Turns out whiskey isn’t all that bad and the baked rigatoni was as good as he promised. It isn’t until our waitress asks if we’d like dessert that I remember why we’re here and begin to get nervous about going to Lenny’s.
Chances are there will be a lot of people who know my sister and will be asking me things and talking about situations I know nothing about. Luckily Aden will be with me. I figure, two whiskeys and I’m almost slurring, anyone who notices my lack of memory will just chalk it up to me being drunk.
I try to pay half of the bill but Aden stares at me in a way that says “Don’t you fucking dare pull out your wallet.”
Having not been on many real romantic dates, I’m not familiar with protocol, but I allow him to pay. He seems more at ease, and when we’re walking out to his car and he hooks me around the waist I practically melt into his arms.
“Whoa, you drunk, freckles?” He chuckles at my ear, sending goose bumps down my arm.
“I told you I don’t drink whiskey.” I try to push off of him but his powerful arm holds me close.
“What I saw, I’d say you drink it just fine.” There’s humor in his voice as he steers me away from the parking lot to the sidewalk.
“Where are we going?”
“Lenny’s. It’s on the next block over.” He peeks over at me. “How do you not know where Lenny’s is?”
I pretend to window shop in the beachside boutiques so he can’t see my face as I struggle for a believable answer. “I do, I just meant, why aren’t we going to the car?”
“I figured it would be better for you to walk off some of that liquor.”
“Hmm . . . probably smart.”
It’s a short walk and I’m having a hard time keeping one foot in front of the other with the way his thumb is tracing circles on my hip.
The neon Lenny’s sign comes into view up ahead. It’s on a corner, and reggae music filters from the retractable windows along the two street-facing walls. It is what I’d consider to be the typical beach bar but with a modern flair.
Just like earlier, Aden tenses and loses his good humor the second we walk through the door. He leads me to a high-top table in the corner right by an open window, but his eyes are fixed on an older man who is making drinks behind the bar.
That must be Lenny.
“You okay?”
“Yeah.”
He’s lying. “We don’t have to stay.”
Finally he moves his eyes from the man at the bar, but he doesn’t look at me. Now his gaze is shifting from person to person, from one side of the room to the next, and then he pushes in beside me so that his back is to the wall and something about the new position seems to make him relax a little.
“You want me to go get us drinks?”
He lifts an eyebrow at me, but doesn’t smile. “You sure you need one?”
Yep, grumpy Aden is back.
And suddenly I long to be back at Celia’s wrapped in a cozy blanket with a good book.
“Celia!” Z?e comes up from behind me and wraps me in a hug. “You made it.”
Her eyes land on my empty hands. “You need a drink.”
“Oh . . . actually, I think I’m good.”
The girl’s eyebrows pinch together and she studies me for a moment before she bursts into laughter. “Good one, I’ll grab you a drink.” She spots Aden and does a double take. “Hey, Aden.”
“Z?e.” He doesn’t even look at her, his eyes are still constantly scanning as if he’s looking for a threat.
“Lenny know you’re here?”
“Don’t know, but I’ll go say hi to make sure he does.” He grins wickedly and whispers in my ear, “I’ll be right back,” followed up by a quick squeeze before moving through the crowd toward the bar.
Z?e watches him walk away, then turns back to me with huge saucer eyes. “You and Aden?”
“No, er. . . . I don’t—”
“I can’t believe you’re bumping uglies with Aden Colt!”
“Gross, I’m not bumping . . .uglies.”
“Sure you’re not. The guy is hot as hell and you’re not screwing him. That’s the funniest damn thing I’ve ever heard, Celia.”
“I swear we’re not doing anything.”
She props her hands on her hips. “Who are you?”
If it weren’t for the back of my barstool I would’ve fallen right off it. She sees right through me. No crap, Sawyer! No drink, denying a meaningless relationship, sitting with my legs crossed—I’m not even trying to act like Celia.
I give into the lingering pull of liquor in my blood and allow it to turn me into a noodle. “Okay, fine, you got me. We’re dating.”
“Dating?” She scoots in closer. “You and Aden Colt are dating?” Her expression would indicate that I’m still not a convincing Celia.
“Dating,” I say, using air quotes. “You know what I mean, hooking up.”
Silence stretches between us and she searches my eyes before she finally nods. “I knew it.”
“It’s just temporary, ya know, something to pass the time until I move.” My stomach feels sick at how easily the words are falling from my lips. Casual sex isn’t something I’ve ever supported or been party to, but Celia has mastered it.
She studies me for a moment, then nods. “Whatever you say.” She shrugs. “Just be careful.”
My ears perk up. “Why would you say that?”
I follow her gaze that’s on Aden talking to who I assume to be Lenny behind the bar, neither of them looking all that excited to see the other.
“He’s got a bit of a reputation.” She scoots a stool closer to me and drops down to sit. “Brice and his friends call him Sergeant Psycho.”
“Why?”
“The dude isn’t stable.” Her eyes widen. “But who cares, he’s sexy.”
“What makes everyone think he’s psycho?” I’m reminded of his sudden mood swings, how he goes from being flirtatious to angry, he’s easily irritable, and seems to have very little impulse control. What if he is psycho? My heart thuds dully in my chest thanks to the booze pumping through my veins.
“He used to be a bouncer here. I heard they fired him because he attacked a cab driver.” Z?e’s eyes are wide. “Totally unprovoked.”
I have a hard time believing that. Aden’s a tough guy, but to attack someone for no reason makes no sense. Unless he’s crazy.
“Not too long ago he had an accident at the cliffs.” Her thinly shaped eyebrows are high on her forehead. “He said he slipped while he was running, but rumor has it he jumped.”
I turn to look at him, his maroon tee hugging his thick, tan biceps and his strong jaw locked as he listens to whatever that Lenny guy is saying. He seems so capable, I can’t imagine him taking the coward’s way out and trying to kill himself. I also saw him balance on one foot while leaning over the edge of his boat to bring in a fish and I can’t see him accidentally slipping off anything.
“I’m sure he told you he put the guys who broke into your house in the hospital.”
I blink, barely registering her words. “Hold on . . . he did what?”
“He used to live in Cal’s cottage. He caught the guys who broke into your place and beat the shit out of them. After that he moved to Cal’s boat.”
I cover my mouth, shaking my head, and words fail to form.
“There were two of them, decent-sized dudes, but Aden bloodied them both.”