meet me halfway, then he probably isn't worth my time at all. But it's been so long since I've been on a date—since I've done anything with a man, really—and I just didn't want to listen to reason. Now though, sitting in this gravel car park in a town I'm unfamiliar with, I'm second-guessing myself. Is a bit of dick really worth all this trouble?
Rubbing my sweaty palms on my thighs, I pick up my phone and scroll back through the messages from my date. We've been flirting back and forth for a few weeks now, and we've also exchanged a few naughty pictures, so I at least feel confident that he's interested in me. Or he wouldn't have wasted all that time and asked me to come out here, right?
I meet my eyes in the rear vision mirror and answer myself out loud, “Right.” Then I give myself a curt nod that gets me reaching for the door handle and stepping outside my car.
Before I go inside, I do a quick check of my reflection in the side mirror, fluffing my blonde hair—that I spent ages curling with my flat iron this afternoon—and doing a touch up of my lip gloss since I've been worrying my mouth so much on the drive here that I've practically rubbed it all off. With a final dab of my pinky fingers beneath my chocolate brown eyes to ensure I don't have any fallout from my eye makeup, I declare myself ready then take a deep, fortifying breath and head toward the entry of the bar.
The moment I push it open, warm yellow light and music spills out. Something country western that’s twanging its way out of a jukebox set up in front of a small but well-worn dance floor where a handful of people can be seen kicking up their heels. I'm not at all familiar with the song they’re dancing to since I’m all about folk rock these days, but they sure look like they’re having fun. And the country beats suit this place to a T.
In a word, it’s ‘rustic’ with its long bar that looks carved out of a fallen tree, tall stools lining the front of it, and booths lining the wall with a smattering of chairs and tables in the space in between. On this side of the serving area is the dance floor, and on the far side are a couple of pool tables already in use by a group of young locals. The place is quite packed considering the only thing around it is trees.
A wolf whistle cuts across the room, and my eyes snap to the sound, finding an old man with a red face and a gummy grin leering at me. I realize very quickly that I'm overdressed for a small-town bar. But how was I supposed to know that plaid and cowboy boots were the go here?
“All right, Henry, leave her be,” the big bear of a man behind the bar says when laughter follows the whistle. I offer him a small smile in gratitude and make my way toward him, wishing I’d opted to wear jeans and a pretty top instead.
But it’s not like I’m dressed for a wedding or something over the top like that. I just went a little more ‘smart’ than ‘casual’ by choosing my favorite dress which is long, black—because it's a slimming color—and has a cute little tulle flare that starts at my knees and flows to my ankles. It makes me feel flirty and sexy, which is just what I needed when I’m putting myself out there, pushing myself out of my comfort zone, like they all say you should. Well, it seems that this time, maybe they were wrong.
‘They’ of course, are well-meaning friends, relatives, and coworkers who regularly say that they can’t understand why I’m thirty and still single when I have ‘such a pretty face and a great personality’. Insert eye roll here. They say those things to me like they’re being kind. But I don’t miss the judgment in their tone or the few blatant commenters who suggest that ‘maybe if you lose a few pounds it’ll help?’
Thanks, Monica. Why didn’t I think of that?
Ugh.
Why does the entire world have to be obsessed with my weight?
Well, probably not the entire world, but it does certainly feel like that sometimes. It’s like they all think that the solution to all my problems lies in being slim. And I just don’t believe that’s the case. Why? Because I have been slim and I didn’t feel any better about myself than I do now, but at least now I’m not hungry. So that’s a point in the plus column for me as far as I’m concerned.
Letting out a steady breath, I continue toward the bar and the hunky bartender.
“What can I get’cha, darlin’,” he asks as he sets a coaster down in front of me. My eyes lift up…up to his, finding kindness mixed with interest in their murky green depths.
“Ah, hi. I’m actually here meeting someone. So, I think maybe I’ll just get a Cosmo? Yeah. A Cosmo. Just to take the edge off a bit. Ah…please.” I flash him my brightest smile, and he responds with a smirk that produces a dimple that can be seen despite his full beard. And speaking of full things on this man, he has an even fuller chest and big, thick arms that tell me he isn’t afraid of a bit of hard work. And to top all that off, he has tattoos on his forearms, hands, and fingers, and some serious chunky metal jewelry. In a word, he’s hot as fuck with a tinge of danger going for him. Wait. That’s eleven words. But you get my drift…
“First date?”
