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“He said something to Kristin. Never mind. I’m sure it’s nothing.”

  Terrific. As if working at the bar, dealing with family, and her nursing classes weren’t draining enough, now she had to worry about Ron bugging her…again.

  “Okay. Thanks. I’ve gotta get back to work. We’re slammed.”

  “Right. Sorry for calling. Just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

  Lara heard noise in the background, the chatter of many people. “Are you at work?”

  “I’m on break. Picked up some extra shifts this weekend.” Her mother sounded excited.

  Lara closed her eyes, tired for all of them. Then she forced herself to sound happy. “Awesome news. I’ll see you tomorrow for lunch.” And not a moment before.

  “Bye, honey.”

  She tucked her phone back in her pocket and finished her shift. She told herself it was okay to appreciate the eye-candy playing darts but kept her distance. Lord knew she had a weakness when it came to Johnny. No sense showing him.

  After closing, she walked out to her car with a few of the girls, then drove home to the ratty little apartment she could call her own. It might not be much, but it was all hers. The first thing in her life she could say that about. As usual, she couldn’t help feeling relief to be independent, finally.

  Living with a family who struggled and worked hard to make ends meet, she’d never taken anything she had for granted. But without a higher education, she hadn’t been able to do much more than work just to pay the bills. Fortunately, she’d had a plan, even at the end of high school. One that had changed a few times, but still.

  She just had to keep plugging away to make it happen.

  Reaching her apartment complex in no time, she parked and darted into her building. After locking herself in and feeling safe despite the iffy nature of her neighbors, she took a quick shower to rid herself of the stale beer and hint of smoke she’d picked up from the “nonsmoking” restroom in Ray’s. Though the city had locked down on tobacco use, Ray didn’t always enforce the rules. To him, if he didn’t see it, it didn’t exist.

  Her shower hit the spot. Now clean, she sank into her couch and put on some mind-numbing television. A sitcom she could laugh at would do the trick. Nothing that required too much thinking. She wrapped a blanket over herself and reclined on the couch. Like clockwork, her eyelids refused to stay open much past three a.m., and she let herself go.

  Lara woke to a bright, chirpy Saturday morning. She took another shower just to wake up, then dressed in workout gear and brought along her books and a bag of casual clothes to change into later. She had plenty scheduled for the day. After lunch with the family, she had a study date with a few classmates, then dinner with Rena. And God, could she use the downtime.

  Lately she felt frazzled. A weekend or a few nights off work would have helped, but she had too much coursework to do and work to manage so she could eventually pay off her tuition and books. Her student loans helped only so much. She knew it would be worth it in the long run, and she’d fully committed to nursing. But damn, a full course load and nights at Ray’s were draining her.

  She drove her clunker of a car to Seward Park, needing a short run to relax. The two-point-four-mile loop would be just the thing today to de-stress her. She could feel the tension building at thoughts of lunch with the family. Mention of Ron last night had put her on edge. She hated that prick.

  After a light stretch and grateful for the overcast weather, hoping it might keep many of the overeager running enthusiasts at bay, she set out on a leisurely jog.

  As if the devil on her shoulder last night hadn’t been bad enough…

  She greeted Johnny as they passed each other going in opposite directions. At least she’d seen him at the beginning of her run, so she didn’t sound winded yet.

  His wide grin before he’d passed warned her she’d be seeing him again soon, so she wasn’t surprised when he suddenly joined her, jogging in step. “Hey, there. My favorite bartender. Fancy running into you here.” He chuckled, not out of breath in the slightest.

  “I happen to live around here. You?”

  “There’s some stupid race near my place, so I came here for a run.” He snorted. “Bunch of yuppie types running for fun.”

  She glanced at him, trying not to appear is if she were ogling his muscular legs and broad chest. And those arms. She loved the muscle car that took up his entire left forearm, trailed by colorful work in some kind of tribal design that disappeared beneath his shirtsleeve. Yet another qualification for working in Del’s garage. You had to have ink.

  “It’s okay, Lara. You can say it.” Johnny pulled ahead of her.

