But Pax’s attention kept moving to Teresa, watching her work the bar, her brows knit in concentration as she poured shots or popped open the tops of beer bottles. She laughed with her customers, was good-natured about it when she had to push away guys who got too close, moved in a rhythm that said she was comfortable with who she was. And okay, he liked watching her hips move, the easy way she swayed across the floor. He liked her ass and the sweet spot where her jeans met the skin of her lower back, that pretty tattoo there where he’d like to press his lips.
His jeans tightened as his c**k twitched to life.
Down, boy. He took a long cold swig of beer to douse the heat.
“Don’t even think about it, man. We’re not going there.”
He slid his glance over to AJ and grinned. “I know we’re not going there. But I’m still going to think about it.”
“Yeah,” AJ said, shifting his attention to Teresa. “Me, too. But too much history there. It wouldn’t work.”
“Too bad. Because she is sweet.”
“That’s the problem. Too sweet for you and me.”
Just then the sounds of women squealing and men hollering, clapping and catcalling drove Pax’s attention to the bar, where the beer bottles were being cleared from one end to the other. A new song came up, something sexy with a hard rocking beat, and the blonde climbed up onto the cleared-off bar top and sauntered down to the end, swiveling her hips to the music. As soon as the beat picked up, she headed their way.
The bar soon crowded in with guys pressing up to see the blonde dance in her cutoff denim shorts and cowboy boots, her feet stomping on the scarred wood. She shimmied down to a squatting position, then back up again.
The girl could move her ass. She moved from one end of that bar to another, leaving dragging tongues in her wake as she slid those tanned legs out and shook her ass in front of some hungry faces. Then she jumped off the bar.
And Teresa jumped up.
Though the music was deafening and the noise of the other bikers clapping and shouting around them drowned out just about everything, Pax was sure he could hear AJ’s hard swallow as Teresa made her way down to the other end of the bar.
“Oh, shit,” AJ whispered, his voice hoarse.
Pax just grinned and enjoyed the show. Where the blonde used her sexuality as a lure, Teresa was more natural when she moved, like she felt the music inside her. She didn’t play to the crowd, but kept her focus straight ahead as she swept her hips from side to side, knocked her boots hard on the bar, and stormed her way toward Pax and AJ.
It was only when she got to them that she tilted her chin and looked down, a wicked smile on her face. Pax looked up and grinned at her, letting her know that he liked the show just fine. He’d like to feel her moving against him like that, wanted to feel her hips sway from side to side while he held her against his throbbing cock.
AJ tilted his head back and stared, his expression unreadable.
Teresa cocked a brow, kicked up her heels and shimmied down the bar, lifting her arms over her head and turning her back on the crowd, sliding her ass down to meet the heels of her boots, then jumping off the bar to let the brunette take over and finish the song.
“Damn” was all AJ said as he kept his gaze glued on Teresa. “Never seen her do anything like that before.”
“She was a kid when you left here before. She isn’t now. Lots of things change when you’re gone for ten years.”
THREE
ALL AJ WANTED TO DO WAS FIND OUT EVERYTHING TERESA HAD been doing in the ten years he’d been gone. Everything about her was different, from the way she looked to the way she talked to the way she danced to her expressions and demeanor.
Did he seem that different to her? He wanted to ask her. But what did it matter? He and Pax weren’t staying. He wasn’t taking up with her again, couldn’t. He and Pax had places to go after their vacation was over, and that didn’t include coming back home and settling in with Teresa, who hadn’t made any moves in his direction anyway. She’d been friendly, but wary, just like she would be with any customer.
And what had he expected—for her to scream and cry with joy because he’d finally returned, then throw herself in his arms and declare her undying love?
Yeah, right. Nice fantasy, but what he wanted and what he was going to get were two different things.
Story of his life.
He and Pax finally shoved away from the bar and played pool with Joey and Russ, Joey’s good friend and the second in command of the Thorns. AJ had known Russ when they were younger, too. Good to see he’d stood by Joey all these years. Russ hadn’t changed much since high school, either, though he was the polar opposite of Joey. Where Joey was short and round, Russ was tall and rail thin, with freckles on his face and his hair a mixture of strawberry blond and brown. Russ still looked like a kid even though he was pushing thirty.
Pax sank the last ball, and AJ grinned at Joey. “You still suck at pool.”
Russ snickered and patted AJ on the back. “Some things never change, do they, AJ?”
Joey glared. “I don’t suck at pool. Obviously you and your friend have careers as hustlers. And since you and Pax won all our money, you can buy the next round of beers.”
AJ laughed and bought beer. Having a pool table at Wild R iders headquarters meant they got a lot of practice. And AJ was pretty sure Pax had hustled pool when he was younger, though Pax denied it. Probably so he could win every time they played.
“Is that how you guys earn a living, sharking us poor unfortunates?” Joey asked as they sat at one of the tables eating pretzels and drinking beer.
Pax raised his brows and, with a smile, tipped the bottle of beer to his lips.
“I thought so.”
“And how about you, Joey?” AJ asked. “What are you doing these days?”
“I own that garage down on the corner of Munich and Davis. Russ and a few of the other guys who ride with us work there, too.”
“I can’t believe you’re still at Smitty’s Garage. That was the first place you hired on when you were a punk.”
“Yeah, and now I own it. So who’s the punk?” Joey laughed.
“Did you change the name to Oliveri’s?”
“Nah. Everyone around knew it as Smitty’s, so I figured I’d leave it. Good for the old-timers who might not take to something different.”
“See, and I always thought you were dumb,” AJ teased.