“Noah, have you seen Dean?” “Sam” said, running up to the bar. “Paul's being an ass and harassing the caterers. I need a little backup.”
I glanced at the empty stairs. “He had to take a guest out to throw up. I thought he'd be back by now,” I answered.
Noah was already walking out of the bar, anger flashing in his eyes. I felt a shiver run through me. I was glad I wasn't the one he was headed toward with that expression on his face.
I followed “Sam” and Noah upstairs and into the foyer with the main stairs to the rest of the house. Paul had his meaty fist wrapped around Lana's slender arm, and she looked terrified.
“Please,” she said, her voice shaking as she tried to stay calm. “I need to go back downstairs and...”
“Paul, I told you to lay off her.” “Sam” growled, pulling Paul off the girl. Paul stumbled into the wall, obviously drunk. Free from his grasp, Lana twisted away from him and toward the front door, escaping to freedom.
“Get off of me,” Paul slurred, throwing a punch that “Sam” easily ducked. I could see why he wanted backup. Paul wasn't going down without a fight.
“Come on, Paul. I think you've had enough,” Noah said. He put himself on the other side of Paul so that he and “Sam” could each take an arm. “It's time for you to go take a rest.”
Paul took a couple of cooperative steps before he saw me. I swallowed hard and wanted to run. The greasy feeling of his eyes on me told me that I should have followed Lana out. I should have stayed at the bar.
“How about you boys let her put me to bed? She looks ready for me,” Paul leered, and I felt like I needed a shower.
“Nope, you get us. Owen's got a nice room all ready for you upstairs. The lady isn't interested,” “Sam” said, taking his arm.
“Shut up, Robbie. Nobody asked you,” Paul snapped, pulling his arm away. I met “Sam's” eyes as we both registered the name. “Sam”, or rather Robbie's face fell. This wasn't how I wanted to win the bet.
“Thanks, man.” Robbie sighed and shrugged his shoulders at me and continued to try to coax Paul up the stairs.
“No.” Paul stopped in his tracks, his suit hanging in unattractive folds. He had spilled something on his shirt. “She needs to earn the tip I gave her. Besides, she wants it. Just look at her.”
I couldn't stop the heat from rising from my stomach to my cheeks. The insult to my honor burned. My fist balled up but my feet refused to move. I wanted to slug his pasty little head in.
Noah stepped in front of Paul, blocking his path to me. Noah was somehow bigger, more intimidating than he had been down in the bar. He leaned forward and whispered something in Paul's ear, something that made the older man go even paler. Paul's round chin bobbed as he swallowed nervously.
“Now, go upstairs with Robbie,” Noah growled. Robbie took Paul's arm, guiding him to the stairs I was unfortunately standing next to. I wanted to step away from him, but I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing I was afraid of him. So, I stood my ground.
As the drunk man came closer, he reached out his grubby mitt and squeezed my chest. I gasped and stepped back, but Noah's fist was on Paul's cheek faster than I could raise my hand to slap him. Paul sprawled out on the floor and held his palm to his cheek, shock in his eyes.
“Get upstairs.” Noah's voice held a threat I knew Paul didn't want to test. He scampered to his feet and hurtled up the stairs with Robbie tailing after him.
“Nice shot, Noah. I'll make sure he gets to a bathroom, or Owen will throw a fit.” Robbie turned. “I'll come find you at the bar to pay up, Izzy.”
“Are you okay?” Noah asked. His voice was low and soft as he put his hands on my shoulders. I could feel myself trembling against him. I wasn't quite sure why; I dealt with drunks on a regular basis at the bar, but I guessed it was just the suddenness of it all that had shaken me.
“Yeah,” I said, giving him a wobbly smile. “Not the first time I've been hit on at a bar. Remind me to stay on your good side. How'd you hit him so fast anyway?”
One side of Noah's mouth went up in a small half-smile as he bent down to look me in the eyes. His blue eyes held nothing but concern, the edges of a flame still there but not directed at me. I felt giddy this close to him, his hands warm on my shoulders. If I leaned forward just a little, I could've kissed him.
“I used to box. Never professionally or anything. I just liked the exercise.” His lips curved into a stronger smile as he looked at me. I could see now where he got those beautifully sculpted arms and chest. He was so close I could practically taste his kiss. A kiss from him sounded wonderful. It would certainly make me feel better.
“Where's Paul?” Owen asked, breaking the tension between us. His eyes flashed daggers, and anger filled his voice. Dean was one step behind him, looking deadly. I almost felt sorry for Paul.
