From One Night to Forever (3 page)

He held his arms out to the side. “What you see is what you get. I like to have a good time and meet new people.” He dropped his arms. “But that doesn’t come with any extra demands.”

Monique strolled over and placed a burger and fries in front of him. Another button was loose at the top of her fitted white button-up shirt. A red bra and an abundance of cleavage peeked from the deep V.

“You need anything else, cutie?” Monique asked.

His scorching gaze remained on Kacey, which was unheard of when her sister’s bosom was in the vicinity. “Nah, I’m good.”

Monique slowly stood straight. Kacey met her sister’s eyes and looked for any signs of disappointment that her plan for the night had ignored her. She grinned at Kacey and winked before walking away.

“So, mister
I don’t come with any demands
, what do you come with when you’re meeting new people and making new friends?”

He grinned. His lips weren’t overly full but plump enough to make her wonder how soft they might be.

“I come with the promise of a good time.”

“And how do you know the
friends
you’ve made had a good time? Please don’t give me another line about people begging for more of your time.” She sipped her beer.

“Number one, that wouldn’t be a line. But before you roll your eyes and walk away—”

“Who said I’m an eye roller?”

“You’ve got that look. As if you’ve heard all the lines a man could possibly throw your way and you’ve perfected the not-interested eye roll.”

Kacey grinned at his adept evaluation. She’d been hit on nightly in her twelve years working here. “Fine, I’ve been known to occasionally roll my eyes.”

He picked up a fry and nodded. “I was correct in my assessment.”

Her brows lifted and she leaned back. “Oh, so you’re assessing me now.”

“I always assess people. Can’t help it.”

“And do you spend most of your time assessing women?”

“Only the ones as captivating as you are,” he said in a low, deep voice, those dark, soulful eyes staring straight into hers.

She almost wanted to believe him. Kacey blinked and looked away. “Another tired line. I’m beginning to think you’re mistaken about those friends who’ve had a good time with you.”

“And yet you’re still here talking to me.”

“I can’t help it. I like to look out for other people, and I couldn’t possibly let you subject a non-eye-rolling woman to those lines.”

He let out a deep chuckle. “Oh, really now?”

Kacey lifted her shoulder flippantly. “Part of my civic duty, you see.”

He leaned close again and his arm brushed against hers resting on the bar. A light brush, but enough to jolt her awareness.

“What other civic duties do you have?”

“Well, for one I can’t have you promising people a good time and then not following through.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to,” he said with mock seriousness. “Here’s what I propose.”

“What’s that?”

“I show you a very good time and then you can verify that my tired lines, as you call them, are not tired but in fact the truth.”

She’d seen enough guys come through Momma’s Kitchen looking for a one-night stand to know that was exactly what Casanova was about. But that was all she needed tonight, if she went through with being the daring sister. “Finish your burger and fries while I consider that offer.”

Aaron was almost done with his burger, which was delicious, but he hadn’t enjoyed it nearly as much as he had his conversation with Kacey. Not once had she asked him his name. He wasn’t sure if that boded well for the vibe he felt humming between them.

Her sister had left the bar to sing onstage, and the woman who’d sung before was now at the bar. She too was young, busty, and flirty. Aaron again noticed the appeal of the place.

He looked back at Kacey, and when her wide, dark eyes met his, he forgot what he was going to say. A woman hadn’t struck him speechless since he was in middle school.

“Your singing voice. It’s beautiful, by the way,” he blurted out.

“It’s a family thing,” she said with a shrug.

Aaron glanced at the new bartender and then her sister. “Are you all related?”

“Most of us who work here are in some fashion or another. But not everyone.”

He pointed toward Monique. “After talking to you, I wouldn’t have pegged you two as sisters.”

“Most people don’t, but why do you say that?”

“Most sisters have similar vibes. You’re more intense than her. It hit me the moment we made eye contact.”

Kacey’s brows drew together. Aaron couldn’t believe he’d let that slip out. He’d spoken the truth, but knowing she liked to call him on his “tired” lines, he doubted she’d believe him. In that case, he might as well voice all the expressive thoughts she conjured up in him.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

He sipped his drink. “I’ll have to work a little bit harder to get to know you better.”

