Finally, the night was almost over.

I’d done everything I could to avoid Kai as much as possible after, well, whatever the hell happened between us the night before, but that didn’t do me much good in getting the thought of it outta my head. Was he flirting? His hand was on mine way too damn long for me not to wonder, but then again, what if it was just wishful thinking? It wouldn’t have been the first time I’d caught feelings for a guy who didn’t return ‘em.

It didn’t help that, suspiciously, he and I’d been scheduled to work together alone again. It was almost like Jason was trying to set us up or something. I would have to have words with him at some point, but that would have to come later. It was late, but I still had a job to do, and the faster it got done, the faster I could get away from Kai and all the weird ass vibes I was gettin’ from him.

Maybe it was just because my current dry spell had gone on longer than Gone With the Wind, but there was something electric about Kai, something about our hands touching that set me on fire. Especially the way he looked at me after, like he was almost daring me to say or do something. Or, you know, maybe I was being a creep. I mean, the guy was a fucking walking Greek statue in pretty much every way, and he had the confidence and the people skills to get with anybody he could’ve wanted to be with—and that damn sure didn’t include me.

Then again, maybe this was all putting the cart before the horse anyway. Maybe I was just a dumb hick overinflating my chances with somebody who was very clearly outta my league. I won’t lie, I was desperate, and maybe it was because our wit and senses of humor seemed to click with each other, I dunno, but he was easier to talk to than he had any right to be.

In any case, I’d been lucky so far in that we hadn’t ended up alone together again. Steady business, unlike the night prior, kept both of us moving, and mostly kept me locked up in the kitchen—which didn’t bother me a damn bit. There was something calming about being in the kitchen, listening to the bubble of the fryers and the rest of the equipment humming while I was in my little world. It let me think, get my bearings—but maybe that wasn’t such a good thing since my thoughts kept circling back to Kai. How couldn’t they though?

I mean, Jesus Christ on a crutch, the guy practically came on to me the night before. And now we were working all alone, doing our best to pretend like nothing out of the ordinary had gone down. But what else could what I call it? It wasn’t exactly an innocent exchange. Our hands touched, there was some flirtatious banter, and then we went about our way after we talked about a drink called Piece of My Heart.

If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear the whole thing was ripped hook line and sinker from a trashy romance novel—the kind my mama used to read while she sat out on the front porch swing sipping sweet tea and “tsk, tsk-ing” the scandals she read about before her stories came on TV.

During the times Kai and I did cross paths, or the brief few moments where we were alone without a customer to distract us, the air between us was charged in a way like it was just waiting for a spark to set it off. It was difficult to describe, but I didn’t doubt for a second that something was cooking between us and I wasn’t sure how the hell to feel about it.

Granted, it’d been over a year now since Scott had left me, but I wasn’t sure that I was ready for something like that again—assuming Kai was even interested in the first place, which was a pretty big assumption.

“You doing all right back here?” Kai asked as he came bustling through the kitchen door, his hands full of dirty dishes. That was the other nice thing about working back in the kitchen; I got to do all the dishes. Most people hated it, but there was something almost Zen about it for me. I liked the feeling of the hot water on my hands, the repetitive motion of scrubbing the dishes before I tossed them into the industrial dishwasher. So I’m old-fashioned, maybe even a little cuckoo with stuff like this, but hey, we all gotta find our peace somewhere, right?

“I’m surviving,” I said, and he smirked at me.

“Looks like it’s finally starting to slow down. For a minute there I didn’t think we were going to be able to get out of here on time tonight,” he said. I glanced up at the clock hanging on the far wall and gulped when I realized it was almost time for us to close already. Where the hell had the day gone?

“Well that’s good, I was turning into a worry wart myself,” I lied. Truthfully, the last thing I worried about was the business and getting out of work on time. The bigger issue for me was the man standing in front of me. What the hell was I supposed to do? I was feeling something, and I was willing to bet he was too, but someone needed to make a move to get things rolling, and I wasn’t sure I had it in me. If I didn’t, would he?

“Are you okay?” Kai asked, and I let out a sigh. No, I wasn’t okay, but I damn sure wasn’t about to tell him that.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just got a lot of personal stuff on my mind, you know how it goes,” I said, and he raised his eyebrows at me before he shook his head.