“Upstairs. Robbie's with him.” Noah straightened and dropped one of his hands, but thankfully left one on my shoulder.
“Are you okay?” Owen asked, turning to me. “That poor catering girl is pretty shaken up.”
“I'm fine. I deal with drunks all the time. He just surprised me is all.” I gave him a stronger smile. “I should go check on Lana.”
“I'll go with her,” Noah volunteered. “You and Dean go make sure Robbie doesn't give Paul a swirly.”
Owen nodded, heading up the stairs with Dean. Noah turned back to me, and together we went out to the front porch where Lana and the other caterer, her sister Rosie, were sitting on the porch. Night was deep and dark, but the porch light held them in a protective, warm, yellow light. Rosie had her arm over Lana's shoulder, and as we came out she gave her a squeeze.
“You two okay?” I asked.
Rosie nodded. “I've got her, Izzy.. She's gonna be fine,” She squeezed Lana's slim shoulder again. “If it's okay, I'd like to take her home.”
“I'll let Rachel know, and I'll make sure you two get your full check,” Noah assured her. I knew he would too. There was something in his voice that told me he would pay it out of his own pocket if he had to.
“Thanks.” Rosie smiled and pulled Lana up. “Let's get you home.”
Lana stood and gave us both an appreciative smile. “Thanks. And thank that other guy for me too.”
Noah nodded and we followed them with our eyes as they headed into the parking lot before heading back downstairs ourselves.
I glanced at my watch as we headed back behind the bar. It was a little after two in the morning. Time had flown by. The Halo Tournament was over, and Owen had won. Jack met us at the bottom of the stairs, his brows drawn together.
“Is everything okay?”
Noah put a hand on his shoulder. “Yeah. Paul was just a dick. Like usual. Sorry about the bad ending to the party.”
“Not your fault. Besides, the party was mostly over anyway.” Jack shrugged and looked around the room. Glasses and food were everywhere. “It was still a great sendoff.”
“Sendoff?” I asked. “Are you getting married or something?”
Jack laughed. “I suppose you could say I'm getting married to my job. I'm taking over my dad's company in a week, and I won't get another day off until I'm seventy. I even got a nice little bed installed in my office.” He grimaced and shook his head as if to clear the thought. “Where's Ro--I mean, where's 'Sam'?”
“Robbie is upstairs helping,” I said, emphasizing the name.
Jack laughed. “So he lost the bet. Good job. I'll have Rachel put my part on your check. Don't let Robbie stiff you on his share.”
And with that he turned back to the TV and started another game of Halo.
It wasn't long before Rachel came down the stairs into the 'Man Cave'. I didn't know how she did it, but she looked as fresh and ready as if it were two in the afternoon instead of the morning. Dean hung behind her in the shadow of the stairs, his eyes watching her move through the room. There was something in the way he looked at her, and how she was purposefully ignoring his glances, that made me think there was something between them.“Thank you for your services, Ms. Baker,” Rachel said, handing me a check. The ink was still wet on the extra two-thousand dollars. I was almost afraid to put it in my pocket, as if it might smudge and the bank wouldn't accept it. “You're welcome to go home whenever you're ready.”“The bar's still a disaster area, so I'll clean that up before I go,” I said, gesturing to the bar. Cups and bottles were everywhere. Rachel waved a hand dismissively.“Don't worry about it. I hired a bartender, not a bar-cleaner. I already have custodians arranged to take c
I woke up the next morning with a smile on my face. My dreams had been invaded by an irresistible man with blue eyes and unending charm. The best part was that in my dreams, I didn't have to stop. I didn't have to be responsible, reasonable, or nervous. I could do anything, and everything, that I wanted. Waking up, I was sad to leave my dreams behind. They had been some of the best dreams of my life.I stretched my hands over my head, looking over to see a neatly made bed in the opposite corner of the room. Brooke was already up, which meant that there was probably some leftover breakfast in the kitchen. Brooke was always good for leaving me breakfast after work nights.I quickly got ready, running a brush through my hair and finding my wetsuit. Despite my diet of fish and tropical fruit, it was still snug across the hips. Eh, I thought, I don't need to impress the sharks today. Sunglasses and some sunscreen completed my morning preparations.I walked quickly to the kitchen and found
My beach spot was on the same property as the Grove, but since it didn't technically have a new owner yet, I figured it was still safe to use as my tanning spot. I set up my towel on a patch of sand and sat down. From my spot, I could see the edge of the Grove as well as a pristine sandy beach. I loved the Grove. Just being near it made my day better.A slender woman with dark hair came out of the shadows of the mangroves. She had on khaki shorts with a cute little t-shirt and boots that shouldn't have been in the salty, mucky water of the Grove. She wore an annoyed, sour expression on her face as she headed along a small path back toward the town center. I shook my head at her. Tourists were always doing weird things on the island.I dug my toes into the sand, feeling the cool damp of deeper sand mix with the hot dry of the top. The waves shushed gently at the shore, whispering soft nothings that I loved to hear. The sky was clear and blue. Like Noah's eyes.My mind went to the night
