Chapter 11
After a full day off catching up on sleep and time with Hannah, I was jolted awake by my phone buzzing on the nightstand. With a groan, I reached over and answered it without looking at the screen.
“Hello?” I mumbled groggily, scrubbing at my eyes with my free hand while I struggled to adjust to the daylight streaming into my room.
“Oh my God. I woke you up. I’m so sorry.”
At the realization of who the voice on the other end of the phone belonged to, I checked the screen. Sure enough, it displayed Dani’s name. She was sniffling and her muffled voice sounded like it came from underwater.
“What’s going on?” I asked. “Have you been crying?”
“I wish. My germ-infested little brother must have brought something home from school. There’s no way I can make it in to work tonight. Is there any way—”
“Of course I’ll cover your shift.” I was already sitting up, already buzzing inside from the prospect of the busy night ahead.
“You didn’t let me finish.”
“Were you going to ask me something other than if I could cover your shift for you?”
There was a beat of silence before Dani said, “That’s exactly what I was going to ask.”
“Then the answer’s still yes,” I laughed. “You saved my ass the other day. I owe you.”
“I didn’t do it so you’d owe me.”
“I know, but unless you want to spend the shift sniffling in the storage room—and I’ve been there, it’s not as much fun as it sounds—then I’m returning the favor. Don’t worry, I’ve got nothing else going on tonight.”
She sneezed. “Thanks, Ryder.”
“Get better soon,” I said, climbing out of bed. “And keep your snot to yourself.”
James was swarmed by customers, but he still greeted me with a welcoming, “You look like you just rolled out of bed.”
I laughed. A weak, tired laugh. “Careful, boss. You’re making me blush.”
I let myself under the bar pass, heading toward the back hallway to clock in.
When I agreed to cover for Dani, I hadn’t considered that James and I would be working together in very close proximity to each other. Even the dishwasher had called out sick, leaving us alone.
I was hyper aware of James the entire night. I didn’t need to see him to know he was there; I could feel him. No matter which way I turned or how much distance I put between us, he was there.
Somehow, I managed to keep my composure. I only spilled one drink and it wasn’t even my fault. The steady flow of customers distracted me enough to where I could pretend James wasn’t driving me wild by simply existing near me.
We both let out sighs when the crowd died down, leaving only one or two stragglers behind. James leaned against the shelves, rolling out his stiff neck.
“Take a break,” I said.
“Huh?”
“You’ve been moving for hours, even before I got here. You look pale—why don’t you get something to eat?”
“It’s been so busy, I guess I haven’t thought about it.
” He paused, glancing up at the clock as I stepped forward to pour a drink for one of our last customers.
“You’ll be okay if I duck out to grab something?
Dani said she was home alone tonight and I’d like to swing by and make sure she’s okay.
I’ll come back in time to help you close. ”
The thought of him checking up on her warmed my heart, and did nothing to sway my crush. “That’s really kind of you. I can manage, go on.”
He gave a one-shouldered shrug at my compliment. “You want anything?”
I shook my head. My stomach was currently too preoccupied with its fluttering to think about silly things such as hunger.
I busied myself cleaning as much as possible to save time later.
I gathered dirty glasses and cleared away what trash I could as the last customer left.
Because we weren’t officially closed yet, I kept an ear out for the bell as I started moving stuff to the back.
I’d just dropped a handful of dishes into the sink when I heard it chime.
I made my way back into the main room, but when I rounded the corner, I lost my breath.
It wasn’t James.
The guy was pretty—supermodel pretty, with an expensive air about him.
His immaculate golden hair swept up and away from his flawless face.
Seriously, he didn’t have a mark anywhere, except for a faint scar under his left eyebrow—and the twin spots of color on his cheeks, bitten pink from the New England cold.
Hunter-green eyes scanned the room before locking onto me.
The way they trailed over my body, it felt like he was commanding an invisible pair of hands, the sensation making my whole body tingle.
He shrugged out of his coat. He smirked when he found me eyeing him back, shoving his hands into the pockets of his three-piece suit and starting toward me.
Game on. I licked my lips as he approached and noticed his eyes track the movement.
When he moved, he almost glided across the floor. It was a perfect, seamless stride.
“Hi,” I said, giving him a smile as I leaned forward on the bar. “What can I get you?”
“Manhattan, please.” Damn, his voice was smooth as butter. He maintained eye contact as he sat down at the bar—directly across from me. When he leaned forward onto the mahogany, the silver cross around his neck caught the light. “And whatever you’re having.”
