Take It Off Page 2

  “How was your date last night?” Carolyn asked, filling her tray with a pitcher of beer and half a dozen empty mason jars. “You gonna go out with him again?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe.” Paul had just rolled into town. A farmhand who was trying to save enough money to buy his own little piece of property in the area. He was a nice guy—and he didn’t know my story—so there was that added bonus.

  All the local boys still thought of me as Pierce’s girl. They were sure he was gonna come back and re-claim me one day, so they didn’t want to get in too deep. It didn’t make it easy to date, though I’d tried.

  “Has he called you?” she asked, balancing the tray. “If they call within twenty-four hours, they’re into you and not afraid to show it. A real man. If they go a few days, they’re just playing games and who needs that, right?”

  Yeah, I’d had one player too many in my life. “Yeah, he texted this morning to ask if I wanted to go out with him tonight. I told him I had to work, so he said he might come in for a beer.”

  “Is he a good kisser?”

  “He’s okay,” I said, shrugging.

  One kiss was no different from another. Except for his kisses. They were different. He didn’t just kiss. He made love with this mouth. It was always a prelude of what was to come. A promise of more.

  “Oh. My. God.” Carolyn was staring at the door, slack-jawed.

  I turned around to see what caused Carolyn’s reaction. Shit, shit, shit! Pierce and his brother! What the hell was he doing here? And why was he staring at me like he wasn’t the reason we broke up?

  “Well, I’ll be damned,” Roy muttered.

  Roy came out from behind the bar, his cowboy boots eating up the space as he hauled ass to shake my ex’s hand. He had a bum leg and usually walked with a cane, but that sure as shit wasn’t slowin’ him down none. People had no loyalty. Not that I could blame old Roy. Anyone would probably lose their shit if Pierce Eason walked into their little dive bar.

  “What is he doing here?” my best friend asked, her eyes still glued to the door. “Damn, Trev looks hot with that beard.”

  Great. That’s all I needed. My best friend hooking up with the man who was supposed to be my brother-in-law. “Don’t,” I groaned, sinking against the bar. “Please, just don’t.”

  “At least you look hot,” she said, fluffing my auburn waves.

  I batted her hands away, looking like a fool. “Stop that. He’ll think I’m primping for him.”

  She surveyed my look. White short shorts, a tight sleeveless denim shirt tied under my boobs, and cowboy boots. Pierce wasn’t used to seeing me all sexed up. When we’d been together, I’d been all cute girl-next-door with pretty, little sundresses, ponytails, flip-flops, and natural makeup. Thanks to my big sister and Carolyn, that look was long gone. New look. New job. New attitude. That’s what I told myself as his hot gaze raked over me. I wasn’t wearing much, but I may as well have been stark naked the way he was looking at me.

  “Whoa!” Carolyn said, fanning her face dramatically. “Is it getting hot in here or what?”

  “Shut up,” I said between clenched teeth. I grabbed the tray of drinks she was supposed to be serving. “Gimme that. I need to check on my tables anyhow.”

  As I made my rounds, I caught a glimpse of Trev and his brother planting their very fine asses at a table. In my section, of course. Life’s a bitch.

  Pierce probably thought that meant I’d have to wait on him. Well, screw him. I’d just get Carolyn to trade tables with me. She owed me for playing that damn song. Now I couldn’t get it out of my head.

  I smiled and flirted with the customers, pretending nothing was wrong. Of course, everyone watched Pierce walk in, and they all knew we’d been engaged, so I wasn’t really fooling anyone. But I had to pretend. If I didn’t, I’d crack. And I couldn’t afford to crack. Not when the glue piecing me together was already so fragile.

  “You gonna see what they want to drink?” Roy asked, shuffling up behind me and pointing at their table.

  “Uh no, I was gonna ask Carolyn to take care of it.”

  “I sent her down to the storeroom to get a few bottles. You get on over there now and see what they want. We can’t be makin’ VIPs wait like that, darlin’. If we do, they won’t come back.”

  Could I get that lucky? But Roy was my boss and jobs were hard to come by in our little town, so until I got my degree, I had to do my job and keep the complaining to a minimum. Which sucked, ‘cause if I ever had reason to complain, well, he just walked in the door.

