Last Call (11 page)

Suspicion clouded her eyes, but her mouth
lifted slightly. “Almost forty-one.”

Gavin knew the old man was reliving every
word of the conversation in the bar last night, the part about
taking a year off for good behavior clanging loud and clear. Gavin
winked at Sunny, who’d also gone statue still, then turned to fully
face Ed and Miss Jane.

He’d been teasing Ed in retaliation for the
Mr. Hot Shot comment, but being married forty years was nothing to
joke about. He grew serious, and said, “That’s a long time and
something to be proud of. Congratulations.”

Miss Jane’s demeanor once again shifted. “You
think you and Sunny could make it forty years?”

Sunny gasped. “Miss Jane.” Her voice was a
high-pitched screech. “I can’t believe you said that.”

Miss Jane was a smart lady, and not someone
to underestimate. Normally in situations like this, he would turn
on the charm, be friendly, and get to know everyone associated with
Sunny, trying to learn as much as possible about her. Even though
it hadn’t been intentional, his old MO had come through, and Miss
Jane hadn’t missed a beat in turning his charm against him.

Sunny threw Gavin an apologetic glance, then
turned to the older woman. “We’ve only just met. He came here for
business and…” Her lips tightened and her forehead creased. “His
business is finished, so he’ll be leaving soon.”

“What kind of business?” the older couple
asked simultaneously.

Since the project was still under wraps, he
needed to be careful about divulging information. The public
relations people were paid a lot of money to put their magical spin
on things like this. Presenting the resort as good and positive and
deflecting the possible negative impacts wasn't his forte,
especially when he wasn’t sold on the project himself. He hedged
for a moment, then flat-out lied. “I work for a distributor. I came
to talk to Sunny about using our products.” The lie tasted like
shit in his mouth, and he couldn’t meet Sunny’s gaze.

Without commenting further, Sunny ran to the
back of the store and grabbed three containers of coffee. Dropping
them onto the counter, next to the huge bag of Dum-Dums, she said,
“This should last me a few weeks.” She gave Ed a look that was a
mixture of sweet and spicy. “If it appears I might be running low,
I’d appreciate a reminder.”

Clearly unconcerned by her
passive-aggressiveness, the older man chuckled and shrugged. “We’ll
see.” After tallying and bagging the items, he pulled a receipt
from the register, wrote Sunny's name on the top, and dropped it
into a box. “It’s on your tab.”

Sunny dropped the spice and poured a
super-sized helping of sugar onto Ed, going so far as to bat her
eyelashes dramatically. “You know, you could bring the coffee and
suckers to me at the bar every couple of weeks. That way I'd never
run out.”

“I might could do that.” He glanced to Gavin,
then gave Sunny a toothy grin. “Depending on how you treat me, I'll
see what I can do.”

***

Sunny settled into the passenger seat of
Gavin's SUV and drew in a deep breath. However, rather than calming
her jumbled nerves, the smell of new car, warm leather, and hot
Gavin stirred her inner turmoil into an increased state of
agitation.

When Ed showed up tonight, she would throttle
him. First, for letting her run out of coffee. Secondly, for
embarrassing her—again—over Mr. Hot Shot.

“Back home?” Gavin asked, climbing behind the
wheel.

“Yep.” She studied his profile as he put his
sunglasses on, then steered out of the lot. “Why did you lie about
your business?”

The muscle in his jaw worked as he clenched
his teeth together. After a long time of thinking about the simple
question, he blew out a breath and said, “I didn't want to upset
them. It wouldn't be prudent to spill the beans before we're ready
to break ground.”

“That was smart, because if your project
depends on me selling, you won’t be breaking ground.” Okay, that
sounded bitchier than she’d intended, but the coffee hadn’t kicked
in yet and she wanted to make sure he understood. She. Wasn’t.
Selling.

Ever.

He didn’t respond, and they rode the rest of
the way to the Blackout in silence. Gavin pulled into the same spot
and put the car in park, but left the motor idling as he stared at
the building in front of them. “You would make enough from the sale
of this building to open another bar anywhere you wanted.”

