Page 9

I left that apartment with a small bag of clothes and walked to the town that Evan said he lived in. When I got into the town I needed some liquid courage, I couldn’t just walk up to his place and say, “Surprise!”

Seeing a bar with lights on, I decided to have a shot and rest a little before I went to the address that Evan had given me.

I push into the bar, scanning the place. It’s one of those little holes in the wall, the kind that only the locals drink in. I know I stand out with my light purple hair and the fact that I’m only five foot two, but I don’t let it bother me. I roll my shoulders back and walk to the bar, jumping up onto the stool and ignoring all the stares that are pointed my way.

“Jameson,” I tell the old man behind the bar.

He grunts in response and pours my drink, sliding it to me and walking away.

I pick up the glass, swirling the liquid around in the tumbler before bringing it to my mouth, closing my eyes as it hits my tongue and burns a path down my throat.

Laughter from the back of the bar gains my attention and I turn to look at the group of guys sitting there. One of them turns and looks straight at me at the same time, a frown marring his face. I keep my eyes on his, I’ve never been known to back down and I’m not about to start now. Even if my instincts are kicking in and screaming at me to turn away. I raise a brow at him, lifting my glass to my lips.

His frown slowly turns into a smirk and my eyes zone in on his full lips, tracking the way his tongue comes out to wet them, which causes a slow burn to start in my pit of my stomach, but I’m not sure if it’s from the alcohol or him.

I squirm on the stool, not being able to stop myself.

Yep. Definitely him. Dammit! This isn’t what I came here for.

I came here to start fresh where no one knows me or knows about my past.

I turn away from him, letting him win the staring contest and looking down at the sticky wooden bar.

I throw back the rest of my drink and tip the glass at the old man, signaling for a top up.

“Haven’t seen you before.” The gravely voice makes me shiver and I can feel his breath as it fans across my neck.

I ignore him, even as he sits on the stool next to me and says, “I’ll take a water, Jack.”

I don’t look up, I concentrate all my attention on the fascinating condensation that’s on the outside of the glass.

Swiping it away with my finger, I look up from underneath my lashes, my gaze focusing on his thighs that are wrapped in tight jeans.

I can’t stop my mind from imagining what they would feel like underneath me.

Fuck! Don’t go there, Kitty.

“So…” His voice gains my attention and my eyes shoot up to his. “What brings you to town?”

I shrug and don’t answer. I’m not here to make new friends, I’m here to get a new job and start over.

The silence between us makes me itchy and I can feel his eyes on me, my skin burning from the attention, so finally, I turn to him.

“For a job.”

He acknowledges me with a tilt of his head, his eyes moving to the old man as he passes his drink to him and then they move back to me.

I get lost in his eyes, the light swirls mixed in with the chocolate brown capturing me in his gaze. There’s something about his eyes, something that he keeps guarded, but I recognize it. Pain.

“Charlie,” he says, holding his hand out.

“Kitty,” I murmur, placing my small hand inside his. The roughness of his fingers scratch against my palm and I try to hold back my shiver as I imagine how those fingers would feel on other parts of my body.

“Kitty Kat.” He smirks, picking up his drink and taking a long swallow. His Adam’s apple bobs up and down as the drink slides down his throat and I find myself fascinated with the ripples in his neck. Can a neck be sexy? Because if it c

an, then this one certainly is.

“Huh?” I ask, realizing that he’s been talking this whole time. What the hell is going on? I never get like this around guys.