Free Meant For Her by Raine Thomas

Burke would like. They apparently conveyed enough interest in him that he pulled a chair up to their table, however.
    Maybe that was what he needed, Evan thought. Maybe a night of mindless sex with an interested female would help him focus, take his mind of off…things.
    “What can I get you?” the bartender asked.
    Evan turned his attention to her. She wore her blonde hair back in a ponytail. He guessed she was in her late twenties to early thirties, but he was hardly the best judge of such things. Her outfit of a black leather vest over a white barmaid’s top and tight black leather pants left little to the imagination.
    So why wasn’t his imagination working?
    “Another beer, please,” he said, lifting his empty glass.
    “You got it,” she said.
    He watched her grab a new mug, hold it under the tap, and draw his beer. Once upon a time, someone like her would have had all of his juices flowing. For the past nine months, though, nothing had managed to do that.
    Well, almost nothing.
    Frowning, he glanced over at Cole. He thought of what his friend had said about Sierra asking about him and how she seemed interested in him. He considered what it would be like to once again open himself up to the vulnerability that came with growing attached to someone.
    He knew he couldn’t do it.
    “Here you go,” the bartender said, placing the new mug in front of him.
    “So, you’re a Milwaukee fan, eh?” he asked before she could walk away.
    “What?”
    “Don’t worry. I can keep your secret.”
    She hesitated, then tilted her head. “Australian, right?”
    “You bet.”
    Another customer called out from the other side of the bar. The bartender glanced over at him and gave him a smile before turning back to Evan.
    “Lucky for you, I happen to think Aussies are hot. My shift ends in thirty minutes. You up to it?”
    Taking another swig of beer, he swallowed and said, “I’m all yours.”
    *     *     *
    “My name is Haley.”
    Evan nodded. He’d already garnered that much from her nametag. He couldn’t help but remember how the first time he’d met Sierra, she hadn’t felt any need to introduce herself. In fact, it was like he’d known her even without learning her name.
    For the love of God, he told himself, stop thinking about her!
    They stood in the elevator as it climbed to his floor. It had been a long time since he’d brought a female up to his room. He was lucky that his roommate was a young rookie who was still out partying and probably wouldn’t be back anytime soon.
    “Aren’t you going to introduce yourself?” she asked.
    He could tell from her tone that she was getting irritated. That wasn’t any good.
    “Sorry,” he said. “Guess I’m a little off my game tonight. The name’s Evan.”
    Her stern expression eased into a happier one. “Nice to meet you, Evan.”
    They got off the elevator and headed to his room. He opened the door and stood aside to let her in. She left behind a hint of cigarette smoke and fryer grease when she passed.
    “If you’d like to shower after your shift—” he began.
    She gripped the front of his shirt and attacked his mouth the second the door closed. He tried to get into the kiss as she shoved him against the door. Her curves were in all the right places. She was attractive and really into him, if her current aggression was any indication.
    But nothing in him responded to her.
    When his cell phone rang, he considered it divine intervention. Breaking away from her mouth, he drew in a deep breath. She put her hands on his face to drag him back to her.
    “Sorry—I really need to take this,” he said.
    He ignored her frustrated huff and accepted the call without looking at the display, bringing the phone to his ear and walking a few steps away. He didn’t care if it was a telemarketer from Bangladesh, he’d chat like a happy man.
    What a fucking mess he was.
    “This is Dorsey.”
    “Oh…hi, Mr. Dorsey,” came a male voice. “I didn’t