I can’t help grinning crookedly when she gives me a doubtful look, and she shakes her head.
“I usually take break in the back, but there’s a few tables in the alley. And a heater. Let me get their drinks, and you can come with me back there. Drink that before it gets warm,” she says, standing.
I bring the drink to my lips and sip what tastes like a cranberry orange whiskey.
Damn, that’s good.
Juniper makes the shots quickly, filling them within a couple centimeters from the rim. She barely flinches when a minuscule bit splashes on her fingers as she gathers them together and lifts them up to take to the table.
I’m not the only person watching her walk around the bar—a man sitting a few stools away is staring as intently as I am. He nudges his friend and together, the pair twist around to watch Juniper bend over to place the shots on the table, press her hands to her hips, and begin chatting with the table for a beat. The onlookers are snickering, practically salivating at her figure in this skirt.
I’m going to need them to keep their eyes to themselves before I gouge them out entirely.
Juniper gets back behind the bar, takes her apron off, and touches Marge on the shoulder to tell her she’ll be back in a few. Her gaze locks on mine as she starts toward the kitchen door.
With one nod from her, I’m following like a puppy.
Pack growls at me when I walk by her.
I should bring her a treat next time.
I know she’s smelling my magic.
The kitchen heat hits me when we step through the door. The cook looks between us and grins.
“Got an extra fry here, Juni,” he says. “Unless you’re swallowing something else on break.”
“Oh, hell yes.” She grabs the basket, ignoring his comment. “Do you like cheese fries?” she asks me.
“Who doesn’t like cheese fries?” I ask.
“My aunt, but she thinks cheese is the enemy to everything,” Juniper replies. She turns on her heel, says a quick, “Thanks, Chester!” to the cook, and proceeds to show me to the back door. Chester gives me an upward nod as I pass by him, and I wonder if Danielle and Jasmine have been talking about us.
Probably.
Chapter 6
Blaze
Iforgot how cold it is outside.
“Damn that feels good,” Juniper says as she hangs her head back and closes her eyes.
“You like the cold?” I ask.
“I love the cold.” She takes a seat at the picnic table furthest away from the door. “It makes things so much more bearable than the humidity in the summer.”
I straddle the bench at her side, and she bends her knee in the seat, tucking her foot under her opposite thigh so she’s facing me. She slides the basket of fries my way, and I take one without looking away from her.
“Has anyone ever told you that your eyes are really intense?” she asks.
“Only you.”
She returns the smile as she takes her phone from her pocket and begins to tap on the screen, taking her time chewing on some fries. “I have to set a couple of timers, otherwise I’ll be out here all night. I have time-blindness.”
“What’s that?” I ask, taking another fry.
“It’s when you lose track of time. When you’re sure it’s only been five minutes, but it’s been an hour, and now you’re late. Itusually gets me in trouble when I start thinking I have time to do a project that should take two hours, and I try to get it done in fifteen minutes,” she explains.
