Or maybe that’s the New Callie who is going to hear him out only because she knows she has the strength to turn him down when it’s all said and done.
Chapter 11
Woolf
I drain the last of the bourbon from my glass and set it down on the top of the bar, sliding it toward Stephanie. “Hit me again.”
Stephanie arches a lovely eyebrow upward but pours my second shot. “Something must be going on to cause the cool, calm, and collected Woolf Jennings to be sitting at The Wicked Horse and drinking a late lunch.”
She pushes the glass toward me and I reach out to take it, but on a whim, I circle my hand around her wrist instead. She gives a soft intake of breath and her eyes sparkle with anticipation. Stephanie likes having her wrists pinned.
“You’re due for a break,” I tell her, which I’m sure she’s not since we haven’t even opened yet, but I’m the boss, so whatever. I stroke my thumb over her pulse, feeling it beat hard against my skin. This is what I need. A few shots of liquid encouragement and a quick fuck in the office. That will get me back on track. Purge out the insanely obsessive thoughts of Callie that are holding me hostage.
The front door to the club opens, and I recognize Bridger’s frame entering against the haze of bright sunlight. The door closes, and he comes into focus. His eyes cut to the bar—maybe to the glass of bourbon or the way I’m holding Stephanie, who knows—but he scowls when he tips his gaze back to me.
“Hey man,” I say in welcome as he approaches us. “Stephanie and I were just about to hit the office for a little fuckfest. Come join us.”
Bridger doesn’t even stop his stride but looks over at Stephanie and says, “Sorry, darlin’. Not interested right now.”
He doesn’t look back at me as he walks past, but he does say, “I need to talk to you.”
Sighing, I let go of Stephanie’s wrist and take the glass of bourbon, shooting it straight down the back of my throat. Hissing out, I slap the glass on the bar. I give her a wink and a devilish grin. “Give me a few minutes and then come on back. It won’t take me that long to get him to change his mind.”
She laughs and picks up the glass. “Can’t wait.”
I turn from the bar and saunter back to our office.
Feeling good.
Going to tap some sweet pussy and then I’m going to be back in the saddle so to speak.
As soon as I enter the office, I can feel the anger vibrating off Bridger. He looks at me with dark eyes and says, “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
Huh?
“Well, I was getting ready to fuck Stephanie for a little afternoon quickie. Something I’ve done often and with you in attendance. What the hell is wrong with that?”
And even as I say it, my stomach cramps at the thought of fucking her, because that’s not who I really want. Not who I want at all.
“I want to know why you’re interested in that when you’ve got Callie Hayes.” His voice is hard with a measure of disdain.
“Callie Hayes?” I ask, playing dumb. Playing dumb because I’m not about to even give credence to his idea.
“Yeah,” he says with a frustrated grunt. “The beautiful girl who you fucked the other night and told me the next morning it was the best sex you’ve ever had in your life. Remember that?”
“Well, yeah… sure I said that,” I admit shamefully. “But that was just post-sex haze talking.”
“It was a full twelve hours after you blew a nut, asshole.”
I wince, because I know Bridger well and I know without a doubt I’m not going to win this argument. This man knows everything about me. Hell, he knows more about me than I do because the man is the most sentient person I’ve ever met. It also doesn’t help that I tell him practically everything. He knows everything that I do because I never hesitate to divulge. He’s one of those people that I know holds my confidence tightly and has uncanny wisdom which I respect. I tell him everything because I want him to impart that precious wisdom on me.
Hell… the minute I saw Bridger walk in the bar, I knew I wanted him to save me from the offer I had just made to Stephanie. I knew that he knew she wasn’t the right course for me to take, and that he would bail me out.
Now I need him to give me a push.
“I have nothing to offer her,” I tell Bridger with frustration as I sit down heavily on the couch.
He leans his ass on our desk, propping his hands by his hips. “You have everything to offer her.”
“Great sex?” I say with a colorless laugh.
“That’s a damn good start,” Bridger says seriously. “From there, it will develop.”
“What will develop?” I demand sarcastically of the all-knowing, all-seeing Bridger Payne. “A relationship? Love? Marriage and kids?”
“Possibly,” he says with a careless shrug of his shoulders. “Maybe nothing but great sex, but as I said, it’s a fucking awesome place to start.”
Shaking my head in denial, I argue, “That’s not me. I don’t want the responsibility of commitment. I want to do as I please when I want.”
Bridger says nothing. Just stares at me patiently, waits for me to make an attempt to work this out on my own. It pisses me off, but gives me the steam to keep talking it through.
“She and I are too different,” I point out. “She’s all sunshine and sweet lemonade. I’m like a thunderstorm and will roll right over her, ruining everything she is.”
“You’re a fucking poet,” Bridger says drily. “And yeah… that’s a damn good description of the two of you.”
“So why would I even attempt to snuff out that sunshine?” I ask in exasperation. “Why would I ever want to do that to her?”
Bridger gives a laugh as he pushes off from the desk. He walks over to the door and places his hand on the knob. “Dude… my money is on Callie. I think her sunshine is going to banish your thunderstorm in like a nanosecond.”
“What?” I ask in astonishment.
“You heard me. It doesn’t need repeating.”
Leaning forward on the couch, I scrub my hands over my face and then gaze in contemplation at the tips of my boots. Do I want to be influenced by Callie? I wouldn’t be lying when I say I’m drawn to her light. Everything about her makes me feel good.
Always has.
“Woolf,” Bridger says softly and I look up at him. “We’re tight, you and me.”
I nod.
“But I choose this lifestyle because it’s innately who I am. You followed me here, and I love every fucking minute of our journey together. But man, hear me when I say… you cannot stand beside me in my loneliness forever. It balances me, but partner… it will destroy you one day.”
Even as he says those words, I know they’re true. Otherwise, the sharp bite of pain in the middle of my chest wouldn’t feel so exquisitely honest. Maybe I’ve always known there was something more for me, but I was too afraid to ever give it credence. Or maybe I didn’t want to leave Bridger behind because I think he needs me.
Now Bridger is making me reconsider.
There’s a soft knock on the door, and Bridger turns the knob to open it. He doesn’t even look at Stephanie standing there. He knew it was her. Expected her. Knew that I told her to come back, because he knows me.
“Come on in, sugar,” he says while staring at me. “Woolf has something important he needs to do, but I decided I want to play a little.”
Callie’s got me on a nice chase this afternoon.
After I left The Wicked Horse, where I’m sure Stephanie and Bridger had a very nice time together, I drove out to The Double J. I assumed Callie would be there working, but her truck wasn’t there and it was locked up tight. I went in regardless to see if she had left a note, but nothing.