Chapter Eight
Someone needed to rein Trevor’s ass in the next time he placed a marketing order. Ten boxes of T-shirts would take forever to sell and took up too much space in his storage closet. What he really needed were the damned coasters.
He shifted the last box he’d checked over with the others, putting them in order by size on the storeroom’s middle shelf. The laughter and shouts from his better-than-average Friday night crowd were mostly muted by the thick storeroom walls, but the bass from the sound system surrounded the ten-by-twenty space like a heartbeat. He nabbed a smaller box off the top shelf and sliced open the packaging tape with his pocket knife. Nestled inside was a mother lode of cardboard coasters with The Den’s logo imprinted in the center. “Finally.”
Behind him, the storeroom door swung open and the chatter and music from the main bar swelled to full roar.
Box in hand, he spun, expecting to find Vicky ready to read him the riot act for taking his sweet-ass time in delivering her goods, but found Natalie frozen in the doorway.
Her gaze darted from the box in his hands, to his face, then down to her navy-blue Keds. “Sorry, I didn’t know you were in here.”
“Last I checked, the storeroom’s not off-limits for employees.”
She shifted her feet and tightened her grip on the door, still not meeting his eyes. She’d been doing that a lot around him the last few shifts, always giving him a wide berth, but watching him when she thought he wasn’t looking.
But he’d always been looking. Hell, his whole body went on point the second she walked into the bar and his brain got very single-threaded anytime she got within twenty feet of him. It was like his body had fashioned an inner radar calibrated just for tracking her. “Relax, Nat. I was looking for coasters, not committing a crime.”
She blushed a pretty pink and waved her hand toward the syrup boxes lined up on the wall closest to the bar. “Vicky told me to switch out the Coke syrup.”
God, if she blushed that pretty finding him with just a box in his hand, she’d have fainted busting him in the shower the last five days. With all the dirty scenarios his subconscious had offered up since their kiss, it was either take his dick in hand and find release, or walk around with constant wood.
“Don’t have to explain why you’re here, darlin’. Do what you need to.” He set the box of coasters aside and forced himself back on task. The last thing she needed was him breathing down her neck and making her even more nervous than she already was. Although, the idea of being close enough to make her jittery appealed on a whole lot of levels.
The door snicked shut, dousing the crowd’s rumble.
He slid a few more boxes around, but damned if any others matched the first one. Planting both hands on his hips, he scanned the shelves one last time.
All at once, the lack of sound behind him registered.
He twisted and found Natalie staring motionless at the mess of hoses leading out of all the boxes. “Vicky bother to tell you how to switch ’em out?”
“I can figure it out.”
“No doubt in my mind you can, but someone showing you once wouldn’t hurt.” Plus, there was the added bonus of proximity, a feat he’d had a hard time pulling off with her lately without drawing attention from the rest of his staff.
She inched closer to the boxes, angling her head to one side like the change in view might hold some clue on how to start.
God, she was cute. “You always this stubborn learning new things?”
She popped upright and frowned. “I’m not stubborn.”
Oh, yeah. Totally cute. Especially when she got her back up. He bit back a chuckle and ambled toward her. “Says the woman with a determined scowl on her face.” He turned her by her shoulders, parked himself as close behind her as he could without completely spooking her and pointed to the box on the bottom shelf with the Coke logo. “Grab the connector and release the latch.”
Bracing a hand on the shelf above it, Natalie leaned over and wrapped her hand around the hose. “Release it how?”
Trevor couldn’t think. Couldn’t process anything except Natalie’s sweet ass on prime display right in front of him. He fisted his hands at his sides, fighting the impulse to grip her hips and fit himself against her. He let out a slow breath instead and leaned over her, his chest mere inches from her back, and pointed to the latch beneath the connector. When he spoke, his voice rumbled with the same depth as the bass reverberating around them. “Squeeze right there.”
Fingers trembling, she wrapped her hand around the latch. “Here?”
Fuck no. Wrapped around his rapidly hardening cock would be way better. Or hanging on for dear life while he drove himself inside her. He inhaled deep and her wildflower scent filled him. More than anything, he wanted to slide his hands around her rib cage and see if her tits filled his palms in real life as good as they had in his dreams. “Yeah, you’ve got it.”
She fumbled the first time, then tried again, bearing down harder until the latch popped free.
“Now just switch out the box with the one beside it and plug the hose back in to the new connector.” The more she moved, the more her glossy hair slipped forward and hid her face. From here he could easily move it aside and explore the line of her neck. He’d bet anything she had a sweet spot there, one that made her eyes all heavy and heated like last weekend.
