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“Nah, Henry’s my ride, remember? How’s it going?”
“I’m going crazy. It seems the little fight over you boosted the morale of the damn place, the drama thirsty bastards. There’s practically an unspoken consensus for a round of new drinks. I’m dying, come back and take over your section. I can’t do this.”
“Alright,” I replied and tapped her arm with gratitude for her kindness. I knew she could manage very well on her own, but she knew I needed the money and she was just trying to help me without wounding my pride. I moved into the room to find new orders, but it looked like she had taken care of everyone already. To my horror, my eyes kept darting about looking for him. Was he still around?
My eyes found him and my heart caught in my throat.
He was sitting at the bar a drink in hand … and his gaze was on me, hooded, heated, and unblinking.
Della Ray
-if you dare come a little closer-
I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I stopped in my tracks and felt as if I was frozen in time. My heart was beating so fast I thought I would faint. Then someone pushed into me and in the process of them apologizing knocked me out of my trance. I remembered my debt to him, so I checked to confirm that the envelope was still in my pocket and made my way over to him. I pulled the battered envelope from the pocket of my shorts and laid it on the counter. “Here’s what I owe you,” I said unable to meet his eyes.
“Sit with me,” he invited.
“I’m not really supposed to,” I croaked. I did not know why I even responded. Perhaps my body was already pre-programmed to respond to the anticipation I had nursed all day about him.
He pushed the envelope over to me and said quietly, “Will this cover a drink for both of us?”
I nodded. “But—”
“I’ll also cover your tips till the bar closes,” he added.
Okay, I was sold. I took the much-needed rest and sat down.
“What do you drink?” he asked.
I stopped for a moment to think about it and when I returned my gaze back to him, I could see the ghost of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“You don’t know?” he teased. “You work in a bar, and you don’t know?”
“I’m not much of a drinker,” I responded, almost hypnotized by his direct gaze. “You don’t blink much, do you?”
He blinked then, just as his set of perfectly gorgeous teeth flashed at me.
Something warm burst open from my chest then and began to trickle into every nook and hidden place in my body. I couldn’t take my eyes off him.
He took a sip of his drink. Strands of hair had escaped from the slicked style and hung around the sides of his face. They softened his look considerably, but I knew that was all a deception. Everything about him said, tread carefully. From the strong jaw to the veiled, hooded eyes, to the strained vein that ticked restlessly down the side of his strong neck, and the thickness of his biceps straining against his plain black T-shirt. He radiated a quiet strength that very few would be oblivious too. As a matter of fact there was absolutely nothing soft about this man. It made me wonder why I had been invited to sit down next to him.
“Why? Why did you help me out at the store?”
He drained the last of his whiskey. When his tongue shot out to lick his lips, I clenched my thighs to stop the painful arousal he was effortlessly invoking in me. I had never ever been so physically attracted to someone. I wanted nothing but to taste him.
“I was in a rush,” he answered.
“What?”
He never took his eyes off me. “I was in a hurry that day. I didn’t want to wait.”
“Oh,” I responded and looked away, my gaze fluttering over to the racks of glistening bottles of liquor that lined the bar before me. It was just what I needed. I looked at Bone, then at his empty glass. “Same again.”
“Same again,” he echoed.
“Nick?” I called out. “A long island iced tea for me, and same again for … Bone, please.”
Nick’s eyes widened not just at my order, but also at the man I was sitting by. With a kind smile he delivered our order. “I added a bit of juice to sweeten things up for ya,” he said.
My heart went out to him in gratitude. I pushed the money I had extracted from the envelope towards him.
Nick shook his head. “This one’s on the house.”
“Thanks,” I said.
He winked at me and walked away.
I took a long, long sip of my drink and glanced at the man I knew was watching my every move. “Thank you,” I said. “For your help that day.”
