Moon Kissed Read Free Page A

the corner of the street blaring Theory of a Deadman. The song was Drown, her favorite.
    Addison smiled when she looked up at the sign of the bar swinging above her. It was a wooden sign made to look as if a huge bite had been taken out of one corner of the top. Painted on the sign was an alligator with its mouth open.
    “Gator Bait,” Addison read the sign aloud. “Fitting.”
    She stepped into the bar and was immediately taken in by the atmosphere. The wood floor had seen many shoes, but the bar to her left was so polished it shone. On the walls were hundreds of pictures of famous people who had visited the place, as well as a few well-placed jaws from dead alligators. The music was loud, the patrons drinking, eating, and having a good time.
    Addison walked to the bar and took a seat on a black barstool. She spotted the laminated menu just out of reach down the bar. Leaning over, she managed to grab it without bumping the guy’s beer next to her.
    There wasn’t a lot on the menu, but it all looked good, and the prices were reasonable enough that she might even give in to temptation and order a drink. After the day she’d had, she needed it.
    “Can I help you?”
    She glanced up from the menu with a smile and was startled by the bright blue gaze of the guy behind the bar. “Yeah, I think I’d like to try a bowl of the red beans and rice with cornbread, please.”
    “One of our specialties,” he replied with a grin. “What can I get you to drink?”
    A quick glance at their drinks and one caught her eye. “I’d like to try the Devil’s Bribe.”
    He grinned at her choice. “I’ll be right back.”
    She watched him walk away, noticing that he was good-looking with his blond hair and blue eyes. Addison set aside the menu and realized the guy on her left was staring.
    “Can I buy you a drink?” he asked as he looked her over, lust in his hazel eyes. His bushy brown beard was long and looked to have food in it left over from lunch, making her stomach roll. A yellow bandana was tied around his forehead, and he wore a tee shirt pulled tight over his beer belly.
    She clutched her purse in her lap. “Thank you, but I’ve already ordered.”
    “I can get the next one. Let me treat you.”
    “I think I’ll pass.” She looked around, hoping there was another place to sit because the guy was making her uncomfortable.
    He burped loudly, then leaned close. “You think you’re better than me?”
    “No, I…” she began.
    “The darts are open, Ed,” a deep, sexy voice interrupted her.
    Addison’s gaze jerked to the source. The new guy stood behind the bar. He was tall and imposing, his ash blond hair so thick looking that she wanted to run her fingers through it. His eyes were so bright a blue they seemed to be lit from within. With his gaze directed at Ed, she got to look her fill.
    His face was lean, rugged with a look that bordered on feral. With a clean-shaven jaw, she spotted the muscle that twitched. His lips were sinfully full, too full for such a handsome man, but it made him sexier – if that were possible.
    Her eyes dipped to his chest where his shirt looked to be made specifically for him. It hugged his wide shoulders, then tapered down the V of his abdomen to hang just below his hips. The front part of the white shirt was tucked into the waist of his low-slung, dark denim.  
    When Ed moved off to the darts, the man drew in a deep breath, stretching the white shirt and the dark blue stitching. Her gaze lifted back to his face, and this time, his startling blue eyes were directed at her.
    Addison’s breath locked in her lungs as if the air had been sucked from the room. She could only stare, her voice deserting her. She was struck senseless, pulled into his mesmerizing blue gaze.
    “I apologize for Ed. He can get a little rowdy when he sees a beautiful woman.”
    Like an idiot, all Addison could do was nod. She wanted to say something witty or funny, but her mind was completely blank. How was she