My brow lifts. “You can tell that based on my order?”
“I can tell you’re not from around here and that you’re obviously nervous. So, educated guess.”
“Oh. Well, good observation.”
He nods before he reaches into a fridge below the bar and pulls out a beer, uncapping it and setting it in front of me. “There you go, darlin’.”
“Oh.” I point at the beer and shake my head. “This isn’t what I ordered. I asked for a Cosmo.”
He leans on the bar, flexing his muscular, tattooed arms as he grins in a way that makes my insides flip and my fingers itch to run them through his too-long, dirty-blond hair. I press my knees together. “Sweetheart, I have no idea what a Cosmo is. Here in Whisper Valley, we serve beer and hard liquor. I didn’t take you as the hard liquor type.”
“I see,” I say, fishing inside my purse for my wallet.
He holds his hand up when I produce a bill. “On the house. Consider it a welcome gift. Small town hospitality and all that.”
“Oh, thanks,” I say, picking up the beer in my left hand. “I’m Jade.”
He lifts his chin. “Kellen.”
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Kellen.”
“Likewise.” His eyes do a slow movement up and down my body before he adds, “Jade,” and I actually think I might self-combust just from looking at him. I mean, how does one man living in small-town USA have the right to be so goddamn sexy? He must have every woman in Whisper Valley eating out of the palm of his hand.
By the time I've calmed down enough to even consider responding, Kellen has moved on to serve another customer. Just as well, because I can't imagine it’d go down well with my date if he walked in and caught me lusting after the hot bartender.
Thankfully, I'm a little early, so the risk of that is minimal. This gives me time to find myself an empty booth, go and take a seat and wait—of course choosing a position where I can watch the door and the bar equally. No harm in peeking at Kellen occasionally, right?
Kellen
“What are you looking so pleased about?” my brother, Vaughn, asks as he brings up a crate of beer from the cellar and starts loading the fridge.
“New girl. One o’clock,” I say, keeping my eyes on the glass I’m drying. “Came in and asked for a Cosmo.”
“Isn’t that one of those fruity drinks they make in the city?”
“I have no fucking clue.”
He lifts his dark, spiky-haired head to find the blonde woman nursing a beer in a booth slightly diagonal from the bar. “Now I see what’s got you grinning. She’s all woman, that one.”
“Here on a date, though. So…” I bounce a shoulder and chance a glance over to where Jade is sitting, looking at her phone before lifting her eyes back to the front door, a slight crease beginning to make a home in the center of her brow.
“So? That doesn’t sound like the Kellen I know. You’ve got a woman sitting over there alone, and you’re just standing here with a thumb up your ass instead of doing something about it.”
“Thumb up my ass?” I roll my eyes. “Last I checked, I was standing here workin’ for a living. Which reminds me, where the hell is Otis? He’s supposed to be in the kitchen getting ready. It’s almost dinner service.”
Finishing with the fridge restock, Vaughn stands and dusts his hands off on the side of his jeans. “He traded shifts with Remy. I got a message about thirty minutes ago that he was on his way. Shouldn’t be much longer,” he says, pulling out his phone and checking the time.
“What the hell is Otis doing?” I ask, nodding at a customer who just walked in so he knows I’m about to serve him.
Vaughn shrugs. “Nothing he was willing to share. So I reckon a girl has something to do with it. Speaking of, yours is still all alone over there. Maybe you should find out how to make that cocktail she wanted and go cheer her up.”
Looking at the clock above the bar, I frown in concern because she’s been waiting for a good twenty minutes so far. Who on earth would let a beauty like that wait so long?
It’s something I can’t wrap my head around, and something that keeps swirling around in my mind for the next thirty minutes of service. I watch the excitement that bloomed in her cheeks when she arrived turn into nervous despair, then utter disappointment as she checks her phone one last time and sighs before placing it facedown. Seems whoever was supposed to be meeting her has stood her up. Asshole.
The waitress we have working the dinner rush stops by her table and asks if she wants any food or another drink. But she waves her off with a smile before she picks up her phone again and worries her lips.
My heart does this little squeeze thing in my chest because I feel awful for the girl and angry with whoever’s left her waiting all this damn time.
After another ten minutes of watching her struggle, I let out a frustrated growl then look up the Cosmo recipe on my phone.