  She sped up to match his pace. “Say what?” Far be it from her to look slow. For all that she took after her mother in most things, she’d inherited her competitive streak from her father.

  He turned around and ran backward, watching her with a shit-eating grin on his face. “How amazing I look in these shorts. Hugs me in all the right ways, eh?”

  She laughed and shouldn’t have, because it made it harder to breathe. “Whatever.”

  “Well, I have no problem saying you look amazing in your shorts. And top. Yum.” He turned around again, this time running next to her.

  She pretended to ignore him and her horrifying reaction. Her nipples tightened, and she prayed he wouldn’t notice, or at least he’d attribute the effect to the weather or the run. Not, God forbid, from his presence.

  “So, um, if you scorn those who run for fun, why do you run?”

  “Why? With my smart mouth, isn’t it obvious I need the skills to run fast and far away? You’ve seen how big and ungainly the guys I work with are. Sam looks like he eats mountains for breakfast. And Foley and Lou are as bad. Not like me, all streamlined and buff.”

  “And pretty and amazing. Don’t forget that,” she teased, now panting because the bastard had started to speed up.

  “I knew you’d noticed.” He smirked.

  “Ass.”

  “Ha. I knew you’d noticed my fine ass too.” Before she could protest, he added, “So how about a date? You and me and a nice bottle of wine—somewhere that’s not Ray’s.”

  Her belly fluttered. “What’s wrong with Ray’s?”

  “Nothing, if you don’t mind a few fights and beer spatter. Or sticking to the floor. Plus it’s noisy. You won’t be able to appreciate, let alone hear, all my compliments if I have to shout them.”

  “Such a charmer.” Oh man, he really was. A few drops of rain had become a downpour, and they plastered his shirt to his chest and his hair to his face, so he slicked it back, bringing more attention to his charming grin. Then he slowed his pace, and she wanted to kiss him.

  “Come on. You know you want me.”

  She raised a brow.

  “I mean, you want to date me.”

  “Uh-huh. Keep thinking that.” Fake it ’til you make it, dummy. Come on, Lara. No time for this. For him. “I don’t date guys from Ray’s, no matter how appealing they think they are.”

  “Well, shit.”

  “See? That mouth might look pretty, but it’s dirty, isn’t it?”

  He muttered something.

  “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  “’Cause I’m thinking you should put another quarter in the swear jar Del’s keeping at work.”

  “Hell. You know about that?”

  She grinned. “We have a bet going at the bar that she swears at some point during her wedding.”

  “You going?”

  “Of course.” Lara, Sue, and Rena had been invited from Ray’s. And Ray, of course. Lara couldn’t wait to see her friend walk down the aisle with handsome Mike McCauley.

  That’s what Lara wanted—Mr. Right. Not Mr. “Maybe I’ll try a bazillion times until I get it right,” which her sister continued to pick through. At thoughts of the last Mr. Horribly Wrong, she frowned.

  “What’s that look? You have a problem with Del marrying McCauley?”

  “What
? No. Just thinking about something else.”

  They ran in silence for a while, until she saw the end in sight. Then she put on a burst of speed and left him behind. When he caught up to her, he had a smug grin on his face.

  “What are you smiling at? I won.” She bent over to catch her breath.

  “I’m thinking I’m the real winner here. I got to watch you from behind.” He whistled. “You have the finest form.”

  “Shut up.” Her face heated.

  “So about this jealous thing you have going on with Del and her man…”

  “Where do you get your ideas?” She straightened and poked him in the chest, now as wet as he was. What a typical Seattle day. “I’m thrilled Del found a good guy. Mike is perfect for her. As a matter of fact, I was thinking of all the losers my sister has dated and married and wondered if she’ll ever find a good guy.”

  “Oh, sure.”

  Oddly, he looked…relieved?

  “Were you invited to the wedding?” A pause as she twisted the knife. “Or is there a restraining order banning you from a church? You know, considering it’s a holy place and all.”

  He laughed and tugged her wet ponytail. “Funny and sexy. The walls might shake, but I think I have heaven snowed. They’ll let me in before they realize I don’t belong there.”

