10. Tammy #2
He just smiled, his shoulders shaking as he tried to hide his laughter, while I ignored him and kept right on singing in my low voice while I handed out more refills.
Over the next few hours, Ray’s low-key flirting was driving me crazy.
The way his breath felt on my neck when he leaned in to whisper things to me. The delicate, soft touches on my skin—my hand, my elbow, my shoulder. It felt like every touch was a calculated move on his part to keep me thinking of him.
I’d squeezed my thighs together tonight more times than I cared to admit. I thought I’d been doing a good job of hiding it, but after another touch to my hand when I set a new drink in front of him, the look in his eyes and the smile he gave me told me I hadn’t been as surreptitious as I’d thought.
The smile wasn’t one of the casual, carefree ones. It was indulgent—one that made promises of what could happen if I let myself give in to temptation with him, just one more time.
My already quickly fading resolve was now barely clinging to life.
This man was good for my ego, but that also made him dangerous because he was also becoming my weakness.
It also hadn’t helped that he was wearing a short-sleeved shirt tonight that allowed me to see the tattoos on his arms peeking out from under those tight sleeves.
I’d never gotten the chance to really explore them like I’d wanted to.
I knew his right arm had mostly military insignias, but the other arm and his chest were filled with mysterious designs.
I was a sucker for beautiful tattoos—especially if most of them were hidden from public view so that only special people got to see.
But alas, I would likely never get the chance to see them up close again.
Axel had left two hours ago since the crowd had really waned. Diego had called in sick tonight, meaning we had no extra security, so Ray had offered to stay with me when I closed.
I hated to admit it, but I was rather giddy that he had offered. Knowing he was leaving tomorrow, I found myself wanting to make the night last longer.
I had just closed the place up, and all the servers and cooks were gone, which left just Ray and me in the pub.
Given it was a Sunday night, I wanted to take the cash and put it inside the safe in a secure drawer tonight.
It was hard to believe it was only a week ago that some asshole had broken in and taken the money.
“I’d like to re-count the money one last time if that’s okay,” I told Ray from inside the office in the back of the pub.
The space wasn’t big, but it had enough room for a full desk, some filing cabinets, a small couch, a chair, and a coffee table.
I recounted the money, secured it in the safe, and moved to close up the desk. Ray, who had been sitting on the couch while I counted and wrote the numbers all down in the ledger, was now standing just behind the desk, near the door.
I took the last few steps toward him slowly—my mind frantically trying to find a way to make tonight last longer.
He reached for me, pulling me into a sort of embrace—not quite a full hug, but definitely intimate.
I liked the way his arm felt around my waist—secure, possessive, and thrilling—far more than I should.
“You’re awfully touchy feely tonight,” I told him, not that I was complaining.
“When you’re around, I can’t seem to help myself,” he said quietly, his hands roaming, pulling me closer to him, now a full-blown hug, chest to chest.
Likely realizing this was my last shot, my brain made the decision for me. I closed the gap between us and pressed my lips to his.
I may have started the kiss, but Ray took over as though this one single kiss was his life support.
God, he was a great kisser. He took his time, causing all logical thought to be dismissed from my mind. The only thing my brain was capable of computing was that it wanted more—more of what Ray was giving me now, and more of what he had given me his first night here.
I knew I’d sworn to myself I wouldn’t do this again, but he was leaving tomorrow, which meant there wasn’t really a conflict of interest anymore if he wasn’t around.
Right?
Maybe it was because my body knew how tempting that option was, or my brain just simply chose to ignore the logic of keeping my clothes on, but in that moment, my mind was made up. I wanted another memory.
Memories like this were good because they were all I would ever let myself have. No relationships that could fail, just memories of fun times.
He was here for one more night, and he was mine.
With my lips still attached to his, I began feverishly working to unbutton and unzip his jeans.
He broke the kiss, and his heated gaze met mine. “Tammy, what are you doing?”
“I want you, and I’m pretty sure you want me too.”
This was my last chance to have one more night with Ray, and I wanted it.
“I do,” he replied, using his hands to tilt my head so he could look directly into my eyes. “Very much. But I thought you didn’t want to have sex again?”
“You’re leaving tomorrow,” I said, hoping he understood my explanation.
He started to say something else, but I cut him off. I didn’t need him talking sense into me right now.
“Shut up, Ray.”
I once again pressed my lips against his, and he let me for a moment before he pulled back.
“What exactly does that mean?” he asked, holding the sides of my head in his hands, smiling. “Not the shutting up part—I mean about me leaving tomorrow.”
I stared up at him for a moment, hoping the intensity of my gaze along with my words would make my intentions crystal clear.
“It means my angel wings are in the repair shop right now, so it’s time to have a little fun.”