“Want to come clean my floors?” Layla’s voice broke through the rising voices around him.
He turned and smiled at the tight jeans she was wearing that hugged her curves. He didn’t care if Ethel would approve; he definitely did. His eyes lingered before moving up to the black sleeves that covered her arms and to her scarf that was wrapped around her neck. He smiled. “If you pay better than the jerk who owns this place.”
“I’ve heard he’s a cheapskate.” She gave him a wink then pointed at the mop. “Do you need some help?”
“Absolutely not.” She needed to take that jean clad body over to the bar while he finished up.
“Why? I clean up messes pretty much all day.”
“Which is why I wouldn’t expect you to on your time off, especially because you’re in jeans.”
“I wanted to make Ethel proud.”
“She’ll be proud, all right. Now go sit at the bar. I’ll be over in a minute.”
Declan watched her make her way to the bar, silently thanking Ethel. Those jeans did amazing things to Layla’s backside. He took his attention off her ass and finished up the floor. He deposited the bucket and mop in the utility closet in the back then returned behind the bar.
Layla sat down on her usual bar stool, and he grabbed a couple rock glasses. She eyed him curiously. He poured some of Bert’s moonshine into the glasses and slid one across the bar to her.
“I am not drinking that,” she said.
“It’s coffee flavored, freshly distilled, and I’m one of the first people tasting it. I thought you’d share the honor with me.”
“You won me over at coffee flavored.” She picked up the glass and took a sniff, her eyes closing before popping open in excitement.
He held his glass up. “Bottoms up.”
He took a swig, the liquid hit his tongue and the coffee flavor exploded. It was a perfect balance of roast and alcohol.
“Oh wow!” Layla said. “That’s delicious. It actually tastes as good as it smells.”
“Bert is a genius,” Declan said. “Now let’s see what I can do with this.” He turned to the bottles lined up behind the bar and let his eyes roam over the labels before something jumped out at him. He grabbed the bourbon and poured some into a mug along with the coffee moonshine. He added a little cream, a teaspoon of simple syrup and the hot coffee he had brewed in anticipation of Layla showing up. He stirred the drink and slid it across the bar. “Tell me how that is.”
Her lips puckered as she blew on the hot liquid before taking a small sip. Her eyes widened and her lips peeked out from the mug at the corners. “This,” she said, finger pointing down at the mug, “is seriously amazing.”
“I’ll have to add it to the menu.” It was easy enough that he could add it to the recipes to give Bert for when he got the tasting room up and running.
Out of the corner of his eye, Declan saw Rina lift a beer from the back of her tray. It would have been fine if all the weight wasn’t centralized in the front. The tray toppled forward, glass shattered, and the customer jumped up and out of the way as beer splashed across the table.
“Oh no!” Rina exclaimed, quickly running to get a towel.
Declan held his finger up to Layla. “Excuse me for a second.”
“Take your time,” she said.
Declan beat Rina to the table, wiping down the surface and offering a clean towel to the customer. It figured it wasn’t a regular; Declan had never seen the man before. “Did she get your clothes?” he asked.
“No, I have good reflexes.”
Declan carefully picked up the broken glass and tossed it into the trash.
“Declan, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened.” Rina took over cleaning the table, apologizing profusely while Declan cleaned up the rest of the glass.
“It’s all right. It’s just a little beer is all.” Declan looked to the customer. “I’ll get you another beer on the house.”
“That’s very nice of you.”
“Least I can do.” Declan headed back to the bar, and Layla bit her lip as his eyes met hers. He grabbed a pint glass and filled it. He also filled a glass of wine for the woman at the table and refilled the order for Rina’s other table.
She came over to pick up the drinks, and Declan loaded the tray. “Here’s a tip,” he said. “Think of your tray as a seesaw. When too much weight is at one side, it’s going to tip up. You want to keep the weight balanced. So when you are handing out drinks don’t take all from the front because the weight will shift forward and don’t take all from the back because you’ll be wearing the rest of the tray. Got it?”
She nodded.
“Good. Try not to break anything else.”
Rina carefully made her way back to the table, and Declan held his breath as he watched her go. When she made it, delivering the drinks without incident, he exhaled.
“She seems nice,” Layla said, and he turned to her with a cocked eyebrow. She stifled a laugh. “Maybe she needs a little work with balancing, but she’s sweet.”
“She’s killing me. She told me to take all the dishes out of her paycheck, but if I did that, the girl would have no paycheck. I couldn’t do that to her.”
“That’s nice of you.”
“Or foolish. I haven’t made up my mind yet. Your sister was the best waitress I had. It’s been rough without her.”
She smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I know what you mean.”
“The house still too quiet?” he asked.
She shrugged. “Yup.”
“If you want, I’ll stop by and stomp around in my boots.” He imagined going upstairs at Layla’s house and doing more than just walking. He imagined laying her on her bed and making love to her like he’d imagined so many times over the years.
Layla laughed. “Is it sad that I’m tempted to take you up on that offer?”
He shook his head. “Not at all. Just tell me when, and I’ll be there.”
A look of clarity filled her features. “You would, wouldn’t you?”
