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That amused me. I fought the urge to smile. “Maybe you should go home. We can pretend this never happened.” I couldn’t be angry with him. I’d jumped right in with both feet. “I promise I won’t wear tight jeans to work anymore.”
Sean sighed, a deep heavy sigh. “Sure. That sounds like a plan.”
And that was that. Apparently we were just going to leave it there without any further conversation. Which felt dangerous, but at the same time, what else was there to say? We knew the score. We couldn’t be involved with each other, given our careers.
Sean pulled his shirt off the floor and stuck his arms through the sleeves. I was sad to see that chest disappear but it was for the best.
“Well. Thanks for the orgasms,” I said, when he shoved his feet into his shoes and stood up.
He gave me a smile and a head-shake. “Only you, Isla. Only you. But likewise.”
“What? I was trying to be polite.” I wasn’t really sure what else to say and frankly, now that we were both back in clothes, I had a burning need to have him get the hell out of my apartment.
The tension between us was uncomfortable. Now we had both sexual tension and awkwardness.
I needed to be on solid ground again. Bad enough that my comforter was going to smell like him and that I was going to be forced to lie in bed remembering the feel of him inside me. I couldn't manage small talk for the next twenty minutes.
“I appreciate the politeness.” Sean moved to the door, giving Scott a wide berth. My cat had strolled out of the kitchen like he’d never been trapped in there, but had chosen to be in there behind a closed door.
Now he was sitting on his haunches eyeing Sean like he was debating the best moment to attack.
“See you tomorrow,” Sean said.
“Yep. Thanks for bringing my phone.”
He nodded. For a second he just stood in front of my door but then he leaned forward and kissed me. It was unexpected, and it wasn’t like our previous kisses. It was almost… tender. It caught me off guard and made me shiver. Almost immediately it was over.
Sean ran a thumb over my lip. “Bye,” he said gruffly.
“Bye.” That’s what it was. We couldn’t do this again and yes, it might have stung a little that he had brought that reality up so quickly but he was right.
And maybe I didn’t hate Sean Kincaid quite as much as I thought I did.
It was a relief not to have to dress like I was going clubbing, but that was the only thing that didn’t suck ass about going to work the next day. I had barely slept, wondering what was wrong with me that I would actually jeopardize my entire career for a little action with the executive chef. That made me certifiable.
Sipping my coffee as I walked down the street, I lifted my free hand and eased my topknot. It was too tight and I had a headache. Or maybe that was the lack of sleep. Either way, my head hurt. I hadn’t bothered with any makeup and I had barely managed to drag a brush through my hair. I didn’t need to look cute. If anything, it would help the situation if I looked a hot mess, which I did. Sean didn’t do lunch service, so at least I wouldn’t have to see him for a few hours. We closed for two hours between lunch and dinner service and I had to help him prep but then I could go home and put on pajamas and watch something on Netflix. Not something that would make me cry, because I never cried, but maybe something where buildings were blown up. That would suit my mood.
I had wrapped a knit scarf around my neck because it was chilly and I needed the cozy feel of it against my skin. Back in my combat boots, I felt more in control than I had in sexy shoes.
But I still got a double take from Carla, the server, when I came into the kitchen. “Rough night?” she asked, voice filled with sympathy.
Obviously I looked as bad as I felt. “Something like that.”
“Drink a Bloody Mary. It will fix you up right away. I can go ask Courtney to make you one.”
Courtney was the day bartender. I opened my mouth to say I wasn’t hungover, then decided it actually might help my headache. “Sure, thanks.”
She gave me a smile. “I’m on it. I’ll tell Juan not to ask you any dumb questions today.”
That made me laugh. “Come on, leave Juan alone. He asks questions because he’s afraid to do something wrong. I can’t find fault with that.”
“I don’t know. He just follows me around.” Carla twisted her nose ring. “I think he’s crushing on me.”
“Dating in the workplace is a bad idea,” I said, like a complete hypocrite. I mean, it was true. I just had totally ignored that fact.
“Ew! I don’t want to date Juan. He’s like two years younger than me.” Carla gave me a grin. “If I was going to date anyone here, it would be Chef. He’s ho
t.”
