Page 11 of Unearthed Dreams (Sable Point #3)

Chapter Ten

KAI

Friends taught friends how to masturbate, right?

Fuck. I barely lasted five minutes in my self-imposed friend zone. The moment she moaned over that simple vodka and pink lemonade, I was done for.

The glass I’d been polishing squeaked under my cloth as I worked the same spot over and over, lost in thought.

My mind kept replaying the way her eyes had fluttered shut, those soft pink lips parting as she’d savored the drink.

How many glasses had gone empty while I’d been caught in her spell?

The cops at the pool table had been signaling for another round for God knows how long, but I couldn’t tear my attention away from Charlie’s innocent reactions to my not-so-innocent instructions.

Some fucking professional I was, letting my bar service go to shit because one shy bookworm had scrambled my brain. But Christ, the way she’d looked at me with those big blue eyes, hanging on to my every word as I described exactly how to touch herself.. .

“Hey, Kai! We’re dying of thirst over here!”

I jerked my head up, finally registering Andy waving an empty glass from the pool table. Shit.

I forced myself to focus on pouring fresh beers, but my hands weren’t quite steady. As I carried the drinks over, I caught the knowing looks the guys exchanged. Great. Just what I needed—the whole damn town watching me lose my mind over Charlotte Everton.

Andy followed me back to the bar, his eyes darting to where Charlie had been sitting moments before, her empty glass still carrying the faint trace of her lipstick. I could almost see her there still, perched on that stool with her cheeks flushed pink and her chest rising and falling as I?—

“What were you and Charlie talking about?”

I set the glass down with more force than necessary, the thunk echoing off the weathered bar top. “Book.”

The overhead lights caught the skepticism in Andy’s expression as he leaned in, elbows resting on the worn wood. “A book? Seemed a little... intense over here. Never seen you ignore paying customers before.”

“It’s a good book.” I grabbed the ice scoop, nearly overflowing a glass as Charlie’s breathless whimpers echoed in my memory.

Andy’s reflection wavered in the mirror behind the bar, his features hardening as he watched me. We’d known each other long enough; he’d seen me through the worst days after Kelsey died. Which is exactly why his next words hit home.

“I like you, so I’m gonna say this one time only. Don’t go there. You will regret it when her brothers find out.”

I gritted my teeth. He wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t already know. The ice crackled violently as I gripped the scoop harder, knuckles bone-white. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Andy’s knowing snort cut through my bullshit. “Right, man.”

“Right.” The word tasted like ash in my mouth as I imagined Charlie at home right now, following my detailed instructions. The glass in my hand overflowed, ice water spilling across the bar as I lost focus again.

Fuck. I am so screwed.