“Yeah.” The truth was, there wasn’t much he wouldn’t do for her.
Chapter 6
Layla stood from the bar stool, and the room shifted. She grabbed the top of the bar and steadied herself. “Whoa there,” she said, then slipped into uncontrollable laughter. She put a hand over her mouth, trying to stop the giggles, but it only muffled it slightly.
With a deep breath, she managed to get herself together. She sighed, her body completely free of tension. Happiness fluttered inside of her and she couldn’t stop smiling.
Her mouth widened as an unexpected yawn overtook her.
“Someone have too much to drink?” Declan asked.
She waved her hand and swayed slightly. “I’m just tired.”
His brow furrowed in the most adorable way like, a killer bear turned fluffy. “Is that what you call it?”
“Uh huh.” She pointed at him, but she couldn’t keep her hand steady, so she quickly put it to her side. “Just pour me some coffee, and I’ll be good to go.”
She reached into her bag, searching for her keys. She had put them in here earlier, or at least she thought she had. She dug and dug, moving confiscated candy, her wallet, a few tampons, and her cell phone, but still no keys.
The distinct sound of keys jingling came from in front of her, and she glanced up toward the noise.
“Looking for these?” Declan asked.
“How did you get those?” She swiped for them, but he pulled back.
“Do you honestly think I’m going to let you drive home? It’s like you don’t know me at all.”
She lifted her hand again, suddenly confident in her balance, and thrust a finger in his direction. Her balance swayed unfortunately, and she quickly grabbed the bar before she toppled. She rose on tiptoe, using the bar as support as she bent across the wood surface and pinned Declan with her gaze. She was going for sexy yet menacing, but she had no idea if she was pulling it off.
“Truth is,” she sai
d, “I don’t know you.” She lowered to the flats of her feet and shrugged. “You don’t want to tell me anything about you.” She turned, figuring she’d just walk home if he was going to be a stubborn, annoying ass. She changed her mind mid-step and swayed left, turning back to face him. “I thought tonight would be different. Silly me for thinking that putting my feelings out there would change things. You might like me, but it’s not enough.”
There, she told him. She grabbed her scarf because she’d be damned if she forgot it again and wrapped it around her neck. With her head held high, she strutted toward the door.
“Oh no, you don’t.” Declan propelled over the bar like some sort of Olympian bartender and cut her off. “I’m driving you.”
A perturbed breath rushed out of her mouth, blowing the rogue strands of hair out of her face. Too annoyed at him to meet his eyes, she cast her attention to the ground. And maybe it was the moonshine messing with her head, but if she stayed with him a second longer, she was either going to punch him or kiss him. Both those options sounded way too appealing, so she made a decision. “I’m walking.”
“No, you’re not. Now stay here for a second so I can tell Billy I’m heading out.”
She tilted her head, hand on her hip, and tried to focus on him. Did he think she was some puppy that would follow his command? She pressed a hand into her face, that moonshine was really messing with her head. Declan wasn’t demanding. He might look intimidating, but he was soft and cuddly. She sighed, wishing she could cuddle into his chest.
She rolled her eyes at her own thought and spun on her foot. Waiting for him like some obedient child who didn’t have any independence was not something she was down with. She’d been making decisions for herself and everyone else long enough, and she wasn’t about to change that. She headed out the door, the cold early fall air biting her cheeks.
A shiver ran up her spine and she tightened the scarf around her neck. The riding boots she paired with her jeans had a slight heel and as someone who wore sneakers every day, she was immediately regretting her decision. Not that she really had a choice.
One minute she was facing the street and the next her body was spinning away until she was eye to eye with Declan.
“I told you I’ll walk home.”
“If you think I would even humor that for a second then you really don’t know me.”
She threw her arms up in the air. “That’s what I’ve been saying. You tell me you like me, and I expected…I don’t know what I expected. I guess I wanted more from you. I want to know where you came from and who your family is. What you were like in high school and why you wanted to own a bar.”
He ran a hand along his beard, tugging at the edge. “I grew up in Southern California. My mom died from a drug overdose when I was five, and I lived with my dad until I was sixteen when he died. I was a loner in high school, and I bought the bar because it made sense at the time. Now can you let me take you home?”
She didn’t expect the rapid-fire answers and wasn’t sure which one to tackle first. She hoisted her bag onto her shoulder and crossed her arms, tilting her head up. “I guess, but I have more questions.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less.” He put his arm around her shoulder and guided her toward the car. “I’m going to have to drive your car. I don’t trust you on my bike right now.”
“Think I can’t handle a motorcycle?” Just because she wore scrubs instead of leather didn’t mean she couldn’t appreciate the novelty.
“I know you can’t. Maybe when you’re sober, I’ll take you for a ride, but right now I’m not taking any chances.”
“You know this”—she pointed to herself—“is your fault.”
“You’re the one who asked for another.”
“You didn’t have to give it to me.”
“You actually didn’t seem all that bad after the first one.”
“It’s always the second one that sneaks up on you,” she said as she got to the passenger side of the car. “As a bartender, you should know that.”
“Most people can handle two drinks.”
She leaned her body against the door. “Are you calling me a lightweight?”
