The night was more fun than I thought possible. I felt exhilarated. I felt happy. So what if my parents gave away the café I put time and effort into? I was running a bar. Judging from the amount of people who patron the bar, it looked like it was going to break tradition and make enough profit to actually stay here for quite some time. My heart warmed at the thought. More than that, I wanted to be part of that.

After the bar officially closed, my feet screamed in pain. I hadn’t noticed before that being on my feet for long periods of time caused them to cry out in agony.

I didn’t drink, but this was cause for a celebratory glass of wine.

“Want a shot?” Bodhi asked from behind the bar. He gave me his patented charming smile and I felt myself chuckle, my face warming as his eyes fell on my face.

“You’re off the clock, Bodhi Rogers,” I pointed out. “Don’t use that damn smile on me. It’s not going to get you a bigger tip.”

“If I get a tip at all, I’ll call the night a success,” he said.

My heart pounded. My stomach fluttered. There was something inside me that wanted to kiss him. I didn’t know if it was in rebellion against what happened with Mark and my parents and the café. I didn’t know if I was experiencing adrenaline still and I was acting based on the rush of endorphins coating my insides. Maybe I had wanted to do it for a while but hadn’t let myself, hadn’t wanted to be one of girls who threw themselves at his feet.

I met his lips with my own. I felt him go still underneath me. Just for a moment. And then his hand grabbed the back of my head and his tongue licked my bottom lip. I sighed, feeling much better than I anticipated. The bar was between us but I didn’t mind even if it was slightly awkward.

I opened my mouth to let him in, to let him explore my mouth. I could taste the Coke on his tongue and smiled. He was delicious. I heard myself moan, surprising myself and waking up from the haze I was currently under.

“This is a bad idea,” I murmured after pulling away. However, I could not bring my eyes away from his lips. I wanted more.

“Is it?” He sounded genuinely confused, like he wasn’t sure what to make of the situation. I could tell by the way his eyes had darkened that he wanted to kiss me again.

“Yes, it is.” Even as I said the words, I felt myself leaning in for more.

We kissed again. This time, it was more passionate. His fingers tugged on my hair and mine gripped his face. He should not be a good kisser. He should not be allowed to taste so good and smell so good and kiss so well. I wanted more. I wanted him all.

My hands dropped from his face and tugged at his shirt. I had no idea what I was doing but I needed his shirt off now. I didn’t know if Hawk was gone, if Isla was lingering around. I couldn’t bring myself to care. I just knew I needed to get all of this tension and frustration and elation, all of this built-up energy and just let it out in a completely physical way.

“The back,” he suggested, somehow, through our kiss, “my office.”

I nodded my head. I couldn’t bring myself to speak. Not when my focus was entirely on Bodhi and the way his shirt looked nice on the floor of the bar. He broke from the kiss, only to dash around the bar and swoop me up in his arms once more. I couldn’t stop myself from squealing as he tossed me over his shoulder and led me to the office. From my position, I could see the muscles rippling in his back. He had cute little dimples just above his butt.

When we got to his office, Bodhi slammed the door shut and repositioned me, placing me on the surface of his desk. He didn’t hesitate; he reached out and started to strip me of my clothes, and I let him. There was no voice telling me this was a bad idea. There was nothing inside of me telling me to stop.

I urged him forward, running my hands up and down his arms, his shoulders, his rippling abdominal muscles he must have gotten from all the time on water.

We kissed again as he shrugged me out of my collared shirt. My slacks were the next to go. My hands trembled with anticipation as my fingers undid the button of his jeans. I needed his help getting him out of those jeans, but soon, they were on the floor, leaving him in nothing but tight maroon boxer briefs. His hardness was bigger than I anticipated and my pelvis pulsed with desire.

Bodhi was one of the few men who knew how to undo a bra without looking at it and he all but ripped my panties off. We were both naked, panting heavily, staring at each other.

“Are you sure about this?”

No. Of course I wasn’t. But I wanted this.

Bodhi grabbed a condom and slipped it on. He gently pushed me back so I was lying on the surface of his desk. He took my knees and gently spread them apart. His hands gripped my thighs and he stared down at me with hooded eyes.

“God, you’re gorgeous.”

And he pushed himself inside of me, and in doing so, took me to a place I had never been before. I cried out his name when I hit my peak and he followed soon after. We were pretty quiet as we rushed to get dressed. There would be no lingering or romance in the bar.

“So,” Bodhi began playfully once we caught our breath and were clothed. “What do you think? We’re clearly compatible. You know I need you, the bar needs you. Any chance you want the job?”

I laughed. “As much fun as this was,” I said, running a hand through my hair, “I still have no idea what I’m going to do. I need more time.”

I gave Bodhi one last look. He was...wonderful. But that didn’t necessarily mean that I wanted to work for him.