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“Almost.” She winked.
He strained the amber liquid into the glass before sliding it across the bar to their waiting customers.
The woman sipped it and nodded towards the big guy at her side. She smiled. “It’s perfect. Thank you.”
Finn nodded and grumbled, “You’re welcome.”
Sandy came back to the bar with an empty tray.
“Can you manage the bar for a few minutes?” Charli asked her.
“Sure, no problem,” Sandy agreed.
Charli grabbed Finn’s hand. “Come here for a sec.”
He followed her to the back room. She opened the large walk-in refrigerator door and pushed him ahead of her. The blast of cool air was like a breath of fresh air. The bar could get stifling, depending on how many people were inside, and lately she’d been getting even hotter because of the pregnancy hormones.
“What are we doing in here?” Finn gave her a sly grin.
She smacked his chest playfully. “Not that, so get your mind out of the gutter, dirty boy.”
His laugh seemed to ease some of the tension from his body.
She walked into his arms, pressing her cheek against his chest. A staccato beat pulsed against her ear. She pulled away and pressed her hand against his pec. “Your heart is racing.”
He shrugged. “What can I say? You have that effect on me.”
She’d love to believe that was the case, but he’d been jumpy all night and getting short with customers. This was something else. “Are you feeling a little overstimulated by the noise and the crowd?”
His gaze wavered before he shifted on his feet.
“Since your first deployment, crowds were difficult for you.” She pressed, hoping he realized some of this wasn’t completely new.
“They were?”
She nodded. “Why don’t you take the rest of the night off? You can come pick me up at midnight.” They only stayed open until two on Friday and Saturday nights.
He pinched the bridge of his nose, the florescent lights highlighting the dark circles under his eyes.
“You need rest.”
He sighed.
“Are you having trouble sleeping?” Finding him working on the crib in the middle of the night surrounded by other pieces of completed furniture told her he hadn’t been getting as much sleep as she’d thought.
He nodded again, turning to look towards a shelf of beer.
“Is it because of the baby? Or are you having more nightmares?” Charli ran her hand over his rough stubble.
He returned his attention to her, his shoulders drooping. “Both. Neither. I don’t know. It’s just hard for me to fall asleep.”
“Well, why don’t you go home and try to take a nap until I get off?”
“I don’t want to leave you. You’re the one who should be home relaxing.” He placed his hand on her belly.
“I’m fine. Let me do this for you, while I still can. Lean on me and I lean on you, remember? This is your turn to do the leaning.” She reached up on tiptoes to kiss him.
He groaned and squeezed her tighter against him. “Fine. I’ll be back to get you at eleven thirty. I’ll help close and you can sit down and relax. I’ll run you another bubble bath and give you a massage. How does that sound?”