  “Ha. You said it.”

  He leaned closer, and she froze. “But I’m thinking you don’t belong there either. For someone so damn pretty and sweet, there’s a part of you that wants what I can give you.” His breath whispered over her lips, and man, oh man, her entire body felt like one giant exposed nerve. “A run for your money.”

  Then he slid a finger over her chin and up her cheek. “So damn pretty.” He blew out a breath and moved back, turned on his heel, and took off in the rain.

  Drenched, aroused, and annoyed she’d lost a grip on herself dealing with Johnny, she stalked to her car, not surprised when it failed to start.

  The words she said would have filled Del’s swear jar to the brim.

  A knock on the window startled her, and she turned to see Johnny.

  Rolling down the window, because of course she had nothing as fancy as automatic anything in her car, she barked, “What?”

  “Need a jump?” he asked in the politest voice.

  “Yeah, I do.”

  “You need a jump,” he reiterated, trying to hold back a grin.

  “Fuck. Just do it, okay?”

  He walked away snickering, but he did help her with the car, then refused to accept any mention of payment.

  “All in the line of duty, ma’am.” He bowed, completely soaked.

  She forced herself not to notice how impressive he looked in his clingy jogging shorts. “Still trying to get into heaven, eh?”

  He winked. “You know it. See you next week at Ray’s.”

  Not if I see you first. She drove off. Oh, who am I kidding? That man is catnip, and I’m a scraggly mouser. Time to talk to Kristin and be put off men again…forever.

  * * *

  Johnny sat in his car until his windows steamed. Talk about the perfect way to spend a Saturday morning. A wet Lara was a sight he’d take to his grave. Normally lean and mean in tight jeans and a black T-shirt proclaiming her job for the evening at Ray’s, she made his heart race. But seeing those long, toned legs, that bitable ass and those generous breasts, giving her svelte build a perfect set of curves, he’d have a hard time sleeping without reliving his run.

  Thank God for rain. Her nipples had been tight little knots, likely due to the weather, but a guy could dream they’d been hard for him. And dream he would. She’d already been his go-to fantasy when he wanted a quick one-off before sleeping. Now he’d take his time, remembering how she looked all wet.

  “Hell.” He glanced down at his tented running shorts. The reason he’d left her after caressing her cheek. A helluva move, and one that had almost backfired. He’d sworn he’d seen a reciprocal lust in her dark brown eyes. Problem was, he’d felt it as well, and it showed. Nothing like seducing a woman with a boner in a public park.

  He glared down at himself. “Idiot.” As he drove home, he wondered about the rush of relief that had filled him when he’d realized she didn’t have a thing for McCauley. He didn’t like the thought of Lara lusting after anyone but him, which made little sense.

  Once again he’d tried asking her out, and once again she’d shot him down. He never took it personally though. He figured one of these times she had to say yes.

  Pulling into the driveway of the house he rented, he parked, locked the car, and hurried past a flurry of raindrops into the house. Not a bad place, considering it was a lower-scale home in a decent neighborhood. Only took him twenty minutes to get to work, and most of the neighbors were like him, just trying to make a living.

  As he stripped down on his way to the shower and stood under the hot water to warm up, he couldn’t help wondering about Lara. She worked at Ray’s and went to college. She seemed a step up from the hooligans at the bar, but not so high and mighty that she came from money. From what he knew, she’d grown up in Seattle. Her mom waitressed at a diner, and her dad managed a local hardware store in Skyway. Other than the recent news of a sister who hadn’t married well, he didn’t know a hell of a lot about her family.

  She didn’t seem to date much, if at all. He liked that she was selective, especially around Ray’s. Not all the guys who drank at the bar were like him and his friends.

  Amused he’d put himself and his buddies above the other knuckle-draggers at the bar, he hurried through his shower, ignored his erection, and decided to save playtime for later that night. If he didn’t have a date by then, he’d take care of himself with memories of Lara in running shorts.

  An entire day to do nothing but goof off. He smiled.

