“Don’t go,” Jordan says as I put on my shirt. He’s already enticed me into staying longer than I planned, and I had to shower here to avoid being late for work.

“I’m afraid I have to. My boss is a real stickler for punctuality and if I’m late, I’ll pay for it.”

A lazy smile spreads across his face as he tosses the sheet to the side. Jordan brings his hand to his cock and begins slowly stroking it. “I’m pretty sure your boss would make an exception today. I have it on good authority he missed you yesterday.”

Yesterday was Fourth of July, and Sasha and I worked so he could spend it with his family. His brothers are in town, and we know his time with them is precious. As soon as he got home last night, he called me over. The two of us haven’t spent more than a day or two apart in the last three weeks.

“Is that so?” I make my way closer to him and sit on the edge of his bed, never taking my eyes off his hand.

“Come on, Allie, take off your clothes. You’re already refusing to come back here tonight since Sawyer is spending the night. Let’s make up for the time we’re going to lose.”

“Doesn’t absence make the heart grow fonder?”

He groans. “No, it makes the blue balls last longer.”

I laugh and lean down to kiss him. “I’m really into watching you right now.”

“You do have a voyeuristic side, don’t you? We should test that out. Lie down and I’ll let you watch.”

He doesn’t have to ask me twice. I lie down, and he crawls between my legs and gets on his knees. Our eyes meet as he strokes himself. He swipes his finger through his wetness and moves closer, bringing it to my lips.

“Suck.” His husky tone washes over me, and I swirl my tongue around his finger before sucking it into my mouth.

Moaning his pleasure, he leans back and works himself faster. “Fuck, Allie, I wish we could just stay in bed all day. Maybe we can sneak into my office later.”

We both know that won’t happen. We’ve managed not to have sex at the bar so far, although he does keep tempting me with a good time over the bar one night when everyone is gone. I prop myself up on my elbow and lean forward, and Jordan moves in close enough for me to deep throat him.

He continues to work his cock as I eagerly take him. Sliding his free hand into my hair, he pulls me forward. “Baby, that mouth of yours … Fuck … I’m going to come.”

Gripping his ass, I pull him deeper, and he cries out as he comes. As I swallow his release, he shakes in my arms. Pulling back, he drops on top of me and devours my mouth with his. I love the way he kisses me, but with each passing day, I realize there isn’t much about Jordan Weston I don’t love. I’m in for a serious heartbreak when this ends.

“Want me to drive you to work?” he asks sweetly.

“No, I want you to sleep for a few more hours since you’re going to close and be up most of the night with Sawyer. Let me brush my teeth again and I’ll get out of here. You might want to write me a note excusing my tardiness though.”

He laughs. “If Sasha gives you shit, have her call me.”

The bar is already hopping when I arrive about twenty minutes later.

“Thank God you’re here. This place got crazy all of a sudden and Carrie called in sick. Chris is on his way, but it’s going to be about an hour.”

“Shit, Sasha, you should have called. Let me go put my stuff away and I’ll be right back.”

“Are you kidding? You’ve got that morning after glow. I didn’t want to interrupt that for you or J. He’s in a much better mood now that he’s been hanging out with you.”

After tossing my things in my locker, I get to work. The early evening flies by, and it’s not until I take a restroom break and I’m passing Jordan’s office that I even realize he’s here already. He’s waiting in the doorway of his office when I come out of the restroom and tugs me inside, closing the door behind us.

With my back against the wall, he presses against me. He’s hard as a rock as he lowers his mouth to mine. “I can’t stop thinking about this morning.”

“Is that so?”

Dipping his tongue into my mouth, he steals a kiss. “Mm, it is. Have I mentioned how perfect your mouth is?”

I kiss him before answering. “You have, and I’m beginning to think you have a fetish.”

“I’ve got a fetish for anything having to do with you.”

There’s a knock on the door. “Sorry, guys, but we’re slammed out here,” Sasha says through the door.

J backs away from me, and when I open the door, Sasha frowns.

“I’m disappointed in the two of you. I was hoping you’d at least be half naked.”

Jordan tosses his keys into his desk. “Sasha, you’ve had more sex in this office than I ever have. How can you possibly be disappointed? You should know better.”

