“You work here?” I asked.
“I do. Rich college kids tip surprisingly well when they’re wasted. And they like feeling like they’re slumming it at a local spot. Makes them feel superior.”
I raised my brows. “How’s Infinity and the new apartment?” I asked.
“It’s good. Though we need a place with a garage. Her band practices in the living room, and I love her, but that music gets old after a while.”
I smiled. “Sorry I left her show.”
Jess pulled out a glass with ice and poured some Sprite into it before handing it to me. “No worries. Hamilton explained what’s up. Fucking paparazzi. They’ve been hounding him since we were teens.”
I nodded. “Because of his birth mom, right?” I asked.
Jess quirked her brow. “Are you digging for information?”
“Would you tell me anything if I was?” I asked.
Jess leaned over the worn bar top. Her black tank was stretched thin across her chest, and she had a bead of sweat on her temple. “Hamilton is a good man. He’s sometimes a bit of a whore. I don’t think the man can go a week without sticking his dick in something, so if you like him, you should probably be aware of that going into this.” I swallowed. I knew this. Of course I knew this. But hearing it from Hamilton’s best friend was a reality check I hadn’t prepared for. It didn’t matter anyway though. I wasn’t going to act on these feelings, right?
“I never said I liked him,” I argued.
“You didn’t have to, Petallll.” Ugh. When was I going to stop lying to myself? I wanted Hamilton. Jess continued. “He’s probably the only decent person in that family, aside from his dead mother. He’s a bit tortured, but I think all the pretty men are. He has this weird desire to piss his family off and please them all at the same time. It’s weird. It’s tragic. I’m not a therapist, but he’s really fucked up in the head about them. And don’t get me started on Joseph. He’s a sick bastard. The kind to kick puppies, you feel me?”
“Should I be worried about my mother?” I asked in a timid voice.
Jess chewed on the inside of her lip. “Joseph takes care of his toys. It’s the people who try to take his toys from him that you should worry about.”
I was about to ask her what that meant when Jared settled on the stool beside me. “What did I miss?” he asked before looking at Jess. “I’ll have a Jack and Coke please.”
Jess nodded and wordlessly made his drink. “Jared, this is my friend Jess. I didn’t realize she worked here.”
“Oh! Sorry.” Jared wiped his hand on his pants before reaching out to shake hers. “My name is Jared, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Jess stared at his outstretched hand before handing him his drink. “I’ll be around if you need anything, Vera,” she said. “Watch your drink around this one. I keep a Glock under the bar, pretty boy.” She squinted at him before moving on to the next customer.
“Did I say something wrong?” Jared asked, his eyes wide. I couldn’t tell if it was shock or amusement.
“No. She just doesn’t like people in general,” I replied with a forced laugh. “You’re lucky she didn’t start interrogating you.”
“Sounds like my kind of woman.”
I took a sip of my drink, happy to enjoy something nonalcoholic. I’d never been out with Jared before and wasn’t sure what to expect. Was he a party hard frat boy? He was driven and smart, but I still wanted to be safe. “We can go sit with your friends if you’d like?” I offered while looking over my shoulder. The table of frat boys were now doing shots and getting a bit rowdy. I had zero desire to sit with them, but I didn’t want to be rude.
“And risk one of them wooing you? Absolutely not,” Jared teased, though his lighthearted tone seemed forced. “I brought you out tonight because I wanted to spend time with you.”
I tipped my head back and laughed. “You’ve spent time with me all week! You practically live at my apartment. I’m going to start making you pay for groceries if I’m going to be cooking for us every night.”
“I’ll happily pay for groceries if it means getting to have dinner and Netflix with you every night.”
I rolled my eyes. “See? We spent all week together.”
“Yeah, but not on a date.”
“Oh, so this is a date?” I asked, brows raised as I looked at Jared. He was handsome, in a classic boy-next-door sort of way. He could probably have anyone he wanted. He came from a good family. His father was a businessman and dabbled in politics. His mother ran one of the largest nonprofits in the world.
He reached out and placed his hand on my thigh. A shiver traveled up my spine. Maybe…
“I would have taken you somewhere nicer, but I had a feeling you would have freaked out and bailed on me. I know you have a hang up for your…” He leaned forward and dropped his voice. “Your fucking uncle. But I think we could be good together. I think you might like me. And if you want to call me Daddy in bed to get your taboo rocks off, I’ll let you. Family strokes isn’t usually my thing, but I’m always willing to try something at least once. There’s a huge market for stepbrother porn.” I giggled at his words as he brushed his lips along my neck.
I turned to face him, and my mouth was barely a breath away from his. I could feel his hot breath. It smelled like whiskey. “I’m not looking for anything serious,” I said in a low voice.
“I’m not a serious guy,” Jared murmured. His blue eyes found my lips, and he stared hungrily at them. My throat became suddenly dry and my breathing more labored. Jared leaned closer, his determination making me grow hot.
This felt like a