Well, shit. He hadn’t understood. She grabbed
her bag and climbed out of the car. Before slamming the door shut,
she said, “Thanks for the ride.”

The car’s engine died and Gavin was hot on
her heels as she rounded the back of the building and climbed the
stairs. “Sunny, just listen to what I have to say. I’ll even let
you name your price.”

Ha! Wonder what he’d say if she told him ten
million dollars. She must have completely lost her mind, though,
because she didn’t think she’d sell for even that ridiculous
amount.

She stopped and turned to face off with him.
“This is more than a bar, Gavin. This is our home. There are some
things money can’t buy. Roots. A solid foundation. Friends.” She
bit her lip to stop the tirade and took a deep breath. “Robby and I
poured our hearts and souls into this place. It’s not for sale. And
I refuse to continue this discussion any further.”

Adrenaline pumped through her veins as she
pushed through the kitchen door, then fought the urge to slam it in
his face. Figuring he still wasn’t ready to give up, she tore a
chunk out of the brown paper bag, grabbed a Sharpie, and in huge,
clearly legible letters wrote: NOT FOR SALE!

He’d followed her into the kitchen and was
standing by the door, hands stuffed into his front pockets,
watching her. She held the note up to his face and said, “Read it
out loud.”

Gavin looked at the note, then pinched the
bridge of his nose and pressed his lips together. She got the
distinct impression he was trying not to laugh.

When he didn’t answer, she rattled the paper
under his nose. He shook his head and, holding back most of his
laughter, said, “Not for sale.”

“Good. One more time. With feeling.”

This time, laughter filled his words as he
said, “Not for sale.”

“Okay.” She pressed the paper to his chest
and waited for him to take hold before letting go. “We clear
now?”

He didn’t reply, but as she turned her back
on him to unpack the bag, she heard the paper methodically
crinkling, like he was folding it. Good, maybe he’d keep it to take
back to his boss as her final offer.

She needed a cigarette in the worst way.
Rather than caving—only because she didn’t have any—she grabbed a
butterscotch Dum-Dum and popped it in her mouth.

“What’s with the suckers?”

“I used Dum-Dum's to quit smoking. Now I
can't quit the damn suckers.” She jammed the coffee into the
cabinet and refilled the dangerously low sucker jar. Running out of
coffee had been bad. Running out of Dum-Dums would spell disaster.
Moving around him to throw the empty bag into the trashcan, she
said, “I swear, I put something in my mouth one time, and I'm
addicted. I think I have oral fixation issues.”

The humor dissolved from his eyes and his
body tensed. “That's a dangerous thing to say to a man.”

She hadn’t meant the comment to be leading or
provocative, but as the tension crackled around them and his eyes
grew smoky, all kinds of images rushed to mind. “I guess that did
sound kind of bad, didn’t it?”

“I didn’t say it was bad. I said it was
dangerous.” His voice was a low, suggestive purr, and his gaze
dropped to her mouth. “Maybe that’s why you like kissing so
much.”

She was still pissed, but that incessant
pulsing need for him hammered away at the anger and turned it into
something else. Something hot, intense, and consuming.

She stepped toward him, but then stopped. He
denied knowing she was the owner last night, but what if he was
lying? As the magnetic pull between them grew stronger, she
wondered if it mattered. Explosive attraction like this couldn’t be
faked. And it didn’t come around every day. Why not enjoy it while
she had the chance?

“I’ve said I’m not selling, but you’re still
here. Why?” The breathy wisp to her voice made her sound desperate.
But hell, she supposed when it came to him she was.

His jaw popped as if he was chewing the
question over… or fighting an internal battle. His eyes said he was
sticking around for personal reasons, and she boldly glanced down
at his slacks, hoping to find confirmation of his interest.

Oh, yeah.
A big checkmark on the interest.

“That’s a damned good question,” he said
before turning to look out the window.

She waited for further clarification, but
none came.

