Chapter Ten

Beth

I stuff my purse behind the bar as I prepare for my Friday night shift at the BA. This last week with Maverick has been torture and in the complete opposite way that working with Austin is torture. How we managed to resist each other—not an easy task, I might add—is beyond me. But somehow, we did it and right now, I’m thankful to be working somewhere with no stress and no sexual frustration.

“Hey girl, is work going any better?” Sky asks. Luke walks in behind her and slaps her ass before clocking in on the computer. Sky giggles but at the same time acts like it’s the most natural action in the world even though she’s aware people can see them. If Maverick did that to me at the office, I’d probably freak out and be mortified to show my face again for a day or two. Then again, the environment here versus there is not even close to the same.

I give her the short answer. “Work is going good.” Sky laughs at something Luke says and then she shoves him as he wanders back to the storage room.

So, this is what it would look like if Maverick and I could show our feelings at work. Not that I really know there are any to show other than the fact we want to shred each other’s clothes every time we see each other.

“Just good. That’s it?” she prompts me.

I’m not sure what I should say. Maverick and I slept together only once and I already have myself in a fucking mind mess at my big-girl job. I really should start acting more grown up.

“The project is going good. I like what I’m doing there. It will be great to see how everything comes together next weekend. You and Luke are still planning to come, right?” I ask.

“Yep, we sure are. I’m excited too to see what you’ve done.” She flashes me a smile. “As hard as you’ve been working, I know it will be great.”

“Ha, no pressure or anything.” I chuckle and start making drinks as orders come in off the printer.

“How are things with Maverick?” Sky pinches her lips together as she stocks the cherry tub in front of her, but she doesn’t look at me.

“What do you know?” I ask. Shit, who all saw us here the other night?

“Enough to know that it’s been a month since you started this job and you are still interested in the same guy, and that’s a big deal.”

“I think you heard wrong. Maverick’s still around because I work with him. That’s all.”

“Yeah, I’m not so sure about that,” she says.

I’m not so sure either, but I’m not telling her that.

“So what happens when this job is over and they can select only one person? What will you two do then?” she asks.

I keep my focus on the beer taps in front of me. I hadn’t really thought of it. I mean, only one of us will be employed, but as far as me and Maverick, I don’t know. Will he leave?

Beer sloshes over the side of the glass in my hand and I shake all current thoughts from my head. Maverick and I just work together and had sex once, that’s all. Just because I’m attracted to him physically doesn’t mean I have to think about what might happen. It doesn’t matter what happens.

I know what I need to do and, no matter what happens between Maverick and I in the meantime, I can’t let myself forget that.

Maverick

It’s been only a week since we slept together yet I feel like I’m going to combust if I don’t see Beth outside of work again. And I don’t mean just see her. There’s something about this girl. I don’t want to go as far as to say I need her because we hardly know each other, but whatever it is, it’s damn close to need.

I step into the BA where she mentioned she would be working tonight. She never said to actually come see her—she just said she couldn’t work on the project because she was busy. Working. At a bar. This bar. And I decided I need a drink. I also called Tyler and invited him to meet me here.

My heart is racing like I’m a damn fifteen-year-old all over again. And it’s so dumb because I see her every day and we’ve had sex, so I shouldn’t be as nervous as I am now. If I were coming here for the reason I want, to hit on her and take her home after her shift, maybe my palms wouldn’t be so sweaty. But since I’m coming here to explain why I’m in the new hire program and that a romance of any kind should wait till after the summer, because we are both professionals, this is the way it is.

Pushing my nerves aside, I head for the bar. A quick scan tells me that Tyler isn’t here yet, but there are plenty of barstools open for me to pull up a seat. A blonde, Sky I believe, steps up to grab my order. I saw her the night Beth and I were here but never actually met her.

“What are you having tonight?” she asks. She smiles and makes eye contact, but the moment Beth steps out from a door behind the bar, all my focus moves to her. The way her hair shines, braided to the side. The way she’s got on a pair of shorts where the hem ends right under her ass cheeks. The way her legs look in their black tights and the way her chest hugs her t-shirt. When she takes a step toward me, my eyes fall to the tears in her tights and I smile. Just the flash of her milky soft skin peeking out sends every idea of what I want to do to her racing through my mind.

