Chapter Five
Julian
––––––––
Some shit always happened during important celebrations. It was an unspoken rule. This year, a freezer crapped out. That meant no ice and warm drinks, and no one needed that.
I'd sent the busboys to buy bags of ice, and they’d just returned. They’d have to run to the store every hour so we’d have fresh ice.
"Everything is under control," I concluded, watching them put the ice in small buckets to take to the front.
"Julian?" Andrew called to me. He was my head bartender today. "Can you come here for a second?"
"Sure." If we had another emergency, I was going to lose my legendary calm. Or I was going to call Zachary. I was good with emergencies, but he was excellent at multitasking.
"Listen, someone's accosting that lady friend of yours. I'm not liking the way he's talking to her."
Fucking Deveraux.
"Thanks for letting me know."
I walked from the back room straight to the bar. Georgie was in the same spot I’d left her, talking to Kyle.
I took in her body language, and I fucking hated it. Her shoulders were hunched forward. Her head was tilted downward. She'd come in here so happy, and now she looked completely different.
I knew Kyle Deveraux too well. We'd gone to the same school, and now we were running similar businesses.
He was a jackass, plain and simple.
I headed straight to them. The second I overheard the conversation, I saw red.
"Why are you even here?" he asked. "These aren't your type of events. You like to be out on the street with the rest of the peasants."
What the actual fuck?
I walked up to Georgie, standing right next to her.
"I invited her here." On instinct, I added, "I couldn't have my girl miss out on the first celebration of the season." Georgie nearly stumbled into the bar, but I put an arm around her waist, keeping her in place. "Still got some of the Sazerac? Give me a swig. I need it." I took her glass and winked at her, only drinking a small sip.
She looked at me questioningly, and I purposefully brought my ear close to her mouth as she whispered, "What are you doing?"
I couldn't fill her in without Kyle catching on. Not that I actually knew what I was doing. Playing it by ear was my specialty, after all.
I pressed my fingers deeper into her waist. I gave her back the glass and brought my mouth level with hers. "Just follow my lead."
At first, I only intended to make it look as if we were very comfortable being so close to each other, but the smell of her perfume messed with my senses. It went straight to my head, and suddenly kissing her seemed like the best idea in the world.
It would certainly throw this moron off his game and make him leave with his tail between his legs. In fact, I was running out of excuses not to kiss her. I'd wanted to do it ever since I'd gone to her store.
So I went for it, pressing my lips to hers slowly at first... but then she opened up for me. I groaned against her mouth. Fuck me! I pushed my tongue in, slowly savoring her. She tasted like Sazerac, of course.
Clearly, Georgie wanted this kiss as much as I did. I explored her without restraint, barely registering that my employees were watching, along with a lot of customers. I didn’t care. This moment was fucking everything. It fired up my body, and now all I wanted was to keep kissing her. Scratch that—I wanted to touch her too. I needed to lift her onto the counter, part her legs, and explore her until she shuddered in my arms.
The sound of a glass breaking and a wave of liquid flooding my shoes brought me back to the present moment.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry," Georgie said.
"Don't worry, babe. I made you lose your head. I'll take that as a compliment." I kissed her forehead for good measure before turning around.
That moron was still here. He looked between the two of us and snorted. "Right. This is a thing."
"Yes, it fucking is. So go bother someone else. Not my woman." I felt Georgie shudder even though I wasn't touching her anymore.
"Suit yourself," he said, then stomped away.
"Fucking finally!" I exclaimed. I turned around to look at Georgie, but she was already crouching on her haunches, gathering glass with her bare hands. "Georgie, stop. I'll get a broom."
"I'm really sorry for this." Her voice was shaking slightly.
I lowered myself catching each wrist with my hands. "For what? The kiss? Because I'm not."
She finally looked up at me, biting her lower lip. Her pupils were dilated. Her body language told me she didn't regret it one bit. In fact, she might even want another one, but she sighed. "I’m sorry. I can’t process it. This was... He always throws me off my game."
"I thought we'd return the favor. That’s why I kissed you." Among other reasons, like I’ve wanted to kiss you since the last time I saw you.
She grinned. "It was a good one."
"Let's get up. I don't want you to get cut."
One of the guys was already coming our way with a broom and dustpan. Rising to our feet, we stepped out of his way to allow him to clean up.
"I'm really sorry you had to witness that," she murmured.
"Georgie, stop apologizing. It's not your fault."
"I disagree. My silly ex came into your bar and started making a scene."
"Kyle likes to attract attention to himself. Doesn't matter if it's good or bad."
Her eyes widened. "You know him well."
"More than I'd like to. Want another Sazerac? You didn't get to drink much of the second one."
Some of that vibrant energy had slipped back into her eyes, but she wasn't nearly as ecstatic as she'd been when she first came into the bar. I fucking hated that moron for bringing her to this state.
"I think I’ve had enough alcohol for the day. I had some food, but I’m not sure if it was enough."
I leaned in close. "Wanna here a secret? We've got beignets."
