by Jaci Burton
"Thanks. What do you do here at the hotel, Ted?"
"I manage the bar."
Barrett had a burning urge to tell him he should go manage it. "Off duty?"
"My shift isn't starting yet."
"Ted was telling me about how much he's traveled. He's worked for hotels all over the world. Tokyo, Sydney, London, Beijing."
Barrett cocked a brow. "You must love travel."
Ted grinned. "I do."
"So what are you doing in Tampa?"
"My family lives here. Grandparents are getting older and frail. Figured I'd set down roots here for a while, put the travel on hold for a bit, ya know?"
Barrett nodded. "Yeah, I do."
Okay, so maybe Ted wasn't an asshole. The guy loved his family, and you couldn't hate on someone who wanted to be there for his grandparents.
Dammit.
"Are you two staying the night?" Ted asked.
Harmony lifted her gaze to Barrett.
"We have a room, yeah," Barrett said.
"You should eat at the Salt N Pepper Bistro. Best French restaurant in Clearwater. Amazing food."
"Thanks for the tip, Ted," Harmony said.
Ted picked up his phone. "I gotta run. I hope to see both of you here in the bar later. Great to meet you."
"You, too," Barrett said, then slid into the chair after Ted left.
"He was a really nice guy," Harmony said. "Since he's come back home, he's reconnected with one of his old girlfriends from high school. He was talking to me about her."
Okay, so Barrett really had it wrong. "He was, huh?"
"Yes. He was telling me about how they went their separate ways in college, and how she ended up back here in Tampa at the same time he did. It's like they were destined to meet up again."
"Like a freakin' fairy tale or something."
She laughed and picked up her cocktail. "Something like that."
The bartender came over and Barrett ordered a beer. "What are you drinking?"
She lifted the glass with the pink liquid. "A vodka and cranberry juice. And I had a mini snack in the room earlier when I was up there alone, so I don't want you to worry about me and food and eating. I won't be fainting on you."
"Good."
"And about earlier," she said. "I'm sorry I went off on you."
He nodded. "It's okay. I'm the one who should be sorry. I was being a dick about relationships."
"No, we were having a discussion. One where we didn't agree on a few things. And I got mad and stormed off in a very immature fashion."
"You were entitled to disagree."
"That's true. But storming off was childish. And for that I'm sorry."
"I pushed too hard and I spouted a bunch of bullshit I shouldn't have. And for that, I'm sorry."
Her lips curved. "We'll agree that we both acted badly. Let's forget all about it then, and start over?"
"Agreed." He grabbed her drink. "How about we get comfortable at a table. There's one by the windows with a view of the water."
"Sounds good."
They sat and had drinks and, this time, had positive conversations about his work and hers and kept relationship talk out of the equation. Barrett decided he'd back off trying to get Harmony to see that she shouldn't be with him. He intended to keep it neutral for the rest of their time together tonight. Probably safer that way.
And when Ted came over and told them he'd arranged a reservation at the French bistro he'd mentioned, Harmony grinned.
"Thanks so much, Ted."
"Yeah, thanks," Barrett said. "We appreciate it."
"Hey, I told you. I'm a big fan, and Harmony put up with me talking about my girlfriend."
"Nothing to put up with," Harmony said. "From what you told me, you and Willow seem perfect together."
"That means a lot to me. I hope the two of you enjoy your dinner tonight."
Barrett paid the bar tab and they headed out front to grab his car. It wasn't a long drive to the restaurant, which didn't look like much on the outside. But Barrett had found many a great restaurant when he traveled that looked like hell on the outside but had great food.
They made their way into the restaurant and were seated by the waitress, who dropped off menus and said she'd be right back to get their drink orders.
"What would you like to drink?" Barrett asked.
"I'm going to switch to water."
He nodded, and when their waitress came back, he ordered two waters.
"This menu looks amazing."
Harmony nodded. "I can't decide whether I want crepes or pasta or the duck."
