Page 18 of Love Unbound
When he caught her staring at him, he gave her a lopsided grin. “I don’t think I’ve told you how great you look,” he said and squeezed her hand gently.
“Thank you,” Jodi said and blushed, returning her gaze to the front windshield. She wanted to tell him that his jeans made her mouth water, or that the feel of his hard chest beneath her hands made them tingle. Instead, she took the coward’s way out and said, “You look nice, too.”
“Do you play pool?” he asked.
“Dad has a table in his den, but I never got the hang of it. Tristan is a shark, though,” she laughed, recalling how her youngest brother could win no matter how hard his opposition tried.
“Right, I remember when your dad built that man-cave. Getting that table in was a bitch,” he chuckled.
Free pulled the truck into a local dive bar and parked. Jodi knew this had always been his favorite bar. She had been in a few times, but it had been years. Josh wouldn’t have been caught dead in such a place, and had essentially forbidden her from going, worried that his reputation as a real estate broker would be tarnished. Jodi had learned shortly into her marriage Josh had only married her for the clout her last name held. LeviKendall had built a name for himself and his family, and Josh had tried to capitalize on it, which she had figured out too late.
In an effort to get Josh off her mind, Jodi chuckled and said, “I should have known you’d bring me here. It’s the only country bar in town.”
“Feels like home,” he said and smiled wryly. “Texas and Michigan all rolled into one. Ready?”
She nodded and he leaned across the console to press a quick kiss to her unsuspecting mouth. Then he was gone, sliding out of the driver’s side and coming around the hood of the truck. He opened the passenger door and offered her his hand to assist her out.
He shut the door and they crossed the parking lot, her hand still entrapped in his. She smiled up at him and he grinned, winking. Those darn butterflies were back in full force.
Free held the heavy wooden door open for her then followed, placing his hand at the small of her back. “Bar or table?” he asked her, leaning close. The soft puffs of air against her ear made goosebumps break out over her skin, and she shivered.
“This is your spot, where would you like to sit?” she asked, looking up at him.
“Let’s grab drinks from the bar, then we’ll go find a table,” he suggested. She nodded, and he placed his hand at the small of her back again, leading her through the crowd. For a Monday night, they were surprisingly busy. Loud country music resounded through the saloon, and the crowd was noisy, trying to speak and be heard over the music.
They stopped at an open spot along the wooden bar, and Free offered her the only open seat. Jodi smiled and sat down, Free standing close beside her, his jean clad thighs brushing against the bare skin of hers. Electricity arched between them, making her heart pound.
The bartender glanced at them and then did a double take,a grin splitting the man’s face. “Holy shit, Freeman Thorp!” Wiping his hands on a towel weaved through one of the belt loops on his pants, the man walked toward them, a wide smile still on his face. He extended his hand over the bar to Free. “How the hell are you, man? Shit, I haven’t seen you in ages!”
Free smiled broadly and reached forward to shake the bartender’s hand heartily. Jodi smiled as she watched the two. “Hiya, Kyle. I’ve been good. It’s been a while. Home for Shane’s wedding this weekend.”
“No shit,” Kyle the bartender chuckled. “I hadn’t heard if you were going to make it or not. Mandy and I will be there! We’re bartending the reception.”
“We’ll see you there, then,” Free said with a smile. Then, turning to Jodi, he said, “Jodi, what would you like to drink?”
Put on the spot and still dazzled by the brilliant smile he had just turned on her, Jodi fumbled for a moment, glancing along the bar to see what her options were, at the same time pulling her ID out of her purse, a force of habit. “Umm, can I get an Oberon, please?”
“Sure thing,” Kyle said and reached out to accept the ID, then handed it back to her with a thank you. He reached into a cooler for a frosted pint glass. “Orange slice?”
“Yes, please,” Jodi responded with a smile of her own. He set it down on a beverage napkin and she said, “Thank you.”
“Free, the usual?” Kyle asked, leaning with his hands on the bar.
“Absolutely,” he laughed.
While Kyle grabbed a PBR can from the cooler behind him, Free chuckled as Jodi put her license back in her purse. She took a sip of her beer as Kyle set Free’s beer down in front of him on the polished wood counter.
“I haven’t been on a date with a woman that’s had to show an ID in a long time,” he chuckled, taking a drink from the ice coldcan.
Jodi hated the reminder of their age difference, which seemed to be the moral dilemma that Free struggled with the most. She also hated the twinge of jealousy that reared up in her at the thought of him dating other women. She had still been legally married to another man until three months ago, after all. She wasn’t sure if Free even knew about Josh. She wasn’t looking forward to that conversation.
He must have read the expression on her face, because he grimaced. “I’m sorry. That was insensitive.”
Jodi shrugged, taking another sip of her beer. “Everyone has a past, right?”
Free nodded, but reached out his hand to take hers, rubbing his thumb across the back of her hand. “Should we go find a seat by the billiard tables?”
Jodi nodded and stood, taking her beer with her in one hand, her other hand still entwined within Free’s strong fingers. He led them through the crowd toward an empty table near the green felt covered billiard tables. There was one open, and as Jodi sat down at their small table, she watched as Free moved around the room. Kneeling, he inserted the quarters necessary into the slotted tongue, then pushed it in to release the billiard balls. His eyes met hers as he rounded the table and he crooked his finger at her, one side of his mouth tilting up in a grin.