“Hey, Remy,” I say, leaning into the kitchen as I squint at the list of ingredients. “Do we have limes and cranberry juice?”
He looks at me and quirks a light-colored brow. “Ugh…probably.”
“Cool. Because I need them. Now,” I say, pulling down a tumbler and getting to work.
Jade
A tumbler filled with red liquid hits the table in front of me, and I look up from my phone with a start, the tattooed knuckles telling me immediately who it is.
“Kellen,” I gasp, meeting his heavenly green eyes.
“I know it’s not the right glass, and since I’ve never made it before, it might taste like ass. But I tried.”
A grin pulls up the corner of my mouth as I truly absorb how huge this man is. He’s an easy six-three and so broad, most fully grown men could successfully hide behind him. He looks more like the leader of a motorcycle gang than the barman at a small-town bar and grill, but I certainly like that he’s the latter.
“I’ve never tried ass before,” I say with a smirk, lifting the glass to my lips and taking a sip before letting out a little moan as the familiar flavor notes of my favorite drink hits my tongue. “But if it tastes anything like that, I’m clearly missing out.”
Kellen releases a chuckle before he slides into the seat opposite me. “I’m guessing that means I got it right?”
“You did,” I say, setting the glass on the table. “And thank you. You definitely didn’t need to go to the trouble, but I’m grateful you did.”
He bounces a shoulder. “Figured you could do with a little cheering up.”
“He’s perceptive too.” I pick up my glass and take another sip to cover my discomfort. “Seems I’ve been stood up.”
“Wanna tell me who the asshole is? I know just about everyone who comes through here. I could give him a hard time on your behalf.”
I shrug as I slide my phone into my purse, wanting to forget all about Tinder for the current moment. “Not sure he’s worth it. Although, I’m dreading telling my roommate she was right. That part’s not going to be fun.”
“Yeah? What’d she say about this date?”
“Well, for starters, it wasn’t a date as much as it was a hookup.”
He sits back and sucks the air in through his teeth. “You came to a place you’ve never been before to hook up with some stranger?”
“Not necessarily a stranger. We’ve been chatting for a while online. This was just our first real life meeting.”
“You tellin’ me you met this guy through one of those apps?”
I nod as I release a sigh. “I know. I know those things never work out. But sometimes, we just want to have a little fun, right?”
“I guess. Probably safer ways to have that fun, but hey, no shade here.”
“Thank you.” I take another sip of the Cosmo and lean back against my seat. “And what my roommate said was that if a guy isn’t willing to come to me, or at least meet me halfway, then he probably isn’t worth the effort.”
He runs a hand through his multi-colored beard as he nods thoughtfully. “I’m inclined to agree. And on top of that, a man who makes you come all this way then doesn’t show isn’t much of a man at all. You dodged a bullet if you ask me.”
“Hmm, I suppose you’re right,” I say, pulling my phone out again and unlocking it before bringing up a photo of my would-be date and showing him. “You know this guy?”
He leans in and squints at the image, recognition lighting up his eyes. “Yeah. I know him. And I like most people in this world, but he isn’t one of them. You definitely dodged a bullet.”
I let out a sigh. “That’s something, I suppose.”
“Always a silver lining, huh?”
Nodding, I lift my glass and drain the last of it with a satisfying gulp. “And I got to try the very first Cosmo served in this place. So that’s something too. How much do I owe you, by the way? I can’t accept a second freebie since you already comp’d me once.”
He grins and clasps his hands in front of him on the table. “How about you keep me company during my dinner break, and we’ll call it even?” he says, gesturing to the bar. Within moments, a couple of plates piled with delicious smelling burgers and fries are sat on the table in front of us.
“Now you’re just spoiling me,” I say, laughing at his boldness.
“But you can’t say no, or it’ll go to waste, right?”
I look from the burger to him and smile. “You’ve got me there, Kellen. And it does look yummy.”
He holds my eyes for what feels like an entire minute before he responds. “Yeah. Yummy is exactly the word I’d use too,” he says before he tears his eyes from mine and takes his burger in both hands, biting into it ravenously.
It takes a moment or two before I can process what just happened and before I can start eating. Because if I’m not mistaken, this ridiculously sexy man just called me yummy.
“Come on, sweetheart, eat up before it gets cold,” he urges. “Don’t want you wasting away to nothing. I happen to like my women the same way I like my burgers.”
