The Second Hand Guitar was one of Harper’s favorite places to come when she was in Nashville, with its exposed brick walls, hardwood floors, and constant stream of occupants that made people-watching thoroughly entertaining. Not to mention the selection of alcohol was excellent. There were about thirty taps lined up behind the bar, and shelves of more assorted hard liquor than she could count.

It was her second favorite bar after her local watering hole the Sleepy Sheep, owned and run by one of her close friends, Nathanial Shepherd. He was like the alcohol whisperer, could tell someone what they wanted before they even opened their mouth. And his ability would be nice in this moment because Harper wasn’t sure what to get. Though tequila was on the agenda for the evening, she figured she and her aunt should start with something lighter.

By the time the bartender made his way over to her, she settled on a mild beer with vanilla and orange undertones and ordered two. The second he turned around to go get the drinks her phone vibrated on the bar in front of her. She grabbed it and looked at the screen to see a message from her aunt, her heart sinking somewhere around her navel as she read.

Emergency surgery on patient. Can’t make it. So sorry. I WILL see you tomorrow and we will drink in style and excess my sweet niece. Love you, Cee.

Harper didn’t even get a second to process the fact that she was now going to be spending the evening alone when someone came up next to her. She turned to find a guy with unkempt blond hair, a faded flannel shirt over a dirty white tank top, and a neck tattoo that said Bubba blocking her view. He was leaning against the bar and looking right at Harper.

Fantastic…not only had she been stood up but she had to deal with this on top of it? Don’t get her wrong, she was a fan of tattoos in certain locations, but neck tattoos of this caliber required a special level of I-ain’t-ever-gonna-be-a-functioning-member-of-the-workforce crazy.

“I was so distracted by that banging body of yours that I ran into that wall over there,” he said as he pointed to the wall behind him. “So I’m gonna need that name and number of yours for insurance reasons.”

Oh. Dear. God. No. Just no.

“I’m afraid you’re going to have to claim a hit and run,” a deep voice drawled from behind her.

Harper spun on her stool, her back now to the bar, to find a very different sort of man than Bubba. The sort of man she really wouldn’t mind hitting on her in the least bit—if she was ready for that sort of thing…which she so obviously was not.

But ready or not, she could still appreciate his strong jaw covered in day-old stubble, dark brown hair long enough for a woman to run her fingers through and get a little lost in the process, and green-gold eyes that were focused on her.

The bartender returned at that moment, sliding both drinks onto the counter and Sexy ’n Scruffy reached across her, handing the bartender a bill before grabbing both of the beers. He gave one to Harper before he held his up in the air.

“Thanks for ordering, babe.” His mouth quirked to the side—flashing the kind of grin that made her thankful for the fact that she was already sitting down—before he brought the glass to his mouth and took a sip. He lowered it a moment later and made a sound of satisfaction that set her imagination on fire, not to mention the way he was looking at her.

Good God, the amount of intensity directed at her should be illegal. When his eyes left hers a moment later she realized she’d been holding her breath. Though she found herself disappointed by the fact that he was no longer looking at her, it was good that she was breathing again.

Sexy ’n Scruffy’s eyes were now focused on a spot over her shoulder, presumably at Bubba. She wasn’t quite sure as she couldn’t pull her gaze away from his face to check. “You should move along now.”

“No harm, no foul,” Bubba said before he went off to find another victim.

Sexy ’n Scruffy’s attention was now back on Harper as he took another sip of beer. “Good choice,” he nodded as he slid onto the empty stool next to her.

“Glad you approve of my beer that you’re drinking.”

“Your beer?” He gave her that tilted grin again. “I believe I paid, after saving you from Recently Paroled over there.”

“Saved me?”

“Yup, he was about to ask for your social and bank account information.”

“That man wasn’t going to get anything personal out of me.”

“Of that, I have no doubt.”

“So what, you want a thank-you for saving me?” she asked, raising her eyebrow before she brought her glass to her mouth and took her first sip of beer.

“Nope, no thank-you required. Just doing my civic duty. But it would be nice to know your name.”

“Oh, so you’re just going to start up where Bubba left off?” She set her glass on the bar before she placed both of her elbows on the edge of the wood and leaned her head against her hands.

“Nah,” he said as he shook his head. “I just wanted to know so that when I tell this story years from now, people will know the name of the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met.”

Harper threw her head back and laughed. When she looked at him again she couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face. “Wow, that was a line if I’ve ever heard one.”

He shook his head again, leaning in close to her, his intense gaze locked on her eyes. “Oh, you want a line? ‘Do you have a map? Because I’m getting lost in your eyes.’ That’s a line. Now as to you being beautiful? That’s a fact.”

She’d be lying if she said those words hadn’t made her heart race just a little bit…or a lotta bit.

He pulled back and took another drink of his beer, swallowing as he lowered the glass. “Who was this beer intended for anyway?”

“My aunt. Who just got stuck at work. Life of a doctor though.”

“So really I’m just saving it from going to waste and saving you from getting hit on by any more guys with neck tats.”

“I guess you are.” And there was that smile taking over her face again. What the hell was going on?

“So what’s it going to be? Do I have to share this beer with a nameless stranger?”

“I’m not telling you anything personal, either.”

He leaned in close again, a seriousness in his gaze that she somehow knew to be sincere. “You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to.”

Over the years she’d given out her fair share of fake names, and it was on the tip of her tongue to give him one tonight. But to her complete and utter shock, when she opened her mouth her name fell out.

“Harper.”

“Harper,” he repeated slowly, his eyes traveling over her face like he was not only memorizing her name but everything about her.

The scrutiny almost made her squirm. Almost. But Harper Laurence was made of much sterner stuff than that. Or at least she sure as hell hoped so.

“I’m Liam.” He put his beer on the bar and held out his hand. Before she could think better of it, she was putting her palm in his. His long fingers wrapped around her hand, his skin warm on hers and somehow traveling up and over her, like she was settling into a steaming bath or wrapping herself in a blanket straight out of the dryer.

Apparently she wasn’t as numb as she thought.

Oh, this was going to be bad…or really, really good. She was just going to have to see now wasn’t she?

*  *  *

The second the front door of the cabin closed Harper found herself pushed up against the wall. She only had a moment to take in the rich wooden floors and walls that stretched out from the entryway to the living room.

But as she was now looking up into warm green-gold eyes and pinned against said wall by the solid weight of a perfectly muscled, attractive-as-sin man, she found that she really couldn’t care less about the décor. Or anything else for that matter.