Loving Patience (Brook Cove)

Chapter 8TUCKER

Chapter 8

TUCKER

After Patience left, I finished getting ready to head to her job. She had no idea that I was planning to be there all night in case her ex showed back up to cause trouble. Plus, I’d agreed to meet the guy about the truck. Hopefully, this trade would be good for both of us. He would get the bike he wants, and I’d get a truck I needed.

I threw on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, and grabbed my bag from the closet, reaching into the hidden pocket for the phone stashed there. When I turned it on, there was a text message waiting for me.

Soon. Stay safe.

I sighed with relief because I didn’t have to go back yet. I wasn’t ready to leave Brook Cove, but more surprisingly, I wasn’t ready to leave Patience.

She was the girl next door. The innocent, sweet, caring, and feisty girl that you couldn’t help but fall for, and I would be lying to myself if I didn’t admit I was starting to fall for her—hard. In a little over twenty-four hours, Patience had made me feel alive in a way I haven’t felt in a long time.

I liked that she was a smartass, yet sweet and a bit shy at the same time. How she’s still a virgin and single, I had no fucking clue. The guys in this town were morons to not realize what a fucking treasure she was, or maybe they did realize it, but she was just indifferent to the men around her. I grinned to myself, remembering the way her eyes devoured me when I opened the door in nothing but a towel. She definitely wasn’t indifferent to me.

God, my dick twitched again as I recalled the way her eyes ran over my chest like a cat in heat. Her cheeks turned pink, and her eyes dilated when she saw the tent behind my towel. If she had stayed a few more seconds, there was no way in hell she would have made it to work on time.

I willed my dick to behave by taking a deep breath before I shot a text off to check in. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be much longer before I could tie up those loose ends and get on with my life. I shoved the phone back in its hiding place after I turned it off, and I tossed the bag back into the closet. I grabbed my leather jacket from the hanger and shrugged it on before picking up my wallet and keys from the dresser to go back out into the cold. I’d endure the frosty bite of Colorado air to ride one more time.

When I got down to the garage, I put on my helmet and cranked up the bike. I was going to miss riding. The sense of freedom you feel on the back of a bike is like nothing else. If I didn’t need a vehicle that would get me moving no matter the weather, and would help me haul even basic items, then I wouldn’t even consider trading in my Harley.

It wasn’t even fifteen minutes after Patience left her house that I walked into the bar. She was already busy talking to people as she took drink and food orders. I went to find myself a spot in the corner of the bar where I could keep my back to the wall and my eyes on Patience as I waited for the guy to show up.

“What can I get for you?” the other server asked as she poured a beer from the tap for another customer.

“Just a Coke.” It was going to be a long night, and I didn’t want to be drinking for most of it.

“Sure. You’re the guy that Patience has been running around town with?”

“Yeah.”

“Good luck. Her guys don’t last long.” She shrugged and gave me a flirtatious smile.

“And why do you think that is?” I asked, curious to see what she had to say about Patience. I honestly didn’t give a fuck what she thought, but I did want to know what other people thought about the woman I have an obsession with.

She smiled and leaned in closer, like she was telling me a secret. I backed up because I didn’t want anyone, especially Patience, getting the impression I wanted anything to do with this girl. “Well, there are rumors.”

“What kind of rumors?”

“There’s one theory that she uses them and casts them aside once she’s bored with them. So, the ones who believe that rumor, believe she’s the fastest girl in town; if you know what I mean?”

I gritted my teeth to keep from showing my anger. They had no fucking clue if they believed that bullshit about Patience. “And the other theory?”

“The other theory is she freezes up when it comes to getting close to a man physically. So, some believe she’s a ball buster and a tease.”

I sat back and looked over at Patience. She wasn’t smiling or talking to anyone. Instead, she was looking right at me. I held her gaze captive with my own. even as I spoke to the other server. “She’s neither of those things.”

The girl gave a sarcastic snort. “I know. I’m saying those are the rumors I’ve heard, not that I believe them. Besides, I’ve never seen that girl look at any other guy the way she looks at you.”

That comment caught my attention. “Really?”

“Yep, and the fact that you showed no interest in me when I all but had my boobs in your face tells me you are a good guy. Don’t hurt her.” She slid the Coke in front of me and gave me a smile that was no longer flirtatious, but friendly.

“Did Patience put you up to this little test?” I asked curiously.

“Nope. I did this all on my own. She’s my friend, and one of the best people I know.”

I nodded at the girl before she walked away. When Patience finally made her way over to me, I could see the trepidation in her eyes. She was so damn easy to read. “I didn’t know you were coming here tonight,” she whispered softly as she started making a few mixed drinks for the tables in her section.

“Yeah, I’m meeting someone and keeping an eye on you.”

“On me.” She arched a brow.

“Yeah, in case your ex comes in to cause trouble again.”

She smiled softly. “Back to being a knight in shining armor, I see.”

“I would be a prince already, but my princess has yet to kiss me.”

She laughed, and the sound of it had my heart pounding just a little harder in my chest. Patience didn’t know the effect she had on me. She had no clue how much I wanted and needed her, and I was barely starting to understand how deep this pull between her and myself went.

“Maybe you scare her?” she volunteered softly, and I knew that she was speaking the truth.

“Probably. She’s too sweet and innocent for a man like me, but I want her.”

“You do?”

“I thought it would be obvious to her by now that I do.”

“I think she knows. I think she might be worried about something else.”

“What’s got you running scared, Princess Patience?” I asked quietly, placing my elbows onto the high bar top and leaning in so nobody could overhear our conversation.

“I’m scared of needing you, Tucker. You’re here temporarily, and this is my home. I’m afraid of needing you and having to watch you walk away.”

Her worries were valid, and she wasn’t wrong. At some point, I would have to leave Brook Cove, and likely for an extended period of time, if not forever. My job alone would demand it. “Eventually, I will have to leave,” I told her simply, hating the words as they came out of my mouth.

I watched as her eyes turned glassy with unshed tears.

“Patience, your tables need their drinks,” the other server broke in and pulled Patience away. There was so much left to say, but we were at an impasse because I would have to leave eventually, and probably sooner than later. Getting involved with Patience was a mistake of epic proportions for both of us. I knew that, but that didn’t stop me from craving her smiles… her glances… and her presence.