Brooke laughed. “I wish I could stay,” she said, “but the city calls. I have a job offer from a company that has gotten serious about hiring me. They’re even willing to wait until the end of the summer.”
It felt as if Brooke had tossed her pint glass at my chest and a piece of glass lodged itself in my heart. Not only did I know nothing about this offer, this also meant I’d been wrong. She wasn’t considering staying.
Which was good? Right?
This woman had me tied in knots trying to figure it all out.
“Our loss,” Owen said. “And Grado’s too. In the meantime, I’m glad to have you. If you ever need anything, I’m here most nights. At the store most days.”
“You work as much as this guy.” She nodded toward me.
“Occupational hazard of being the boss,” Owen said. “Right, Cos?”
“Unfortunately,” I agreed, though at the moment it wasn’t the worst thing about being in charge.
“The boss,” Brooke said. The meaning behind her words apparent only to me. “With great power comes great responsibility.”
“She quotes Spiderman,” Owen whistled. “Brooke Ellis, you are one fine woman.”
He wasn’t even being subtle about his flirtation now.
“I’m pretty sure Spiderman got it from somewhere,” Neo said.
“Voltaire,” I added, drinking half my beer in one swig.
Brooke peered at me over her own glass, not quite as impressed as she had been with the cherry, but with some measure of admiration. I’d start reading more philosophy tonight if she continued looking at me like that.
“If you’ll excuse me,” Brooke said. “Have to hit the ladies’ room.” Then to Owen, “It was really nice meeting you.”
“Same to you.”
Owen was about to say something to me when I decided it was indeed a good time to hit the little boys’ room too.
“Doing the same,” I said. “Beer’s going right through me.”
No one paid much attention as I followed Brooke, which meant, shockingly, Marco had kept his mouth shut about the kiss. Otherwise, Neo would be giving me the evil eye right about now. I felt bad not mentioning it to him, but the last thing I wanted him to know was exactly how flawed his older brother was. Neo had always idolized me, and it was a standard I’d mostly lived up to.
I reached her just in time. As Brooke was about to push open the door to the ladies’ room, I stopped her, grabbing her free hand. Then, pushing open the exit door between the men’s and ladies’ rooms, I pulled Brooke outside with me.
The door to the bar had barely closed behind us before I pinned her against it.
CHAPTERNINETEEN
brooke
His mouth coveredmine before I had a chance to even think about the fact that this man was currently my boss. A man who kissed like he’d been doing it every day since puberty. And given his looks, I might not have been surprised if that were true.
Except, I didn’t want it to be true. Unless he was kissing me.
Which Cos did, hungrily. A kiss that came from two weeks of denial. From the brush of our legs earlier as he got up from his stool. From Owen Smith even, the jealousy I suspected over his attentions now confirmed.
No man kissed like this for any reason other than to claim a woman. To sear her brain with the memory of such a feeling so thoroughly that she’d never want to kiss another man again. His hands grabbed both of my wrists, pinning them above my head. That we would surely be missed inside seemed to bother him as little as it did me at this moment.
As if I’d try to move my hands, which I would not, Cos tightened his grip, his thumbs pressing into each wrist, almost massaging them. The length of his body covered my own. He was hard, and needy, like me. When Cos finished devouring my mouth, his tongue slashing against my own with a fervor that reminded me our time alone was coming to an end, he broke away. Looked at me with a very clear expression. One that anyone in their right mind could read.
I want to fuck you.
And guess what? I wanted that too.