Her brows relaxed, and she slowly lifted her head up and down. “Aha, I see.” She lifted her shoulder. “Maybe you should go the easy route.”

He leaned his elbow on the bar and met her eye. “I like a challenge.”

“Most men do, but that doesn’t mean having a good time with you tonight includes me sleeping with you.”

He liked that she dropped the innuendo and put the idea out there, even though he didn’t believe she wasn’t considering taking him home.

“I don’t think I have a chance in hell to get you in bed. But I never refuse a conversation with a beautiful woman.”

She smiled. She had the thickest, sexiest lips, which, like her eyes, made him lose his train of thought when he focused on them. Aaron cleared his throat and glanced around. If he stared too long his body would give an adolescent reaction to her sexiness. “So, tell me, what do you do when you’re not working here?”

“What do I do?”

“Yeah, tell me.” He leaned forward and took another sip of his drink.

She raised a brow. “What do you do when you’re not trying to pick up women in bars?”

“I’m driving Bertha.”

“Bertha?”

“My truck.”

She frowned. “You’re a trucker?”

He heard the distaste in her voice and disappointment filled him. “You disapprove?”

Her face cleared and she shook her head. “No, truckers come through here all the time. I’m just surprised. So, why Bertha?”

He shrugged, but felt as if he’d lost some points with her. No problem, he’d encountered that with women before, and he usually overcame any doubts they had about his success.

“She just felt like a Bertha.” Kacey’s chuckle made him grin. “When I’m not driving, I’m hanging with my family. I’m the youngest of three boys with one sister after me. I like playing video games, baseball, and sometimes still think about pursuing my childhood dream to hold professional wrestling’s intercontinental championship.”

Kacey cocked her head to the side. “Why not the world heavyweight champion? I mean, that’s a title worth holding.”

Aaron leaned back and his eyes widened. “What do you know about world heavyweight championships?”

She shrugged and smirked. “I know the heavyweight champion is pretty much the face of wrestling. And they have the bigger belt.”

So she knew a little bit about wrestling. “Bigger isn’t better.”

“Is your insecurity showing?”

He was really starting to like her sassy mouth. He wagged a finger at her. “Aha-ha, you’ve got jokes.”

“Just an observation.” She dragged out the last word before taking another sip of her beer.

Aaron’s thoughts fled, chased away by the sight of those luscious lips wrapped around the long neck of the bottle. He blinked and shook his head. “Who’s your favorite heavyweight champion?”

Kacey refilled his glass. “Easy. The Mountain.”

Aaron slapped the bar and shook his head. Most women liked that guy because of his looks and the successful acting career he’d started after leaving wresting. “No! Are you serious? You have to go back to when wrestling was great. That’s when Hardy Boy Ricky Mable held the title.”

“Hey, I’m not hating on Ricky, but the Mountain was awesome. He is still awesome!”

“I can’t believe this.” He tapped the shoulder of the guy next to him. “Can you believe this?”

The guy looked from him to Kacey and shrugged. Aaron turned back to her. “Tell me why you think he’s so awesome.”

That started a debate of the best and worst champions and tag-team duos in wresting history. Kacey proved she knew more than a little bit about wrestling, and impressed the hell out of him. The bartender brought his check, and Aaron paid after Kacey challenged his ranking of the Wild Hawaiians in the place of all-time best tag-team champions.

“I give it to you,” Aaron said as he signed his credit card receipt. “You know your wrestling.”

“I’ve watched since I was a kid.” She leaned in close. “It’s my guilty pleasure.”

“Nothing wrong with that.” He slid the signed receipt across the bar, then turned to Kacey. “So, are you ready to go have a good time?”

Her easy smile faltered. Bluntness normally worked easier than being sly.

“Are you sure you don’t want to take the easy route?” she asked.

“Positive.”

She swallowed and he followed the movement of the muscles in her neck. Everything about her drew his attention. Crazy, he’d never been this into a woman he’d just met before.

“Go on out and give me a second to wrap things up with my sister.”

