Read Online PartyNaked by Mari Carr - Free Book Online Page B

as engaged—one way or the other.
He’d have to work on changing that.
    More likely it was her day off—a thought that hadn’t
occurred to him. From their short conversation last week, he’d gotten the
impression she practically lived at the bar. He envisioned her as a workaholic.
While he admired her drive and commitment toward making the place a success, he
was concerned she pushed herself a bit too hard at the expense of everything
else.
    The sound of clinking glass caught his attention and he
turned in time to see Stephanie emerge from a back room with a tray of clean
glasses. She was halfway to the bar when she spotted him.
    “Oh. Hey.” Her tone told him nothing. Damn, she was a
frustrating woman. Was she sorry about running away last week or pissed off at
him for not calling during the days between then and now? He’d picked up the
phone a hundred times, but he wanted to have this conversation face-to-face.
This was the first opportunity he’d had to make that happen.
    He lifted his hand in a casual wave. “Hey.”
    She walked behind the bar and placed the glasses on the
counter. “What’s up?”
    His temper sparked at her nonchalance. He’d been thinking
about her 24/7, that’s what the fuck was up. Instead, he said, “Not much.”
    “Been keeping the mean streets of Portland safe from
double-parkers?” She gave him a friendly smile and his anger melted away.
    “Something like that.”
    She started putting the glasses away, hanging them by the
stems on the rack above her head. It felt like she was trying to avoid making
eye contact.
    “You missed a helluva breakfast Friday morning.” He couldn’t
resist getting in a little dig.
    “Oh yeah?” She kept working.
    “Yeah. Eggs, hash browns, bacon, the whole works.”
    She cleared her throat uneasily, her gaze never wavering
from her task. “I had to be here to open up. Early delivery.”
    “Stephanie. Look at me.”
    She glanced his way, a look of pure irritation on her face.
He grinned. He liked her feisty side. “I’m sort of busy, Jarod.”
    He looked around at the empty bar. “Yeah, I can see that.”
    “God, you’re a smartass.”
    “Takes one to know one. Is there something wrong, Steph? Did
I hurt you the other night?” It was the one fear he’d carried the past few
days. He hadn’t been a gentle lover. He wondered if he’d gone too far, giving
in to desires he’d always suppressed for fear of scaring his lovers away. She
had responded to his rough touches, pleading for more, but perhaps he’d read
her wrong, pushed her too hard.
    She put down the glass she was holding and shook her head.
“Of course you didn’t hurt me. I mean, I’m not going to pretend I wasn’t a
little sore the next day. We went at it like dogs in heat, didn’t we?”
    She never minced words. It was refreshing. “You can say that
again. I was worried…”
    Her gaze softened. “I’m fine, Jarod. It was a spectacular
night.”
    Her words soothed away the last of his anxieties. He gave
her a cocky grin. “Spectacular, huh? That sounds a hell of a lot better than nice .”
    She rolled her eyes, but he could see she was amused.
“You’re awfully quick to claim all the credit there, hotshot. You have to
admit, I was fucking awesome.”
    He leaned closer. “You were incredible. Go out with me
tonight.”
    As far as segues went, that had to be the lamest, but he
wanted to see her again.
    “Go out or go home with you?”
    “A date. I want to take you out on a real, old-fashioned
date. Movies and dinner.”
    Her face betrayed her desire to go, but there was clearly
something holding her back. Jarod could see her searching for a reason to say
no. Rejection was not an option.
    Turning, he caught Jayne’s attention. “Hey, Jayne.”
    Stephanie’s friend smiled when she saw him and excused
herself from her customer for a moment. “Hi, Jarod. I didn’t see you come in.
How’s the reading coming along?”
    “Great.” He wasn’t lying. He’d managed