After Hours A Small-Town Forbidden Romance Alli never meant to fall for him. Eighteen, freshly graduated, and slinging drinks at the town’s no-frills dive bar, she was just looking for a paycheck and a way out of her quiet life. But then Johnny started showing up—twenty-five, devastatingly handsome, and haunted by more than just his late-night whiskey. Everyone knows Johnny. The town's favorite bad decision. A brooding mechanic with blue eyes that burn and a reputation tangled up with Layla, the town’s resident scandal—and someone else's wife. But when Alli catches Johnny’s gaze from across the bar, something ignites. Something forbidden. Something explosive. What starts as subtle glances and lingering stares turns into late-night texts, a kiss that ruins them both, and a fire that neither of them can put out. Just when Alli begins to believe there might be more between them, Layla drops a bomb: she’s pregnant. Now, Alli must face the truth—was she just a distraction? Or is Johnny just as trapped in his past as she fears? In a town where everyone talks and secrets are currency, love after hours might be the most dangerous thing of all.
Lihat lebih banyakThe bar smelled like spilled beer, stale cigarettes, and broken promises.
Alli wiped down the counter, though it didn’t need it. The rag moved in circles out of habit more than necessity, a poor distraction from the man who’d just walked in. Johnny.
Same stool. Same black shirt clinging to his arms. Same eyes that burned when they landed on her.
He wasn’t like the rest of the regulars. He didn’t stumble in drunk, didn’t try to sweet talk her for a free pour. Johnny sat in silence. Smoldering. Watching. And when he spoke? He made it sound like a dare.
Alli had just turned eighteen. A fresh graduate with big dreams and no direction, stuck pouring cheap drinks at a bar that didn’t even have a name worth remembering. Locals called it “The Hollow,” fitting for a place where people came to forget.
“Alli,” her boss barked from the back, “restock that well before close.”
“On it,” she called, tossing the rag aside and ducking behind the bar.
When she popped back up, Johnny was waiting, perched on his usual stool like a shadow come to life.
“Rough night?” he asked, his voice low, rough like sandpaper and smoke.
Alli blinked. “Not really.”
“You’re scrubbing that counter like it owes you money.”
She shrugged, trying to play it cool, but her stomach flipped anyway. “You want the usual?”
He gave a lazy nod.
As she poured his drink—whiskey, neat—she felt his eyes tracing her. Not lewd, not disrespectful. Just… deliberate. Like he was studying her. Like he already knew what she tasted like and missed it.
She slid the glass toward him. “Where’s Layla?”
Johnny’s jaw flexed. “At home. Playing house.”
Alli hesitated. “With her husband?”
“Where else would she be?”
Everyone in town knew about Johnny and Layla. She was married—had been for years. Her husband worked in construction, often out of town, leaving Layla to wander and make her own kind of trouble. Tall. Polished. Older. She wore lipstick like a weapon and didn’t care who she cut with it.
It wasn’t a secret. Hell, it was practically tradition around here—small-town scandal. But that didn’t make it any less dangerous. Especially for someone like Alli.
“She doesn’t care you come here?” Alli asked, voice quiet.
“She doesn’t ask,” he replied, sipping his drink. “And I don’t lie.”
His gaze pinned her in place. “You care?”
Alli’s heart thudded. “I’m just asking.”
His smirk was slow, wicked. “Sure you are.”
She turned to grab another bottle, mostly so she wouldn’t have to look at him. Because when she did, it felt like gravity tilted. And Johnny didn’t just pull—he devoured.
“Alli,” he said, voice smooth as smoke.
She turned, met his eyes.
“Be careful with questions like that,” he murmured. “You start asking, you might not like the answers.”
Heat crept up her neck. She opened her mouth to say something—anything—but then Layla walked in.
White tank, tight jeans, hair curled just right. Her heels clacked against the bar floor like a warning. She didn’t look at Alli. Only Johnny. She moved straight to him and leaned in like she owned him.
Alli saw it. The way Johnny stiffened, jaw locked. He let her kiss his cheek, but his hand never moved. His body didn’t lean into hers.
And his eyes?
They were still on Alli.