His big hands landed on her hips and moved her aside. He opened the door and rested his hand on the roof, trapping her between the car and his large frame. “That’s exactly what I’m calling you. Now watch your head.”
“You sound like me,” she said. “The first time Chase got drunk he called me to pick him up. I found him sleeping in a parking lot, using a big rock as a pillow. I grounded him. Are you going to ground me?”
A smile cracked his stoic features. “No, but if you don’t get in the car, I might change my mind.”
“And what are you going to do? Take my Nintendo away? I don’t really like video games, so it won’t be as effective.”
“I’ll take your coffee away.”
She gasped, hand landing on her chest, mouth dropping in a stunned O. “You wouldn’t dare.”
He met her eyes, his dark marbles of mystery challenging her. “Try me.”
“You fight dirty.” She turned to get in the car and stopped herself, throwing a glance over her shoulder at him. “I like it.” Then she got in the car. She could feel Declan’s hand on her head until she cleared the door then he waited for her to get situated.
He got in the driver side, the scent of fresh cut wood and spice engulfing her in all its masculine glory. She took a deep breath and sighed. She wondered if the car would still smell like him tomorrow when she left for work. She hoped it would.
He backed out of the spot, and they drove in silence for the first few minutes. He cleared his throat. “I thought you had more questions.”
She shifted on her seat and faced him. There were so many questions she had, but where did she start? He came to a stop sign, and she reached across the center console and ran her finger along the scar on his face. He stiffened for a moment then his shoulders relaxed.
“How’d this happen?” she asked.
“A bar fight. Someone pulled a knife. Forty stiches later.” He motioned to his face then put his hands back on the wheel. “I was left with this.”
“That must have been awful.” She couldn’t imagine the pain of someone slicing into your skin without any type of anesthetic.
“It wasn’t fun, that’s for sure.”
“Is it weird that I like it?” His eyebrow cocked, and he glanced at her. She shrugged. “It’s just that I’ve never known you without it, and it’s so much a part of you.”
“I think it intimidates most people.”
“I don’t think it has anything to do with the scar and everything to do with you. You’re kind of an intimidating guy.”
“Really? Because the first day we met you didn’t seem intimidated at all.”
“I had so much going on in my head. I just wanted a place to sit down for a minute and you gave me that. As far as I was concerned, you were a saint.”
“Your judgment couldn’t have been more wrong.”
“I don’t think it was. That night we first met, you were there for me, and you’ve continued to be there for me ever since.”
“I’ve given you a cup of coffee and bullshitted with you. I don’t think that qualifies as sainthood.”
“You gave me a place to escape, to clear my head and forget about all the stress that had been weighing me down. You let me forget about my responsibilities, even if it was only for a short time. You might think it was just a cup of coffee, but it had always been so much more than that for me.”
“I didn’t realize. You always seem so levelheaded. Even if you were weighed down, you never complained.”
“What’s the point?” She tossed her hands in the air and let them fall loudly in her lap. “I could complain until my face was blue, but it wouldn’t change the fact that I still had responsibilities, people to take care of, bills to pay, a job to go to…”
“Sometimes it helps to get things off your chest.”
She swirled her finger at Declan for emphasis but it was a little wobbly. “Coming from the man who doesn’t share anything with anyone. Or maybe you do, and it’s just me you don’t tell things to.”
He pulled into her driveway and put the car in park. He shifted in the seat, meeting her gaze. Only he would manage to still look good when he was out of focus.
His eyes penetrated her, making her feel vulnerable and exposed. “You already know more about me than anyone else in this town.”
She was done waiting for a moment, done thinking. She catapulted across the console and crashed her lips to his. His beard was rough against her cheek, but she didn’t mind.
At first, he didn’t move, and shock and disappointment started to filter in her haze, but she wasn’t ready to give up. She kissed him gently, sucked lightly on his lip then pulled away. She was ready to accept her defeat, but then his hand wrapped around the back of her head and his lips captured hers, moving in a delicious frenzy she could barely keep up with.
Hot sparks ignited inside her, her body boiling with desire as he tilted her head and deepened the kiss. Her fingers sunk into his shirt, twisting the flannel in a tight grip as she held him close. Every feeling she’d kept bottled up time and time again poured out into the kiss.
His hands tightened in her hair, and he slowed, kissing her with teasingly soft pecks before pulling away.
She smiled and sunk into her seat.
“We should get you inside,” he said and got out of the car. Before he could open her door, Layla’s eyes drifted closed and she fell into a blissful sleep.
***
Declan opened the passenger door and laughed when a tiny snore greeted him. With a shake of his head, he scooped Layla into his arms. Her head flopped against his shoulder, and she snuggled into his neck. “Mmm, you smell good,” she mumbled as he carried her to the front door of the house.
“You smell like a coffee shop and a bar,” he said, though he could still distinctly smell her delicious vanilla scent.
“I drank too much,” she said, her voice tired.
“Yes, you did baby girl.”
She pushed up off his chest. “Baby girl?” She smiled. “I like that.” She went to give him a chaste kiss but came up short and got a mouthful of beard.
Lusting After Layla Page 5
