Letting Go
Table of Contents
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents depicted in this work are of the author’s imagination or have been used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, locations, or events is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved.
Copyright 2013 Madison Stevens
No portion of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without the prior written permission of the author.
The bright light of the phone blurred as tears filled Sarah’s eyes. The cheating louse didn’t even have the balls to tell her in person. What was worse, she knew the end was coming and couldn’t do anything about it. Hell, by that point she didn’t even know if she wanted to. Sarah might have spent two years with Lance, but in the past six months, the flame had all but petered out. Of course, it didn’t help getting a photo of the bastard with his face sandwiched between some girl’s tits prior to the lame text breakup.
She slammed the face of the phone down on the counter in front of her and blinked the tears away. The text didn’t matter. Sarah had real things to deal with.
“Whoa, look at that phone any harder and it just might burst into flames,” a deep male voice rumbled from behind her.
Sarah had been so lost in her own thoughts she hadn’t noticed Jake had come from his office in the back of the building. Her heart picked up the pace. She knew she shouldn’t let him affect her, but everything about him just seemed so…dangerous.
Of course, that was the look he sought. It wasn’t just that he was built like a house, muscles bulging in ways she didn’t even know they could, but the air around him crackled with energy.
Sarah stared at his hands and then his arms. The definition of his muscles helped outline the various tattoos. It was obvious the artists had taken into account the contours and made them work to highlight the art. Every inch of skin just looked so hard and unyielding. It was amazing they were even able to tattoo him at all.
Jake’s bicep twitched as if it knew she was staring, and her gaze jumped to his face. His shaggy brown hair dipped in front of his face, but she could see his pale green eyes narrowed on her. He didn’t seem to be happy. His lips pressed together, and the stubble on his face only emphasized the hard line of his jaw. Embarrassed at being caught ogling her boss, she turned to wipe off the bar. It was bad enough he didn’t like her. She didn’t want to give him any reason to let her go. She needed this job.
As she scrubbed the invisible spots from the bar, she could feel his stare and dared to take a side-glance.
“Were you crying?” Jake placed a hand on the bar beside her and leaned in. The spicy scent of his soap tickled her nose and made her insides flutter. She spun sideways in order to put more space between them. Her butt bumped the wall behind her signifying the end of the line.
“It’s fine,” she said. “I was just…” She stopped when she saw the muscles in his hand flex as he gripped the bar.
“Just what?” Jake moved closer, drawing her attention back to his eyes.
Sarah swallowed hard. Whatever lame excuse she could have come up with wasn’t going to work. Everything in her screamed that he had seen her display.
“Yes,” she said quietly. Her attention dropped to his black t-shirt. Somehow, focusing on his chest seemed like the better option. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
Jake had already warned her about drama the first time Lance came to the bar. All she could hope now was that the lecture wouldn’t end with her getting the boot.
His hand clenched the bar until his knuckles popped from the strain. Lord it had been a tough few months with Sarah around. The last person in the world he wanted to hire was the sweet bubbly blonde. Her doe-eyed expression gave her an innocence that just didn’t sit right with him. Just past her shoulders, her golden hair bounced as she walked, accentuating other jiggling assets he wasn’t willing to give thought to…much.
What sort of girl walked into a biker bar wearing a cotton-candy pink sweater and a skirt? Apparently one who wanted a job. Wasn’t like people were lining up to work at the Road House.
It actually hadn’t been so bad having her. The crew liked her and as long as Jake stayed out of the way, she seemed to like working there. He could tell he set her on edge, but that wasn’t a first for him. People had always felt uneasy around him. Because of his massive frame, towering height and hard expression, most people were wary of him. That was just the way he wanted it though. Made things easier.
Then that little prick showed up and ruined everything. Now, he had to watch out for her. Make sure he didn’t cross the line.
Nope, he had told her once, but apparently she needed to be told again.
Not only was the boyfriend an issue, but his friends were a pain in the ass. Tossing coasters around, changing the TV and, in general, acting like they were the big men on campus. Not on his turf they weren’t.
“No high school bullshit in my bar.” Jake folded his hands over his chest and looked down at the phone. “If you and your little boyfriend are having a spat,” he turned to glower at the top of her head, “do it when you get off.”
The phone buzzed loudly on the counter as another text came through. Sarah’s eyes shot to Jake, and he could see the horror reflected in the blue-gray pools.
His rage boiled. He snatched up the phone.
“Let’s see what this is all about.” Jake slid his fingers over the phone. Up popped the text. He nearly choked when a picture of two naked bodies came up instead.
“What the hell!” Jake just couldn’t wrap his mind around what he saw. Why would sweet Sarah be getting pictures like this?
Sarah grabbed the phone out of Jake’s hand and stared at the screen. She had moved past being sad to just angry.
“Are you seriously sending dirty pictures on the clock?” he asked.
Sarah whipped her eyes back to Jake.
That. Was. It. She was tired of taking crap and starting right now, that was over.
“I guess you really didn’t need this job that much.” His eyes were calling her the names his mouth didn’t dare.
Sarah set the phone on the bar. Her fingers ached from the grip she had on it. She reached over to a nearby mug and slammed it down on the phone. The screen split across the top, and half the face turned to white lines. She sat the mug next to the phone and turned to her boss.
The surprised expression on his face was well worth the price of the phone. Squaring off with the man haunting her dreams aroused her in ways that she never expected. Her nipples perked up under the blue floral dress. She was certain that a rosy blush had spread across her body and only made the exposed flesh above the low-cut dress stand out more.