He straightened and stepped away, his blood pumping even faster than his dangerous thoughts. Five days he’d kept his distance. Five nights he’d fallen asleep with her in his head and woken up to thoughts of her first thing in the morning. For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out why. He’d always gone for statuesque blondes, but watching Nat’s curvy ass wiggle while she fit the new nozzle in place, he couldn’t envision anyone else but her. Not even when he tried. Being around her did weird shit to his head.
She levered herself upright and spun, a huge smile on her face. “I did it.”
“‘’’Course you did.” He motioned to the empty box and fought the need to adjust his throbbing dick. He tried to keep his voice normal, but it came out gruff. “Drop that by the back door, and I’ll toss it in the dumpster on the way out. I gotta run some errands as soon as Ivan’s back.”
Her smile slipped a notch. “Everything okay?”
“Right as rain.” Or it would be as soon as she wasn’t within grabbing distance. As it was, if she so much as inched a toe his direction, he’d have the storeroom door locked, her back to a wall and his mouth on hers faster than she could say yes. “Tell Vicky I’ll be up with the coasters in a bit.”
“Okay.” She cocked her head like she thought about saying something else, then shrugged, grabbed the empty syrup box, and headed for the door.
You meet a woman you think about before you go to sleep and first thing when you wake up, she’s worth chasing no matter how messy it is.
“Nat.”
She froze with one hand holding the door open and glanced back at him.
“You got Levi this weekend?”
She shook her head, and a little of the lightness behind her eyes dimmed. “He’s not back until Sunday.”
Great. Here he’d gone and reminded her how her kid was spending the week with his dickhead dad. “So next weekend he’s back at your place?”
“Yeah, why? You need me to work?”
He could say yes. Completely play shit off and act like that was all he wanted. Damned if that was the route he was going to take though. “Was actually thinking you and Levi might want to come out to my place. The weather’s supposed to be nice the next few weeks. Thought I’d make good on my promise to Levi for a horse ride. Your day job’s only Monday through Friday, right?”
A mix of emotions moved across her face, the wave too fast to discern which one held more sway. “My company’s closed on the weekends, but I’m not so sure Levi and I coming to your place is a good idea. Levi’s over the moon with the idea I’m seeing someone, particularly when he can brag about that someone with his best friend.”
“Not sure I’m seeing how that’s a problem.”
She bit her lip and tucked her free hand in her back pocket. “Because at some point I’m either going to have to tell him the truth, or pretend we’ve parted ways. He’s already going to be crushed. I can’t risk hurting my son.”
He prowled closer, the pain and worry in her gaze tugging him to her more thoroughly than any lasso. She was right, though. Common sense said they’d be smart to let things fizzle on their own, but damned if his gut could get with the program. “There’s another option.”
Her brow knitted up tight and her head jerked back an inch. “What option?”
“We keep doing what we’re doing and ease him into the idea we’ve decided to stick to a just-friends relationship. No kisses. No hugs. Just friends who look out for one another.” Of course, as soon as he said it, his head screamed bullshit foul. Now that he’d felt her against him—tasted her mouth and heard those sweet sighs she made—the concept of friends didn’t appeal at all.
She swallowed and slid her hand from her back pocket to rest on her belly. “What about people at work? I don’t want them to get the wrong impression.”
“Do I look like a man who gives a rat’s ass about impressions?”
“You’re the boss. You don’t have to care, but I do.”
He leaned in close, halfway tempted to coil his hand around her nape and take what he craved. “Anyone on my staff so much as gives you the hairy eyeball, they won’t make it another second on my payroll.” He held his place long enough to let his vow sink in, then straightened and gripped the edge of the door. “Now are you gonna help me keep the promise I made your kid, or do I have to get creative on how I talk you into it?”
Her eyes flared wide, and the same dazed hunger he’d seen in them after their first kiss blazed bright. “I’m not sure what to say.”
“Easy. Say yes.”
A shy smile tipped her lips. “You’re bossy.”
“And we’ve established you’re stubborn, but I’m also persistent.” He inched closer.
She licked her lip, the innocent swipe making his cock strain a little farther. “You’re sure about this? Levi’s a handful.”
“Levi’s got nothing on me. I was a seven-year-old boy once too, remember?”
Her gaze roamed his face, and her smile softened in a way that soothed everything inside him. “I can only imagine.” As soon as she said it, her focus sharpened and she took a discreet step back. She nodded. “All right. Just this once. Levi’s been through a lot, and I’d like to see him have a special day. Just remember, we’re working our way toward friends. I can’t risk hurting him more in the long run.”
Friends. It was the smart move. Definitely safer for Nat, but it still didn’t sit right in his gut. For her, though, he’d give it a shot.
For now.
Next Saturday? Maybe not.
He winked and dropped his hand from the door. “Next Saturday it is. I’ll pick you up at eight.”