Her eyes widened. "What? Oh my God, where? Why didn't you say that?"
I laughed. Yeah, that did it. The light was back in her eyes. She was starting to forget about that idiot. I had half a mind to have him escorted out of the bar, but that would cause a huge scene that we didn’t need.
"We keep them a secret and sort of push them on people who can’t hold their liquor too well."
Georgie was laughing in earnest now. "I see. You think I'm drunk."
I grinned. "Nope. I just want to spoil you."
"Well, I never say no to beignets. Does anybody in New Orleans? It’s mandatory to love them."
The smile she flashed me made me want to go to Café Du Monde and buy her beignets every damn day. "You’ll have to come in the back with me for that. We haven’t brought them out yet."
"Sneaky beignets. I like this more and more."
I put my arm around her shoulders, bringing her close as I led her to the back.
"Just in case he's watching," I explained, and she instantly tensed.
"Good thinking."
That was absolutely not the only reason. I simply wanted an excuse to touch her.
Right before we stepped into the back room, I looked behind me, surveying the crowd. Sure enough, that fucker was checking us out. Fantastic.
I led her to the smaller storage room where we’d put the beignets.
"Did you buy them from Café Du Monde?" she asked.
"Of course! They’re everyone’s favorites—including mine. Some of my brothers swear there are better places in town for beignets, but I'm old-school."
"So am I." She immediately grabbed one and bit into it, closing her eyes. That impulse to kiss her again was back, and I was barely keeping it at bay. There was no reason for it right now, and yet I wanted to.
Georgie only opened her eyes once she finished. "That was exactly what I needed, and I didn't even know it."
"Is there ever a bad time to eat beignets?"
"You and I have a lot more in common than I thought," she whispered.
"I think so too.” I checked the time. “The parade should reach us in about ten minutes, so if you want another beignet, grab it now, because otherwise..."
She reached for one before I even finished my sentence. This woman was something else.
As she chewed, I played with a dangerous idea. "Don’t go out on the street to watch the parade.”
"Why not?"
"I have a better spot to watch it from."
It was so easy to make this woman light up. How had that moron managed to snuff out this joy?
"I'm game."
"There’s a balcony upstairs. Since it’s on the second floor, you'll feel like you're part of the parade."
"But isn't it already booked?"
"No, it's not open to the public. It would be just you and me, Georgie." Despite my best intentions, I leaned in closer.
“Okay,” she whispered. “I've never actually watched it from a balcony in the Quarter. The lady living above Books & Beads isn't keen on having guests, and all the other viewing places are always so packed."
"Then let’s hurry. We'll see the parade coming in."
Georgie literally shoved the rest of the beignet into her mouth, looking like a squirrel with her cheeks about ready to explode. She covered her mouth with her hands and giggled.
Placing my hands on her shoulders, I turned her around and guided her forward. The spiral staircase leading to the upper floor was in the supply room. It was extremely narrow, and I avoided it at all costs if I had anything to drink.
"This is perfect," she said when we reached the top. The sound of trumpets and jazz music and people cheering was already deafening. When we stepped onto the balcony, we saw the parade coming from the end of the street.
"I love the view. This is why everyone is paying big money to watch the celebration from balconies."
I zeroed in on her lips.
"Do I have something on my mouth?" she asked.
"Powdered sugar."
Georgie only had a little bit of sugar in one corner, but that wasn't why I was looking. The truth was, I simply couldn't stop myself. She rubbed at her mouth quickly, and when she lowered her hand, her lips were red. They were full and sexy with the look of just being kissed. The impulse to do just that was growing stronger by the second. But I knew I had to get myself under control because I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. Running into her asshole ex did that already.
She turned around as the parade came closer, clutching the railing with both hands and looking down at the street. I was usually downstairs with my team, putting out fires at this time of the day, but no way in hell was I going to leave Georgie's side. Watching the parade with her was a different experience altogether.
She was dancing lightly to the sound of the music. "I found one downside. I can't catch beads from here."
"Beads?" I asked incredulously. "I would think that's the one thing you don't need."
"I don't need them," she said. "But I like the tradition."
"I'll find you some beads," I promised.
She glanced at me for a brief second, and I had the impression that she was checking out my mouth too. My cock twitched at the thought. Aw hell! I was usually in more control, but right now I needed something I never thought I would.
I hoped my reasonable side would prevail or I was going to kiss this woman right here against the railing.
She swallowed hard. I leaned in slightly, but then she turned around abruptly, looking down at the street. This was a smaller parade, but it encapsulated everything I loved about this season in New Orleans. The energy was damn infectious. Everyone was enjoying themselves to the maximum, celebrating life and being part of this incredible culture.
"I like that costume so much."
She pointed at a woman who was wearing what looked like a full body tattoo, though I was certain she had to have some clothes on because it was cold. Which reminded me...
"Georgie, are you cold? I can bring you a blanket from inside."
"Oh, no. I've had Sazerac and beignets, so my body temperature is higher than it should be, but in a good way. Does that make sense?" She kept dancing.
I chuckled. "No, but that's okay. Just enjoy yourself."
