Kelsey Roberts - Handsome As Sin

“...told you not to come.”

Muscles frowned and loosened the knot of his tie where it met his thick neck. “I know you didn’t mean it, Ellie.”

“I always mean what I say, Mike. Your problem is that you don’t listen.”

He liked her accent. It told him she was from someplace up north. Instead of sounding harsh, it held a certain self-assuredness that he saw mirrored in the determined set of her delicate jaw.

“Ellie, I’ve come all this way,” Muscles argued.

“For nothing,” she told him. “I’m here to spend a nice quiet holiday with my family. And you aren’t family.”

“You didn’t feel that way three months ago.”

She blew an exasperated breath toward the bangs that feathered softly above those incredible eyes. Jake found himself enjoying the part of the voyeur. In fact, this was definitely an interesting way to wait out the unexpected snowstorm that had paralyzed the city.

“It’s over, Mike,” she was telling him. “It’s been over and it will continue to be over.”

“Because of him?” Muscles asked, tilting his large head in the direction of the bar.

Something flashed in the woman’s eyes, but it was gone before Jake could put a proper name to it. He was further distracted from the couple when the waitress stomped up to the bar and scooted between two of the stools. She didn’t give Jake a second look, her eyes were biting into the guy behind the bar.

“Need something?” he heard Josh inquire.

“Rose said to cut everyone off. She doesn’t want us serving alcohol when the roads are this bad.”

“Roads...cars,” said the little boy who had been in and out of the restaurant. He struggled to pull himself up onto the seat next to Jake. “I Chad,” he said, offering a toothy grin.

Jake smiled at the little boy, who looked so much like the woman he’d been admiring. “Jake,” he said, extending his hand to the kid.

“Hat,” Chad returned, pointing to the Stetson Jake had placed on the bar.

Seeing the child’s curiosity, he put the penny down and retrieved his hat, balancing it on the little boy’s dark head.

“Hat,” he said again.

“Expensive hat,” Jake told him.

But before he’d gotten the last word out, the child had bounded from the stool and scurried off behind the metal doors that led to the kitchen.

“Don’t worry,” the bartender said. “He’ll bring it back as soon as he shows it to Rose.”

Reluctantly Jake turned away from the couple and looked at the bartender. “Rose?”

“One of the owners. Chad’s folks own the other half.”

“Her?” he asked, indicating Ellie.

The bartender’s grin bordered on wolfish. “Nope, luckily for me, she’s a free agent.”

Jake had to agree. Especially when he turned back and saw that she had gotten to her feet. He placed her body in the delectable category. Curves, but not overdone. The floral-print dress clung to her in all the right places, yet left enough to the imagination to inspire a few fantasies.

“You’re a lucky man,” he said as he turned back to the bar. “She’s a pretty lady.”

After draping the towel over his shoulder, Josh leaned forward, his eyes fixed on the couple. “I can’t believe that loser followed her all the way here from New York.”

“I can,” Jake said under his breath. If she was his lady, he’d definitely keep her within arm’s reach. In fact, he thought, continuing to fantasize as he turned back around, he could think of a whole list of things he’d do if he had a woman like that.

He would not, however, have his hand in a viselike grip on her upper arm. Jake waited, thinking Josh should intercede. Even though the lady was tall, Muscles outweighed her by at least a hundred pounds. He could tell by the wince on her face that he was hurting her.

Sensing the bartender wasn’t going to spring into action, he stepped from the stool, his boots scraping the floor as he calmly sauntered over.

“Afternoon,” he drawled, fixing his eyes on Muscles.

“Yes?” the man returned, clearly irritated by the intrusion. “Do you mind? This is a private conversation.”

Jake hoisted one foot onto the seat of the chair and sighed pensively. “That’s not how I see it. The way you’ve been yelling and carrying on, most everybody here knows the lady doesn’t want you around.”

“I can handle this,” she interrupted, placing her hand against Jake’s forearm.

He made a point of looking at her then. Her eyes were even more blue up close.

“I’m sure you can, ma’am,” he answered easily. “But my mama wouldn’t hold too kindly if I was to let this guy get away with roughing you up that way.”

As if just aware of it, she looked to where Muscles’ thick fingers circled her upper arm. “Let go,” she said in a soft command.

“We need to talk,” Muscles argued. “Alone,” he added with a dismissive glare at Jake.

“Seems to me,” he began slowly, “the lady pretty much said all she needed to say. I believe she gave you your walking papers.”

“Back off,” Muscles warned as an angry red stain seeped up over his collar. “This is between me and my fiancée.”

“Ex-fiancée,” she corrected. “I’m involved with Josh now. Right Josh?” she called across the room.

“Anything you say, sugar,” he answered with a wink.

The other waitress, the one they called Beth, groaned. Jake had to admit he shared the sentiment. The bartender didn’t seem like much of an improvement over this clown.

“You haven’t been here long enough to get involved with anyone,” Muscles argued.

“What can I say?” She sighed heavily as her lashes fluttered over her eyes. “Love at first sight.”

“Which brings me back to my original point, friend,” Jake interjected. “I think the lady has made it pretty clear that you aren’t welcome here.” Jake lowered his leg and took a step so that he was right up in the other man’s face. “I believe she asked you to leave. Now.”

“Josh!” Ellie called, her voice slightly panicked. “I think you’d better get over here.”

The bartender came over and got between the two men. “Rose doesn’t allow fighting. You two have a problem, take it outside.”

“I don’t have a problem,” Jake said. “I was only doing your job.”

Ellie rubbed her hands over her face and said, “Mike, you have to leave. You should never have come here in the first place.”

She watched the indecision on his face and silently prayed he would comply. The last thing she wanted or needed was for this collection of men to start brawling in the middle of her sister-in-law’s restaurant. Dylan would kill her.

“Please, Mike?” she asked in a softer tone.

“For now,” he grunted before turning on his heel and heading for the door. Angrily, he yanked his coat from the hook on the wall, nearly pulling the hook out along with the jacket.

“Be careful,” she called out. “The roads are really slippery.”

Mike’s only response was to slam the door. The action shook the ornaments on the Christmas tree perched in the far corner of the room.

“Thanks,” she said to Josh, then turned her attention to the tall, handsome man.

Having him in such close proximity made her breath catch in her throat. His hair was blond and stylishly long, falling well below the collar of his chambray shirt. She could just make out the impression of the hat she’d seen her nephew Chad race off with a few minutes earlier. But it was his eyes that had stolen the starch from her knees. They were so clear and green that she had the uncomfortable feeling that he could see right into her thoughts.

In order to talk to him, Ellie had to lift her chin. It was an unusual occurrence; at nearly six feet tall, she rarely had to look up to a man. “There wasn’t any need for you to intercede,” she told him firmly but politely.