Prologue

She had disliked him from the moment she had met him. He was arrogant and annoying. He had seemed like the type of guy who would spend a few glorious hours in bed with a girl, only to leave her knowing she was wanting more. He was everything she had disliked about men since she was old enough to understand them. Yet when he asked her to go home with him after his shift ended, she found herself eager to say yes.

As sure as she was that he would take her to some cheap motel, he had surprised her. He had brought her to his own home, albeit not much, considering the bare walls and lack of knick-knacks around. Not that she had much time before he had fallen asleep to look around.

Their lips had barely parted from the moment they hit his front door. He had pulled her legs up around his waist, carrying her only as far as the couch 3 feet from it before collapsing on top of her, his mouth making its way from her mouth, down her jawline, her neck and her chest before making his way back to her lips again. He was teasing her. She knew that. And as much as she hated him for it, she wanted more.

He had taken his sweet time peeling her dress off her, even stopping her from removing it herself. She wasn't used to not being the one in charge. Normally, guys were clumsily stripping her down, but not this one. He was enjoying the fact that making her wait had driven her crazy. While all she had wanted to do was move her hands along the bare skin of his back, he had restrained her hands with his own, planting chaste kisses on her lips, making her lean up for more of him.

By the time they had hit the bed, she couldn't remember ever wanting anything as much as she had wanted him. She suspected the waiting was getting to him to, because while he still teased her with every moment, she could feel his rushed movements. It hadn't taken long for them to wind up tangled together, her calling out his name, feeling the most wonderful, numbing pleasure she had ever felt.

He had drifted off to sleep, shortly after stepping outside for a smoke. She had expected him to give her cab fare, but instead, he asked where she was going when he returned to see her dressed. He had pulled her back down on the bed, laying half on top of her, kissing her neck and stroking her hair. He had told her to stay and he would drop her off back to her hotel in the morning.

And so, she found herself lying in his bed, his arm draped over her stomach, looking around. She was trying to find some trace of who this man honestly was. She tried to think if she even knew his last name. She couldn't believe she could be so blinded by lust that she wouldn't at least know the basics about this man. Never had she not known so little about a man before she jumped into bed with him. It may be true she was prone to one night stands rather than relationships, but she had at least gone on dates with them; talked to them.

It was then she realized that he knew more about her than she knew about him. Of course, she supposed it had something to do with him being a bartender. He was used to listening to girls talk or sob over their woes, not the other way around; not that she had been upset. But dancing with a bunch of guys who were trying to grope her and her friends was less appealing sitting at the bar, where she could at least enjoy staring at the exceptionally good looking bartender, even if she knew she would hate him; or so she had thought.

She decided she needed to leave. It suddenly had her feeling panicked and constricted, knowing she knew nothing of this man; knowing that he was sleeping comfortably next to her, as though she were his. She needed to go. She eased his arm off of her and slowly sat up, being careful not to wake him. She froze when she saw him stir, but breathed a sigh of relief when he resumed his steady breathing that meant he was asleep.

She inhaled the night air deeply when she reached the sidewalk outside his building. She felt so much better knowing she was going to go back to her normal life. She pulled her cell phone out of her purse, realizing she hadn't talked to her friends since they had headed back to the hotel where they were all staying. That had been hours ago. She had walked back up the block with the drunken girls, made sure they had made it back to their rooms, and snuck back to the bar, where she had intended to spend a few blissful hours with the bartender. It was almost 4am now. She saw she had several text messages and missed called. Most of them were the same. Wondering where she was and asking her to call as soon as she could. And then there was one that told her to have fun with the hot bartender. She smiled a little, knowing her best friend knew her better than anyone and had probably seen this coming from the moment she had started talking to him.

She texted each of them back, letting them know everything was okay and was relieved when she saw a cab stopping just a few feet from where she was, letting someone out. She motioned for the driver to wait for her as she walked toward it. She had the door opened, ready to get in when she heard her name called out from behind her. She turned around to see him jogging toward her in just his sleep pants and a white t-shirt. "Emma, where are you going? I told you I'd take you back in the morning," he frowned.

"I have to go. Tonight was fun," she replied curtly. She wanted to tell him it was the most amazing night she could remember, but of course, she didn't want him to get the wrong idea. It seemed as though he was headed there anyway. "Thanks. I'll be fine."

"When can I see you again?" he looked at her, his expression almost pained. She exhaled slowly, knowing he wanted her to stay as much as she wanted to. But that couldn't happen. She was only here for the weekend, and on top of that, she didn't want a relationship. She wasn't a relationship type of girl.

"I don't know," she shrugged, trying to smile. "I think the girls want to explore a lot of different places while we're here. I'm sort of at their mercy," she heard the cab driver clear his throat behind her. "I really have to go," she tilted her head to the driver, who looked like he was ready to drive off without her and started to get into the back.

Before she was able to he had grabbed her hand and pulled her against him, and was kissing her. "Come back to the bar tonight. Please. I'll treat you and your girlfriends to a few rounds. I want to see you again, Emma," he practically whispered.

She stood, looking into his blue eyes for a moment. She almost agreed then and there. It was those eyes, she thought; the same look that had made her want to leave with him so badly before. "We'll see," she responded quickly before getting in the cab and telling the driver to take her back to her hotel. She forced herself to look ahead, instead of staring at the man who was inevitably standing on the street still behind her.