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A pleased feeling rushes through me. I'm even warmer now, and it's hard to think with her so close. The way she looks into my eyes is flirtatious and teasing and yet serious at the same time.
Renee tilts her chin up a fraction of an inch. I can't move. A very small part of my head is warning me that I shouldn't have been in the break room with her for so long. I'm not supposed to be standing this close to one of my employees.
But I’m too caught in her gaze. As hers drops to my lips, mine drops to her lips. They’re soft and kissable and I know they'd feel like heaven and sin all at once against mine. If I leaned down and kissed her right now, we'd still be barely touching, and then I'd have to put my hands on her waist to bring her closer. I'd finally know how her waist felt in my hands and how the rest of her body felt against mine.
It must be a thousand degrees in the break room, like the heat has kicked on full blast and it's all blowing down on us. My next thought is to strip my shirt over my head, and that leads to a long line of other thoughts that can't happen in the break room when anybody could walk in.
I could just lock the door. My mind races with what all could happen between us and how quickly we could give in to temptation.
Renee breathes out and blinks, and just like that the moment is over.
I swallow thickly as she takes a half step back and we both pretend nothing happened.
“Thanks,” she whispers, and then she breaks away, her ponytail swinging in the air behind her. I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding, and then her footsteps are headed out the door and to the front as she starts her shift.
For a minute I don't move at all. A steadying breath in and a steadying breath out are all I’m left with. She was close enough for me to kiss her, thanking me for making her feel better, and I didn't say anything.
“Damn it,” I say to the empty room, then shake off the tension in my shoulders. There's no way I can go out front without taking a few minutes to settle down, so I leave the break room and head to the office in the back. Once I'm inside, I shut the door behind me and throw myself into the chair by the desk.
I can't physically kick myself when I'm sitting in a chair, but if I could, I would. The chair creaks under me as I rock back, breathing hard at how badly I've just screwed up. What was I thinking back there?
That was my shot, wasn't it? Renee opened the door for me. She was flirting with me. She stood there for so long I could have kissed her ten times over, and I didn't do anything, because I didn't know what she'd think of it afterward. I wasn't sure if it was the right place or the right time, but who cares? I had a chance and instead of taking it?—
I just clammed up and stared at her.
And now Renee's long gone, out in the front picking up tables, and it's too late to get that moment back. I run my hand down my face and think it’s probably best. I’m her boss and there’s no going back from that first kiss.
I lean back in the chair and realize one of these days I don't think I’m going to be able to stop myself. And when that happens, we’ll both be screwed.
Renee
What the hell is wrong with me? I almost kissed my boss in the break room. I stare at the spot in wonder, like I’ve done every day since it happened. That would-be kiss is all I can think about. It’s all I want to think about.
Actually, I think Griffin almost kissed me. We both almost kissed each other. I don't think I'd be able to say who started it, because if he did kiss me I wouldn't be able to think of anything else at all.
My heart beats fast and for three days afterward I imagine what would have happened. What would it be like to get lost in his touch?
Every time I stop thinking about Griffin looking at me with those dark brown eyes, his breathing short and his face flushed, something reminds me of him. The bar. The barstools. The booths. Any random doorway can remind me of that moment, and then I'm right back there, imagining what would've happened if I'd gotten up on tiptoes and given him a kiss instead of just hoping he'd kiss me.
As the sun sets and the snow falls behind the lone window in the break room, I get lost in that moment all over again. I wish he would have done it.
A patron calling out, “night!” from the bar snaps me back to the present. I’m pretty sure he was the last customer here and I’m quick to retie my apron.
It's a pretty slow night, even for December. I'd guess that's because of the weather. There's light snowfall outside, and it might snow more, so I don't think many people will be out tonight.
It never snows in Beaufort. That's what people say. They mean it rarely snows here. One of the TVs behind the bar is showing a weather report. They're calling for an inch or two, so nobody's going to risk driving.
I watch the snow fall for a little while longer. It's beautiful because it's rare, and I want to take advantage of the view. If it snows three more times this winter we'll be lucky.
A door in the back closes, and the sound of footsteps makes me turn around. Instantly my heart pounds in that excited way. Like it’s been waiting for a redo as much as I have.
Griffin comes out from the office in back, looking toward the window with his eyebrows raised. He looks at the snow for a few beats, too, then moves over to the bar and leans on it. His lips are slightly parted, and I can’t stop staring.
“I wonder if we should close up early so we don't get snowed in.” He swallows, the cords in his neck tightening, as he slips his hands into his jean pockets. He looks relaxed but also not.
Like he’s tense but only because he’s ready for what’s to come.
My boss glances at me like I'll have the answer.
