Strauss–The Blue Danube Waltz.
It wasn’t often that Strauss dominated an evening at Lucky, if ever. He shook his grinning head and looked over at Ed and Errin, who were sort of gliding around the makeshift dance floor.
Although red in the face, with sweat running down his temples, Ed persevered and even smiled down at Errin as the couple took another turn. They almost bumped into the booth closest to the pool tables, but Errin guided them just in time back toward the bar.
Errin fixed her eyes over Ed’s shoulder on Brennan, and his mouth went dry at the pure and insane perfection of Errin. It was like they were in a game of who would divert their gaze first.
He wouldn’t break their stand-off. Those light blue eyes shone with laughter and mischief. He needed that. God, did he need some of her rays of sun in his life.
The way Errin kept pulling on his heartstrings made him uneasy. He needed to clear his head and take a breather.
“Are you okay?” Jessica asked, drawing his attention from Errin.
“Erm, you know what? I’ll take a quick break out back. I’ll be a few minutes.”
Jessica nodded and walked away to take another order at the far end of the bar. He strode into the kitchen, almost walking straight into Paddy, the middle-aged cook who’d been helping Emmy.
“Sorry, Paddy.”
Paddy shook his head and mumbled, “No worries, Brennan, me boy.”
Emmy looked up from her pan that wafted some exceptional aromas around the kitchen. “Cuz, I need—”
Brennan held up his hand. “Not now, Emm.”
He walked past her, through the backdoor and into the enclosed back ally behind Lucky. He plopped down on the bench, placed his elbows on his knees and held his head in between his palms. After taking a couple deep breaths, footsteps sounded his way.
Errin’s eyes met his as she balanced herself with one hand against the wall behind his bench, causing the spark to simmer in the air between them. Shit.
“Sorry, I know you’re on a break. But Jessica assured me she could handle it.”
Errin perched herself next to him on the cramped bench and took a deep breath, just like he had a minute ago.
“I know you’re busy, so I’ll keep this short,” she said.
“Errin, what’s so important you have to leave Jessica tending the bar on her own?” Brennan said while staring at the concrete wall in front of them. He was short with her and purposely avoided eye contact.
Because if he’d look into those sparkling baby blues, he would pick her up, place her on his lap and kiss her stupid. He would forget about his rule not to date women working at Lucky. About his rules to never turn out like his father.
“Phhst. Nothing she can’t handle. Ed and four of his buddies are the last ones in. They’re practically nursing their drinks back to life. Ed’s beer is almost older than I am.”
He didn’t respond and she added, “But do you know what’s even staler than those beers out there?”
He sighed and shook his head before she said, “Karl’s breath.”
That drew out a chuckle from him. As the lengthy silence between them turned awkward, he risked a glance over his shoulder.
Her eyes traveled from his chest back up to his face and just before their eyes met, he fixed his gaze on the concrete wall.
Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her eyeing him. Was she still affected by him? Like he was by her? Or was she sizing him up for an argument since he acted like a royal arse?
“You know what? It can wait.” She stood from the bench and walked back into the kitchen.
He trailed his hand over his face. Fuck. He wanted Errin. Why did he have to be such an arse to her? Would it really be that bad to give whatever simmered between them a chance? He sighed and looked up at the inky sky.
His dad may have been a loose cannon, going through one woman to the next in the late hours at Lucky. Brennan sure as hell wasn’t walking in those footsteps. If Brennan would do this with Errin, he needed to be all in. He smiled at the thought of Pops’ description of the warm blonde spitfire. Was he ready for hurricane Errin?
“Bunny, can I please have a Screwdriver and a Watermelon Vodka?”