Indelible (2 page)

The first thing I noticed was her ass.

The bar was already pretty crowded, considering it wasn’t even ten o’clock. I’d come in early to grab a bite before meeting the guys to shoot pool. I was about to put in my order at the bar when I saw her bend over to pick up something she’d dropped on the floor. She didn’t bend at the knees, just straight over at the waist, giving me a perfect view and throwing my libido into fifth gear.

Damn, I needed to adjust my jeans.

I kept watching as she stood back up, interested enough to see if the face was as good as the body. I’ve always preferred my women thick.

Women who were so skinny that their hip bones stuck out just pissed me off. If I wanted a bumpy ride I’d take my bike out to the train tracks.

Her hair was long and straight. I could tell it was dark, but it was hard to tell exactly what color because of the lights in the bar, maybe red? Didn’t matter…

She turned to put her purse on the back of her chair before she sat, and I saw enough of her face to know she’d still be pretty in the morning light.

I noted that she was sitting with James before I turned to order a burger and a beer from the bartender.

I knew James from way back. We’d grown up in the same part of town. She’d always kept the neighborhood guessing with her string of partners, male and female, and I’d always kept them guessing with the late-night visits from the cops. I guess you could say we were destined to become friends, if you could call us that. James was very careful not to let anyone get too close.

I figured I’d enjoy my meal and give them a chance to have a few drinks before I asked James who the great ass belonged to, unless something changed between now and then. I didn’t like to put too much pressure on myself.

I downed a couple beers with my burger before I headed to the back to put some quarters on the pool table to secure my spot. The crowd was a mixture of biker types and college kids because that’s what happened when you had a college in a town like this. Some of the kids found out right away that this wasn’t the type of bar they should be hanging out in, but the ones that stayed usually became regulars.

It was low-key with hot waitresses, sturdy pool tables, and a jukebox that played a fantastic mix of seventies rock. What more could a guy ask for?

I noticed James was sitting by herself at the table, throwing back a shot of God knows what, and I figured the chick with the ass had gone to the bathroom or something. I walked over to James and pulled out a chair.

“What’s up?” I asked as I sat.

“Same old,” James replied with a smirk. “How ‘bout you, Judd? Haven’t seen you in a minute.”

“I’ve been around.” I looked down at her arm as she played with the empty glass. Without thinking, I reached over and ran a finger along the spot I’d noticed. “Got some new ink?”

“Yeah.” James looked pointedly at my finger, then back at me.

“Sorry,” I said, putting my hands up as if I was surrendering as I smiled down at her. “Force of habit.”

“You just hangin’ out tonight?” James asked.

“Yeah, meeting some of the guys to shoot pool,” I said. “What about you? That your new old lady?”

“Who, Sam?” James asked, pointing at the seat the girl had been sitting in. “Nah, man. We just hang. She’s straight. Why the interest?”

“Just gathering intel,” I said with a smile. She looked in my eyes and knew exactly what I meant by that. I smiled wider. “That a problem?”

“Nope. She’s not with anyone,” James replied, signaling to the waitress to bring her another drink. “But I have to warn you, she’s not really the type you usually go for.”

“How’s that?” I asked, curious.

“Let’s just say she’s not going to scratch that itch in your pants.”

My smile turned wicked at that. James knew me pretty well; hell, we were cut from the same cloth. Despite that fact, we’d never been together sexually. Not that she wasn’t attractive, because I had no problem with ink, piercings, and blue hair, but we’d come to a mutual understanding early on that our pseudo-relationship would only last if we kept it platonic.

Not to sound cocky or anything, but if I wanted to sleep with a woman, I didn’t have a problem making it happen. I had a one-hundred percent success rate, and I was confident enough to believe it when I replied, “Challenge accepted.”

James smirked back at me as she took her drink from the waitress. She gave the waitress a smack on the ass and said, “Thanks, babe. Put it on my tab.”

I nodded to James as I got up to return to the pool tables. I passed Sam on the way. I tried to get her attention and give her a smile, but she kept her gaze forward and never looked in my direction.

Looked like it may really be a challenge after all
, I thought with a smile.

It didn’t take long before the bar was packed with a mixture of horny co-eds and bikers of all ages. I was glad I’d paired a tank top with my jeans; at least the top half of me was somewhat cool.

James was talking up one of the waitresses that she often hooked up with, so I grabbed my beer and made my way back to the pool tables. If I was lucky maybe I’d have a shot at picking up a game.

I said hello to a couple of the regulars as I scanned the room, my eyes skittering to a stop at the guy leaning in to take a shot at the corner table.

His hair was dark and long, longer than I usually liked. It was almost down to his shoulders. He had on a simple black T-shirt, which helped to display the tattoo sleeves he showcased on both arms.

