Page 5 of And Then There Was Us (And The There Was 2)

I didn’t want to ignore that I felt something in his presence, this connection, this spark of electricity as we looked at each other. Our first interaction had been so brief in the grand scheme, less than an hour total where we talked before he hired me, but there was something elemental that had moved between us.

I didn’t know if he felt it too, but I wanted to believe something this strong couldn’t be one way. Not to mention the fact he watched me, like he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off me, had heat spiraling through me.

I closed my eyes and breathed, telling myself that I had to get through this, had to be professional and push away any kind of budding feelings, the strongest attraction I'd ever felt to anyone in my entire life.

It didn’t seem realistic, given the fact that we didn’t know each other, and also, he was my boss. I needed this job to help my father, so anything other than professionalism just wouldn’t do.

I opened my eyes and gave my reflection one more stare before taking half of my hair and piling it up, the thick locks heavy and curly as some strands framed my face.

Leaving the staff room, I headed out into the bar area. We weren’t open yet, but I only had half an hour to get myself settled and prepared before the doors opened for the night.

I’d come in for orientation a few days ago and hated that I’d been so disappointed because Bishop hadn’t been the one to show me around. But I’d instantly gotten along with Pyper, a full-time waitress at Lyrics. She was not only friendly but accommodating to my lack of bar experience—since I used to waitress at a diner that didn’t serve alcohol—and had a great sense of humor. And she was encouraging, telling me it was okay to fuck up, because we were humans and everyone here had before.

I was looking over the drink menu again, although I’d memorized the main menu days ago, wanting to be extra prepared. But I needed something to do to keep my mind off Bishop. I hadn’t seen him since I’d shown up at work, and although he was on the schedule, I was surprised at how much I actually longed to see him. And that frustrated me. I’d never felt so off-balance concerning another person—not this kind of off-balance. He made my skin feel tight when he was near, made my heart race with just a look, and I hadn’t been able to get him out of my head since our first encounter.

I pulled out one of the bar stools and sat down, sliding the menu closer and repeating the specials tonight—something that the bar did food-wise on the weekends. It was mainly appetizers and snacks, finger foods that people could consume while they got drunk.

I sat like that for the next five minutes, but then there was this distinct feeling on the back of my neck, this tingling that had the hairs on my arms rising.

I was being watched.

I glanced up and looked around, not seeing anyone at first, but then I saw the object that had raised my awareness. Bishop stood against the doorframe that led to his office, his focus trained on me. He wore a baseball cap, the bill pulled down low so it partially obscured his eyes, a shadow casting over his dark-brown irises with those thick, long lashes that would make the entire female population green with envy.

He wore a light-gray T-shirt, the material stretched across his chest, light enough in color that I could make out the ridges of his six-pack. God… he’s a work of art. His arms were crossed, the muscles in his biceps bulging. I felt a rush of heat instantly consume me, and I shifted on the stool uncomfortably, this arousal not something I’d ever experienced before.

I hadn’t been in any kind of relationship with a man in years, something that wasn’t a priority in my life. My focus had been on going to school at first. And then once my father had gotten sick, that had been the only thing I focused on. Everything else had faded to the background.

So dating and anything that had to do with the opposite sex or my love life were put on hold.

And I couldn’t say I missed it. It wasn’t like I had a lot of experience in that department either—one moment in time, to be precise, so many, many years ago, when I was a teenager. I vowed after that to only give my heart and my body over to someone I cared deeply about. And it hadn’t been hard in the least to keep that vow.

Until I met Bishop.

My arousal and attraction for him stole my breath and made my heart jump into my throat. That’s what I felt with Bishop, which complicated everything, given my position and his.

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