She’d never expected to see AJ again, figured when he left town all those years ago that was it, the end. When she looked up to see him at her bar tonight, her heart had done a flip-flop, her pulse double-timing it so fast she’d gotten dizzy. For years after he’d left she’d imagined what it would be like if she ever saw him again, had played the scenario over and over again in her mind. And each year that went by she thought of him less and less, until finally he’d disappeared from her thoughts. He was the past and he was supposed to stay there. Until tonight, when he showed up again, and everything they’d ever been to each other came rushing back, bringing with it a tidal wave of emotion.
But she could handle it. She wasn’t eighteen anymore and a lot had happened in the ten years since they’d last seen each other. What they’d meant to each other back then meant nothing now. She could smile and be nice to him and eventually he’d leave and everything would go back to the way it was.
She’d been doing just fine until she overheard AJ asking Joey about her, asking if she’d ever gotten married or had kids. Pain had ripped her inside and out, just like it always did when someone mentioned marriage and children, normal things a woman her age should be experiencing. Except there was nothing normal about her life. It brought back memories she fought hard to keep buried.
She pinned AJ with a hard stare, making it clear she didn’t appreciate the end run.
“Sorry,” AJ said. “I was just curious.”
“Not married. No kids. Satisfy your curiosity?”
He didn’t answer, just looked at her with sadness and regret in his storm gray eyes. She didn’t want his regrets, didn’t want to remember how simple and beautiful her life had been when he’d been in it, and how ugly it had gotten after he’d left.
“I didn’t mean to pry. It’s been a long time, Teresa. You look good.”
“She looks better than good,” Pax said, focusing a smile on Teresa. “She’s damn fine.”
Tingles skittered up her spine at the way AJ’s friend Pax looked at her. It had been a long time since she’d felt . . . anything. Pax didn’t know her past, didn’t know what had happened to her. He didn’t have preconceived notions, so he couldn’t have pity or remorse or revulsion. He just saw her as a woman. A desirable woman. She liked that look in his dark eyes. She liked the way he looked, period, with his spiked dark blond hair and his chiseled features and goatee. He was every inch a rugged, sexy biker. Who didn’t know a damn thing about her.
She winked at him, surprised to feel a little rusty in the flirting department. She flirted with her customers all the time, but that was meaningless. This . . . wasn’t. It felt like an awakening, which shocked her. “Thanks for the compliment.”
“I’ll bet you get them all the time.”
“I might. But I don’t necessarily pay attention to all of them. Or any of them.”
“Can’t say I’m unhappy to hear that, as long as you pay attention to me.” Pax’s gaze was intense. A woman could get lost in those whiskey-colored eyes. He could very well make a woman believe she was the only one for him.
“He’s full of shit, you know.”
Her gaze skirted to AJ, then back to Pax, and she lifted her lips. “I don’t doubt that for a second.”
“I’m crushed,” Pax said. “And AJ lies.”
“I don’t doubt that, either. And I can already tell you two are dangerous together.”
“Darlin’, you have no idea.” Pax picked up her hand and electricity sizzled up her arm. He pressed a soft kiss to the back of her wrist, then folded her hand between both of his very large ones.
Her belly fluttered, and that long-dormant area between her thighs sprang to life and dampened.
I’ll be damned. She might not be dead down there after all. That was the first honest sexual response she’d had since . . .
She slid her hand from Pax’s. “I have work, and playing with you boys isn’t on my list of things to do.”
“We’re not going anywhere,” AJ said.
That was too bad. Having AJ back in town was bad enough. Even worse would be dredging up memories of what she’d once had . . . what they’d once had. Having Pax with him was a double whammy of testosterone and chemistry that had slammed into her and gotten her attention despite running around tending to her customers and taking care of business.
And if it happened while she was 90 percent distracted, what would happen if she gave them her undivided attention?
Scary. And interesting, too. She really hoped they’d decide to hightail it out of town before her turn on top of the bar tonight.
PAX WATCHED TERESA TEND BAR. SHE SEEMED TO ENJOY HER customers, gave them her attention, laughed with the other bartenders.
That laugh—wow. It was full-on throaty and loud, as if she enjoyed life. And Pax liked a woman with passion.
But there was also something guarded about her, a shadow that crossed over her face in the midst of those happy moments, after she turned away and she thought no one was looking. Pax was always looking. He didn’t know what had put that shadow on her face. Maybe AJ had.
And maybe it was none of his goddamn business. They were just passing through. Teresa was part of AJ’s past, not part of their future. Playing with and sharing women was a fun way to pass the time for Pax and AJ, but Pax didn’t think this woman would be one AJ would want to share.
But Pax sure would. Her first smile had struck the match and lit his fire. Too bad she was AJ’s old flame, the one he’d told Pax about, the one woman AJ’d had real feelings for.
And AJ didn’t get “feelings” for women any more than Pax did. He liked them and respected them just fine, treated them all good. They both did. But loving them? Pax didn’t do the love thing. He enjoyed his freewheeling lifestyle way too much to fall in love with one woman. Not when there were so many women available. Monogamy just wasn’t his style, which was probably why he enjoyed sharing women with AJ. Less likely to fall in love with someone—or have a woman think you were going to go one-on-one with her—if you were doing two-on-one.
But he wasn’t going to get to do two-on-one with Teresa, so he settled against the bar and just watched her, his gaze flitting to the two other bartenders. They were fine, too. One with short brown hair and a full curvy body, the other a curly headed blonde with big tits and a low-cut shirt that clung to those babies like she was damn proud of them. The blonde gave Pax the once-over . . . more than once.