pass-through, grabbed the glasses, and headed that way.
She followed him to the tiki bar, pulled out a bamboo stool, which turned out to be fragile and wobbly, creaking wildly as she situated herself on its scratchy surface.
Jackson set the glasses on the bar, then reached past her to turn on the hula-girl lamp, his finger brushing the bare plaster breasts ever so lightly, a move she felt along her spine. Soon it might be her he touched so lightly…or not so lightly. She shivered.
To distract herself, she took a prickly pear jelly out ofthe snifter into which she’d emptied the Cactus Confections sack during her cleanup. Slowly, she munched the tangy treat. The golden light drenching the plaster hula girl made the bar an island of warmth in the intimate dark.
Jackson ducked behind the counter and rose with a bottle of Jack Daniel’s. He twisted the lid with a fist and splashed their glasses, efficient as a bartender. He managed a bar, after all. She leaned her elbows on the glass surface, which made the hula girl bobble under her lamp shade. Her painted-on eyes seemed to wink at Heidi: You go, haole girl.
She intended to.
“Welcome to Tiki Town,” Jackson said, handing her the drink. He gave the expanse of bamboo and glass a look of possessive satisfaction. “Bought it off a roadie for Jimmy Buffett who hauled it out from Florida.”
“I’m honored to be here.”
Jackson clicked his glass against hers, the sound sharp in the middle-of-the-night quiet. “You look right at home, dressed like that.” He looked as if he wanted to swallow her whole. She wanted him, too. This felt like their own private club and it was very, very late. They surveyed each other, energy crackling like heat lightning.
“I feel like I’ve been shipwrecked on an island…and now it’s just you and me…all alone.” She spoke over the glass, which she held close to her lips. The smoky liquor made her nose and eyes sting. How could anybody drink something this poisonous on purpose? She preferred chocolate martinis or prickly pear margaritas, something that eased the bite with sweetness.
“Aloha,” he said with a wink and took a quick swallow of the booze.
She did the same, and it burned like crazy. “Mmm,” she said to cover her gasp.
He burst out with a belly laugh. “You hated that.”
“It was…startling, that’s all.”
“You don’t have to drink like me, Heidi. Go ahead, scrunch up your freckles. It’s nasty stuff.”
She wished he hadn’t mentioned freckles. They made her seem young.
He rested his elbows on the bar, leaning close enough that she could see the crinkles around his eyes, the smooth planes of his face, golden brown whiskers just emerging from his jaw.
He grabbed a jelly and handed it to her. “Wash it down.”
“I can take it. Really.” She leveled her gaze at him.
He came to attention and let the jelly fall into the jar.
“One of my goals in moving here was to have new…experiences.”
“Experiences?” His gaze drifted to her mouth and he unconsciously licked his lips.
“Yes. Like drinking whiskey in the middle of the night with a man I hardly know in a little private bar called Tiki Town.”
“I see,” he said softly, pulled into her energy, despite the resistance in his posture, the wariness of his shoulders.
“Drinking whiskey…and other new things.” She leaned closer, making the bar jiggle and rattling the bottles behind the bamboo. The hula girl’s hips swayed wildly. Heidi’s stool squealed in agony, but if she shifted back she would seem to be withdrawing. And she was pushing onward. As far as she dared.
“What did you…have in mind?” he murmured, eyes gleaming.
“Exactly what you think.” The husky quality of her voice made her sound more sure than she felt, and that was good. In this quiet moment at Jackson’s bar, she wantedto be a woman who went for what she wanted. Without hesitation, without waiting for him to make the first move…Would he make the
She followed him to the tiki bar, pulled out a bamboo stool, which turned out to be fragile and wobbly, creaking wildly as she situated herself on its scratchy surface.
Jackson set the glasses on the bar, then reached past her to turn on the hula-girl lamp, his finger brushing the bare plaster breasts ever so lightly, a move she felt along her spine. Soon it might be her he touched so lightly…or not so lightly. She shivered.
To distract herself, she took a prickly pear jelly out ofthe snifter into which she’d emptied the Cactus Confections sack during her cleanup. Slowly, she munched the tangy treat. The golden light drenching the plaster hula girl made the bar an island of warmth in the intimate dark.
Jackson ducked behind the counter and rose with a bottle of Jack Daniel’s. He twisted the lid with a fist and splashed their glasses, efficient as a bartender. He managed a bar, after all. She leaned her elbows on the glass surface, which made the hula girl bobble under her lamp shade. Her painted-on eyes seemed to wink at Heidi: You go, haole girl.
She intended to.
“Welcome to Tiki Town,” Jackson said, handing her the drink. He gave the expanse of bamboo and glass a look of possessive satisfaction. “Bought it off a roadie for Jimmy Buffett who hauled it out from Florida.”
“I’m honored to be here.”
Jackson clicked his glass against hers, the sound sharp in the middle-of-the-night quiet. “You look right at home, dressed like that.” He looked as if he wanted to swallow her whole. She wanted him, too. This felt like their own private club and it was very, very late. They surveyed each other, energy crackling like heat lightning.
“I feel like I’ve been shipwrecked on an island…and now it’s just you and me…all alone.” She spoke over the glass, which she held close to her lips. The smoky liquor made her nose and eyes sting. How could anybody drink something this poisonous on purpose? She preferred chocolate martinis or prickly pear margaritas, something that eased the bite with sweetness.
“Aloha,” he said with a wink and took a quick swallow of the booze.
She did the same, and it burned like crazy. “Mmm,” she said to cover her gasp.
He burst out with a belly laugh. “You hated that.”
“It was…startling, that’s all.”
“You don’t have to drink like me, Heidi. Go ahead, scrunch up your freckles. It’s nasty stuff.”
She wished he hadn’t mentioned freckles. They made her seem young.
He rested his elbows on the bar, leaning close enough that she could see the crinkles around his eyes, the smooth planes of his face, golden brown whiskers just emerging from his jaw.
He grabbed a jelly and handed it to her. “Wash it down.”
“I can take it. Really.” She leveled her gaze at him.
He came to attention and let the jelly fall into the jar.
“One of my goals in moving here was to have new…experiences.”
“Experiences?” His gaze drifted to her mouth and he unconsciously licked his lips.
“Yes. Like drinking whiskey in the middle of the night with a man I hardly know in a little private bar called Tiki Town.”
“I see,” he said softly, pulled into her energy, despite the resistance in his posture, the wariness of his shoulders.
“Drinking whiskey…and other new things.” She leaned closer, making the bar jiggle and rattling the bottles behind the bamboo. The hula girl’s hips swayed wildly. Heidi’s stool squealed in agony, but if she shifted back she would seem to be withdrawing. And she was pushing onward. As far as she dared.
“What did you…have in mind?” he murmured, eyes gleaming.
“Exactly what you think.” The husky quality of her voice made her sound more sure than she felt, and that was good. In this quiet moment at Jackson’s bar, she wantedto be a woman who went for what she wanted. Without hesitation, without waiting for him to make the first move…Would he make the
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