“Oh, you bet I do. Kinda comes with the territory being the offspring of celebrities,” Kai said, rolling his eyes. “Is it anything you want to talk about?” I hung there for a minute, debating whether or not I should say anything. Of course, there was a voice in the back of my head screaming at me how awful of an idea it was, but at the same time, there was a burning, almost a clawing feeling in the pit of my stomach telling me just to spill my guts. Maybe this was the universe’s way of giving me a chance to be a damn man about it for once.

“Naw, not really, but thanks anyway,” I answered, sinking into shame. Why couldn’t I just say something? Thankfully, the front doorbell dinged again as somebody walked inside. Kai let out a protracted sigh, rolled his eyes and stalked off out of the kitchen. As soon as the door closed behind them, I let out the deep breath of air I’d been holding. Had I been that close to telling him how I felt? Jesus, maybe I was coming unglued, maybe I did need to find a little bit of action to take the edge off or something.

But it couldn’t be with him, no matter what I thought of him, no matter how much he got my engine revving.

I watched Kai through the tiny square cutout in the wall, designed to allow the cook and the rest of the bar to communicate. He greeted the customer who’d just walked in—big surprise, it was Harry, the biggest barfly in all of Beauclaire—come to make the last call before we closed up for the night. I probably should’ve seen it coming, but it still amazed me one person could drink so damn much and manage to walk straight afterward.

Harry sat down at the counter, barked an order at Kai, and Kai poured him a draft from the tap. Well, at least it would keep him busy and outta my hair for a while. Maybe that would give me some time to collect my thoughts and keep myself from saying anything stupid again. God, I’d been so close to saying something. What the hell was going on with me? I hadn’t felt this discombobulated over a man since Scott, and that scared the hell outta me.

“Can you believe this guy?” Kai asked as he came back into the kitchen to wash off the mixer and the rest of his utensils, hopefully for the last time tonight.

“Oh, he ain’t hurtin’ nobody. I mean, think about it, how miserable must his life be if this is all he’s got?” I asked, and as soon as the words came outta my mouth, I regretted saying ‘em because they left me wide open.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I mean, it’s not like Sweden doesn’t have its fair share of drunks,” he said with a laugh. “Is he a regular or something?”

“Are you kidding me? He’s the only person who kept this bar going for months before the remodel,” I said, and Kai laughed.

“Was it that bad? I would never have guessed based on a night like tonight,” he said.

“Yeah, it was rough for quite a while there. Both Jason and George were convinced we were gonna have to close up not too long ago,” I said.

“Well, I’m glad they didn’t. I don’t know what the hell I would do if I didn’t have this job,” Kai said, and I fixed my eyes on him.

“You know, that reminds me, I’ve wanted to ask you for a while now,” I started, and he raised his eyebrows at me.

“Ask what?”

“Well, I’m not trying to dig into your business, I know how that feels, so feel free to tell me to buzz off, but I can’t help wondering… What brought you here? Like, why on earth would someone like you come to a nothing little town like Beauclaire?” I asked, and he chuckled.

“You say that like I had a choice in the matter,” he said.

“What do you mean?”

“I didn’t come here out of my own will. My parents shipped me here because I was a little shit,” he said, and I weighed his words for a moment while I considered what to say next.

“Why?” I asked.

“It’s a long story,” he said. “Maybe someday I’ll tell you about it, but I’m not ready to do that right now.”

“Fair enough, I won’t ask,” I said, shrugging out them. “But can I ask you about something else?” I asked, and he narrowed his eyes at me.

“Depends on what you’re about to ask,” he said.

“Well, it’s about last night…”

“What about it?” he asked, and my heart hammered in my chest. I had to ask, had to know, so I could stop agonizing over whether or not what I thought was going on was going on, but for some reason the words caught in my throat like honey. What was I supposed to say? I felt like a dumb ass middle school kid all over again, frettin’ over whether or not to pass the note to my crush in the class, asking them to check yes or no if they like me back.

“We had a bit of a, well, moment or something,” I said, not able to look into his eyes. Didn’t help that they were like tasers every time they looked at me.

“We did?” he asked, and when I looked up, I realized he wasn’t looking at me either. That made me feel at least a little bit better. Maybe he wasn’t as cocky and confident as I thought he was.