She flips him off. “Allie is supposed to be a bad influence on you.”

“Ha! He’s the bad influence on me,” I point out.

Jordan shakes his head. “She couldn’t be a bad influence if she tried.”

Sasha snorts. “That’s what you think.”

We all head back out to the bar, and as I make my way over to check on my customers, Sawyer and Mac arrive. Even from way over here I can see Sasha lick her lips. At least she and Sawyer are under no illusions they’ll ever be anything more than fuck buddies.

There are two men seated at my current table. The one looking up at me now has been overly friendly all night. “Hey, sexy! How about you settle a bet for my friend and me?”

Here we go. Why do customers always hit on their waitresses? “If I can help I will.” I give them a fake smile, but it turns into a full-on smile when I catch Jordan eyeing me up from across the room.

“My friend says you must be dating someone, but we come here often and I’ve never seen you with anyone.”

Lame, and easy to squash with my standard answer. “Your friend is right. Can I get you guys something else?”

“Nah, we’re good. Thanks for answering though. Your man is a lucky guy.”

“Who says it’s a guy?” I give them a teasing wink and pick up their empty glasses.

Their mouths drop simultaneously, and as I’m heading back toward the bar, Tyler walks in and my good mood disappears. He hasn’t been in since J told him he was seeing someone, and J hasn’t mentioned talking to him at all, but then again, I haven’t asked.

My gaze bounces between the two of them, and I don’t know what to do. Now in full freak out mode, I do the only thing I can: go to the restroom so I can regroup.

I brace my hands against the sink and take a deep breath. Sasha storms into the room a second later.

“Are you okay?”

“Totally.”

“Liar.”

My hands tremble against the sink. “Sasha, what do I do? I can’t go out there and watch them together, and I don’t even know if Tyler knows it’s me Jordan is seeing. He’s a nice guy, but …”

“What, Al? I can’t help if I don’t know what you’re thinking.”

The desperation on my face is evident in my reflection in the mirror. “How am I supposed to be nice to the man who loves the man I love?”

Sasha pulls me into her arms. “Shit, Allie, does he know?”

“God no! It’s way too soon, Sasha. He’ll think I’m crazy.”

“Oh, honey, you’re not crazy. Jordan is really easy to love once he lets you into his world.”

On a deep exhale, I try to steel my resolve. “I’m going to go in the back room and grab some cherries or something so everyone doesn’t think I was losing my shit back here.”

“Okay, I’ll see you back out there.”

Sasha leaves the restroom, and I quickly wash my hands before going back to work. On my way to the back room, I see her in the hall talking to Mac. Once I’m in the room, I realize it’s been rearranged a bit. If I can just move these metal trays out of the way I can get to the cherries without the stupid stepladder. My sleeve gets caught on the corner of a tray, sending them crashing to the ground.

“Shit!”

It only takes a minute before Jordan enters the room and closes the door behind him. “Are you all right?”

I try to play it off, but I’ve never had a good poker face. “Yeah, I’m just clumsy. I was trying to get to the cherries and knocked the trays to the ground.”

He reaches for my hand and pulls me to a standing position. “Allie, we don’t need cherries right now. Why are you really back here?”

“I’m going to need some alcohol to explain that one,” I mumble.

He grins. “How about you just tell me? I’ll try to keep it painless for you.”

Might as well just spit it out. “Does Tyler know it’s me you’re dating?”

“No, but I can tell him if you’d like. Is that why you’re flustered?”

I lean back against the shelf. “We haven’t talked about him at all, Jordan. And I know we’re keeping this casual, but we’ve also been spending a lot of time together. Your eyes lit up the second Tyler walked in tonight. It was obvious he was excited to see you too. I’m guessing the two of you are still talking.”

He blows out a breath. “We’ve been friends for ten years, Allie. I’m not sure there will ever be a time when we don’t talk.” He steps closer and brushes my hair out of my face. “That doesn’t mean I’m going back to him.”

“But it doesn’t mean you aren’t.”

He closes his eyes briefly, “No, it doesn’t, but I would never lie to you. When I’m with you, I’m not with him, and I’m with you right now.”

“Did you know he was coming today? You could have at least given me a heads-up. I feel like the other woman.”

