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“What were you expecting? Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?”
Her cheeks burned with embarrassment. “Well, considering you don’t cook.”
“Ouch!” Noah faked being stabbed in the heart. “That hurts. Sure, it’s true that my culinary skills are limited, but I make up for that with my kick-ass communication skills.”
“Meaning you elbowed your way into Tony’s kitchen and sweet talked him into making us food?”
“Let me worry about the details, you just eat. And drink some water. I’m sure you haven’t been drinking today, either.”
Shaking her head, she laughed. “I actually have been drinking water all day; you can ask Marco.”
“Okay, but are you too good for water now?” he teased, while holding a beer for himself.
“I’m saying I’d prefer a big glass of wine after the day I had.” With her stomach basically empty, it would probably go right to her head, but what the heck.
Noah stepped behind the bar looking like he belonged there. “One glass of wine coming up.”
He appeared so natural handing her the glass of wine. Maybe he had the calmness of a bartender, or maybe she just liked how he looked smiling at her. Even when he wasn’t trying, that smile was seductive; she already knew just how easily he could charm her. And the thought of where it might lead, started her heart beating harder.
She took a gulp of the wine. The palpitations were likely brought on by the low blood sugar. She focused on eating her sandwich.
When she had a full belly, she sat back and sipped her glass of wine, feeling more like herself. “Thanks for making me eat. That was exactly what I needed.”
He grinned. “Feeling better?”
“Yes. Now, time to clean the tables.” She slid off the chair and hurried behind the bar to search for a dishes bin.
Grabbing another one, Noah appeared beside her and did the same. “Let’s do this.”
“You don’t need to help. Really, it’s fine.”
“I’m helping. End of discussion.” He closed the space between them.
Her heart rate sped up, and the butterflies in her belly fluttered the closer he got to her. His dark eyes and smolder had her mouth dry and unable to find words.
Keeping the dish bin at her middle, she took a step backwards. She needed room to breathe and think. It wasn’t the wine that was clouding her head, it was Noah. Looking away from him, she moved to the farthest table. “You start on that end, and we’ll meet in the middle.”
Noah went to work without objection. “Why didn’t you call for help this evening?”
“Why would I? Talia was counting on me. I tried to call a few servers in, but no one was available. It was work I could easily do—after all, I used to be a server back in the day. Talia had her hands full with a sick baby, and this was nothing I couldn’t handle.” She stifled a yawn. “I didn’t count on the late diners though.”
“Well, you were successful. It appears every last diner walked out satisfied. Because you are good at your job.”
She shrugged and moved on to the next table. “I didn’t really think about it. Honestly, there wasn’t a lot of time to think about it. Except for the pounding headache I had, it was just another day.” She turned her back to him as she bused the table.
“Then I came in and saved the day.” He chuckled.
“Is that the story we’re going with?” Jordan teased, as she moved to the last table and they both reached for the same glass.
His fingers stroked hers, before gently taking the glass from her. “I would’ve dropped everything and come if you’d said you needed me.”
Her gaze met his broody, heavy gaze. Heat coursed through her. After the day she’d had, she did need him. She needed to feel his lips on hers and give in to his advances. She needed to lean into him and absorb his strength.
But something bothered her about this thinking and caused a twinge in her heart. Need was different than want. It was one thing to want him and have the kind of careless fun he could give her. It was quite another to need him. She’d always believed that needing someone was reserved for permanence and love. That thought scared her, and she almost dropped her plate rack. Because Noah wasn’t permanent, nor would he ever be. There was no room for the L-word where he was concerned. That was something she could not let herself forget.
Pulling away, she cleared her throat and quickly said, “I should get home.”
She didn’t need to be at the restaurant until two tomorrow, and that was to meet Donna for lunch. But she was in perilous danger of getting in too deep with Noah, and she couldn’t allow herself to be close to him tonight.