  I wandered over, clutching the old tray in front of me like a shield. I normally didn’t mind putting the girls on display if it meant a few more dollars in tips every night, but seeing Pierce admire my tits would start a downward spiral. Flashbacks of him licking and sucking and… Shit! I could not go there.

  “Hey, Trev,” I said, flashing a smile as I made a concerted effort to ignore his companion. “Long time no see. You just passin’ through?”

  He looked amused as he darted a glance at his brother. “Uh, we’re here for a few weeks actually, visitin’ Mama.”

  “That’s nice.” Their mama was a sweet lady. She couldn’t help it if her firstborn was a lying, cheating scum sucker. I didn’t hold it against her. Or Trev. He’d always been a friend, and that wouldn’t change. “Say hi to her for me.”

  “You know I will.”

  “What can I get y’all to drink?” I told myself that if I ignored him, pretended he wasn’t even there, maybe he’d see it was pointless to try to get my attention and he’d leave.

  “I’ll just have a Coke,” Pierce said, surprising me.

  Huh. So he still wasn’t drinking? Interesting. I told myself he’d fallen off the wagon in that hotel room in Atlanta. Not that alcohol would excuse his behavior, but at least if he’d been drunk, I’d have been able to tell myself he was out of his mind when he let some groupie go down on him. No such luck. Now I had to live with the knowledge that bastard did exactly what he wanted to do with no regard for his fiancée. Why the hell couldn’t he just stay out of my life and stop reopening old wounds?

  “How ‘bout you, Trev?” I asked, refusing to let my gaze drift his way. I knew it was silly to avoid looking at him, but it was the only way to defend myself because… there were no words to describe how sexy my ex was.

  He was tall and muscular with short dark hair and hazel eyes. But the devil was in the details. It was the ever-present scruff on that fucking perfectly chiseled face that I loved to throw darts at. Yeah, I admit it. I used his glossy headshot as a dart board on the back of my bedroom door. Hey, any girl in my position would do the same.

  I caught a glimpse of his crooked smile out of the corner of my eye when he looked at me. He was enjoying my discomfort. The bastard! I turned my head slowly, glaring at him. “Somethin’ funny, asshole?”

  He pinched his full lips together, shaking his head, but I knew he was suppressing a grin and that made me wanna smack him upside that thick head. I wanted to yell and scream and hit him all over again. I wanted to tell him that he’d had a good girl, who would have done anything for him, who loved him for him, not his fame and money, and like an idiot, he’d thrown me away for ten minutes of fun with a slut who probably banged celebrities for sport.

  “Nothin’, baby.” He bit his lip as his gaze raked over me. “Just like watchin’ you get all riled up. I like the new look. It works on you.”

  Trev’s eyes traveled around the bar and he grinned. “Yeah, I’d say you’re not the only one who thinks so. Looks like Keira has lots of admirers.”

  Pierce shot him a filthy look. “Shut the fuck up.”

  He still thought he had the right to be jealous and possessive of me? Hell, no. He’d given up that right over a year ago. “Let’s get one thing straight,” I said, dropping the shield as I got in his face. “I am not your baby. And if I want to get up on this table and shake my ass for every guy in this bar, I will. We clear?”

  His eyes na
rrowed, like he wanted to challenge me, but knew he couldn’t. “Crystal.”

  “Good.” I pushed back, willing myself not to breathe. ‘Cause if I did, I might catch a whiff of that familiar cologne. It was fresh, yet strong and sensual, letting everyone know he didn’t have to try to be seductive. He just was. “Now, what can I get you, Trev?”

  “Bud works for me, Keira.” His smile was almost sympathetic. “Thanks.”

  “You got it.”

  Chapter Two

  Pierce

  She’d been back to drop our drinks off but hadn’t even spared me a glance.

  I knew this wouldn’t be easy. She was convinced I’d cheated on her, ‘cause I’d been dumb enough to tell her I had. She had every reason to hate me. I’d wanted her to hate me when I lied about another woman because I thought a clean break would be best. But there was no such thing as a clean break with Keira. There was nothing but jagged edges, wounds that wouldn’t stop bleeding, and scars that refused to heal.