No turning back now.
“Oh, I need this job all right,” Sarah leaned forward to articulate her point. “But if that means I get fired because my ex-boyfriend is a dirty cheating son of a bitch…well, so be it.”
Jake felt like shit. No, more than shit. He was giving her grief when she just found out she had been cheated on.
“Sarah, I’m—”
“Kay, well I got beer to stock.”
She slid her butt along the side of the bar to get around him. The narrow walkway was barely large enough for her to pass, with him in the way it became quite the struggle. Jake turned toward her, in hopes she might look at him and see the apology etched in his face.
As she swept by, he felt the brush of her breast on his muscled chest and his eyebrows shot up in surprise. The hard pebbles were hard to miss. Her breath hitched, and he prayed she would just look at him. She kept her face down, as it turned an even darker shade of red.
He had never seen anything so erotic and wholesome at the same time. When she walked into the back, he pondered what had just happened.
***
Sarah leaned forward on the shelves. Both hands stretched above her on the ledge as she lowered her head to steady her nerves. Never had she been so angry. Or out of control. Or so completely turned on. She had been so angry with Lance for making a fool out of her. Then Jake came in with his stern smart-assed ways, and she just wanted to bite his nipple and then kiss the hell out of him. A giggle bubbled out as she imagined what he would say if she had actually done that. Thoughts of his firm ways being put to good use floated through her head. Yes, there were definitely ways that could be an advantage.
Not that she had much experience with anything other than missionary and from behind, but her imagination worked just fine. Lance had been the one to initiate most of their sexual activities, and most of them had been spent with him worrying about if they had enough layers of protection and finding his own relief. She doubted that would be the case with Jake and groaned at the thought.
Maybe it’s a good thing Lance broke up with me. Not like he even tried to be together these past six months. Doesn’t help that I’ve been thinking about Jake for most of the summer.
Since her first day, she had been focused on Jake. The huge size of the man made it hard not to.
Sarah sighed. She had thought about him for far too long. If her mother wasn’t so sick, she wouldn’t even worry about job security. Of course, if her mother wasn’t sick she wouldn’t have needed to leave school, and she would likely still be with Lance, the King of the Douches.
“Eh hem.”
Jake’s thick frame filled the door to the cooler, and the shadowed outline made him look even more dangerous than usual.
She dropped her arms to turn and look at him face on. As she turned, she caught his eyes on her ass. The man of steel wasn’t impervious to everything. A slow smile crept to her face.
“I, uh, thought you might need some help.” He sounded like a child who had gotten caught sneaking a cookie. When he shuffled into the room, she felt that pull once again. Her first thought was to avoid eye contact, but now that she’d had a taste of freedom, she just couldn’t turn back so quickly.
“Sure,” she said. “Up there on the top shelf. I need that box.”
He pulled the box down like it weighed nothing. The black sleeve covering his bicep rode up, revealing a vibrant slip of skin. Without thinking, Sarah slid the shirt higher so she could make out the tattoo. Jake went still at her timid touch.
“It’s so bright,” she said. Her cool fingers slipped over his heated skin, tracing the ridges his muscle. A brightly colored phoenix stretched out over the circumference of the arm. As if the bird was ready to take flight.
“Does it mean anything?” Sarah pulled her focus from the tattoo to Jake’s heated gaze. The muscles in his jaw ticked when she continued to trace the outline of the wings.
“Got it when I bought the bar.” He turned slightly, causing her hand to fall away.
“Well, it doesn’t seem like the kind of tat you get when you open a bar.”
“Had some shit happen.” Jake sat the box on the floor. The bottles clinked together, punctuating the fact that he did not want to talk about what shit had happened.
“It’s pretty,” she said.
Jake turned to face her again. She couldn’t be certain what played in his mind, but one thing was certain, pretty wasn’t something often associated with him. Her eyes worked their way down his tense body. The observation had obviously set him on edge. When she reached his lower half, the evidence showed she had done more than just shock him.
Sarah bit her lip to hide the smile that wanted to spring up.
Mr. Stone Cold wanted her.
As if nothing had happened, he turned and walked toward the front.
“Call me if you need more help,” he said over his shoulder when he reached the door.
Fuck Lance. Maybe today isn’t such a bad day.
***
The place was packed when Jake came out of his office. Sarah scrambled to pass the beers around to the burly men and the occasional woman. Her pert little ass swayed in time to the music as she worked. More than a few took notice. A smile peaked at the corner of his mouth.
“Better not let her catch you looking like that.”
He could have picked that voice from a line up if he had to. Couldn’t serve two tours with a guy and not know him better than his own mama.
“Looking like what?” Jake slid behind the bar and pulled out another long-neck for Luc.
“Like you’re about to pop the button off those pants.” Luc grinned. He was the complete opposite of Jake. Spiked sandy-blond hair, easy smile encased by two very charming dimples and nothing but laughter. Although Luc matched Jake’s height at six foot four, he wasn’t near as bulky and only had one tattoo hidden under his white tank. The only noticeable thing to mar his appearance was the jagged scar that stretched from his left temple to just below his jaw. Just another reminder of their time as SEALs.
“Oh great,” Sarah said, sliding behind the counter. “You already took care of Luc.”
She smiled warmly. Jake was struck by how bright she could shine when she was really happy.