I was watching her more than the parade. She was so at ease in her own skin, and it just drew me to her. Georgie was a confident woman who also happened to be super sexy. I was having a hard time finding reasons to stay away.
As one of the bigger floats came by, she said, "Oh, I can't believe that's going to make it down the street."
"I know." It was questionable, but somehow they always made it through.
One of the reasons motorized floats weren't allowed in the French Quarter anymore was the streets were too narrow. This one was cutting it close, but that gave me an idea. Some of the dancers would literally pass by our balcony throwing beads like there was no tomorrow. Georgie was too excited to even notice, dancing and pointing out which costume she liked most. But I had a plan. I found one of them throwing out beads, and as they passed the balcony, I grabbed a fistful.
Georgie wasn’t paying me any attention, dancing even wilder than before. Damn, the woman could move. She didn't see what I was doing, so I put a hand on her waist, moving along with her. She startled slightly but then leaned into my touch. Hell yes. I held my other hand up in front of her.
"Here are your beads, my lady. I never break a promise."
She gasped. "Julian, oh my God."
I put them all around her neck as she kept dancing.
"You've got excellent rhythm," I whispered in her ear.
"You're not so bad either."
"Not so bad, huh? Was that supposed to be a compliment?" I teased.
"I don't want you to get a big head. I mean, you're a fantastic kisser. If I compliment your dancing skills, too, where would that get me?"
"Tell me more about my kissing skills. What did you like?"
She was far more relaxed than she'd been right after we’d kissed. That was good. Maybe her initial discomfort had simply been because that moron was still hovering around.
"I don't know. Everything. You've got a way about you.” She giggled. “Oh, man, I think that Sazerac is working."
I laughed. "I think so too."
She covered her mouth and half turned to look at me. "Sorry, that was far too much information."
"I liked every bit of it," I assured her.
We made eye contact for a few seconds, but then she glanced away. We didn't talk at all for the rest of the parade, just danced and enjoyed the moment. Our chemistry was palpable. Georgie was very different from the women I’d previously dated. Her sincerity drew me in just as much as her curves.
"I've never had so much fun at a parade," I informed her as the celebration wound down.
She turned around. "That cannot possibly be true. You’ve probably attended a million of them."
"I have," I said, "but sharing it with you was a different experience altogether. I don't think I've seen anyone enjoy it as much as you do."
"Um, hello? Did you see all the people down there? They were having a lot of fun."
"But I’ve always watched it from the sidelines. This was different. I love that you celebrate it with no restraints."
She smiled sheepishly. "Well, I might go overboard. I didn't see anyone in the bar wearing a glittery dress."
"It looks fucking amazing on you."
She snapped her head up, lips parted.
"And you are amazing,” I continued. “I hope you didn't let one word that moron said get to you."
Her demeanor instantly changed. Fuck, why did I have to bring him up?
"I try not to, but it's hard. Mom raised me to never care about what others say. She had to endure a lot worse, considering my dad left when I was little. It was a hard time for her."
"I’m sure," I murmured.
"But I'm not made out of stone. Kyle did throw a few punches to my self-esteem, but you fixed it all with your beignets and beads. And just being you."
"Don't forget the kissing."
She nodded. "And the kissing, yes. That was a highlight."
It was on the tip of my tongue to say that I could repeat it any fucking time. She only had to give me a sign and I’d kiss her senseless.
"I think I should be going."
"No, don’t. Stay." I wasn’t sure what I had planned, but I knew I didn’t want her to leave.
She licked her lips. "Your crew might need you downstairs eventually."
"They probably do. I lost track of time."
That was an understatement. I'd been gone for far longer than intended, yet I didn't regret it one bit.
"Hey, bro, what the fuck? We've been looking for you forever. We thought you bailed on your own party," Beckett called up to me from the street. "Oh, hi," he said, looking at Georgie. "You look familiar."
Anthony was with him, too, sporting a knowing smile on his face.
"Everyone, this is Georgie. Georgie, these are my brothers, Beckett and Anthony," I said.
I unconsciously put a hand on her shoulder, and my brothers zeroed in on that the gesture. I knew without a doubt that I was never going to hear the end of this.
"I'll be down in a minute," I assured them.
“I should get going,” she repeated.
As much as I hated her leaving, I had to get back to work. Darn .
“I’ll walk you to your store.”
“That's crazy,” she scoffed. “You've got a full house here, and your brothers are waiting.”
I cleared my throat. “I don't want that fucker getting anywhere near you.”
That was true, but it was also an excuse. I simply wanted more time with her.
She licked her lips, looking sideways. She was fucking beautiful. Those eyes and full lashes drew me in and held me captive.
“I’m sure he’s already gone. Thanks a lot for everything.”
“Julian!” The call came from down the spiral staircase. It belonged to one of my bartenders.
“See?” she said with a smirk. “You'd better join everyone before they think I've kidnapped you or something.”
I wiggled my eyebrows, leaning in. “I wouldn't mind if you kidnapped me, Georgie. Not at all.”