Read Unafraid (Beachwood Bay) for Free Online

world shone dimmer, every kiss felt like a faded Xerox, and in the dark of the night, I couldn’t stop my dreams from taking me back through the years, to the one time I finally felt whole in somebody’s arms.
    “Brit!” Garrett’s yell cuts through my memories. “Get your butt out here, we’re drowning.”
    I haul myself up and head on out to the bar, now busy and buzzing with the evening crowd. “New girl not working out?” I ask, scooping up empty glasses from the bar.
    “She’s… still finding her feet.” Garrett hedges, but soon it’s pretty clear Jade won’t be sticking around any longer than the rest. Either the poor girl is a naturally lousy waitress, or she’s too busy swooning over Garrett to pay attention to her tables. I’m the one left to pick up the slack, rushing around to keep up with the crowds, refill drinks, and get food orders out from the kitchen in some state resembling what the person wanted.
    “Who ordered the cheeseburger?” I call across to Jade, when the plate’s been sitting untouched on the hatch for five minutes. “Because they better want it cold, with a side of soggy fries.”
    She waves absently. “The guy at the bar.”
    “That’s me. Behind you,” he adds helpfully
    My heart leaps. Of course he’s shown up here. That man doesn’t know when to quit.
    I turn. Hunter is sitting at the end of the bar, one hand wrapped around a bottle of beer. I slam the plate down in front of him. He takes one look and winces. “Damn, darlin’. I know you’re trying to chase me off, but messing with a man’s burger? That’s just low.”
    I shrug, but my pulse is racing. Even in the dim lights of Jimmy’s, with bad rock music on the jukebox and peanut shells on the floor, Hunter looks like he’s stepped off a yacht—six foot two of tanned, preppy gorgeous.
    Don’t forget ‘way out of your league .’
    “Feel free to go someplace else,” I tell him, turning my glare all the way up. I’ve sent guys running with this stare: prize street fighters and burly dock workers all wilting under my wrath.
    But Hunter doesn’t flinch.
    “Nah, I like the service here. It’s so… unpredictable.” He reaches for a fry, and I can’t stop my gaze following the elegant line of his forearm: all tanned sinew, dusted with golden hair.
    I stifle a sigh. He may be driving me crazy with irritation right now, but Hunter’s body is a work of art. At least, it was when he was nineteen.
    And now…?
    “I work here,” I remind him, snapping out of my haze.
    “I’m not stopping you.” He grins. “I think that couple in the corner are ready to order.”
    I turn. They’re gesturing to me, looking annoyed. “There goes my tip,” I grumble, going over to deal with them, but when I return, Hunter is exactly where I left him—except now he’s talking up a storm with Garrett.
    “Your buddy here says you’ve got the day off Monday,” Hunter gives me a teasing grin. “How about that date then?”
    “Traitor,” I hiss at Garrett.
    “What?” Garrett protests, “You do. I’m not going to lie for you.”
    “Some buddy.”
    I join him behind the bar to pour some sodas, but Hunter is still watching me, too close for comfort. “Can I get you anything?” I spit, sarcastically.
    “Just a date,” Hunter says with a grin, “I’ll leave the rest up to you. I bet you’ve got some things you’d like to do…”
    I fumble under his gaze and spill soda all over my shirt. “Now look what you’ve made me do!” I exclaim, frustrated. I don’t stick around to hear his protests of innocence; I storm away, down the hallway and into the storeroom, where I know I’ve stashed a couple of spare tanks for emergencies like this.
    I strip off my damp shirt, cheeks hot with embarrassment. How am I supposed to focus on anything with him there, just… watching me? Every move the man makes, it’s like he’s some designer ad campaign come to life, so relaxed and easy, and meanwhile I’m acting like the