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I knew he was here—I just didn’t know where.
After closing the tab for a group of guys who’d bought their third round of beers, my eyes swept over the liquor bottles on the back wall, noting that more than a few of them were almost empty. Someone would need to get to them—and soon. I glanced at Sam and Nora, finding them both in the center of their own hurricanes as they hurried to make drinks and serve customers at their respective sections of the bar.
I knew the right thing to do was to restock the shelves myself. There was nothing worse than reaching for the liquor you needed and finding the bottle empty. My gaze fell on the batwing doors, and I felt a wave of apprehension rip through my chest. Leo had to be back there somewhere.
Sighing, I pushed my hair behind my shoulders and ducked under the bar in my pursuit. Frank gave me a loaded look as I passed him, and I caught the smallest of grins before he turned his attention on the bustling crowd.
Just as I was about to push through the swinging doors, Leo surprised the hell out of me by walking through them from the other side, his mouth morphing into a wide smile when he saw me. “I was just coming to look for you,” he said cheerfully.
I took a moment to look him up and down, finding—to my severe annoyance—that he still looked incredible. He was wearing the same black suit from this afternoon, except the black tie he’d had on earlier was gone and the first two buttons of his shirt were undone. My gaze snagged on his exposed throat, remembering what it tasted like beneath my tongue and— Nope.
I could not go there.
I forced my eyes up only to find him fixing me with the same gluttonous intensity, his gaze moving from my hair down to my legs. Something wafted into my nostrils then, warm and nutty, and it took a second for me to place the smell before my eyes dropped to his hand, zeroing in on the source.
“Where did you get that?” I asked, glaring at the coffee in his hand.
He looked down to the white cardboard cup secured with a black lid. “What, this?”
“Yeah, that.”
“I made it.”
“Made it where?”
Leo’s eyes caught on Frank, who was standing somewhere behind me. A small sigh escaped from his mouth, though he still looked a little amused. “In my office.”
“Your office?” I scoffed. “I’m quite certain there is only one office in this building, and it’s mine.”
Leo’s eyes snapped back to me. “Yours?”
“Yes. Mine. As in, that was my hazelnut coffee you stole. My coffee maker you used with your greedy little fingers.”
An even wider smile spread across his face. “You know better than anyone that I don’t have little fingers, Mara.” His eyes flashed as they dropped down to my waist. “Though, they may be greedy . . . I’ll give you that.”
My cheeks were instantly aflame, and I heard Frank clear his throat from where he stood against the wall.
Fucking hell, I could murder Leo.
I should murder him.
I grabbed the sleeve of his stupid expensive suit jacket and pulled him into the stockroom where it was still dark. The switch to turn on the light was out of my reach, so I didn’t bother with it as I turned around to snarl at Leo. “Where the hell do you get off saying shit like that in front of my staff?”
Leo chuckled, and the sound rippled through me like a wild current. “Jesus, Mara.” His voice was low and dark, teasing against my senses. “I’m sorry, it just came out. I mean, have you seen the way you look tonight?”
I scoffed. “Put a filter in that mouth of yours, Leo, because in case you haven’t noticed we’re not in your fucking penthouse anymore. We’re back in reality where, through some deranged cosmic joke, you’re my new boss.”
Leo sighed, and though I could barely see his face, I knew it had grown serious. “For what it’s worth, I had no idea you worked here.”
I knew he didn’t—I could see the genuine surprise in his eyes when he saw me standing at the bar with Robert this afternoon—but it didn’t stop me from wanting to rake my nails against his skin in exasperation. “I was wearing a Larkspur shirt. How could you miss it?”
“You were wearing a sweatshirt!” he flared. “And then . . . and then I wasn’t really paying attention to what was on your shirt, Mara, because I was more concerned about taking it off!” He blew out a breath. “Look, obviously this isn’t the most ideal situation. But I can’t say I’m upset to see you again.” His voice was softer as he reached a hand out to trace a finger along my jaw. “Why did you run away from me this morning?”
I jerked my chin away, and his hand dropped dramatically against his thigh. “I told you. One night. It shouldn’t have been a surprise that I didn’t want to stick around.” The words tasted foul on my tongue, because the truth was I hadn’t wanted to leave. But I couldn’t tell him that—not now. Decidedly not ever. “And in case you haven’t put it together yet, you stole my bar. So I’d say any intimate adventures between us are firmly off the table at this point, wouldn’t you?”
Again, Leo sighed. “I didn’t steal your bar, Mara.” He paused, shifting on his feet. “During negotiations, Robert told me about his bar manager—that she was an incredible asset to the club and had expressed interest in buying it in the future, but that . . . that she wasn’t ready and he couldn’t wait. He brought it up because he thought you should still be given the chance to continue to lead and run things. He was very clear about ensuring your place here. I’m not trying to get in your way. This is still as much your bar as it is mine, okay?”
I closed my eyes through the lick of pain. His words were laced with pity, and I hated it. “No, Leo. You may have dropped some serious cash to write your name on the paperwork, but this isn’t your bar and it never will be, so don’t hold your breath.”
