New Year's Eve at the Corral Read online

  Darla smirked.

  Tina glared. Teasing. Darla was just teasing, but underlying was a truth Tina couldn’t escape. Sooner or later Nick would hook up with someone. Get himself a girlfriend. Get married.

  Where would that leave her? Nowhere. No woman wanted her husband to have a female best friend.

  Maybe she should give into temptation just this once while she had the chance. No. Despite the residual tingle Darla’s words had spawned and the incident at the store, Tina had no interest in the whole concept of Friends-with-Benefits. Casual sex, even with her best friend, especially not with her best friend, wasn’t her thing. If she was going to get that close to someone, she wanted equal parts emotional and physical intimacy and commitment. Not a quick roll in the hay, no matter how amazing that roll might be or how plentiful the hay around these parts.

  Then again, she might be able to avoid Darla’s question, but she couldn’t hide the truth from herself. Of course she’d thought about it. Nick was male. Very male. She was only human. And female. And it had been for-ev-er since she’d had a boyfriend.

  Fulfilling Darla’s dare could prove to be very interesting. To say the least. How wide would Nick’s eyes pop if she were actually wearing that gown? For him.

  “I’ll go get the broom.” Darla’s words acted like much-needed cold water and doused the flames of the inappropriate fantasy.

  “No, it was my fault. I’ll get it.” Tina stalked across the bar. The overhead fans swept cool air across her flaming cheeks. As she pushed the door of the supply closet, it suddenly opened, throwing her off balance. She stumbled. Right into Nick’s arms.

  They closed around her. “Whoa.”

  She clutched his shoulders. She’d hugged Nick before. Lots of times. Since it had been that kind of day and she hadn’t quite recovered from earlier, this time was different. Exciting. More exciting than it should be.

  The woodsy scent of his aftershave made her head spin. Her heart hammered against her ribs. The breath caught in her throat. When he looked down at her, her whole body froze as every involuntary, life-supporting system ceased to function.

  If someone had asked whether or not she thought Nick was good looking, she would have responded in the affirmative. Here in his arms, a whole new awareness gripped her. Had she ever fully appreciated the hard muscles beneath the T-shirt? The slight wave in the brown-almost-black hair falling onto his forehead. The dark chocolate with caramel of his eyes.

  Those melt-you-where-you-stood eyes held a combination of concern and something deeper. Darker. Something all consuming that tugged at her soul. Oh cripes, he was still feeling it too.

  “Tina?” Did his voice always have that husky note? “Are you okay?”

  She snapped back to herself and took a step away. Breath and blood flowed again and caused a tingle in her limbs. Or was that Nick’s proximity? “I’m fine. Sorry. I wasn’t expecting you to open the door.”

  He nodded. “Are you sure you’re okay? You looked flushed.”

  “It’s warm in here.”

  “Yeah, it is. It’s going to be crowded tonight. Maybe Logan will crank the AC even though it’s December.”

  “Right.” She inched around him to grab the broom and dustpan leaning against the wall.

  Nick fell into step with her as Tina headed back to the mess on the floor. When his arm brushed hers, goose bumps peppered her skin. She cursed Darla, and laundry detergent, and the person who thought selling a gown like that in a small town department store was a good idea, to the moon and back. Now she couldn’t stop thinking about it. It. Doing it. With Nick.

  Good Lord. High school slang anyone? She sounded like a cheerleader contemplating losing her virginity.

  “Hey, Nick.” Darla smiled at him when they reached the table. “You’re looking fine tonight.”

  Tina swept the scattered pebbles into a pile and clenched her teeth. Darla was only flirting with Nick to get under Tina’s skin.

  “Do you have a date tonight?”

  “No, I’m working.”

  Would he have a date if he weren’t? Tina swished the broom with enough force to send a pebble ricocheting off the table leg and skipping across the floor. As close as they were, their respective love lives, or lack thereof in her case, wasn’t something they usually discussed. Hearing about Nick’s girlfriends would be…weird. Just thinking about it caused a hollow feeling in her stomach.