"I want the steak."
She laughed. "Of course you do."
When their waitress came back over, Harmony ordered the duck and he ordered the steak.
"Thank you for today," she said.
"You're welcome."
"I know you probably have a million things on your to-do list, and instead, you pushed it all aside to spend the day with me."
He took a sip of water, then laid his glass on the table. "Maybe not a million."
Her lips curved. "You're a busy man."
"Gearing up to be, but not yet. I've got some free time before training camp starts."
"That's true. And I'll be hitting you up during some of that free time for house stuff."
"Yeah, I know."
"Don't sound so excited."
"I actually am. About moving in once it's finished, anyway."
"I know the waiting part is tough, and you're not all that thrilled about having to select appliances and paint and all that."
He waited while their waitress set down salads before he replied. "Not really. But I know it's part of putting the house together, so I'll deal."
"Trust that I'll take care of any part that you don't have to. I'll only come to you with the essentials."
"I'll trust you on that."
"Besides, I know how busy you're going to be once training camp starts."
"We've got a while yet. But I do plan on doing some traveling."
She dug into her salad and took a bite, followed up by a sip of her drink. "Really? Where are you going?"
"I want to head out to San Francisco to see my brother, then down to the ranch in Texas to visit my folks."
"I've never been to San Francisco. I'd love to go there sometime. Be sure to say hello to Flynn for me. How's his restaurant coming along?"
"Right now he's remodeling."
She smiled. "Remodeling. A lot like you, then."
"Yeah, sort of."
"I'd love to see what he's doing with the place."
He scooped up a forkful of salad, then looked at her. "So, come with me."
"Oh, sure. Just like that."
He shrugged. "Why not? I'll only be gone a few days. And you said you want to see San Francisco. You could come with me."
Harmony knew Barrett was just blowing smoke, that he thought being self-employed she'd never take him up on his offer. But the idea of it was tempting. She really did want to see San Francisco, and she honestly was interested in seeing what Flynn was doing with his restaurant.
"When are you going?"
"Heading out this weekend."
The timing was kind of perfect. She had nothing going on this weekend, and she had a lull in work.
It would also give them time alone. How would he react to that?
"What would you do if I said yes?"
He had finished his salad and nudged his plate to the side. "Yes to what?"
"To your invitation?"
"Oh, about San Francisco? I didn't think you'd be able to take the time off."
"So why make the offer, unless you really didn't mean it."
"Uh, sure I meant it."
"Then I accept."
He stared at her for a few minutes, then shrugged. "Okay. We'll go together."
Fifteen
Okay, so Barrett had thrown out the invitation figuring Harmony would be too busy to take him up on it. But when he'd told her earlie
r today that he never said things he didn't mean, he meant what he said. He'd invited her. She'd said yes. So he was going to take her to San Francisco.
Which would likely open up a lot of questions from Flynn about Harmony and him, but he'd have to tell Flynn he and Harmony were just friends. And then hope like hell Drake never found out he'd taken his sister to San Francisco.
After dinner, they headed back to the hotel. Harmony said she was overly full from that great dinner, so she wanted to take a walk on the beach.
He had to agree with her. The food had been damn good. He made a note to find Ted later and thank him for the recommendation.
Harmony had pulled off her shoes and held them in her hand while they walked along the edge of the surf. Even though it was dark, it was still hot outside, but being next to the water helped some.
"Someday I'll have a place right on the water," she said.
"You've got that now. Sort of."
"I have a view of the water, which I enjoy. But I mean a place right on the water. Kind of like you have, though you're not beachfront."
"You want beachfront."
"Yes. Mama used to bring us to the beach on weekends whenever she could. And I hated to leave. I'd sit and dig in the sand for hours, then play in the water until Mama insisted we leave. I fell in love with the water from an early age. It's my dream to live somewhere right on the beach, so I can get up in the morning, grab my coffee and go sit outside and watch the sun come up over the water. Then in the evening, pour a glass of wine and listen to the sound of the waves as the sun sets." She lifted her gaze to his. "I love the water, so my goal is for it to be the first thing I see in the morning and the last thing I see at night."
