Those whispered words are all I need to make me leave.
The truth is, we won’t ever be together again. She’s not mine. I’m an idiot for not being able to control myself and keep my cock under control.
I’ll fix her car, and then I’ll wash my hands of Juliet forever.
This has to end.
Chapter Nine
JULIET
For the first time since I opened my restaurant, I don’t want to work today.
I’m lying on my back, staring at the ceiling of my attic apartment. To be fair, it’s not a ceiling. It’s bare wood beams, and not the fancy kind. I’m naked because even though it’s no longer hotter than Satan’s ass outside, it’s still stuffy and warm up here, and I don’t have the energy to turn on the fan.
I don’t want to leave my bed.
Which means Ihaveto leave my bed. I’ve been here before, years ago, and if I let myself stay here, I won’t get up for days.
But do I have to go to work?
I quickly do a mental tally of who I have coming in to work today. I have a full staff, and the new hires are even working out just fine. Technically, they should be okay without me. Christy and Hazel can lead things just fine, and James, one of the new hires, comes in at eleven.
They don’t need me.
So without overthinking it, I shoot Christy a text.
Me: Good morning! Hey, I won’t be in today. The dough for today’s bread is in the fridge and ready to go. Are you okay handling things with Hazel and James? You can always call me if you need me.
I cringe when I see the time. It’s just past five in the morning, so I don’t expect a quick response from her. To my surprise, less than five minutes later, she replies.
Christy: No problem! You deserve a day off. I hope it’s for something fun and not because you’re sick. We’ll be fine. Should I call Erica in for the dinner shift?
I grin. Christy is damn good at her job. I should promote her to manager and start delegating some things. Now that the restaurant continues to get busier and more popular, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to manage everything myself.
Me: Laurie should be coming in at three for the dinner shift, but this is only her fourth day, so if you need more help, call Erica.
Christy: Laurie’s great! We should be fine. Thanks, Jules. I’ll head over in a bit to get started on the bread.
Me: I appreciate it!
I let out a sigh of relief and toss my phone onto the bed. I feel a little guilty that I don’t want to work. I love my restaurant. I worked damn hard for it, and I’m grateful that I have it.
But I haven’t had a true day off in longer than I can remember.
Maybe Jackie’s right. Perhaps I should schedule a day off every week to avoid burnout.
I can admit, though, that my funk has nothing to do with the restaurant and everything to do with a certain auto mechanic.
It’s been a week since he fucked me in his garage. I haven’t seen him since. It’s like we’ve gone back to the way it was when I first moved back to town, and we’re avoiding each other. He did text me two days ago to let me know that my car would take a few more days, but otherwise, there hasn’t been any communication.
And I didn’t expect more from him.
The sex was off-the-charts amazing because it’s Brooks, and the sex was always fantastic with us. He was my first. Hell, I washisfirst. We were always good together. But it surprised the hell out of me when he kissed me, then bent me over that bench. Fuck, I wanted him. I didn’t say no. I didn’t push him away. Because being close to Brooks like that? Well, there’s nothing better in the world, and I’ve been craving him for most of my adult life.
Like I said, the sex itself was great.
But there was no …emotion.And that’s what I needed, if I’m being honest with myself. I needed him to kiss me tenderly, to hug me to him, and say soft words.