“Yeah, we did. Don’t tell me you don’t know what I’m talking about,” I said.

“I’m not sure I do. Refresh me,” he said.

“Oh, come on, don’t be stupid. You know exactly what I’m talking about. Remember, when I passed you the drink…?” I asked, and it was almost like a light went off above his head. He looked at me, looked back at the floor, and glanced over his shoulder like he was hoping someone would be there he could run to get away from me.

“What about it?” he asked when he realized there was no escape.

“Did you… Hell, I dunno man, did you feel something?” I asked. God, I felt so stupid. So inexperienced, like I’d never done this before. Truthfully, though, I hadn’t. It wasn’t like I had an extensive relationship history. My history more or less started and ended with Scott, the sorry bastard.

“What do you mean by that?” he asked and I rolled my eyes, frustration boiling in my stomach.

“Come on, cut the crap. There was a moment there, actually more than a moment, where our hands brushed, and something happened, something shifted. Am I imagining things, or was there a bit of attraction there?” I asked, stunned at myself.

“Wait, are you serious?” he asked.

“Of course I’m serious, I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t,” I said. “I mean, you are gay, aren’t you?” I asked, and he laughed at me.

“Yeah, of course, I am, not trying to hide that,” he said. “Though, to be honest, I didn’t think that you were, or at least I wasn’t very sure of it.”

“Well, that’s all fine and dandy, but you ain’t answered my question. Are you, uh, interested in me that way or am I outta my mind?” I asked, and he let out a sigh as he rested his hands on his hips and looked from side to side.

“I’m not sure,” he answered.

“How can you not be sure? It’s a yes or no question, it ain’t like I asked you to solve the mystery of the Mayan prophecies or some shit,” I said, and he laughed again.

“Well, it’s more difficult than that. I mean, I won’t lie, there’s something going on here, it’s pretty fucking obvious, but I don’t know what to call it or what to do with it,” he said.

“Why not?” I asked.

“Well, for starters, I get the feeling you don’t like me very much,” he said. This time it was my turn to laugh.

“Can you blame me? I mean, it’s not like you’ve given me a whole lotta reasons to think that you’re not a lying dirtbag,” I said, and he burst out laughing, making Harry moan outside, though it was about as jumbled as what was going on between us.

“I know, I’m not exactly the most likable guy, I have no illusions about that, but… I don’t know; I just get the sense you hate me or something,” Kai said with a shrug.

“Naw, man, I don’t hate you, I just don’t know what to make of ya. I mean, think about it from my side. You blow in here from the other side of the world, dripping with confidence and mystery, and ask for a job at a family-run bar with no explanation about why you’re doin’ it in the first place. It’s weird,” I said.

“Fair enough, but that doesn’t explain why you have such strong feelings about me, does it?” he asked.

“All right, if we’re diving in deep here, I’ll be straight with you, it doesn’t have a whole lot to do with you,” I said, again surprising myself at my own words. What the hell was this, some therapeutic session or something? I hadn’t said this much about my feelings for months, much less to a guy who was more or less a damn stranger.

“Oh? If it isn’t me, then what is it?” he asked, and he seemed legitimately interested, his deep blue eyes fixated on me. It was almost like last night all over again, like the rest of the world just fell away, and there was nothing but us.

“It’s who you make me think of,” I blurted before I could keep myself from saying the words. Still, as awkward as it made things, it felt good to get it off my chest. It wasn’t just the way Kai behaved that got under my skin, it was also that he reminded me in pretty much every way of Scott, and that was the last person I wanted to think about.

“And who might that be?” I asked. “I hope you don’t say who I think you’re going to say.”

“No, I don’t think it will be who you think I’m going to say. You remind me of my ex,” I said, and this time he burst out laughing.

“Really? Are you serious?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’m dead serious. I can’t explain it to you, because you don’t know the guy and probably never will, but there’s something about you that just takes me back to him. It wasn’t a good breakup, and it wasn’t particularly recent, but it was painful nonetheless and I still ain’t quite over it.”

“Well that explains why you’re such a damn grouch,” he said, and I chuckled. At least he wasn’t taking this too seriously. ”Is it a good or a bad thing that I remind you of him?” he asked.