  “She looks different, huh?” Trev said, bringing the beer to his lips.

  “Yeah.” She’d looked sweet and innocent before, like a preacher’s daughter, and I liked it that way. Men were less likely to look twice. Now she was putting it all out there. The curves I used to love caressing in the privacy of my bedroom were on display for the whole fucking world to see and I hated that.

  Her auburn hair was in thick, full waves, which meant she was finally embracing the natural curl she used to bitch about. Her bright green eyes were wide, rimmed with makeup she’d never worn before. Her full lips were soft and pink and shiny, reminding me of how incredible they’d looked wrapped around my… I shifted in my seat, adjusting the bulge in my jeans. Yeah, this new look of hers wasn’t working for me at all, especially since I’d lost the right to touch her.

  “Wonder who that guy is,” Trev said, gesturing to a guy who had Keira’s undivided attention.

  Her hand was resting on his shoulder and she’d thrown her head back, laughing at something he said.

  I curled my hand into a fist as I took him in. I was pretty sure I’d never seen him before, but he looked like any other country boy in this joint. Cowboy boots and hat, faded jeans, well-worn T-shirt with some graphic design on the front. He looked like he was no stranger to manual labor. Probably a rancher or farmer.

  But did she really want boring and mundane? Men who drove tractors instead of motorcycles, who lived paycheck to paycheck and couldn’t afford to buy her flowers. Or did she want a guy like me… who could buy her anything she wanted? And worshiped the ground she walked on. Except she probably didn’t see it that way. I was the lying, cheating bastard who’d broke her heart, not the man who’d give everything he owned for one more shot with her.

  “You think he’s her boyfriend?” Trev asked. “They look pretty tight.”

  I’d eat broken glass if I heard she had a boyfriend. I came here with one mission—to convince her to take me back. Was it in her best interest? Probably not. My life hadn’t changed all that much since we broke up. She’d probably still hate it, but then… the Keira I was looking at now wasn’t the same sweet, shy girl I’d broken up with, so maybe she’d be more willing to embrace all the attention that came with my lifestyle.

  She’d obviously stepped outside of her comfort zone and convinced her parents she was going to live her life as she saw fit, with or without their approval. ‘Cause I couldn’t imagine her daddy, the preacher, jumpin’ on board with his baby girl working in a dive bar dressed like that. Hell, I wasn’t even on board with her dressing like that. I wanted to run out to the truck and grab my denim jacket out of the back and throw it over her, to send a message to the men leering at her—for my eyes only.

  “How you boys doin’?” Roy asked, ambling up to us. “Keira takin’ good care of you?”

  It had been too long since Keira took care of me, but I’d gladly hand over every platinum record I’d earned to have that experience again. “We’re good, Roy,” I said, raising my half-empty glass. “Is that, uh, her boyfriend?” I asked, nodding toward farm boy, who was now sitting with my girl, obviously monopolizing her break.

  Roy glanced in their direction. “Na, don’t think so. Those girls go out with so many fellas I can’t keep track of ‘em all.”

  Trev raised an eyebrow. I knew what he was thinking. Keira had changed. She’d been with me since she turned eighteen and no one else was stupid enough to make a play for her. We’d both learned one useful skill from our old man—how to fight. And that meant none of the local boys got on the wrong side of us.

  “You, uh, know his story?” I asked, trying not to stare.

  “I think he’s workin’ on the Callahan farm,” Roy said, stroking his handlebar mustache.

  He was a throwback to a different time, but we all loved that old Roy never changed.

  “Johnny Callahan runnin’ that place for his parents now?” Johnny and I used to be tight in high school, getting into all kinds of shit together. Might be time to pay my old buddy a visit, find out what he knew about the man on his payroll.

  “Yeah, his pops has got arthritis pretty bad. And you heard his older brother enlisted, right?”

  “Yeah, Mama mentioned somethin’ about that.” I made it a point to play for the troops overseas every chance I got. It was always one of the highlights of my year.

