The Fifth Lesson (The Bay Boys #2) (26 page)

“You got it,” he replied, wiping his hands on a rag hanging over his shoulder.
 
A few moments later, an almost overflowing tequila shot was set down in front of her and she glanced up at the bartender in question.
 
He shrugged, nudging over a plate with lime and salt, and said, “Looks like you need something a little extra, sugar.”

Grateful, she drank it down in one go, sucking on the lime to take away the bite.

“Want another?” a deep voice sounded on her right.
 
She set the lime down before her eyes shifted to the man next to her.
 
He was handsome with a crooked, almost cocky, grin.
 
He sported tousled dark blonde hair that brushed the collar of his shirt.
 
Laughing bright blue eyes stared back at her.

Christie automatically knew that this man was one night stand material.
 
Most likely amazing in bed.
 
But not good for much else, especially relationships.
 
Hell, a few weeks ago, Christie might’ve entertained the thought of sleeping with him, just to end her dry spell.
 
But then Adam happened…

Fucking Adam Thornton happened.

“If you’re offering,” she returned with a raised brow.
 
She hadn’t really been looking for company, but free booze was free booze.

The man signaled the bartender and ordered two more shots of tequila.
 
“Cheers,” he murmured over the rim of the glass when it came.
 
They tossed back their shots and Christie wrapped her lips around a fresh lime.
 
His eyes watched her hungrily.

But all Christie could think was that she hoped Adam was watching.
 
As petty and childish as that sounded, she hoped he was watching.

“I’m Mike,” he offered, holding out his hand.

“Christie.”

“Can I buy you a drink, Christie?” he asked with a panty-dropping smile.
 
She was sure it worked for him all the time.

“I thought you already did,” she responded sassily, gesturing to the empty shot glass in front of her.

His grin widened, “Shots don’t count as drinks in my book.”

The bartender came around with her screwdriver and she took a sip.
 
“You were a little late.
 
Maybe next time.
 
Thanks for the shot, Mike.”

She turned to leave, drink in hand, but he caught her around the waist with a surprisingly gentle touch.
 
Christie looked at him in surprise and, even though he released her, he stepped closer so they shared the same bubble of space.

“Maybe I should ensure there is a next time and get your number before you disappear,” he suggested in a smooth voice.

Christie couldn’t help the smile that appeared on her lips.
 
Her tongue flicked out to wet them and she found a strange thrill as Mike followed its path.

This feels good
, she thought.
 
She had a good buzz already.
 
And a handsome man was flirting with her.

And, remembering Adam was across the bar probably doing the same thing with the brunette, Christie suddenly felt like flirting back.

TWENTY-ONE

Adam watched with burning anger as a man put his hands on Christie’s waist at the bar.

He wanted to punch the guy’s fucking face in when Christie smiled at him.
 
And Adam had never been one prone to violence.

He also had the urge to storm up to them both and drag Christie back to his house, where he’d kiss her, blindfold
her
with his aunt’s ugly scarf, and pleasure her until she remembered no other man that came before him.

Jesus.
 
Where was this coming from?

“Adam?”

He swiveled his head to the hesitant voice and remembered that he was sitting with Lydia.
 
“Sorry, go on,” he murmured, forcing an encouraging smile onto his features.
 
That was all it took and she delved back into her story of growing up with three brothers in a tiny apartment in Seattle.

Lydia.
 
Even her name was sweet.
 
But the longer he talked to her, the more he realized that he wasn’t interested.
 
Which made zero sense.
 
She was beautiful, kind, and funny.
 
She was dressed in a conservative dress that hit just below her knees, unlike the skintight mini skirts other woman were wearing in the bar.
 
She could hold a conversation and smiled at his lame jokes.

But she wasn’t Christie.

She didn’t have a wrist full of jingly bangles that made music whenever she walked.
 
She didn’t have blonde hair or icy blue eyes that sometimes turned grey in certain lighting.
 
She didn’t seduce him just by breathing or make his heart palpitate as they talked.

It was just…all
wrong
.

Adam figured he wasn’t trying hard enough.
 
Ideally, a woman like Lydia would be the perfect woman to lose his virginity too.
 
She was relationship material.

But what did he know?
 
He was the almost-thirty-year-old virgin.
 
He knew absolutely nothing about women.

For example, Christie seemed stunned, almost hurt when he’d asked her to guide him through approaching women tonight.
 
After Tuesday night, he knew that they could never be more than friends.
 
His feelings for Christie ran deeper than hers ever would.
 
The truth hurt, but it would hurt even more when they were done with their arrangement and Christie moved on without so much as a backwards glance.

In Adam’s mind, he could never make Christie happy.
 
She was too good for him.
 
Eventually, she’d get bored of him.
 
He didn’t think he was particularly exciting.
 
And he couldn’t stomach the thought of her leaving.

He’d had good intentions when he asked her for her help tonight.
 
But seeing her shock turn into disappointed confusion, Adam felt lost and unsure.
 
He thought putting some distance between them would be easier for him.
 
He hadn’t considered the fact that she would be hurt by it.

He hadn’t even been nervous approaching Lydia.
 
A few weeks ago, he would’ve been a nervous wreck and probably would’ve stuttered and stumbled over his words trying to form a coherent sentence.
 
But maybe his subconscious had already known that the only woman worth getting nervous about was Christie Allaway.

And now he was clenching his teeth so hard that his jaw hurt.
 
He was watching another man ‘pick up’ Christie, as she’d appropriately coined earlier.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her take another shot with the guy after her first two.
 
She washed it down with another drink.
 