He brushed his shoulder against hers. "Water lover."
"You're damn right I am. And I'll work my tail off until I get what I want."
"I don't doubt that about you."
"You love the water, too, obviously, since you bought the house right on it."
"Yeah. I like to take the boat out. Mom and Dad always had us out there fishing, taking trips out on the lakes to water-ski. We'd go tubing all the time in the summers."
"See what a good match we are, Barrett?"
He laughed. "Well, we have water in common, anyway."
"Oh, I don't know. I'll bet we have a lot more than that."
She'd paused to look up at him. They were alone out here and as he looked at her mouth, her lips parted, and all he wanted to do was take a taste of her.
Bad idea.
"I don't know about you," he said, "but I'm thirsty. How about we head inside to the bar for a drink?"
Her lips curved. "I think you're trying to avoid kissing me."
Harmony was way too smart for her own good.
"So is that yes or no to the drink?"
"A drink is fine, Barrett. But before the end of tonight, you will kiss me."
They headed up the beach toward the bar. "If that's some kind of challenge, or you think you might be able to get me drunk enough, you're going to lose."
"We'll see."
Did he think walking away from her was easy? She was beautiful. Sexy. Magnetic. And the pull she had on him was strong.
But he could resist. He knew mixing it up with her would be disastrous, and would hurt not only her in the long run, but also his best friend.
He was doing the right thing by keeping his distance. And he was a strong man. He could resist temptation. Even if that temptation was as hot as Harmony.
The room was crowded when they walked through the doors. "We could sit at the bar," Barrett suggested.
Maybe they could find Ted and strike up a conversation. Keep things light and easy that way.
"No, there's a table over there in the corner," Harmony said.
Great. Nice and remote. Intimate. Just what he didn't want, but he followed her to the table and held out her chair for her to sit.
"Thanks."
"What would you like to drink?"
"Vodka and cranberry juice."
"I'll go get us drinks."
He wandered up to the bar and ordered Harmony's drink and a beer for himself. He ran into Ted.
"Hey, how was dinner?"
"Fantastic. Really appreciate the recommendation."
"You're welcome. Where are you two sitting?"
Barrett pointed out their seats.
"I'll have drinks brought over."
"Thanks." He took his money out to pay, but Ted waved him off. "Tab's on me."
"Not necessary."
"Hey, it's my pleasure. I like you two."
"Well, thanks again."
He headed back to the table. Harmony pulled her attention from the window and onto him, giving him a quizzical look as he took his seat.
"Ran into Ted. He's having the drinks sent over. And he's comping them."
She smiled. "Isn't he a nice guy?"
"Yeah."
"I'd love to meet his girlfriend. I'll bet they're perfect together."
"Really. What makes you think that?"
She shrugged. "The way he described her--their relationship. He's almost giddy about reconnecting with her, as if he almost can't believe it happened. He told me he feels really lucky that she was available at the exact moment in time that he came back home."
"That was a nice thing to say."
"Yes, it was."
A waitress brought over their drinks and set them down.
"My name is Donna. Ted said to just flag me down whenever you want a refill. Drinks are on him the rest of the night."
"Thanks, Donna," Harmony said. "There will definitely be flagging."
Donna laughed. "I'll be looking for you."
After Donna ran off, Barrett cocked a brow. "Planning on doing some drinking?"
She shrugged. "My first appointment isn't until noon tomorrow. I might indulge." She took a sip from the straw. "Besides, cranberry juice is very good for you."
He shook his head, then tilted the bottle of beer to his lips. She might be trying to play coy with him, but he could see right through her. Her intent was to get him shit-faced drunk, then take advantage of him in their room tonight.
Though the thought of it made him push back a laugh.