  Darla ran her finger down the sleeve of Nick’s black T-shirt. “That doesn’t mean you should miss out on the midnight kissing fun.”

  Tina gripped the wooden handle so hard her knuckles turned white. It took everything she had to resist the temptation to shove the stick someplace where Darla would find it difficult to walk for a week or so.

  “Well, I’ll be around when the clock strikes if you need me. That is if you don’t find someone else to kiss.” Darla winked at Tina, then sauntered away.

  Nick turned to Tina. “What was that all about?”

  “That was Darla not being funny.”

  “O-kay.” He squatted and held the dustpan so she could sweep the pile of pebbles into it. “So, do you have a date tonight?” There was something in his tone she couldn’t quite read. His enigmatic expression gave no clue either.

  “No. I’m working, too.”

  He frowned. “You haven’t had a date in a long time.”

  Ooh boy, they were really stirring up illicit territory tonight. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Nothing. Just making an observation.” He rose. “It puzzles me.”

  “Me not having a date?” What was he getting at?

  “Yes. You’re pretty. Funny. Easy to talk to.” His gaze swept down her legs. “Sexy. You should have guys queuing up. I find it hard to believe no one asks you out.”

  She gulped. She was always honest with Nick. Something she treasured about their friendship. What could she say now? She hadn’t been on a date in a while. Not because she wasn’t being asked, but because when she did go out, none of the guys could ever measure up to Nick. Who was good looking, easy to talk to, and sexy in his own right. He’d kind of spoiled her for other men. Raised the bar and made her unwilling to settle for someone…less.

  Nick stood. “Tina?”

  She busied herself filling—carefully this time—the hat on the table. “Life gets crazy sometimes. So much going on. You know how it is…working in a bar. It’s not always the most suitable place to find someone looking for a long-term relationship.” Although The Corral had a pretty good track record of lasting relationships.

  “True.” He studied her with those unfathomable eyes again. “Don’t get too caught up in the busyness of life. You never know what you might be missing out on.”

  7:15 p.m.

  “Almost seven-thirty.” Nick nudged Tina with his elbow. Across the room the band members tuned guitars. The drummer beat out a steady rhythm, then added a clang of cymbal. He leaned closer to her. The subtle scent of her perfume made his pulse quicken. Flowery, but not too sickly sweet. Fresh, yet sexy at the same time. “You ready for a fabulous night of delivering drinks to enthusiastic partygoers? Ten bucks says someone pukes their guts out before nine o’clock.”

  Tina wrinkled her nose. “No way I’m betting against that. I just hope it’s not someone in my section.”

  “Party pooper.”

  She stuck out her tongue. X-rated fantasies of her using it on him, all over him, popped behind his eyes. He could almost taste it dueling with his in a heated kiss. Or feel the slight rasp of it as she licked her way down his chest. Or how its moist heat would lave the turgid length of his—

  “So, do you think you’ll take Darla up on her offer tonight?”

  He waited several, long dizzy moments for the blood to flow north and return to his brain before he could sort through the words. Even then they didn’t make sense. “What?”

  Tina kicked a nearby chair leg with the toe of her boot. “You know. For a midnight kiss.”

  “Um,
no.”

  “You don’t think she’s pretty?”

  “She’s fine.” There wasn’t anything wrong with Darla. She was nice and all. She just wasn’t Tina.

  Tina was the only one he had any interest in kissing tonight. That traditional midnight kiss might be his ticket to ride. Who knew what it could lead to? It might lead her right into his bed.

  Or to something even more meaningful.

  The idea burned through him like a sip of perfectly aged Tennessee whiskey. Smooth with a warmth that spread until it consumed him. Tantalized him in an entirely different way than desire for her body.

  Whoa. Wasn’t thinking with your little head instead of your heart mandatory for any member of the species with a Y chromosome?

  “Just fine?” Tina asked.

  The overly casual question clued him in there was more to the question deep below the surface. As deep as the sudden urge to claim not only her body, but her heart and soul as well.