Concern was mounting, even as he nodded, not listening, to Lydia’s story.

He’d never been in a situation like this before.
 
How could he detach himself from Lydia without seeming rude?
 
She was a nice girl.
 
He already felt awful that he wasn’t interested.

Christie stumbled, her hands becoming more and more animated as the minutes passed.
 
Adam clenched his fists underneath the table as the
asshole
reached out to steady her.
 
Except he never took his hands away from her hips, the same hips
he’d
held on Tuesday night as Christie leaned over to kiss his brow.
 
That was all it took.

Adam stood up from the table, not thinking.
 
He was acting on pure instinct…and his instinct was telling him to get that guy away from
his
woman.

Lydia looked up at him with uncertainty.
 
He couldn’t imagine what she was thinking right now, but he hoped he sent her a reassuring look.

“I’m sorry, I have to go…help my friend over there,” he gestured vaguely towards the bar.
 
At any other time, he would’ve thought his excuse was completely lame.
 
But he couldn’t take his eyes off the woman who drove him completely crazy.

She frowned but nodded.
 
“Okay,” she said slowly, as though she didn’t quite believe him.
 
She probably thought he was trying to ditch her, which, in a way, he kind of was.
 
Adam felt like a bastard, but it didn’t stop him from leaving the table, making a beeline for Christie and the asshole who
still
hadn’t taken his hands off her.

Adam snagged Christie’s waist and pulled her back against him when he reached the bar.
 
Christie stumbled in her heels, glancing up at him with an incredulous expression, which darkened the moment she saw him.

Adam did some sort of instinctive stare down with the asshole, his arm tightening around her.
 
“We’re leaving,” he murmured to her, never taking his eyes off the guy in front of them.

“Sorry, Christie.
 
Didn’t realize you had a
boyfriend
,” the asshole said.
 
Except he’d sneered the word
boyfriend
like it was poison.

Adam opened his mouth, but Christie beat him to it.
 
“He’s not my boyfriend.”

A muscle ticked in his jaw.
 
He wanted to argue with her, but he knew her words were true.
 
He wasn’t her anything, other than her very jealous friend.

The Asshole smirked and Adam hated the knowing glint in his eyes once he turned his gaze to Adam’s.
 
“Oh really?
 
Well, in that case, I’ll call you later.”

“No,” the word came out of Adam’s mouth as though it was deadly.
 
“I don’t think you will.”
 
He tugged on Christie’s arm.
 
“Let’s go.”

“I’m not some rag doll, Adam,” she hissed, tugging her arm free.
 
But nevertheless, she marched back towards their table, not even saying goodbye to the man, much to Adam’s delight.
 
He gave the guy one last killing look and followed after her.

The first thing he noticed was that every single one of their friends had been watching the encounter.
 
Olivia and Kate exchanged expressions of shock, Luke and Alex had knowing grins, Caleb’s face was carefully blank.

When they reached the table, Christie immediately asked Olivia, “Can you drive me home?”
 
Her words came out a bit slurred, emphasizing the fact that there was no way in hell she should be allowed behind the wheel right now.

All eyes darted to Adam, even Olivia’s.
 
She observed him with a careful gaze then looked at Christie, nodding.
 
“Okay,” she murmured.
 
Christie rummaged around in her purse for her car keys and handed them to Olivia, who turned to Kate and motioned her head towards the door.
 
Apparently, ‘can you drive me home’ was girl code for ‘we need to talk.’

Kate kissed Luke, whispering something in his ear, before she hopped off his lap.

Olivia turned to Alex, who asked, “Should I pick you up later?”

Olivia’s lips pursed in thought and she eventually answered, “I’ll let you know.”
 
She pecked his lips.

And then, without a backwards glance, Christie glided past him, her damn bracelets singing.
 
The sound taunted him.
 
He was confused, angry, still a little jealous, and standing there like a fool.
 
Before Olivia or Kate could follow her, Adam trailed her to the door of the bar and stepped outside so they could talk privately.

“Christie…” he started, willing her to turn around, since she was stalking to her car.

“No.”

“Come on, I’m sorry,” he told her, pleadingly.
 
“But that guy was no good.
 
I thought I was doing you a favor.”

“A favor?” she scoffed, whirling around.
 
They were in the parking lot of the bar.
 
“You think I can’t tell what kind of guy he was?
 
Give me some credit, Adam.
 
I’m not a child.
 
I can take care of myself.”

How was he supposed to tell her that he’d acted out of pure jealousy without alienating her?
 
His feelings would be laid bare for her to see.
 
He wouldn’t be able to handle the rejection.

“I just didn’t want you to get hurt,” he said quietly.

Her eyes locked with his.
 
“No, you can handle that yourself.
 
It didn’t hurt
at
all
when you ignored me tonight.”

Her sarcasm made him flinch.
 
His guilt ate at him.

“You don’t understand women at all, do you?” she asked, her voice softening.
 
It seemed like she was trying to tell him something.
 
Her eyes were pleading with him.
 
But he
didn’t
understand, so he had no answer for her.

Behind him he heard the bar door swishing open and Olivia and Kate appeared.
 
Christie turned towards her car, giving him her back.
 
He watched like a mute idiot as she climbed in the passenger seat.

Livy gave him a small smile as she passed, patting his arm.
 
“She’ll come around, Adam.”

But Adam was unsure what she would even be ‘coming around’ from.
 
It wasn’t like they were in a relationship.
 
Adam intended to remain her friend once this was all over.
 
They both knew it would eventually be all over.
 
He thought he’d been doing the right thing by distancing himself.
 
It would make it easier for him once they walked away from each other.