Grant (Riding Hard) - Jennifer Ashley Page 0,1

positioned the first one under the tap.

Grant didn’t answer. “What are you doing here tonight?” he asked. “Thought it was Bailey’s bachelorette party. Male strippers and everything.” He didn’t meet her gaze when he said male strippers.

“Starts later. I came in to help out a little.” Christina thumped one beer down in front of Grant, swiftly wiping up the foam that spilled out. “What about you? It’s Adam’s bachelor party tonight too.”

Grant shrugged. “Heading there. My friends got thirsty.”

Christina didn’t reply, especially since one of his “friends” now sauntered up to lean beside him. She was the short-haired one, and had big green eyes framed with so much mascara Christina was surprised her eyelids didn’t gum together.

“We’re always thirsty,” the young woman said, giving Christina a confident smile. “Keeping up with Grant is exhausting.”

Grant’s and Christina’s gazes met. Christina saw Grant’s eyes soften and stop short of rolling. He knew the girl was a bubblehead, and he knew Christina knew it too.

Christina and Grant shared a tiny moment, the two of them connected, the deep friendship they’d formed long ago showing itself for a brief space of time.

The glass at the tap overflowed and the moment broke. Christina snapped the handle up, poured out the excess foam, and shook the beer off her hand.

“Just one light, right?” She thunked the glass to the bartop and moved the next glass under the light beer tap.

“For me,” the short-haired girl said. “I’m trying to lose twenty pounds. I’ve already lost six.”

She eyed Christina as though she waited for her praise. Christina swept her a critical look, and decided that if the woman lost even one more pound, she’d be skeletal.

“Good for you,” Christina said without inflection.

Grant didn’t respond. Christina remembered when he’d once said, I don’t like skinny women. You never know when something sharp is going to jam you in the eye.

He caught Christina’s gaze, and another flicker passed between them.

Grant shoved mugs at the girl. “You take those two back for me, sweetheart,” he said. “I’ll be right there.”

The young woman gave him a sly look. “Better hurry.” She sashayed away, raising the glasses at her friends.

“You taking them to Adam’s party?” Christina asked as she filled the last mug. “Are they old enough? Maybe I should card them.” She knew they were legal—the girls had been in here before—but she couldn’t help herself.

“You know me better than that, Christina,” Grant said, frowning. “At least, you should.”

Christina finished the last beer, printed out his bill, and set it next to him. “No, I don’t think I ever did.”

Grant’s brows slammed together. He pulled his wallet from his back pocket and yanked out a couple of twenties. “Keep the change.”

“No.” Christina swept up the bills. “I told you before. I don’t want tips from you.”

Anger sparked deep in Grant’s blue eyes. Last fall at the rodeo grounds Christina had worked a booth serving drinks. When Grant had bought some beer then tried to drop a twenty into her tip jar, Christina had yanked out the money and burned it.

“Just keep it,” Grant growled. He grabbed the last beers and walked away.

Christina pretended not to watch his very fine ass as she counted out the change and slapped it onto the polished wood. Pretended, but she couldn’t take her eyes off him. Every part of him looked good—back or front. Damn it.

She swung around, snatched up more dirty glasses from the other side of the bar, and nearly threw them into the tray, holding back at the last minute so she wouldn’t break anything. Hard to do, because she suddenly wanted to smash every glass in the place.

When she turned back, it was to see Grant sitting at a small round table with all three women more or less on his lap, laughing like maniacs.

Shit.

“Hey, you’ve got a tip here,” a deep voice rumbled at her. Ray Malory’s tall body blocked Grant and his sweeties, his hard face softening as she turned to him.

“Yeah.” Christina felt a frisson of relief. She ignored the money and rested her arms on the counter. “Haven’t seen you in a while.”

“Just got back. Championships in Lubbock this week. I told you about that.” He’d done more than tell her. Ray had taken her out the night before he’d gone and they’d ended up at her apartment.

“Oh, I know. It just seemed like a long time.”

Ray liked that. He gave her a warm look with his green eyes. “If I’d known you missed me so bad, I