Lord only knew he’d spent the better part of the day trying to convince himself not to come tonight—Holly was a distraction he couldn’t afford right now, not with one business being sold and a bed-and-breakfast business to launch. But she was in his blood, and on his mind. There was no shutting off the fierceness of his reaction to meeting her.
Clearly, he’d ignored his physical needs for far too long—it was the only explanation for the wicked distraction she’d created in him. Not a difficult task, considering he’d long been without a woman—by choice, not necessity.
The female population of Haven outnumbered the males two to one. The single females three to one. In other words, the women were on the hunt, willing to surrender to a man’s every desire in order to garner a ring on their finger. To a visiting male, that sounded like fucking heaven. To Cole, it was the one little piece of hell in the town he loved. He and his brothers were on every single woman’s “to do” and “shackle at the altar” lists. Thanks, but no thanks.
He’d never felt inclined to marriage. Nothing against it. His parents had been damned happy, and he’d grown up better for it. But it just wasn’t his thing. Never met a woman he could wake up with more than a few times without feeling suffocated. At thirty-four, he didn’t see that changing.
But with the sale of the family business to a larger Manchester operation—his brothers were closing the last local jobs—his work demands had leaned toward bookkeeping and transition issues, and lots of them. All he could manage was a trip to work or to his own bed, alone. Luckily, they’d snagged a large enough sum for the contracting business to allow Cole and his brothers to redirect their efforts to their new endeavor, the remodeling of a large, local home into a bed-and-breakfast. The three of them could focus on one project, instead of chasing their tails between Haven and Manchester to pay the bills. Now that was going to be heaven.
The bartender motioned to Cole’s mug, asking if he needed a refill. Cole waved him away. He didn’t want coffee. He wanted a long, deep drink of Holly. Sexy, funny, prim little Holly. He was going to enjoy the challenge of sliding past the reserve he’d sensed in her.
Cole began conjuring a wicked fantasy about just that when his brother Jacob, the baby of the bunch at twenty-five, and almost ten years Cole’s junior, appeared by his side.
“Did hell freeze over or what?” Jacob asked, surprise in his voice, a pool cue in hand.
Damn. The last thing Cole needed was Jacob panting over his shoulder when Holly arrived. “Speaking of hell,” Cole commented. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“You’re not working,” Jacob explained. “If I didn’t know better, sometimes I’d think you had a love affair with your desk.” His gaze drifted to the coffee cup. “All work and no play seems to have you a bit confused, big brother. That’s not beer.”
Cole reached for his cup and gave Jacob a mock toast. “They ran out of beer mugs.” He took a drink.
To say that Cole and Jacob were complete opposites would be an understatement. Jacob lived bold and wild, while Cole was reserved and controlled. Even Jacob’s light brown hair was a little too long, his actions, a bit too spontaneous. Cole preferred a balance between work and play, which required more thoughtful actions. The same way he’d thought out every little place he wanted to kiss Holly.
That was exactly why he had to get rid of Jacob. “Leaving soon?”
“Why?” Jacob perked up. “Got a hot date I can steal from you?”
“Seriously,” Cole said. “When are you leaving?” On another occasion, with a different woman, sharing a beer with his brother, he might just jump on the familiar challenge. But not now, not with Holly—not a chance. She was his.
“Ryder’s home on leave,” Jacob stated of his old school bud, a Navy SEAL who showed up from time to time, always unannounced. Ryder was an expert at punching Jacob’s buttons.
“How much you down?” Cole asked, making it clear to Jacob that he knew he was getting his butt kicked.
“Two hundred,” Jacob admitted grimly. “But it’s still early.”
“Plenty of time to lose more,” Cole added sarcastically. For the most part, he respected his brother’s unwillingness to back away from a challenge. But he also believed there were calculated times of retreat, and this would be one of them. “I’d tell you to stop before you bleed any more, but I know it would be wasted breath.”
A cold blast of air rushed through the room as The Tavern door swung open, followed immediately by a blast of hot fire in his blood as he spotted Holly. So did every other man in the room—heads turned. His brother’s head turned.
Possessiveness purred within him, precluding a downright growl. She had that sexy schoolteacher vibe that made a man want to crawl under her desk and make her scream—to prove he was the only man who could.
Yanking off her hat, she surveyed the bar, shaking free her long, silky blond hair a moment before her gaze caught on Cole. Instant awareness coiled low in his stomach. Jacob let out a low whistle. “I think I just found my Christmas present.”
As if she could hear his words across the distance, over the sound of Elvis’s “White Christmas” on the jukebox, her gaze snapped to the left, to Jacob. She remained still, perfectly still, and Cole sensed her unease.
“Oh yeah,” Jacob said, studying her too intently for Cole. “I am definitely going to need an introduction.”
“Not a chance in hell,” Cole ground out between clenched teeth. “This one is off-limits, so back off.”
He would have said more, but, without warning, Holly launched herself into motion as she darted in the direction of the ladies’ room. Clearly, she was not happy he wasn’t alone.
“Damn,” Cole muttered under his breath, fearful she would change her mind about seeing him again. And he was aware there was a back door by the restrooms. If she bolted, he might not find her again. For reasons he didn’t try to understand, that didn’t sit well.
Cole pushed off the bar, ready for the pursuit, but paused to cast his brother a warning. “Ryder can only beat you and take your money if you keep playing.”
He didn’t wait for an answer, though Jacob replied with some sort of defensive mumbling that Cole decisively tuned out. He was already walking toward the restrooms, ready to move to Plan B. Jacob wasn’t going anywhere soon, and he wanted Holly all to himself. Now, he just had to convince her that was a good idea.
His pulse kicked up a beat as he entered the narrow hallway leading to the restrooms and scrubbed his jaw, contemplating how Holly might react to finding him standing outside the door. And contemplated some more. Minutes passed and Holly didn’t appear. Had she left? Damn it to hell. This was not how he had this night planned.
Voices sounded in the hallway—one of which was Jacob’s, and—holy hell—Abe! Great. Jacob loved fucking with his head. Add his other brother to the mix, and it became ball-busting brotherly love. The kind he could do without tonight.
Suddenly, the doorknob to the restroom jiggled and Holly appeared in the doorway, her long silky hair cascading down her shoulders, a single stall and sink as her backdrop. Desire twisted in his gut, just as it had the night before.