  Nick’s pulse thundered in his ears. Combined with the emotional bombshell, it threw him off balance. He almost staggered like a drunk trying to regain his footing. Instead, he took a deep breath to regain his equilibrium and turned to face her. Blue eyes stared at him unblinkingly. What would she see in his? He had no time to deal with, let alone hide, the unexpected epiphany. “Are you trying to set me up with Darla?”

  “No.” She shook her head. The motion scattered her dark hair over her shoulders. His fingers itched to feel the silken texture. “Definitely not.”

  “Good. I’m not interested in her. She’s not my type. You should know that.”

  She nodded. “I just wondered. You know, sometimes people’s…perceptions change.”

  Holy hell. Had she read his mind?

  What would she think if she had? Despite times throughout the years like the one earlier at the store when desire flamed and refused to be hidden, they’d never, ever crossed any lines in their friendship. Tonight, in one cataclysmic moment, he not only wanted to cross each and every possible line, he wanted the lines obliterated.

  He swallowed. “Perceptions do change, don’t they?” He ran a crooked finger down Tina’s cheek. The soft, powdered scent of her skin drifted to him.

  “Oh for pity’s sake. Will you two just admit you’re in love with each other and get on with it?” Exasperation laced Darla’s voice as she passed by.

  8:30 p.m.

  Holy gargantuan elephant in the room, Batman.

  Tina’s hand trembled as she set napkins on the table and then placed the customers’ drinks on them. The weight of Nick’s stare as he watched her from across the room behind the bar pressed on her.

  Wringing Darla’s neck wasn’t enough. Hog-tying and gagging her might be the only way to shut her up. Unfortunately, no time for that now. Or to wonder what the hell Nick was thinking.

  What a night. The only good thing she could say about it so far was that Nick’s prediction of someone tossing their cookies hadn’t come true. Yet. There was still a half hour until his deadline. Wouldn’t that just be the icing on the cake?

  Ugh. Bad metaphor. The combination of dessert and puke in the same sentence didn’t sit well. Of course the knot in her stomach didn’t allow for anything to sit well.

  She’d avoided making direct eye contact with Nick while placing drink orders for the last hour, but sooner or later she’d have to face him and address Darla’s comment.

  “Is there anything else I can get you?” After all these years, her job was so rote it didn’t really do much to distract her from the mess her personal life had suddenly become, but she put on the bravest smile she could muster anyway.

  When the cowboy and his date replied in the negative, she thanked them for the generous tip and pivoted away, heading in the opposite direction from the bar.

  How could she ever be comfortable with Nick again? Darla’s outrageous comment would always hang between them. Teasing them about hooking up and having sex was one thing. Bringing love into it was going way too far. Not to mention totally out in left field. Tina might be a little bit attracted to him, more than she should be, but she certainly wasn’t in love with him.

  Was she?

  She froze. Everything around her stilled as though the world had halted in its rotation. While everything else stopped, her heart thudded loudly. Revelation struck like the bright beam of a spotlight and illuminated a deep, hidden part of herself. One she hadn’t known existed. Until right this very moment. Standing in a crowded bar on New Year’s Eve.

  Crap on a cracker. She was in love with Nick.

  Which wasn’t good on a multitude of levels.

  After a quick glance around to make sure none of her tables was signaling for a drink, Tina headed for the stairs. “I’m taking a short break,” she said on her way past Darla. “Would you cover my tables for a few?” Without waiting for an answer, she left the sub-level barroom. Was it her imagination that Nick’s heavy stare followed her?

  Upstairs in the changing room, she slid to the floor with her back against the cold metal of a locker. Her head snapped up when the door opened.

  “Are you okay?” Darla asked.

  “Aren’t you supposed to be covering my tables?”

  “I got one of the other girls to do it.” She sat on the bench. “Talk to me.”

  “I’m in love with Nick.” No sense beating around the bush.

  A half smile curved Darla’s mouth. “I know.”

  “I didn’t.”

  A full grin broke out. “I know that, too.”

  “Well this just sucks a fatty.”