Noah didn't drop my hand as we walked out of the restaurant. He didn't drop it as we walked out of the town square, or as we meandered down the pathway leading to the beach. I wasn't about to let go either, even though I could feel mine going sweaty and hot. I didn't want to lose our connection.We crested a small hill to the beach, and I could see the ocean laid out before us. The golden sunshine sparkled on the waves, the white light almost too bright to look at. We stood there for a moment, hand in hand, staring out at the waves.“How long are you in town for again?” I whispered. I had been thinking the words since we met, but I hadn't found the courage to say them until now. Despite my best intentions, I liked Noah. Really liked him. But he was a tourist and was going to leave as soon as his vacation was done. It was better just not to get attached. I didn't let go of his hand, though.Noah stared out at the water for a moment before answering, his eyes distant and his voice quiet
I set the curling iron down and checked my handiwork. Beautiful, bouncing ringlets graced my head, but I knew that the second I stepped out into the tropical air they would go flat. I shook my head slowly at myself in the mirror. Even though I knew it was going to be straight by the time I got to the parking lot, I had gone to the trouble. Noah just had that effect on me. I wanted to look good for him.“Oh, pretty,” Brooke said, poking her head in the bathroom door. We shared the small bathroom and technically the curling iron was hers, but with the tropical humidity she had stopped trying to curl her hair after the second day. “So, who's the date with?”“What makes you think I have a date?” I asked, glaring at her in the mirror.She shot me a cheesy know-it-all smirk “Because you don't curl your hair for bartending gigs.” Her smile widened. “And because you have been humming a Disney princess theme song for the past thirty minutes.”I scowled at her and she laughed. I put my makeup b
The sound of Noah's feet changed as he stepped from the path onto a smaller, sand-packed one that led toward the rear of Owen's beach home. The sky was fading from lilac to navy as the stars came out to play with the ocean. He led me past some palm trees to an adorable bungalow on the beach.It was right on the water with the back porch suspended over the ocean on piers that dove into the sea at high tide. Big windows were open to the night air, and I could already smell the scent of food wafting out of them. The front door was flanked by two palm trees leading up to a wooden porch that wrapped around the entire house.Noah hurried to open the front door, holding it for me like a true gentleman. The inside was just as charming as the outside. Teak floors and comfortable furniture filled the small space with blue and green accents everywhere. It felt like a home instead of a beach house.The little bungalow appeared to be a main room, kitchen, and then a bedroom with an en suite bath.
I, of course, did trip. But Noah was there to catch me. His strong arms wrapped around my waist, and he pushed me up against the wall of the house. I was pinned by his arms, and I had no intention of escaping. With slow, sensual lips, he nibbled down my jaw, kissing my throat as he made his way down to my collarbone. Each touch was erotic and hot. My body was responding with pure want and arching into him without me telling it to.A soft breeze came across from the ocean, cooling the hot kisses on my skin. I wondered if people could see us, since we were still outside and not secluded by windows or walls. Noah's hand was planted firmly on my breast, his fingers massaging me through the fabric of my dress. I moaned quietly, realizing that the only people who could see us at this private villa would be boats out on the ocean. With the darkening night, that would be close to impossible, but the thrill of possibly being seen was still there.Noah's hand slid down my side to the hem of my
Noah snored softly in his sleep beside me. I lay in bed for a few minutes, enjoying not only the luxury of sleeping in, but also waking up to a gorgeous naked man. Life was good.The light on my phone blinked steadily, telling me that I had a new text message. The only problem was that it was across the room. Noah mumbled something and smushed his face into the pillow, and I had to work hard not to giggle. He was adorable when he slept.With a silent smile, I slipped from the bed and walked on noiseless feet to the bathroom. The sheet shifted as I escaped its silky fingers, revealing Noah's perfect butt. I gave it an appreciative look before disappearing to find my clothes.Part of the reason I loved my blue dress was that it didn't wrinkle. Wrinkle-free clothes make the “walk of shame” that much easier. I slid it over my head, feeling muscles stretch that I hadn't used in a while. I was sore in the most delightful of places, and the thought made me smile. Noah made me smile.I grabbe