Maria Undone

Chapter 15 (Brian)

Excuse me," I finally called out.

I usually waited to be served, but I'd been standing at the bar waiting to order for going on three minutes. All the while, the bored-looking bartender was casually leaning against the shelves of drinks, fiddling away on her phone.

She held up a hand as her thumb moved quickly over the keys before she shoved her cell in her back pocket. She strolled toward me with an audible sigh, clearly not caring about being tipped generously tonight.

"Yeah?" Her bored, kohl-lined eyes met mine before a flare of interest widened them. She flicked her gaze down my body before they rose again, turning hooded with unabashed interest. Her red-painted mouth curved into a sultry smile as she leaned forward with her hands spread on the bartop. Her tight black t-shirt highlighted her cleavage, which became more pronounced with her exaggerated movement. It was kind of hard not to look.

"Hi," she purred. "What can I get you?"

I gave her a practiced lazy smile, her earlier slackness forgotten. I was single, so why not? She was exactly my type - gorgeous, flirty, and obviously up for it. Why shouldn't I tease a little back?

"Two Guinness and three Miller's, please."

Her eyes stroked down my body again in a slow perusal. "Sure, thing, hon. Where are you seated? I'll bring it to you."

I indicated to the table where the guys were. Their faces were wide with knowing smiles as they witnessed our exchange. Bunch of nosey idiots.

"Brian Dean," she read after I handed her my card to start a tab. She flicked me a demure smile beneath false lashes. "I'll swing by with your order soon."

"Appreciate it," I winked before returning to our table.

Something was up with me. I recognized when a woman was into me, and the pretty blonde bartender was sending me signals in spades. Yet my energy wasn't as upbeat as it usually was after chatting to a pretty lady. I always got a buzz of adrenaline from drawing out the game of chase and play, knowing that the night may end with sweaty bodies intertwined in twisted sheets. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing.

I sat next to Harry and ignored the deliberate smirks they were all giving me. I could feel the table brimming with contained banter, and I suppressed a grin at how juvenile they were being. Grown men in their twenties and thirties, still elbowing each other when an attractive woman was nearby and paying them a bit of attention.

Finally, when the pregnant silence became too much, I sent them all my best glower.

"What?"

"C'mon, that bartender's hot, you lucky bastard," Kevin, one of my junior carpenters, burst out. He elbowed me, and my lip curled at my earlier prediction. "My older brother's friend had a thing with her a while back."

"You know her?" Now that I was giving her a second look, she did appear slightly familiar. Long blonde hair, blue eyes, pretty. I couldn't place her, though.

"Only by face. She's a few years older than me." He jostled me again with his elbow. "Perfect for you," he joked.

Yeah, she was. I didn't have a type, but blonde hair, sultry eyes, and a delectable body usually fit the bill. 

Dark hair. Blue eyes. Long legs. Kind. Hard-working. Funny. Strong-willed.

I shook the invading thoughts out of my head and ran a frustrated hand through my hair. 

Stop.

I needed to stop this. 

Forget her.