What stopped me was the fact that he was looking right at me.

Staring straight at me as he took his shot.

I knew I’d never seen him before, but the heat radiating from his eyes was palpable. I felt it all the way down to my toes.

When he caught my gaze, the right side of his mouth came up in a smirk, making the fire that had lit in my veins turn cold. I hated that smirk on sight.

Why were guys so cocky?

Did they assume just because you came to a bar you were looking to get laid?

Okay, I’ll admit that in the past that was exactly why I went to bars…but whatever happened to romance?

Guys now seemed to think that buying a drink or gracing you with their presence meant that you were expected to fall on your back and welcome them with open arms. Or legs.

Ugh. It was frustrating.

I should have known better than to let James talk me into a night out. I was not in the mood to deal with this shit.

I turned and walked back toward the table, eager to find James and tell her I was going to call it a night. I’m sure she was about ready to head out and hook up with someone by now anyways.

I’d almost reached the table when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned and had to look up, only to find the cocky guy from the pool room behind me.

At five foot nine inches, I wasn’t used to looking up at anyone. That disadvantage threw me off a little bit.

“Hey,” he said, the smirk gone, replaced by what appeared to be a genuine smile.

“Hi,” I responded, still unsettled.

“I’m Judd. I saw you with James earlier. She and I grew up together,” he explained as way of introduction.

“Oh,” I said, looking around for James. I couldn’t help but wonder if he was telling the truth or feeding me a line.

When did I get so cynical?

“I’m Sam.”

“Nice to meet you, Sam,” he said, the corners of his eyes crinkling as his smile grew bigger.

That smile did something to my insides, and I couldn’t help but think that Judd was trouble.

“Can I buy you another beer?” he asked, gesturing to my almost empty glass.

I was torn between my head – which was telling me to decline his offer – and my body—which was telling me to jump him on the spot.

What the hell
, I thought.
What’ll one more beer hurt
?

“Sure,” I replied.

He gestured toward the table and then headed to the bar to order the beer.

I sat down and waited, unsure of whether I actually wanted to have a beer with him or not. Maybe I was overthinking it. It was a beer in a bar for God’s sake. Nothing simpler than that, right?

Judd put a beer in front of me, cradling his as he took the seat next to me.

“So, Sam,” he said as he took a swig. “What’s your story?”

I pretty much had a canned statement that I told people, so I really didn’t even have to think before I answered with, “I’m a senior. I’ve been here a little over four years, but I got sick at the end of my sophomore year so that threw me off track. What about you?”

“Senior,” Judd responded. “I’m ready to finish up and get on with my life.”

“What are your plans after school?”

“Not sure,” he said. “I’m here on a baseball scholarship, so right now my focus is on staying in shape and training before putting everything I have into my last season.”

“Oh,” I said, a little taken aback. He didn’t fit the picture in my head of what a baseball player looked like. He sure as hell was making good on his goal to stay fit though. I mean, damn…the only part of his body I could really see were his arms, and I had to admit, I was impressed. The tattoos covering his taunt muscles showcased his forearms and biceps.

I realized that I hadn’t finished my sentence and was staring at his arms. I looked up into his face, a blush creeping over mine.

He smiled wickedly at me, not saying a word.

I cleared my throat before continuing, “Oh, um, do you want to play professionally after college?”

Judd shook his head as he took another pull from his beer.

“Nah, there’s no chance of that happening. I’m not good enough for that, but I love the game and want to finish strong.”

I drank some of my beer and let the silence settle among our table. There was noise all around us of course, but we just sat there for a minute, drinking our beers and smiling at each other. It was nice not to feel like I had to fill the silence with useless chatter. I was beginning to like Judd, regardless of my initial impression of him.

“So, I see the two of you finally met,” James said loudly, breaking the silence with a boom.

I looked at her, not quite sure what she was talking about.

James smiled at the look on my face and slapped a hand on Judd’s shoulder. “Judd here was asking me about you earlier.”

“You were?” I asked. He’d mentioned noticing that I was with James, but I hadn’t realized they’d talked.

Judd shot James a dirty look, causing her to smirk back at him. He turned back to me and shrugged as he said, “I may have asked who you were.”

Always back to games.

“You’d better watch out for Judd, Sam. He’s like the male version of me…only worse,” James warned.

If James was saying he was trouble, he must be really bad.
Figures,
I thought,
the first guy that not only made my blood boil, but also made me feel comfortable, is a total player
.

“I’ll be back,” I said as I stood. “I need to hit the restroom before I leave.”

As I walked away I heard Judd ask, “What the fuck, James?”

I kept walking with my head held high. I was so grateful that James had my back, because despite my initial trepidation, Judd had caught my interest.