Uncomfortable with the awkward silence, she
said, “Do you want to go for a walk on the beach, or…?” She looked
at his strong profile, the flexing muscles in his shoulders and
back, and the pulse pounding in his neck. She’d never been this
bold, but he made her want to step out of her comfort zone and ask
for things she never had the courage to request in the past. With
sweating palms and a heart pounding so loudly she could hear its
steady whoosh in her ears, she stepped next to him and blurted out,
“We could pick up where we left off last night.”

Gavin’s eyes squeezed shut and his face
scrunched up like he was in physical pain.

Okay… So not the reaction she’d hoped for.
“I’m sorry,” she said, crossing her arms over her stomach and
taking a step backward. “I shouldn’t have been so forward. I just
thought—”

In the blink of an eye, Gavin had her in a
tight grip by the elbows, an intense, scary-as-hell look on his
face. “You make me crazy. I don’t think I can say no to you, even
though I should. I was sent here to do a job, and sleeping with you
isn’t going to make that job easier. But you zap all of my
willpower, and the illogical suddenly seems to make perfect
sense.”

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her
so tightly against him she could barely breathe. Resting his chin
on top of her head, he said, “I want to make love to you so badly
my entire body feels like it’s going up in flames. But when I get
out of your bed, I’m still going to try to talk you into selling.
Can you handle that?”

That was an easy answer.
“Yes. You can talk until you’re blue in the face, but I won’t
change my mind. So, really, there’s no problem. Your
business
is
over.”

He closed his eyes and released a long
breath. “It’s not that easy. You don’t know Max Holden. He won’t
stop until he’s gotten this property.”

Sunny smiled. “He doesn’t know Sunny
Black.”

Gavin laughed. “You’ve got a point.”

“So…” She pulled back slightly and glanced
away. “Does that mean…?”

Gavin held her chin and turned her head,
forcing her to look at him. His dark blue gaze, filled with heat
and desire, settled on her mouth. A breath passed between them
before he dipped his head and kissed her softly. Drawing back just
enough to speak, he asked, “Sex on the beach?”

Not wanting to give him time to change his
mind, Sunny grabbed Gavin’s hand and sprinted toward the bedroom.
“I don't want to chance Robby walking in on us. Normally, he isn't
home until late afternoon. But since he has a test today, I don't
know how long he'll be.”

As she reached her bedroom doorway a neon
sign flashed in her mind: CONDOMS.

She stopped and pivoted on her heel so
abruptly Gavin didn’t have time to stop and they collided. Before
she toppled over backward, Gavin wrapped an arm around her waist
and steadied her. “Change your mind?”

“Oh, hell no.” The press of his body against
hers added to her desperation, and nothing would stop her from
having Gavin this time. She slipped out of his arms and backtracked
to Robby's room. “Be right back.”

Even though she’d never
searched his room for condoms, she was confident… well, hopeful, he
had a stash. Protection was something she'd preached relentlessly,
and she had to believe he'd be prepared in the event he got lucky.
Who would have believed she’d be looking for one in the
event
she
got
lucky.

She rummaged through his bedside table and
found an unopened box. Well, crap, so much for sneaking one. Or
two. She thought it over for a second, then grabbed the entire box
and ran back to her bedroom. Hopefully, she could replace the box
before he realized it was missing.

Gavin was standing next to her bed, waiting
for her to return. At the sight of her holding the box in the air
like a running back that just scored the winning touchdown, Gavin
broke into laughter that echoed off the walls of her small
room.

She knew he wasn’t
laughing
at
her,
but she still felt the need to defend her aggressiveness. “I don’t
seduce men I meet in the bar. Ever.”

His laughter faded into a soft, warm smile,
and he nodded once. “I believe you.”

As she drew closer, she slowed her pace and
considered how different her bedroom looked with Gavin filling a
chunk of the space. The large chest-of-drawers she’d always
considered too big for the small room seemed to shrink to the size
of an end table. Since the double bed didn’t have a headboard, or a
footboard, she always thought it looked smaller than an average
bed, but today, it looked like a cot.

She’d never put much thought into the room’s
furnishings, viewing it like the other furniture in her
house—function over appearance. Now, she wished her room had more
life and pizzazz and definitely something to make it more
romantic.