I swallow hard as my eyes move from him to the burger on my plate. It has two patties, bacon, cheese, a little salad, and a nice fluffy bun. “Heart-attack-inducing?” I ask as I pick it up and take a bite, causing the juices trapped in the patty to roll down my chin. Grabbing my napkin, I wipe up as much as I can, but Kellen just laughs, seeming thoroughly entertained.
“Meaty and juicy,” he rumbles out, and I suck in my breath. Never in all my years would I have considered a man like this would hit on me so blatantly. The idea is…preposterous. Surely he’s joking.
“How about soft?” I ask, going along with his joke by giving the bun a little squeeze.
“Fuck, yeah.” He tosses his head back and laughs for a moment before his mirth disappears, and he looks at me with something much…hungrier in his eyes as he leans in a little closer. “And if you’ll stick around, sweetheart, I can show you that you don’t need apps on your phone to get what you want. All you need is a man who sees you and knowswhat he wants.”
“And is that man you?” I ask as I take a bite of the burger in my hands, chewing quickly to try to calm the nervous beating of my heart while I await his answer. Did he seriously just say that to me?
A devilish grin takes over most of his face. “If you want me to be,” he says, maintaining perfect eye contact while I do my best not to combust right in front of him. Um…clean up in booth number five. Seems the lady has just made a mess of her panties.
Kellen
The moment I make my intentions clear, Jade’s eyes go wide and she sucks in a breath. Then chokes. Hindsight tells me I should have waited a moment longer to drop that one on her, but I guess I was thinking with the wrong head there. Shit.
“Lean forward,” I instruct, quick to jump out of my seat and slide in next to her. The moment she does as instructed, I plant the heel of my hand in the center of her back and force her to cough up the offending piece of burger patty. It shoots out of her mouth and lands in the center of her plate with a little bounce.
“Thanks,” she gasps.
“Aw, honey. If you wanted to choke on some meat, I could have provided something more hearty for you,” I tease while I rub her back and signal for some water. She looks up at me with tired but amused eyes, and I decide in that moment that she’s the one for me. Not only is she beautiful, but she seems to get my humor without being shocked or blushing. In fact, after her comment about the taste of ass when I first came over here, I have a strong feeling that she and I could share a lot of laughs along with our chemistry. There’s no way I’m letting this one go, so I’ll have to be careful not to make her choke again.
“Nice moves, bro,” Vaughn says, smirking as he arrives with a glass of water. “Tryin’ to kill the poor girl?”
“I think you’ll find I saved her,” I say, taking the water before shooing him away then handing it to Jade. He leaves with a chuckle, and I know he’s gonna tease me mercilessly over this later.
“Sure you trust me to drink this?” Jade asks as she lifts the glass to her lips. “I’m likely to shoot water all over you at the rate I’m going tonight.”
“Oh, I don’t mind a squirter,” I say, grinning from ear to ear as she swivels her wide eyes my way and almost chokes again, a cough sending a stream of water past her lips and onto my shirt.
“My God, I told you! You have to stop with that,” she wheezes, laughing as she grabs a napkin and tries to clean me up.
I place my hand over hers and hold it against my chest. Suddenly, she’s not laughing anymore.
“Why would I stop telling you how much I want you?” I say, trying to keep our eyes connected but failing when she drags hers away with a frown.
“Because I highly doubt you really mean it, and since I’ve almost died twice now, I’d rather we quit the farce and get on with our lives.”
“You think this is a farce?” My brow shoots up as I release her hand from my grip, wondering how she could have a single doubt in her mind when I’m sitting here practically salivating over her.
“At the very least, I think you feel sorry for me over getting stood up. And while I appreciate how kind you’re being offering your time to cheer me up like this, I also don’t want to sit here getting my hopes up. Especially since that’s kind of already happening, and I’m starting to feel foolish. So, before I catch myself honestly thinking this is a possibility, I really just want to stop. Because we all know that girls like this”—she gestures to herself—“Don’t get guys like that.” She finishes by gesturing at me.
“And who on God’s green earth made that a thing?” I ask, my eyes drinking in all of her—her perfect pink lips, shining brown eyes, silky hair, and curves upon curves upon curves. She’s the picture of beauty, and I want all of her.
“Well,” she starts, and before she can formulate her answer, I lean in and kiss her.