  Darla burst out laughing. “I’m sure Nick has a fatty you can suck.”

  Heat flamed in Tina’s face and spread until her whole body felt feverish. Not to mention tempted by the image Darla’s words conjured. She slammed her eyes shut. Instead of helping, the darkness made the fantasy more vivid. She rested her forehead on her bent knees. “This is awful.”

  “Awful?”

  “Falling in love with your best friend is so When Harry Met Sally.”

  “So?”

  Tina peeked up at Darla. “I don’t want to be that girl.”

  “Then you’re going to miss out.” Darla pointed a scarlet tipped finger at her. “Nick is funny, smart, and sexy. Which means someone else is going to come along and snap him up if you don’t grow a set and make a move.”

  Tina shook her head. “I’m not really a ‘make a move’ kind of gal.”

  “Start with a New Year’s kiss and go from there.”

  “You mean just throw myself at him at midnight?” A shiver that was part thrill and part trepidation slithered along her spine.

  “Why not?”

  Tina bit her lip. “What if it’s like kissing my brother?” Until recently, very recently, that’s how she thought of Nick. Most of the time. How had all of this hit her over the head so suddenly? How had she not seen it coming? Denial? Or something else?

  “You don’t have a brother.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “Well, I could give him a test run and let you know what it’s like.” Darla flashed a Cheshire smile.

  “Ha ha.” Sarcasm hid the jab of pain from the jade monster taking a bite of Tina’s insides. “If he’s not interested, I stand to lose a helluva lot.”

  “He is interested. Trust me. Which means you stand to gain a whole lot more.”

  All or nothing is what it came down to. If she made a move and he turned her down, their friendship would be ruined. She wouldn’t be able to face him. On the other hand, say he was interested. Interested but not in love. Would one night be enough? Could they go back to the way it was before they slept together? Friends to lovers was tricky enough to think about. Lovers back to friends seemed damn near unimaginable. Was it worth the risk?

  How did all the chicks in those stupid rom-coms do it? Scripts of course. None of that was real. This was all too real. Whatever happened, it would change her life forever. Whether that change would be good or bad w
as impossible to know.

  Did she have the courage to go all in and take a chance?

  11:45 p.m.

  Tina set the last glass of champagne in front of a blonde with a pixie haircut and painted-on jeans. There. With just a few minutes to go until midnight, everyone was set with drinks for toasting the arrival of the new year.

  Unfortunately, it meant she had nothing to distract her from the incessant should-I-or-shouldn’t-I mantra in her head. Where was a damn script when a girl needed one?

  “Come dance with me.”

  The voice close to her ear made her jump and almost drop the empty tray. She turned to face Nick. Her heart pounded so hard against her ribs people two blocks away would be able to hear it.

  Without waiting for a reply, he took the tray and set it on the bar. Why did it seem like hundreds of pairs of eyes followed them onto the parquet floor? Even in the sea of faces, Darla’s satisfied smirk was evident.

  “I really shouldn’t. I’m working.” Tina’s protest was halfhearted at best.

  “Everyone has their drinks. It’s almost midnight. There’s only one dance left this year. I want to share it with you.”

  A flood of warm emotion clogged her throat. Her pulse raced, and her hand trembled in his. He splayed warm fingers on her back and eased her closer. With his head tucked close to hers, his stubbled cheek prickled her skin as they slowly revolved to the soft strains of the music provided by the live band on the corner stage.

  She’d danced with Nick a hundred times, but tonight was different. The air around them thrummed with expectation. His warm breath against her neck sent a cascade of shivers down her spine. The flex of his thigh against hers as he shuffled his feet sent a lick of desire to secret places.

  Did she have the courage to act? Tonight? With only minutes to decide, she still didn’t trust herself. What if she was wrong about everything?

  The last note faded away, but Nick didn’t let her go. He inhaled deeply, his chest rising against hers. Finally he pulled back. His intense stare captured hers. Held her. Even when someone pushed a plastic champagne flute in her hand she didn’t blink.