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Chapter One
Black with four sugars.
That was how he liked his coffee.
Candi bit her lip to keep from smiling. While waiting for the coffee machine to finish brewing, she grabbed a tall paper traveling cup and counted out the sugars.
The kitchen was bustling with the cooks scurrying around getting ready for the dinner rush. Glancing at her watch, Candi knew he would be arriving for his shift any minute.
“How is it someone like him is sweet on you but gruff with everyone else?”
Candi spun slightly to see her friend and coworker, Kay, arrive at her side. Kay Moran was downright gorgeous. Tall, thin, with thick blonde hair, she turned the head of any man with a pulse. When Candi had been hired as a server, the two of them had hit it off and became fast friends.
Candi rolled her eyes at Kay’s raised eyebrows. Kay didn’t have to say what she was thinking. Candi read her loud and clear.
“I don’t know.” Candi shrugged. She rotated back to the coffeemaker to find it had finished brewing. “I keep the coffee coming. You should try being nice sometime. You can always win over a bear with honey.”
Her lips spread into a silly grin. Bear didn’t even begin to describe him.
Dallas McNeil.
Just the sound of his name had her wanting to sigh and daydream about the tall, muscular bouncer. Her heart fluttered with the thought of seeing him. Her core always clenched with need at his intense gaze.
“Yeah, and he’ll bite my damn arm off if I tried,” Kay muttered.
Candi chuckled and poured Dallas a hefty cup of java. “He’s not that bad.”
She couldn’t keep the grin from spreading wider. She met Kay’s gaze and laughed.
Dallas was a bit rough around the edges, but he was protective of her. All the bouncers who worked in the bar ensured the females were safe, but Dallas went a little above and beyond his duty.
The little hole-in-the-wall, The Commoner was located in Downtown Las Vegas, and the place could get rowdy. Candi had perfected dodging wandering hands, but once in a while one connected with her ample bottom.
That was when Dallas stepped in.
The servers were not to be touched in any way. The bar and grill wasn’t that type of place. In Nevada, there were plenty of establishments where men could get anything they wanted from a woman, but The Commoner was not one of them.
The Downtown Las Vegas scene was up-and-coming, with numerous bars and restaurants within walking distance that attracted the tourists away from the strip. The draw was the good food, drinks, and fun atmosphere that kept the bars packed. The Commoner was a popular pub, and the tips were great.
“Well, he certainly has his eye on you.” Kay gently shoved her with her elbow.
“Whatever,” Candi muttered, busying herself by putting the top on the cup. Deep down inside, she knew she had a crush on Dallas, but she didn’t think she could act on it. She had too much baggage and couldn’t ask a man to take any of it on.
Dallas was a good guy. He moonlighted at The Commoner, but he worked full time for the Las Vegas police department. She’d heard some talk that he had been in the service which she could totally see by his demeanor.
“Don’t act like you don’t know it.” Kay pushed off the counter and walked past her toward the door that led out to the main room.
“I’m just taking a cup of coffee to my coworker.” Candi snorted. Her heart raced with the thought of seeing Dallas tonight. She smoothed down her long, dark hair and wiped her hands on her jeans.
“You look beautiful, as usual.” Kay smirked.
Candi ignored her friend and tried to will her heart to slow down.
She grabbed the cup and followed Kay out the door into the main area of the bar. The light was low, and the place was already filling up with customers. She only had a few minutes until her shift started. By the looks of it, she may be jumping in a little early.
Her gaze roamed the dark interior before landing on the familiar figure.
Everything faded away.
