“I’ll take you home right after.I promise.”
Relenting, because if she didn’t that would make her sound like a bitch, she sat at the island.A moment later, he placed a plate in front of her.Scrambled eggs with cheese, hashbrowns and sausage.Her belly rumbled.
“Coffee?”he asked.
“Sure.Thanks.
He took two cups from the cupboard and filled them.When he placed one in front of her, he got some cream from the fridge and a bowl of sugar and set them down.Then he joined her, and for a moment, she ate and didn’t allow herself to think about anything.
Perhaps it was wrong of her but secretly, she was glad to have a few more minutes with him.Could almost pretend they were a couple and this was the start of their day.
“I’ll clean up if you want to get dressed,” she offered.
He hesitated.“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely,” she replied.“You cook, only fair that I clean.”
“Very well.I’ll only be about fifteen minutes.”
She nodded and got to work cleaning the counters.Exactly fifteen minutes later, he strolled back into the kitchen dressed in jeans and a t-shirt.If she thought he looked good in a suit, this made him positively downright sexy.
No fair, she thought.
“Ready?”he asked.
“Ready,” she answered softly.One last glance around the gorgeous home, then she followed him out the door.
****
It didn’t take himlong to drive Juniper home.Just as he was about to hop out to escort her to her door, she placed a hand on his arm.
“It’s not necessary,” she said.
He frowned, suddenly not liking how quickly she was saying good-bye.“So, that’s it?”
She tilted her head.“Yes.This is what we agreed.”
“Right,” he muttered.
“Thank you, Asher.”She leaned over and kissed his cheek.“You gave me a night I’ll never forget.Take care of yourself.”
She exited his car and he watched until she opened her front door, making sure she got in safely.Right before she closed the door, she waved at him.Then it was done.She was inside her house and he had no reason to stay.
Somehow it felt ...wrong.
He pulled away from the curb and drove back to his house.He had about an hour before he had to go into work.Unlocking the door, he entered and tossed his key fob onto the settee in the foyer.Entering his bedroom, he went to the disarrayed sheets, intending to change them, but as soon as he gathered them together, her scent floated up.Like a weirdo, he took a deep sniff.
Hell, he was crossing over into perv territory.
Still, at the washing machine, he hesitated.Why did it bother him that he’d lose her scent?Never mind the fact that it was the best sex of his life.In a thousand million years, he’d never have guessed he’d say that about virginal Juniper Parsons.Well, ex-virgin.He had claimed it, and although he’d heard a woman always remembered her first time, he had an eerie feeling it was going to be him unable to forget.
When it was time to go to work, he dressed in business casual and drove to the bar.Parking in his space, he turned off the engine and sighed.Why was he still thinking of her?
He entered The Unicorn and disabled the alarm, flipping on lights as he moved through the empty place.His office was located on the second floor, only accessible by a staircase located behind the bar.The morning was spent catching up on paperwork, and for some reason there wasalwayspaperwork.Orders to place.Schedules to create.Payroll to run.
At 10:00, his bartender and cook came in prepping for when they opened at noon.At 11:00, he went downstairs to help take down all the upturned chairs on the tables.He made sure all the condiments on the table were filled, which was usually the job of the night staff, but he refused to be a complacent boss.
The very first person who walked through the doors when he unlocked them was Corbin.He should’ve expected this.
