Page 19

“Jill told me you were. Why can’t you admit you’re wrong? Do you need therapy to help you do that?” He chuckled.

She gritted her teeth and turned around. “Look, I don’t like you and you don’t like me. We have to work together for your daughter’s sake, and I need a second job to make ends meet. If you want me to go, just say it. I can find another job.”

His green eyes pierced the distance between them. She held her breath, her heart beating so fast she was sure it’d break through her rib cage. A deep fire blazed in his gaze, but it was one of desire, not anger. She stood immobile as he came over and grabbed hold of her shoulders, drawing her to him. She titled her head back and he crushed his lips on hers—fiery, passionate, and demanding. She wanted to pull away, but she couldn’t; she was losing herself in the kiss.

“Breanna,” he whispered, and she savored the way he said her name, her heart pounding at his voice. He pressed his tongue to the seam of her lips and she parted them, allowing him in. Their tongues tangled as their breath mingled, and she ran her fingers down his back, tugging him closer until there was no space between them, until she could feel the beating of his heart against her chest.

When his hands started to slide under her miniskirt, she broke away and pushed back. He cupped her chin and tilted her head back. “We both want this.” He gently brushed his lips across hers. She wanted to throw caution aside and press into him, fusing her body with his as they had wild sex, but her brain kept niggling at her. He was her client’s father, a biker, and off-limits. She had stepped on the line, but if she went any further, she’d definitely be crossing it. She couldn’t do that.

“I lost my head for a moment,” she mumbled as she pushed away from him.

“I have that effect on women.” He chuckled as he held her gaze.

She pressed her lips together as she finger-combed her messed-up hair. “Is this the way you initiate all the waitresses on their first night?”

“Pretty much.” He smiled but his tone was harsh, like he was pissed at her.

She grabbed a large pack of cocktail napkins. “Does your club own part of the bar?”

“Just me. Jorge and I go back a long time. We’ve been buds since we were ten years old. His dad owned this bar, and when his old man got sick, Jorge asked if I wanted to be part owner. I had some money saved, so I bought into it. I’m rarely around. I have enough to do with the club’s businesses. I had no idea Jorge hired you. Fucking small world, right?”

“You said it. I better get back out there. I’m sure Jill’s cussing me out for taking so long.” She grasped the doorknob and turned it. Looking over her shoulder, she smiled weakly. “About what happened… it’d be best if we forgot about it.”

He took a small box from one of the shelves. “No worries, Ms. Quine. It’s forgotten.”

Her shoulders slumped as a heaviness spread throughout her body. “That’s good,” she said softly, then walked out of the room. For the rest of her shift, she snuck peeks at him, but he was either serving drinks, laughing with several bikers in the bar, or flirting with the women. She didn’t catch his eye once.

That’s what I wanted, so why am I feeling like shit because he’s not paying any attention to me? Maybe he’s right. Maybe I do need therapy.

Once her shift was over, she grabbed her purse and left the bar. She couldn’t wait to get home and soak her feet in a tub of warm water and Epsom salts.

Steel hadn’t been at the bar when she left. She wasn’t sure where he was. She’d spotted him cozying up to a woman who was practically spilling out of her ill-fitting top an hour before her shift ended.He’s probably banging her in the same room he kissed me. These bikers are all alike.

She slid into the driver’s seat and put her car in gear, gripping the steering wheel firmly, perturbed that she cared about him flirting with a woman. It was crazy. He was a free agent, as was she. They didn’t evenlikeeach other, so why did she feel pissed, irritated, and disappointed at the same time?I have to quit. I won’t be able to work around him. I’m sure I can find another waitressing job fast.Thoughts of what would have happened if she had let him go further swirled in her mind as she made her way home.

Once inside her abode, she kicked off her heels and moaned as she rubbed the balls of her feet. She took out a teal plastic tub and turned on the water, laying down a thick bath towel on the floor before placing the tub on top of it. She stirred in half a cup of Epsom salts and dragged one of her straight-backed chairs over, then lowered her aching feet into the warm, soothing water. It felt divine, like a slice of heaven.

She glanced at her phone and noticed four missed calls. Her stomach tightened as she scrolled through the numbers, praying that they weren’t from Nicholas. Relief flooded over her when she heard Nicholas’s landlady’s voice. She’d left four messages, the anger in her voice palpable by the last one. She emphasized that Nicholas was one month behind on his rent and if it wasn’t brought current, she’d have no choice but to evict him.

Breanna sighed. She’d just given him three hundred dollars to help pay his rent, which obviously went into his bloodstream instead of to his landlady. Tears stung her eyes. She took her feet out of the water and dried them, then went over to her purse, pulling out the wad of bills she’d received as tips that night. She counted the money and was shocked by the amount; she’d be able to cover Nicholas’s rent and then some.

She put the money back into her purse.I have to keep this job. The money’s too good. I’ll just keep my distance from him. It shouldn’t be hard since Steel seems to have a short attention span when it comes to women. All I have to remember is to not be alone with him or do something I’ll regret.

She switched off the lights and ambled to her bedroom. Undressing, she slipped between the covers. With her body aching and exhausted, she fell fast asleep.