“It’s not a good thing, but there’s nothing I can do about it, and it’s not like it’s fair of me to put that on you,” I said.

“What happened, if I can ask?”

“Oh, it ain’t nothing to worry yourself over,” I said, and he stared at me. Why did he want to know? “What?” I asked when he didn’t say anything after a few moments.

“Come on, you can’t tell me all this shit about you and an ex and how I remind you of him and then leave me hanging when I ask about what happened to make him an ex,” he said.

“I don’t wanna talk about it, but if you gotta know… he, uh, didn’t find me attractive after a few years,” I admitted, my face tingling.

“Are you serious?” Kai asked, incredulous. Did that mean he didn’t agree? Well, that made me feel a little bit better about my chances.

“I wish I wasn’t, but yeah. Three years together and then poof, one day the bastard came home from work and told me he was done, that he didn’t want to be with someone who didn’t ‘share fitness goals’ with him or whatever. I mean, we’d been fightin’ for months about all manner of shit, and I was stress eating and being a general slob, so maybe he was right,” I said.

“Right? No way. He wasn’t right, he was an asshole,” Kai said. That one caught me by surprise. I hesitated before I said the words burning at the tip of my tongue.

“No offense or nothing, but I kinda thought you’d be on his side,” I said after a while, and he scoffed.

“What? Why? I know Americans love their stereotypes, but just because I’m the kid of rich parents and European doesn’t make me the shallow dick you seem to think I am,” he said.

“Really? Then what the hell are ya?” I asked, and he smirked.

“I think you just need to get to know me a little bit better. I might surprise you. You know what, that sounds like a great idea. What are you doing tonight after work?” he asked and my heart skipped a beat. What the hell? Was he asking me out?

“I don’t know, probably drinking a few cold ones and calling it a night. Why?” I asked.

“Well, I don’t know, I was wondering if maybe you’d want to hang out for a little bit or something, like I said, get to know me better,” he said, and if my heart had been racing before, it was nothing compared to what it was doing now.

“I ain’t trying to throw no pity party for myself here,” I said. He didn’t need to try to make me feel better.

“Neither was I. It’s just two work friends hanging out after a shift. What’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing, I reckon, but… I’m a little confused here, Kai. What are you doing?”

“There’s nothing to be confused about. Like you said, it’s a simple question, yes or no. So, what’s it gonna be?” he asked.

“I dunno. What did you have in mind?” I asked.

“Well, what if we hit the gym?” he asked.

“The gym? At this hour? You sure you ain’t drunk?” I asked, and he laughed at me.

“No, definitely not drunk. It’s a good way to burn off some energy before bed, and it might be good for you to have a workout partner. Besides, I need to get back into the habit myself,” he said. Yeah right, because he was in such awful shape. Please.

“Are you trying to tell me I’m fat?” I asked, and he shook his head at me before he rolled his eyes.

“No, you jackass, I’m not saying that at all. What I’m saying is that if you want to try to get into shape, for your own sake, I’ll support you,” he said.

“This doesn’t make any sense. Not even a day ago you were ready to put a knife to my throat; now you’re offering to help me work out?”

“Like I said, I’m not who you think I am,” he said, smiling at me. What harm could it do? I mean, worst case scenario, he turned out to be exactly who I thought he was and we went back to the status quo, and best case scenario, I earned myself a new friend. What did I have to lose?

“All right, why not?” I asked.

“That’s the spirit. You know of a place around here?” he asked. As a matter fact, I did.

“Sure do. There was a time, back when I was still with my ex, that we used to visit this place pretty frequently. We can go over there once we finish up here,” I said.

“Perfect,” he said and stepped out of the kitchen to shoo Harry home, leaving the door swinging back and forth as he left. Funny enough, that’s exactly how I felt. Was I making the right decision, or was this a disaster waiting to happen? Or, was it destined to lead to something more, maybe another flash in the pan moment like the one we’d had the night before?

There was only one way to find out, but I was more than a little nervous. I mean, Jesus, how many guys like me with less than stellar bodies go to the gym with supermodels like Kai and don’t feel a little self-conscious? Then again, there was the prospect of seeing him shirtless and sweaty, and that alone might be worth the price of admission.

The thought got me more excited than a pig in heat.