“Don’t want to be seen leaving the bar with a man you just met?”

“Something like that.”

He nodded and stood. “I’ll see you outside.” He ran a finger down her arm. Not to be seductive, but because he’d been dying to touch her all night. Her skin was soft, and the simple touch thrilled him more than he’d expected. Aaron knew that even if she didn’t meet him, he’d never forget his reaction to her.

Kacey walked out onto the wooden deck of Momma’s Kitchen, her heart pounding in her chest. She hadn’t told Monique she was taking the hot guy from the bar home. Just said she was tired and would catch up with her later. Monique had caught the eye of another guy and waved Kacey off.

What am I doing?
The straitlaced side of her brain said to ignore the crazy rush going on inside of her body, go home, and get ready for her last semester in school. The long-neglected side argued that backing out meant going home to a bowl of popcorn and Netflix. Or, more likely, getting online to go over the course description for her final class and then doing some online research.

Neither of which were what she really wanted to do. What she really wanted to do was live out the fantasy of being daring enough to go home with the hot guy at the bar. To forget all the lectures about not letting loose and actually do just that. So what if the last time had ended in heartbreak and disaster? She’d been seventeen and stupid. Now she was twenty-seven and smarter.

Theoretically anyway.

“Changing your mind?”

Kacey blinked and turned to her left, where Casanova stood leaning against one of the beams in the porch. She still hadn’t asked him for his real name. She didn’t want to know his name. If she went through with this, it would be to have a little fun, a no-strings-attached kind of thing.

His sexy gaze never left hers, and Kacey’s blood heated. She definitely was not going home to Netflix and Google.

“Why would you say that?” She strolled down the steps toward the parking lot, trying to appear as if she was as sure of herself as she pretended to be.

Casanova pushed away from the beam and followed. He got close enough for his arm to brush against hers as they walked, sending sparks across her skin. “The way you burst out of the door then stopped and chewed your lower lip screamed you were reconsidering.”

Kacey chuckled and shook her head. The evening breeze was a welcome refresher to the heat in her body. “You’ve got lots of experience in this arena.”

“What arena?”

“This whole hookup thing.” Kacey stopped and faced him. He took a step back, giving her space but not enough to prevent the crisp smell of his cologne from toying with her hormones. “So tell me, how does this usually work?”

Casanova’s brows drew together over dark eyes. “How does what work?”

“You know, your mack routine. Do you sweep into town and panties drop as soon as you give that smile?”

The smile in question lifted the corner of his mouth and he ran a hand across the bristly shadow of a beard. “You like my smile, huh?”

She rolled her eyes though her heart did a little flip. “It’s all right. I’ll admit you’ve got the sexy lip lift mastered.” She grinned and pointed toward his absolutely kissable mouth. “Did you practice to get it so perfect?”

“No practice. I guess I’m just a natural.”

She bet he was. He chuckled and shook his head. “I’m just kidding. There are no expectations behind my smile.”

Kacey raised a brow. “Oh, really? So, when you offered to show me a good time, you didn’t expect leaving meant
let’s go have sex
?”

He brought a hand to his chest and his eyes widened. “Not at all. I just thought we could leave and get to know each other. Maybe see where the night takes us.”

She raised a brow. “Really?”

His brows drew together, and his head tilted to the side. The smile on his face slowly morphed into a look of surprise. “You really do have beautiful eyes.”

He sounded like a hero from an epic romance. And like a love-struck heroine, her cheeks flushed and she returned his appreciative look with a grin. So what if he probably spouted that line a hundred times? Tonight, she wanted the flowery words, the buildup of anticipation, and—hopefully—an explosive ending. Her life of schoolbooks and work rarely afforded those moments. All the more reason to seize this one.

“And you really do have a nice smile,” she said. With that his smile returned. “So, how do you propose we get to know each other?”

He pointed across the street. “We’ll start over there.”

Kacey turned in the direction he pointed. Lights flashed on a mini-windmill that slowly turned at the miniature golf course next to the Hampton Inn across the street. She frowned with her confusion. “Are you serious?”