The morning light stretched lazily across the farmhouse kitchen, golden and warm as it spilled in through the windows. The smell of cinnamon rolls and fresh coffee floated through the air—evidence that Johnny had been up for hours. Again.Alli padded in barefoot, wearing one of Johnny’s old t-shirts and yoga pants, her hair twisted into a loose bun. She paused in the doorway, smiling softly as she took in the scene before her.Elena sat at the kitchen table, her soft blonde curls bouncing as she concentrated fiercely on her pink crayon. Elias, equally blonde and equally stubborn, was standing on his chair with a spoon in his hand, pretending his oatmeal was a monster that needed defeating. And John—now eight, long-limbed and all boy—was helping Johnny crack eggs at the stove like a seasoned sous chef.“Good morning, chaos crew,” Alli said with a tired laugh.“Mommy!” the twins shouted in unison.Elias tried to leap from the chair but got caught in the apron tied around his waist. John
The farmhouse was never quiet anymore.Crying. Feeding. Diaper changes. Repeat.And still—it had never felt more like home.Alli sat curled up on the big couch in the living room, one twin on each side, a double breastfeeding pillow wrapped around her like armor. Her eyes were heavy with exhaustion, but her heart? Her heart was full to the brim.Johnny shuffled in with a tray—water, snacks, her prenatal vitamins, and a fresh burp cloth tossed over his shoulder like a battle-worn soldier.“You are officially my hero,” Alli mumbled, shifting Elena to burp her.“I’d say the same about you,” Johnny said, sitting beside her, gently stroking Elias’s downy blonde hair. “But I think you’ve crossed into goddess territory.”She smiled, eyes glassy. “You’re just saying that because I haven’t brushed my hair in four days.”“No, I’m saying it because you’re keeping two humans alive with your body and still manage to look like the woman of my dreams.”She blinked at him. “Hormones, Johnny. You can’
The hospital was calm. Too calm.At least that’s how it felt to Johnny.Everything was white and quiet, with that faint antiseptic tang in the air that made his skin crawl. But beneath the stillness, his heart thundered like a war drum.Today was the day.He held Alli’s hand as the nurse wheeled her into pre-op. She was in a blue gown, her hair braided and tucked to one side, and she was trying—so damn hard—to be brave.“You okay?” he whispered, crouching beside her.She smiled weakly. “I think I left my bravery in the parking lot.”Johnny pressed his forehead to hers. “Good thing I brought enough for both of us.”The prep was a blur—IVs, monitors, a gentle-voiced anesthesiologist explaining what to expect. Alli lay on the operating table, her swollen belly exposed and draped, her hand trembling slightly in Johnny’s.He was in scrubs now, a cap on his curls, booties on his boots. But his eyes—those eyes—never left her.“I’m right here, baby,” he murmured, his thumb stroking over her k
The farmhouse had never looked so bright.Balloons in soft lavender and pale blue floated along the porch rails. A giant hand-painted sign read Welcome Baby Warren Twins! with two cartoon rattles dangling from the corners. Folding tables were covered in pastel linens, stacked with cupcakes, sweet tea, and finger foods only Southerners would dare serve with pride—deviled eggs, mini ham sliders, macaroni salad, and enough potato chips to feed a small army.It was one week until Alli’s scheduled C-section.And today was all about celebrating.She sat under the canopy of the old oak tree in the backyard, tucked into a pillowy armchair Marc insisted on hauling from her living room.“You’re not sitting in some flimsy plastic thing,” he’d said with a scowl. “You’re the damn guest of honor.”Alli was radiant—even swollen and sore and cradling her belly like it weighed the whole world. Her sundress was cream with little sunflowers, her reddish hair braided into a crown, and her feet propped on
The morning started like any other.John was chasing the dog through the kitchen, Alli was halfway through folding laundry with one foot propped up on a stool, and Johnny was outside rotating the tires on Marc’s old truck.The sun was warm. The breeze was sweet. Peace lingered like molasses in the air.And then everything changed.It began with a cramp.Just a small, sharp twinge in Alli’s side that made her pause, one hand dropping to her belly. The twins shifted, which wasn’t unusual. But then it came again—stronger. And again.Her breath caught.The basket of tiny onesies slipped from her lap as she reached for the kitchen counter.“John?” she called out, trying to keep her voice calm. “Go get Daddy, okay baby? Tell him Mommy needs him right now.”Her little boy didn’t even hesitate.He sprinted through the screen door yelling, “Daddy! Mommy needs you!”Johnny burst through the door like a man possessed.“Alli!”She was on the floor, propped against the cabinet, sweat beading on he
It started with a sigh.Not the kind of sigh that meant she was annoyed, or tired, or hungry—though all three were daily occurrences at six-and-a-half months pregnant.This sigh was different.It was a quiet one, as Alli stood in her office at The Hollow, staring at the week’s staffing schedule Marc had taped to the corkboard.He’d filled in every shift. Covered every delivery. Handled the liquor order. She hadn’t even asked.She placed a hand on her belly and whispered, “You see this? He doesn’t need me here every day.”The twins kicked like they agreed.That night, she brought it up over dinner.Johnny was sitting at the table, feeding John spoonfuls of mashed potatoes while telling some wild story about a broken-down truck and a raccoon in the engine.Alli waited until John ran off to the living room, covered in butter and giggles, before sliding her plate away.“I think I’m ready to step back from the bar. Full time.”Johnny looked up, not surprised. Not even a blink.“I think you
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