Page 49

One, two, three...

I swing my arm up, the bottle smashing off the side of his head. His eyes go wide, right before he falls to the ground in a heap.

Not waiting to see if he stirs, I step over him sloppily, using the wall to guide me to the restroom.

As soon as I’m in there, I run into the last stall, locking the door behind me and sitting on the closed toilet seat.

What the hell is the matter with me?

I was at the bar most nights now and I usually flit between being in the office and out in the main area. Tonight though, I stay in the office to catch up on all of the paperwork.

Not knowing how long I’d be gone for this time was annoying but I was used to it. I wanted to make sure I knew as much about everything as I could so that when I came back, I could pick up from where I left off. That was the plan at least.

Picking up my cell, I scroll through my contacts and hover over Ava’s name. I haven’t seen her since I took her for pancakes and even though I’m trying to stay away, that doesn’t stop me from thinking about her. Wondering what she’s doing and knowing that she’s so close by, is a lethal combination.

I asked Jackson earlier if he’d heard from her and when he said he hadn’t I didn’t know how to feel. From what I could gather, they spoke all the time.

I’d waited in the bar most of last night, thinking that she’d turn up but when she didn’t I had this feeling that I couldn’t quite explain.

“We’ve just closed up,” J says when she pops her head around the door with a smirk on her face.

Nodding, I push back in my chair and follow her down the hallway.

Looking down at my cell, I head straight for the bar and frown when I still hear the music on low. Spinning around, my eyes widen at what I see and now I understand why J is smirking.

Ava’s standing on the dance floor, swaying her hips with her head thrown back. My eyes trail her body as she dances, fuck me, I’ve never seen anything so sexy in my life.

She stumbles slightly, catching herself at the last minute and giggling. “Is she drunk?” I growl at Jackson who’s stood behind the bar watching her.

“Yeah,” he huffs. “Megan said she was like that when she came in.”

“So she hasn’t been drinking here?”

“A few, Megan served her.”

I scrub my hands down my face, looking around to see who’s still here. “You two get off, I’ll close up,” I tell them when I only see J and Jackson left.

“You sure?” J asks, a frown on her face.

“Yeah.” I say and follow them to the door.

“I can take her home,” Jackson says, his eyes not moving from Ava.

I clench my jaw, hating the way that he’s looking at her right now but knowing I have no say in what either of them do. The only thing I do have a say in, is what happens in my bar, and as Ava is in said bar, then I say what happens to her and how she gets home.

“Come on, Jackson, Corey will take her home,” J says, pulling on his arm and smiling back at me when they’re out the door.

Pushing all the locks into place, I heave a breath and spin around, going to a bar stool and just sit, watching her.

I don’t want to disturb her, she looks so peaceful swaying to the music and I’m captivated by the way that she moves. She’s hypnotizing; the way her hair flows down her back and the way her legs move.

She turns to face me but her eyes are closed and I can’t stop my feet from hitting the floor and moving towards her.

“Ava?” I whisper, trying not to startle her.

She opens her eyes, a soft smile on her face. “I’m dancing.”

“Yeah, I can see that.” I swallow. “You having a good time?” A good time? What the hell is wrong with me? What a lame ass question.