Ally felt closer to Heath than ever, and she wanted him to stay with her, even if just to sleep, though she’d like to do more. But she knew she was falling for him much harder than she thought possible after only a few days, and she didn’t trust herself not to tip over the edge and drown in a pool of emotions she wasn’t sure she was ready for.
They kissed good night, and after he closed the door, she leaned her back against it, wishing he hadn’t left. She peered out the peephole and saw him standing, arms crossed, eyes serious. He took a step back toward the door, then ran his hand through his hair and turned to leave.
She looked at the couch where he’d opened up to her, the kitchen where they’d cooked dinner, to the bed just beyond, where they’d made love. She should be filled to the hilt with those warm memories, but as she bent to pick up Fifi and smelled Heath’s cologne on her fur, she missed Heath too much to feel anything other than lonely.
Chapter Twelve
THURSDAY EVENING HEATH pushed open the doors of NightCaps and took a quick visual sweep of the crowd, searching for his brothers. His eyes landed on his buddy Dylan Bad, the owner of NightCaps, standing behind the bar. Dylan waved, and Heath made his way toward him.
Dylan’s dark eyes widened with his friendly smile. “Haven’t seen you around much, Heath. How’s it going?”
“Great, thanks. How’re things with you? How’re your brothers?” Like Heath, Dylan had three brothers. The Bads and the Wilds had grown up together, and they’d lived up to their names, spending their youths getting into mischief, although Heath had always been a little more careful than the rest of them. As the eldest, Heath had felt a responsibility toward keeping his younger siblings safe, and he’d taken that responsibility very seriously.
He nodded toward a table in the corner, where Mick Bad, Dylan’s eldest brother, sat with Logan, Jackson, and Cooper.
“The Bads and the Wilds, at it again.” Dylan laughed. He slid a bottle of beer across the bar to Heath. “Logan said you’ve got a girlfriend now.”
Leave it to Logan to apply a little indirect pressure. Ever since he’d fallen in love with Stormy, who used to work at Dylan’s bar, he’d been singing the praises of love and monogamy.
“Logan’s right, although I’m not sure why he’s talking about my personal life.” Heath sipped his beer to hide the grin spreading across his lips from thinking about Ally.
“Cut him a break. He just said that you might blow them off to spend time with her.” Dylan took the towel that had been hanging over his shoulder and wiped down the bar. He leaned closer and lowered his voice. “I wouldn’t blame you. Spend time with a babe, or spend time with that crew? Easy choice in my eyes.”
Heath laughed. “Thanks for the brew. Good to catch up.” He crossed the crowded floor, weaving around tables and clusters of people and heading toward the sound of his brothers’ laughter.
Logan turned just as Heath noticed Amanda, Ally’s sister, sitting at a nearby booth with a guy who was wearing a suit and sitting pin straight, like he was on a job interview. Heath stopped midstride and looked around for Ally.
“Hey, bro. What’s up? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Logan pushed a chair out from the table with his foot. “Have a seat.”
Heath shook off his surprise and sucked back his beer as he lowered himself onto the chair. Questions ricocheted through his mind, the most prominent being, Where is Ally? She’d said she was going out with her sister. Heath pulled out his cell to check the last few texts from her.
“Jackson and Coop were just telling us about that upcoming photo shoot for Sage Remington, that sculptor you like. Stormy wants to go, so I’m sure we’ll rearrange our schedules to go. Why don’t you and your girlfriend join us?”
Sage Remington was Heath’s favorite sculptor. Normally he’d be all over this opportunity, but he was too sidetracked over Ally to respond.
“I guess the zoo worked out for you, then?” Jackson asked.
“Zoo? What have I missed this week?” Cooper, their youngest brother, leaned across the table and eyed Heath. The top few buttons of his dress shirt were open. Cooper’s tie hung loosely around his neck, and the new beard he’d been sporting lately gave him a swarthy look.
Heath let his brothers bounce their questions around for a while and quickly scanned his texts from Ally. None of them mentioned her plans for tonight. Of course they didn’t. That would have been difficult to fit in between I can’t wait to get my hands on you again and Wear your favorite tie next time I see you. He hadn’t even thought to ask her about her plans again. He was tempted to call her, but he didn’t want to look like a jealous asshole. Nor did he want to feel like one. But much to his dismay, he had the jealous part down pat.
“Cut him some slack. You guys are worse than my brothers.” Mick lifted his beer and winked at Heath.