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Shit. Regardless of how her actions were slicing him to the core, he didn’t want to see her cry.
Before he could say something—not that his words seemed to be making a difference—she lowered her hands, a fake smile plastered on her lips.
“I needed a place to be by myself for a moment. Collect my thoughts. I’m so sorry if I offended you in some way. I’ll order a drink. This way I’m a paying customer and you can go back to work.”
Brick wanted to dig deeper. He wanted to know why she had to collect her thoughts. What had made her upset and need to flee? Had someone hurt her? A guy?
He could never get a clear answer whether she was seeing someone when he tried to fish for information with Mia and everyone else. He didn’t exactly want everyone to know how he felt about Jezebelle.
But he also didn’t want to hurt her any more than she was already hurting.
“You don’t have to order anything, Jezebelle. You’re more than welcome to sit here for as long as you like. If I can help with something, I will. You only have to say the word.”
Then he looked away before she saw more than what he wanted her to see and grabbed a glass, filling it with a few ice cubes and water.
“Here. No charge for water. But I can get you something else if you want something.”
Her fingers grazed his as she took the glass from him. Her eyes, large and round with shock, shot from the drink to his eyes. Had she felt the zing of bliss as he had? He couldn’t quite decipher what she had felt by the slight touch.
“Holler if you need anything else.”
He turned around, intending on heading toward the other end of the bar as far away from her as possible. He didn’t want to blurt something he’d regret.
He took a step.
“Brick?”
He blew out a breath before turning back around, his mouth forming a grin he didn’t feel.
“Yeah?”
She bit her bottom lip, the picture entirely too enticing to his deprived body. It had been a long time since he’d been with a woman. Partly because his last girlfriend had sucked the soul out of him and he hadn’t been ready to try again. Partly because he’d been lusting after Jezebelle from afar for far too long. If he couldn’t have her, he didn’t want anybody. At least, that’s what he kept telling himself.
“Do you get along with your parents?”
What an odd question.
He shrugged. “With my mom, yeah, I did. She always supported me in everything. Even when I made some dumb mistakes. My dad…” He chuckled. “We rarely see eye to eye. Got my first tattoo when I was seventeen, and it’s been downhill ever since. We’ve always had a rocky relationship.” He leaned closer, resting his hip against the bar. “Why do you ask? Parental problems?”
A brilliant smile ruptured as a silky laugh escaped her luscious lips. “That’s an understatement. My dynamics are the exact opposite. I’m Daddy’s girl and can do no wrong. My mother is the devil herself.”
“Something got your mom’s panties in a twist? Is that why you need some alone time right now?”
It all made perfect sense. When he had visited his parents—when his mom was still alive—he usually tried to keep his distance from his father as much as humanly possible. Fights would break out otherwise. Mostly verbal. His father wasn’t abusive when Brick was a child, but as soon as he became a man, it didn’t stop his father from trying to exert his dominance. They had a very volatile relationship.
“You could say that.” Her smile started to dim, and he hated it.
“How can I help?”
He’d do anything—anything—to get her beautiful lips to curl back up. Seeing sadness anywhere in her features twisted his heart in the wrong way.
“Well, if you got a great plan on how I can stay in New York and not give in to my mother and her overbearing ways, then please, help me. Because, if she has her way, I’ll be moving back home by the end of the week.”
Well, shit. He didn’t like anything she said. Not one bit.
His heart pounded at the thought he’d never see her again. Oh, no. He had to see her again. He looked forward to her visiting the bar, laughing with Mia, and enjoying herself. Perhaps he shouldn’t have kept his distance as much as he had. Perhaps he should’ve manned up and asked her out. Now he might never get the chance. Not if she moved away.
“You have a great job here. You’re a grown adult. I don’t get it.”