  “Few of the boys enlisted when they got out of high school,” Roy said, leaning heavily on his cane. “Guess I can see why. Not much in the way of work ‘round here. Getting drafted sure ain’t an easy road though.”

  “Commendable though,” Trev said, tipping his hat.

  I nodded, wondering how many of the guys I used to know had enlisted. No one talked about shit like that back in high school. We were all too busy raisin’ hell and gettin’ laid. Maybe now that I was back for a bit I could see about doing something for the folks that put up with my shit for so long. A charity concert, maybe, to raise money for the families who had loved ones stationed in the Middle East. I was sure my mama could help set up something like that. She’d always been pretty involved in the church—the church where Keira’s daddy was the preacher. Ugh. Might have to come up with another plan to help out, since he hated my guts.

  “I see you got live music in here now,” I said, gesturing toward the empty stage. “How come you didn’t have that when I lived here? Might’ve been fun.”

  “You’re welcome to that stage anytime you want it, boy,” he slapped my back, roaring with a hearty chuckle. “But I guess you’re too big to play in a place like this now, ain’t ya?”

  My gaze strayed to Keira and I had an idea. “Not at all. I’d love to play. In fact, I’ve been working on a new album. Hasn’t been released yet. This might give me a chance to try it out, if you don’t think your customers would mind?”

  “Mind?” he asked, raising bushy gray eyebrows as he tipped his cowboy hat back. “Hell, they’d be honored, same as I would. Most of us probably couldn’t afford decent tickets to your show, so if you’re sure you wouldn’t mind, that’d be a real treat for us to get a private show.”

  “How ‘bout your band?” I asked, nodding to the three musicians who were sitting at a corner table watching me. “You sure they wouldn’t mind? I don’t wanna step on anybody’s toes.”

  “I can damn well guarantee they won’t care. Most people don’t pay them no mind, anyhow. They’re just background noise, unless folks feel like dancin’ a little.”

  I remembered when I was the background noise in places like this. Seemed like only yesterday, but it had been at least seven years since I’d stepped on a stage this small. It’d feel good to get back to my roots… and let Keira hear the songs I’d been working on.

  ***

  Keira

  “I can’t believe Pierce Eason is here,” Paul said, grinning from ear-to-ear as he tapped his boot on the floor and mouthed the words to every song. Ugh. I should have known this guy was too good to be true. He had a fucking man crush on my ex.
>
  “He’s from these parts,” I said, trying to downplay our connection. “Went to high school right here in Albany.”

  “Is that right?” he asked, lighting up at the news. “I’ve been a fan of his for a long time. Don’t think I’ve ever heard him talk about where he was from in any interviews though.”

  “Probably trying to forget.” At least that’s what I choose to believe. Aside from his mama, I’d been his last tie to his roots. No doubt he wanted to forget the modest little home he’d grown up in and the shit box he drove all the way out to Nashville the summer he turned twenty-one.

  “I don’t know about that,” he said, tipping back his beer. “If that were true, why would he be back?”

  He was watching me while he sang. As hard as I tried to ignore him, I could feel his eyes on me, probably questioning who I was with. I thought about putting an arm around Paul, maybe even dropping a little kiss on his cheek to send my ex a message, but that wouldn’t be fair. Paul was a nice guy. He didn’t deserve to be used that way.

  “His mama still lives here,” I explained, draining my water. “He and his younger brother are back to visit for a bit.”

  “That’s cool. So, you know him? Think you could introduce me?”

  Fuck that! “Uh, no, I don’t think so. He and I had a little falling out a while back. We don’t talk much anymore.”

  “Oh yeah? What about?”

  He couldn’t keep his dick in his pants. “That’s a long story, and I gotta get back to work.”

  “Before you go, can I take you out tomorrow night?” he asked, sounding way too eager. “Maybe dinner and a movie? How about the drive-in? Wouldn’t that be cool? I haven’t been to one of those in years.”

  Last time I went to a drive-in had been with Pierce. We’d steamed up the windows and rocked his old truck so hard they were talkin’ about it in church the next day. “Can I get back to you on that?” I asked, smiling. “I may have to work. We’ve got a girl out sick.”