In the background, Zane heard the small door to the prefab building swing open but turned back to his beer. The big bartender swung a fresh mug of whatever was cheapest in front of him.
“Damn it, there’s trouble.”
Zane looked up, following the line of the bartender’s sight. Two newcomers stood in the doorway, two women who looked to be a bit lost. Zane struggled a little to see them through the smoke. There was one with dark hair and a banging body, and a thinner, taller one with lighter hair piled in a bun on her head. Zane liked the short one. She had long, thick hair and round breasts. Yeah, he could do that one. Maybe he would try. It wasn’t like he was married or anything. If she didn’t mind ugly sons of bitches, he’d give the girl a ride.
Or he’d fix her car. That had to explain it. The two women were so out of place, they had to have had car trouble. The hot one was dressed in a yellow sundress. It exposed an expanse of creamy, ivory skin and made it look like a little piece of the sun was walking through the clouds. The other girl had given it a better shot. She had on a denim mini and a tank top, but still looked out of place due to the innocent air surrounding her. There wasn’t a place for innocence in here. Zane sighed. Everyone was staring at the newcomers. If he was half as heartless as he pretended to be, he would just leave, Inner Asshole told him. But Reasonable Guy finally woke up, and Zane knew he was going to protect those girls. They were going to get in trouble. Already Zane could sense the sharks beginning to circle. That old familiar tightening in his gut began. The adrenaline started to flow. Yeah, maybe a good fight was just what he needed.
“This is the worst idea, ever,” the girl in the denim mini was saying as they sort of floated through the cloudy bar. Maybe one of them had a lick of sense.
“Oh, I think it’s charming, once you get past the smell,” the other one said. She approached the bar, and Zane got a good look at her face.
He turned as quickly as he could, praying she didn’t see him. Fuck. What was Callie doing here? The adrenaline was still flooding his system, but he turned from fight to full on flight mode. He started to push back the stool, but stopped. Callie was about to be in serious trouble. His hand was on his cell, texting Nate to come and get his woman. He threw in a text to Stefan Talbot just in case. As pissed as he was, he wasn’t about to let Callie get hurt just because she didn’t belong to him.
“I would like a…I don’t drink very much. Maybe a Cosmo. Those always look good.” Callie’s voice was bright and optimistic.
“I got beer and tequila. I can get you a whiskey, but that’s about it.” The bartender did not seem amused.
“We’ll take the tequila.” Callie’s friend nodded and wiped off her barstool before sitting down.
Zane watched through the sooty mirror behind the bar. He didn’t do what he wanted to do. He wanted to toss Callie over his shoulder and haul her out of this bar.
“You are being very negative, Jen.” Callie pushed a pair of glasses up her nose. “Why can’t you see it as an adventure? We’re like Thelma and Louise.”
“Thelma and Louise died, Cal.”
Callie shook her head. “Nope. I choose to believe they made it across the Grand Canyon in their convertible. Why do people keep trying to get me to see the dark side of life?”
The bartender set two shot glasses in front of them and poured out the gold liquid. He set down a shaker of salt and two lime wedges. Zane had a sudden vision of himself doing body shots off Callie. He would suck salt off her nipples, shoot tequila from her navel, and who needed a lime when her pussy tasted so good? Damn it, his jeans were getting awfully tight.
The girls bit down on the lime, completing their first round. Callie’s friend Jen seemed more acquainted with the procedure. “Is that what Sheriff Dickhead did today?”
Now Zane was listening closely. He leaned in just a little so he could hear over the loud jukebox playing classic rock.
Callie motioned for another. She turned to her friend. “Sheriff Wright made a very heavy pass at me, which I politely turned down. That’s all.”
Zane wanted to fist pump, but it might call attention to him. So Nate wasn’t in so good with their former lover. Nice.
“You turned down that hunk of man? Callie, what are you thinking? I know he’s a jerk, but he’s a completely hot jerk. Seriously, you drag me out here tonight because you want to get laid, but you turned down the perfectly safe hot guy? What is wrong with you?”
They were already on their third shot. What were those girls thinking? Who was going to drive them home? And she’d been very smart to turn down Nate since he was a backstabbing, half-woman stealing dickhead. Goddamn it, half of Callie was his.
“Wow, that works fast.” She turned down a fourth shot with a little wave of her hand. “I turned down the sheriff because I have some self-respect. The sheriff has made his opinion of me plain. He doesn’t like me or my town, so I will not sleep with him whether I want to or not. However, the episode pointed out the fact that I have been lax in dealing with certain bodily needs.”
“You’re horny.”
Jen seemed good at stating things plainly. Zane could appreciate that. And Callie wasn’t the only one who was horny. God, if he wasn’t afraid she would run the minute she got a look at the left side of his face, he would shove her up against the wall and take care of them both.
“I am seeking a bit of physical affection, that’s all.”
Jen sighed. “Then let me call Stef. He knows people, people who would be nice to you.”
Callie’s hands came down on the bar, slapping angrily. “No. I am not so pathetic that I need Stef to find someone willing to sleep with me again. I know I’m not the world’s most beautiful woman, but I’m not hideous, either.” She turned to him. “How about you? You looking for a date?”
Zane wondered if the floor would magically open up and swallow him whole.
“Wow.” Jen was staring at him in the mirror. Her face was a wide-open book. “That is amazing.”
Zane put his head down and started getting off the bar stool. There was no way he would stand around and take their pity.
“Well, that figures.” Callie’s hands were on his arm.
He turned because there was nothing to do now. She’d recognized him. Zane looked at her, drinking in her face for the first time in years. Whatever she was thinking, it wasn’t that she felt sorry for him.
Her pretty face was frowning at him. “I go out to find someone who might want me, and I run into you. That’s just perfect.” She turned back to the bartender. “I changed my mind. Hit me again.”
At least now he could do something. “You give her another drop of liquor, and I swear I’ll tear you up when you least expect it. You understand me?”
The bartender took a step back. Zane was satisfied with the way the man turned a little white. He pulled the tequila bottle back. “Sorry, sweetheart, bar’s closed for you. I don’t think I want to see what that ugly son of a bitch could do.”
“That is not a nice thing to say!” Callie pushed her empty shot glass toward the bartender. “I am not tipping you anything above the normal twenty percent. You’re rude to your customers. What kind of service professional are you?” She turned back to him, crossing her arms over her chest. “Please feel free to flee. I promise I won’t chase after you.” She gave him an imperious wave of her hand.
Zane felt his face set stubbornly. He would not let her know how much she affected him. “I was here first, Callie.”
“Well, of course you were. Tell me something, Zane, how long have you been in town?” There was a suspicion in her voice, and her eyes were brown lasers cutting through him.
“Couple weeks.”