I grinned, turning to make his drink. “Thank you, but I’m on the clock.”
“Suit yourself.”
I finished his drink and pushed it across the bar, accepting the cash he handed me. “You’re not one of those good, church boys are you?” I asked, regarding the cross.
He laughed. “Oh, far from it.” Our eyes locked again. I twisted my towel around in my hands.
“Good,” I said. “Because the things I’m thinking right now are very unholy.”
He took a sip of his Manhattan, fire burning behind those beautiful green eyes. “Care to indulge me?”
“Mm, maybe,” I teased. “I guess we’ll have to see how good you can be.”
He set his drink down and extended his hand. “I’m Luke,” he offered.
I slowly slid mine into his grip. “Ryder. Let me know if you need anything.”
I reluctantly pulled away, but let my fingertips linger against his as long as possible.
I felt his eyes on me as I busied myself wiping up the tables and clearing away the last few dishes.
I didn’t have to lean across that last booth, but I did, making my jeans stretch over my ass. I swore I heard him groan.
“You doing all right over there?” I asked, pleased with the way he watched me round the bar again. I tucked the dish bucket away and reached for his empty glass. “You want another?”
“Please.”
I grabbed a new glass and got to mixing. I felt Luke’s eyes follow my every move, so I put a little more flair behind tossing the bottles around—and maybe gave him a heavy pour.
“Thank you, Ryder.” He purred my name, as if he were enjoying the way it felt in his mouth. I squirmed. He took a drink, then his brows furrowed together. “Wait, are you Hannah’s dad?”
I cocked my head at him. “Damn, I knew this town was close-knit but maybe it’s smaller than I remember.”
Luke shook his head, a smile on his lips. “Kian’s my little brother. You’re the only thing Hannah’s been able to talk about for weeks.”
My heart skipped a beat. “Really?”
“Yeah, she’s been so excited to have you here. And I have to say,” Luke paused to lean across the bar, bringing himself that much closer to me, “it’s nice to put a pretty face to the name.”
I cleared the bottles and dishes away, folding my arms on the countertop. I was close enough to smell Luke’s expensive cologne, to see the flecks of gold in his eyes. I inhaled deeply, almost intoxicated by his scent. “Do I meet your expectations?”
“You blew them out of the water.” He swallowed, and hesitated before speaking again. “This may be the alcohol making me extra bold, but what are you doing tomorrow night?”
“He’s working.”
Both Luke and I snapped our attention to the door. We’d been so enthralled in each other that neither of us heard James come in. He stood with one hand on the door, the other held a bag of food. Luke turned back to me, eyebrow raised. “Well, what time are you off?”
My eyes flicked back and forth between James and Luke. “Late,” I admitted. “Sorry. I don’t think it would be a good idea anyway. It might make things weird with Hannah.”
Though I saw disappointment in his eyes, Luke nodded as he rose from his seat. “I understand—she’s your priority. But does that take flirting off the table?”
Before I could answer, James cleared his throat, catching our attention again. “If you’ll excuse us, Luke. It’s late, we’re tired, and we’re closed.”
“I’m going!” Then to me, “See you around, Ryder.”
I made no effort to hide the way I watched him walk away, perfectly tailored trousers clinging to him in all the right ways.
He donned his expensive coat once again, muttered a good night to James, and stepped out into the darkness.
James locked the door behind him and turned off the signs.
As each one went dark, Luke disappeared a little more.
I watched until I couldn’t see him anymore.
James turned back to me. On the surface he seemed calm, cool, and collected. But I didn’t miss the intensity in his eyes. He tried to mask it, but I saw it. “Luke? Really?” he teased, crossing the room and setting the bag down on the counter.
I cocked a brow at him. “Jealous, boss? There’s plenty of me to go around.”
James mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like, “I don’t share,” but quickly recovered. “Are you hungry? I brought plenty.”
I eyed the bag, and for a second my stomach thought about grumbling. But I was way more interested in the way James’s arms bulged against the restraints of his t-shirt as he shimmied out of his jacket, so I shook my head. “No, I’m okay. I don’t think you can get what I’m craving from a restaurant.”
“Well in that case…” James looked at me and grinned, and hope sparked in my belly. “Those dishes aren’t going to wash themselves.”
I sauntered away. “My dick isn’t going to suck itself either,” I muttered under my breath.