Page 2

2

O ’Malley’s Pub was packed. It didn’t hurt that the co-owners were two of the local Idaho Outlaws star players, Maverick Jansen and Luke Garibaldi. The team was on the road, and tonight they’d just won game two of the western division playoff series. Two more wins, and they’d be headed to their first league championship series.

Royce had just finished an uneventful shift and was ready to find a willing bed partner and spend the evening erasing Amber from his thoughts.

She was becoming an unobtainable obsession, and tonight he vowed to end the wanting and replace it with a couple rounds of his favorite exercise.

And he found the perfect woman. Someone whose features and coloring were the exact opposite of Amber’s. It was a Friday, after nine p.m., and he was ready to make his move when a commotion occurred at the front door. A group of women entered. A loud group, to be more exact. He glanced over his shoulder on his way to the bar. What he saw stopped him cold in his tracks. Amber and a group of friends weaved their way to the back of the room and thanks to a reserved sign, took ownership of a six top.

He watched in disbelief as the woman he was here to erase from his thoughts had just cock blocked him. What. The. Hell? It had been a week since he last laid eyes on Amber and spent every day since thinking about her and her shapely legs in high heeled shoes wrapped around his waist.

Squeals of laughter rang out as he debated his next move. The blonde at the bar wouldn’t be alone much longer. He’d already scouted out the competition, and a couple of other guys had been sending her drinks, and one had made his way over and struck up a conversation with the blonde and her equally attractive friend. But he’d set his sights on the blonde for one reason. He wasn’t looking for a substitute, just a quick lay. It would be easier if the woman didn’t share similar features.

“Royce!”

A high-pitched female voice shouted his name. He closed his eyes briefly and held back a groan. There’d be no escaping the rowdy group of women. He changed course and plastered on a smile and coached himself to keep his eyes off of Amber as he approached the back table.

When he arrived, he found the new bartender that Maverick had hired holding court. Sure he was tall, fit, and had good teeth. If you were into that kind of guy. And he was maybe five years younger than Royce. He was prime meat for the women at the table. Would Amber find him attractive?

Evie had been the one to call his name. She bounced out of her chair and came to his side. “Hey, I thought that was you. How come you’re not out serving and protecting?” She giggled and hiccupped and swayed a bit.

“Hold up there. How much have you already had?” Royce took note of her dilated pupils and held out his hands on either side of her, just in case.

“Oh, just two glasses at Sophie’s. We had a baby shower for her since she couldn’t travel to Charlotte for the playoffs. Don’t worry, Officer Kincaid, we took a rideshare here.” Evie flung out her arm to indicate the rest of the women.

“Ladies, looks who’s here.” Evie was looking right at Amber as she made her announcement.

Royce, for the first time in maybe forever, felt his face warm as five pairs of female eyes landed on him. The new bartender, what’s-him-name, looked as well, but his gaze narrowed as he folded his body-builder arms. He didn’t look happy to have the attention of a table full of women taken from him. Royce shrugged at the bartender. Too bad. He laughed, on the inside, as the guy walked back to the bar.

He dismissed his non-competition, placed his hands on his hips, and widened his stance. Tonight’s chances of getting laid dimmed, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t have a bit of fun. “Ladies. How is everyone?”

A chorus of answers hit him, but he really only cared about one. And the woman who held his attention with her long black hair and button-down sweater that was doing its job and hugging the breasts he itched to caress. Hell, just being this close to her was affecting the fit of his jeans. Any hint of her previous wariness with him gone. In fact, her gaze held nothing but interest, and if he wasn’t mistaken, her gaze was greedily eating him alive.

Evie guided him over to the open chair next to Amber. “Here, take my seat. I see someone I haven’t talked to in ages.”

Amber’s eyes briefly flashed panic, but her gaze shifted as their drinks arrived, and she took a healthy drink, sighed, and leaned back in her chair. Royce sat and watched her features relax into an alcohol aided grin.

“Yum. I love Pina Coladas.” She listed toward him before catching herself. “I bet you’re strictly a beer guy, right?”

Royce nodded. She’d just said more words to him in those two sentences than in all of the six months they’d known each other. Even with the slight slur from the alcohol, her voice was sexy as hell. Usually, at this point, if he was interested in a woman, he’d offer her water, soft drink, or maybe an appetizer. He wasn’t interested in taking advantage of women under the influence. He preferred a willing and sober partner. But, hell if Amber wasn’t a cute drunk.