She was tiny. He was a big guy. It would take a lot of beers to get him shit-faced, and he had no intention of drinking that much--or letting her take advantage.
And talk about role reversal. Why was he even thinking about his "virtue" anyway? It wasn't gonna happen.
Not that he had any virtue to protect.
When he focused his attention back on Harmony, she was weaving back and forth as if she was trying to look behind him.
"What are you doing?"
"Looking for the smoke that must be coming out of your ears. I've been talking to you for like the past three minutes and your head is somewhere else. What have you been thinking so hard about?"
How not to have sex with you tonight.
"Nothing. Football. The house. The trip to San Francisco. You know how it is when your mind wanders all over different topics, right?"
"I . . . guess."
He could tell she didn't believe him.
"Sorry to be so distracted. What were you talking about?"
"I was asking you about your brothers and if any of them will be coming to the ranch when you'll be there."
"They should all be there. Tucker will be on break from baseball, and Flynn and Grant are just like me, on vacation. Plus two of my brothers are planning weddings right now, so I'm sure that'll be a hot topic of discussion."
"A lot going on in your family, isn't there?"
"Yeah. The family focus right now is on Grant and Katrina's and Tucker and Aubry's weddings."
"When are they getting married?"
"Grant and Katrina next March. Tucker and Aubry in November."
"That's so exciting for them. You must be so happy for your brothers."
"Katrina's pretty great. So are her brother and sister. Grant's built himself
an awesome family. We all love them. Tucker was damn lucky to find an awesome woman in Aubry. She's fantastic."
"I've met all your brothers before, but the women sound lovely."
"Yeah, they are."
She'd finished her drink and set it aside. Miraculously, Donna appeared, whisked the empty glass away and returned within a minute with another drink for Harmony and a beer for Barrett.
"You're really good at this," Harmony said.
Donna smiled. "Thanks. It's my job to keep an eye on you two tonight."
"We'll make sure to be on our best behavior, then," Harmony said.
Donna looked from Harmony to Barrett. "Now what fun would that be?"
Harmony laughed as Donna disappeared. "Ted has good staff."
"He's doing it right. Keep the customers' glasses filled. That'll keep them in the bar."
She took a long swallow of her drink. "I don't intend to spend all night in the bar, unfortunately for Ted."
"Really. And where do you intend to go next?"
"Up to the room."
Now he was concerned. "Are you tired? Are you feeling all right?"
She gave him a tender smile. "I'm fine, Barrett. But I would like to go up to the room if that's okay with you."
He stood. "Let's go."
Barrett left a generous tip for Donna, then laid his hand on Harmony's back as she stepped in front of him.
He wasn't sure what was going on with her, but he didn't want a repeat of this morning.
When they got upstairs, he opened the door and she walked in and headed straight for the bathroom.
"I'll be right out," she said, shutting the door behind her.
Leaving all the lights off, Barrett stepped out onto the balcony and took in a breath of fresh air, listening to the sounds of the waves crashing against the shore.
When he felt a hand on his shoulder, he turned around.
And nearly swallowed his tongue.
Harmony had undressed down to her underwear. Sexy, barely there lace and silk red panties with a matching bra.
"What are you doing? Are you okay?"
"I'm more than okay, Barrett."
And when she leaned up and wrapped her hand around his neck to draw his lips to hers, all that restraint he'd held in check blew away with the Gulf breeze.
Because her mouth was on his, her body against his, and his restraint was long damn gone.
He wound his arm around her, tugged her close and crushed his lips to hers.
Sixteen
It had been a calculated risk, for sure, but Harmony knew she had to take it. The worst that could happen was Barrett telling her no.
This didn't feel like no.
His mouth on hers, his hands on her body were a definite yes. And the groans he emitted as he kissed her made her nipples tingle and her sex quiver. She felt damp and needy and her body throbbed with anticipation. His hands roamed her body and with each stroke of his tongue against hers, she felt weak and desired and deliciously turned-on.