“Can’t stay away, huh?”
“Not for too long,” I admitted, finally pulling her in for a kiss. My entire body relaxed on a sigh at the feel of my lips on hers. Any concern I had that day drifted away.
“Been way too long since I felt that,” I murmured against her mouth before pulling back.
“Are you hungry? We do offer some food.”
I hadn’t even thought about food once I stopped inside the bar. I was so anxious to see her and then mesmerized by the show she was putting on that my hunger had fallen by the wayside, but now that it was mentioned my stomach began growling.
“That sounds like a yes to me,” she laughed. “What’re you having?”
“Turkey club.” I held up my hand before she could hand me the menu, not needing it.
“Coming up.” She wrote down my order and then dipped from behind the bar to hand it off to the part where the small kitchen was. I watched her hips sway, and her ass move from side to side in the jeans.
“I’d sure like to get a private show of that,” a guy sitting two stools down from me commented.
I peered at him, and he held up his beer to me, grinning. My top lip curled upwards into a snarl.
“She’s taken,” I responded, voice tight with underlying possessiveness.
The guy’s eyes widened briefly before he nodded. “Hey, no harm, bro.”
“I’m not your fucking bro.” I was rarely this short with people, but he pissed me off.
“Hey, your sandwich should be ready in about five minutes. I told ’em to put a rush on it.” Angela appeared in my line of sight, breathless as if she rushed back.
When I turned my gaze back to her, the anger that I was just feeling ebbed and all that remained was the damn tingling in my chest again.
“How was your night? You had a long shift yesterday.” There was a worry in her voice, although she tried to hide it.
I eyed her, noting the slight crease in her forehead, and could tell she was holding something back.
“You heard about the big apartment fire,” I stated.
Her shoulders slumped as she blew out a harsh breath. “I saw it on the news. They’re saying a woman and her two children died.”
I sighed, having heard the same news before the media got ahold of that piece of information. The woman and her children were on the fourth floor of the building, right next to the apartment where fire investigators believe the fire started. They’d likely been sleeping when it started, and either had no way of getting out once it spread or had passed out and possibly died from smoke inhalation. I hoped like hell it was the smoke inhalation that got them first because burning to death is quite possibly the worst way to die. I did my best to push thoughts of the small children out of my mind.
“Yeah, Rescue Four was there,” I answered honestly.
“One turkey club sandwich.” A man brought a plate out from the kitchen area, setting it down in front of me on the bar.
“Come sit with me while I eat.” I knew it was kind of busy at this hour but I felt selfish. I wanted her full attention.
When Angela nodded, I blew out a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding.
“Hey, Jimmy, can you help Steph behind the bar for a few?” she asked the man who just came out.
“Sure thing. Take your time.”
“Thanks, Jim.”
With my plate in one hand and a glass of water in the other, I followed Angela to one of the empty booths. I waited for her to sit, admiring the way her jeans hugged the curve of her hips and lean legs.
“I missed you in spin class today. And Tuesday.”
I nodded, wiping my mouth from the bite of sandwich I took. “This is good,” I said, looking at the sandwich.