“You’re not the other woman. He mentioned he might stop by, but I told him I had plans, which you already know about.”

With a nod, I straighten my shirt. “We should get back, or at least I should, but J, maybe we should slow things down.” This is not at all what I want, but I think it’s what is best.

He brings his hand to my cheek. “Don’t do this, please.”

“I’m not saying we have to stop, but we’re approaching a tipping point. You have to feel it too. You were supposed to take some time and see what you wanted to do about Ty. I’ve been here eight months, Jordan, and you’re still as confused as you were before. I don’t want to rush you, but I’m not sure how long I can do this before my heart becomes compromised.”

His expression falls, and I kiss him on the cheek as I leave the room. Once I’m back at the bar, I flash Sawyer a smile. “Hey, Sawyer, how are you?”

“Good, how about you?”

“I’m great. Can I get you another drink?”

“Absolutely.”

It’s showtime. I’ll keep my Sawyer smile on for Tyler, and my attitude too. It’s not his fault I’m uncomfortable around him. “What about you, Tyler? Would you like another beer?”

“That would be great, thanks.”

Jordan and Mac appear while I’m getting their drinks. Suddenly, I really hate being one of three of Jordan’s conquests in this room. It’s putting me on edge, and it shows when I give Tyler his drink.

“So … did you decide to come and surprise Jordan tonight?”

Dammit. The way Ty looks between J and me, there’s no doubt he knows I’m the one Jordan is seeing. Maybe I just need to go home for the night.

“I’m not sure surprise is what I’d call it. Jordan knows I like to come hang out when I’ve got the time. I was hoping to take him out later.”

“Actually, Sawyer is spending the next couple of days with me and Fat Bastard.” Jordan’s tone is laced with sadness, and I wonder if it’s because he’s worried about us or about not being able to spend time with Tyler.

Tyler’s expression brightens with the news. “Oh, that’s cool.”

Sawyer gives Tyler a deeper explanation. “Yeah, now that Noah is a newlywed, I thought I’d give him and his wife some alone time before we get back on the road Monday.”

“That’s right.” Tyler stands abruptly, pulling money from his pocket, and tosses it on the counter. “That’s for my drinks and one of Sawyer’s too. Tell Noah I said congratulations. I’ll talk to you later, Jordan.”

J steps around the bar and goes to him, and my heart lurches in my chest. “Let me walk you out.”

Tyler shakes his head. “I’m good. Call me next week, yeah?”

Jordan pauses, looking unsure of what to do next. As he reaches for Tyler’s hand and squeezes it, it feels like he’s squeezing my heart. It’s an intimate gesture for him, one he does to me when he needs comfort or wants to give it. He rarely does it in the bar in front of people.

“I’ll text you later. If you’re up, we can talk. Text me when you get home and let me know you’re safe, okay?”

“Sure, I’ll text you,” Tyler replies as he leaves.

Thankfully, a customer waves me over and I can get away from all this awkwardness for a few moments. I don’t need to look up to know Jordan’s eyes are on me. I feel his emotions constantly as it is. The problem is, I can’t not look at him. I’m drawn to Jordan by an inexplicable force, but I’m beginning to wish I wasn’t.

While my customer jokes with me, I watch as Sasha and Sawyer make their way into Jordan’s office. She’ll be in a good mood tonight.

“I need two dirty martinis, Jordan,” I announce when I get back to the bar. He reaches for my hand, but I pull it away before he can squeeze it. It’s too soon.

With a wounded expression, he places the drinks on my tray. “We need to talk.”

“My shift is almost over and I’m really tired, Jordan. Why don’t we let it lie for a couple of days? Once Sawyer is gone, I’ll come over if you want me to.”

Indecision flickers across his face. “I’m not going to push you, but nothing is going to change between now and when Sawyer leaves. Whatever this is between us, it isn’t even close to being over. What happened tonight doesn’t change a thing. I’m not letting you go, Allie, not for a long time.”

It’s all I can do to give him a nod before dropping off the drinks and clocking out. I’m so exhausted all of a sudden. I know Jordan is a man of his word and doesn’t say anything he doesn’t mean. Maybe the nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach will go away once I’ve slept.