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I should tell her to quit her job here, that I'll support her, help her open her damn boutique.
Moving too fast.
Breathe, Ryan.
"Well, she's a lucky girl," Kylie says with a kind, knowing smile. "Whoever she is."
As the night wears on, the group at the booth breaks up, and everyone leaves except for me. I sit alone in the booth, nursing my drink and watching Sophia move throughout the bar. Her red hair is up in a messy bun, and she wears a crisp black blouse and black slacks that hug her curves like they were made for her. They probably were—in all likelihood, she bought them secondhand and tailored them to fit like a glove.
She's amazing and I'm falling fast and hard.
I can feel my heart racing as I watch her. She's so damn beautiful, I can hardly stand it.
Just like the night she was mugged, Sophia starts making the rounds to tell all the customers that it's time to take off for the night. I wait for her to come closer, but to my surprise, it's Bryn who heads over from the bar, placing her hands on her hips and glancing around before giving me a stern look.
"Mr. Wright," she says, her voice quiet.
"You can call me Ryan—"
"Mr. Wright," she interrupts. "It's time to go."
I look up at Bryn, confused about what I did. "Um...right, yeah. I'll get right on that. Sorry, Bryn—"
"We all know," she says.
I stop dead in my tracks, standing now—towering over the girl and still feeling like she's the one who's about to kick my ass. "You...know?"
"About you and Sophia," she says. "And I'm just...don't screw her over. Sophia is the best person I know."
I glance around, finding Sophia chatting animatedly with one of the other stragglers, her back to us. Then I return my focus to Bryn, nodding my head.
"She's great," I say. "I don't intend on hurting her, and I'm not a man who does anything that isn't above board. Trust me."
"I just..." she trails off again, and I get the impression that she wasn't quite sure what she was going to say when she came over here. "I watched what happened with Kylie and Gavin, and it was really painful for her. Yeah, they're together now...but she went through the wringer. I don't want that to happen to Sophia, and I don't want her to lose her job because of you."
"I swear I won't hurt her," I say.
"Yeah, you'd better not—because I know I'm small, but me and the rest of the staff will kick your ass," she says. She straightens up, and then I realize that Sophia is coming this way. "Anyway, good night, Mr. Wright. You drive safe, okay?"
I nod. "I haven't had a drink in hours."
Bryn turns on her heel and walks away, grabbing a couple of leftover glasses on her way, as Sophia walks over to me. She's got a skeptical look on her face, her eyes following Bryn's journey back toward the bar.
"Everything okay?" Sophia asks.
"Yeah," I nod. "You have good friends. They're looking out for you."
Sophia blushes, biting her lip. "I told her not to say anything..."
"But she has every right to," I say. "I'm not offended for what it's worth. You need a ride tonight?"
Sophia's lips curve into a smile, and she looks up at me, her voice barely more than a whisper. "I was actually hoping to, um...spend the night again? If you'll have me."
Fuck—every night, if she let me.
My heart leaps in my chest at the thought of having Sophia in my bed again, but I also feel a pang of guilt. I know how much her job means to her, and I don't want to be the reason she loses it. But I can't resist her; I can tell she can't resist me either.
"Of course," I say, my voice husky with desire. "Let me just settle up with Bryn, and we can head out."