“How many of those have you had tonight?” He nodded toward her frilly drink with the pineapple slice and umbrella.

“Oh, this is my first one here. But at Sophie’s shower, I had two, no…wait; it was three glasses of punch. It was spiked with something, but I’m not sure what. It was good too, but not as good as this.” She lifted the drink and stuck her tongue out searching for the straw.

Royce didn’t try to hold back his groan as he watched her duel with the long piece of plastic until finally she captured it and sucked. With great concentration, she finished the drink, and for the first time ever he was jealous of an inanimate object.

Sweat broke out across his forehead, and he rethought sitting down. He was playing with fire, and if word reached Reese that he was seen drooling over Amber while she was obviously under the influence he’d never hear the end of it.

He reached for his own drink and took a long pull on the now room temperature liquid. No help there. He’d need a bucket of ice to put out the flames Amber had unknowingly ignited. “So, how was the baby shower?” He cleared his throat and tried not to notice how Amber’s sweater perfectly hugged her breasts. He found himself wondering what her skin would taste like.

“Wow.” Amber frowned down at her glass. “Oh, well.” She giggled, then took the straw out and tipped it up to her lips, and the remaining contents slide out onto her tongue. “Mm. So good.” She tossed the straw on the table and turned to Royce.

Trouble arrived with a neon-bright fucking T.

The smile she gifted him with dazzled him. But he didn’t let it distract him from her glassy-eyed stare. “Did you have anything to eat at the party? How about I order us something?” His jaw dropped as Amber reached up over her head with both arms and stretched. His mouth went dry. If someone handed him a million dollars to stand up from the table at that moment, there was no way in hell he’d be able to do it without showing everyone in the pub just how turned on he was by this petite beauty.

“Royce, you’re frowning. What’s wrong?” Amber blinked several times and placed a hand over his on the table.

Warm, slender fingers rubbed over his knuckles before she tucked her fingers under his. Warning bells erupted inside his skull. Danger ahead.

“You know what would make you feel better?” She licked her lips and kept blinking.

The noise level in the bar had reached the point where he needed to lean in and asked her to repeat herself. Please let her have said something else. “I’m sorry, could you say that again?”

Amber leaned in too and lifted her face, her lips full and glossy. He needed to get out of there before he did something stupid like…kiss her.

“I can make you feel better, Royce.” Her lips inches from his, she opened her mouth about to say something when the scent of her fruity drink hit him. It should have been overwhelming; instead, it made him want to dive in and drink deep. On the edge of jumping in, the cutest hiccup he’d ever heard escaped.

She covered her lips with her fingertips and giggled. “Pardon me.”

He wiped a hand down his face and looked around the table. The other women he didn’t recognize. They were in an intense discussion with two guys who’d pulled up chairs to their table. He wouldn’t find rescue from any of them.

“Royce?”

Amber’s tone held a hint of confusion mixed with longing. He knew what she wanted. He wanted the same. Just a taste. Only one; then he’d know and could put it out of his mind and move on. Yea, right, Kincaid convince someone else.

He held her gaze, and as if a time had decided to stand still, Amber wound a hand around his neck and into his hair. She pulled his head down and captured his lips in a kiss he swore he’d never take, but now gladly accepted. Amber took his lower lip and sucked it lightly before she angled her head and covered both of his lips and fucking rocked his world with her wicked tongue as she expertly twirled and dueled with his.

She let out a small moan as she opened further and surrendered to him.

He was the last guy to proclaim he knew how to romance a woman. He was good at pleasure, giving and receiving, but this kiss was one of the hottest moments he’d ever experienced. Each consumed, and when neither could breathe, he reluctantly pulled back and nipped her lower lip with his teeth as she let out a long sigh.

She sat back in her chair. Her hair loose around her face, and he lost himself in her blue eyes. Eyes that had darkened a shade. She again blinked several times, this time a bit more slowly. Another hiccup escaped, her lashes fell and stayed down for a few seconds before they went back up, and the process repeated itself.

He wasn’t’ sure if he should be offended or flattered that she was comfortable enough with him that she’d let herself relax enough to fall asleep. He’d been around enough people who’d over-indulged both on the job and off. He knew when someone had passed out from too much to drink and someone who’d simply succumb to sleep. And Amber was definitely in the latter category.

Either way, it didn’t matter. He wasn’t about to leave her like this; he needed to get her home.

The question was, would he have enough strength to see her to her door and safely inside—alone?