  Hours later, he’d tuned up his ride, done some laundry that really needed washing, taken care of the squeaky back door and leaky faucet in the bathroom, and paid a few bills. Damn, but he’d worked up an appetite. Unfortunately, a glance in the fridge told him it was past time he did some shopping.

  Johnny hit the closest market, determined to race through so he could get back and watch one of his favorite shows on TV. A boring evening by his usual standards, but damn if he could psych himself up for another night swilling beer and scoping out chicks.

  Being around Lara was like that. It confused the shit out of him. Instead of wanting to sink into some willing and forgettable female, he wanted to go out on the town with the pretty brunette who never had time for him. A perverse sense that he was like his dad made him wary. Jack Devlin went through women like tissues, using them up and discarding them before they’d no doubt discard him. The few he’d actually liked had ditched his ass without a backward glance.

  Johnny had plenty of women who wanted a ride on the Devlin motorway. But none of them had sparkling brown eyes that hid feminine secrets. Or long legs that could wrap around a man and still leave him wanting more. Or breasts that—

  Enough, dipshit. He forced himself to think of Foley and Lou, of Sam mouthing off, anything to rid himself of his hard-on. After a few moments, it went away, and he hurried through the aisles, picking up only the essentials. Beer, cheese puffs, a loaf of bread, some deli meat. And of course, Twizzlers. Had he been able to cook, he might have added a few items from the produce section. Instead he grabbed a handful of microwave dinners and frozen pizzas to last him the week and headed for the cashier.

  No one in line before him, because most people with a life did anything but grocery shop on the best night of the week. He sighed and put all his stuff on the conveyor belt. Cashier guy grabbed an item. Dragged it across the scanner. Took a moment to grab another item. An eternity later, he reached for another. Johnny thought maybe he’d landed in a Twilight Zone episode where time went backward.

  “Hey, baby. How you been?”

  He glanced up to see a sexy woman by the front of the store, dressed to kill and smiling at him from behind a bagged cart.
Shit. “Cara, fancy meeting you here.”

  She laughed. “Grocery shopping, huh?” She looked over his cart. “No veggies?”

  “Nah.” He got those only when he begged his friends to cook for him. Lou, surprisingly, could do wonders in the kitchen. The badass bros, sadly, had about as much culinary skill as he did. Del had been a pleasant surprise with a cookbook. But now, with McCauley sucking up all her time…

  “Haven’t seen you in a while.” Cara teased the spaghetti strap of her barely there red dress. The thing exposed her ample cleavage, teased at her creamy thighs, and molded to her rounded ass. The heels she wore gave her an extra three inches, and he wondered why anyone would try to look this good in SuperFoods on a Saturday night.

  He glanced down at his T-shirt and jeans, spotting a few holes.

  When he heard no beeping from the food scanner, he looked up to see the cashier staring at Cara’s chest. Not that Johnny could blame him, but could the guy go any slower?

  Johnny had fooled around with Cara months ago. One fun night—no, two—he recalled, because she’d shown up at his dad’s bar the next night all dressed up and ready to blow. He was only human, and against his own self-imposed policy, he’d enjoyed her company and made sure she enjoyed his. Then he’d gently, kindly, called it quits.

  She’d been nagging him for another go-round ever since. Apparently his I’m not a steady guy and I’m not good enough for you lines weren’t sending her the message.

  “Been busy at work,” he said lamely.

  Register guy slowed down even more to chew his gum, masticating like a fucking cow. Jesus. It’s not a show, kid. Hurry the hell up! He cleared his throat, glared from the guy to his groceries, and wonder of wonders, the food started flying over the scanner.

  Cara left her cart to walk to him, a sexy sway in her hips. “You busy tonight?” She still looked like a dream. Caramel-colored skin, thick, curly hair as black as sin, sexy red lips gleaming with lipstick, while her dark eyes begged him to take her home. A fiery lover who’d do anything he wanted, Cara Suarez should have been a no-brainer. His inner playboy screamed yes.

  “Sorry, honey. I have plans tonight helping out a few friends.” Left hand, meet right. He gave a real sigh. I’m so pathetic. “Car stuff. It never ends.”