I swallow back the images and think of a drink order to give the bartender.

“Maverick, I presume,” the bartender says, and I lean back in my seat.

“Have we met?” Maybe we did.

“Just once and it wasn’t a formal introduction. I’m Sky.” She offers me her hand and I shake it.

“You going to order a drink, man?” A guy steps up to Sky and snakes his arm around her waist as he stares me down.

“Luke, this is Maverick,” she says. I don’t miss the way she slowly says my name as if he is supposed to know all about me.

“Oh, hey.” His attitude takes a one-eighty and he shakes my hand too. Maybe he does know who I am. I start to grin. Does Beth talk about me to her friends? “I’m Luke. I was—”

“Maverick!” Beth pops up next to Sky. She looks panicked. “What are you doing here?”

Well, I came to tell you that we need to remain strictly coworkers, but looking at you now, I know I don’t stand a chance in hell of sticking to my own words.

“Just came out for a drink” is what I say instead.

“Oh, of course,” she says quickly. She glances to Sky and Luke, who are beaming smiles at her. “I’ll take care of him.” Sky nods, walking away.

“I bet you will,” Luke says and follows behind her.

“So what can I get you?” Beth asks me, her hands fidgeting together as she watches me.

“Is everything okay?” I ask.

“Great.” That’s a fake smile. “Beer?” she asks and then turns to pull one from the fridge behind her. She seems almost as nervous as I do.

“Hey man, sorry I’m late. I had to make a stop on the way here,” Tyler says, pulling up the seat next to me. “I’ll take a Bud bottle,” he says to Beth’s back.

“Find a new bar, Maron,” Abby says, now coming into view behind the bar. She slams the small round tray in her hand down on the bar top as she glares at Tyler. I bet their story is a good one, but I also bet it’s not one he can tell me about over one drink, so I’ll ask him about it another day.

He doesn’t reply to Abby the entire time she’s staring him down.

“Are you guys still taking the Brian’s family boat out tomorrow?” Tyler asks Beth as she places our beers in front of us.

“Yeah, you should come, Maverick,” Luke answers for her.

“No,” Beth says.

All of us—me, Tyler, Luke, Sky, and Abby—look at her.

“I mean,” she starts and looks at me, “you probably have more important things to do on a Saturday.”

“Actually, I don’t,” I reply. If I hadn’t been watching her so closely I would have missed the way the right side of her lips tug up just slightly before she captures her bottom lip with her teeth. Fuck. Every time she does that, it sends a zing through my groin.

“Okay.”

“Awesome,” Sky says.

“We’ll meet out front here. Say ten thirty?” Luke says.

“Yeah, I’ll be here,” I say, my attention still locked on Beth.

After a minute, she licks her lips and shakes her head, stepping toward the other end of the bar. I can’t see it, but I know she’s smiling.

“So you and Beth, huh?” Tyler asks.

“We work together,” I say, but even I don’t believe it is the short story as I say it.

“I’ve known Beth for quite some time, and I have to warn you, she’s never had a boyfriend before.” He takes a drink of his beer while mine almost sprays out of my mouth.

“What?” I emphasize the t.

“Yeah, it’s pretty crazy. When her parents divorced, I think it did a pretty good number on her and her outlook on guys.”

I’ve known many people with divorced parents, but Beth would be the first I’ve ever known who has let that keep her from a relationship.

“Don’t get me wrong—she’s had a few flings, but no man has ever won her over enough that she kept him around as anything more. Just wanted you to have a heads up,” he adds and then signals to Beth for another beer.

She pops the top off more bottles for him and for me. She’s still at my end of the bar when Tyler excuses himself to use the restroom.

“If you don’t want me to go tomorrow, I won’t,” I tell her.

She shrugs. “You can do whatever you want, Maverick.”

“You keep saying that, but if it were true, I’d have a whole different type of day planned for us tomorrow.”

Beth’s eyes light up as she holds back a smile.

“So you’ve said before,” she says and then winks at me.

“I only speak the truth.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow, and please try to keep your hands to yourself,” she says.

“I’m not making any promises,” I say. When it comes to Beth Moyer, I have low self-control.