He took another look over his shoulder before touching the small of Harper’s back. “Come on. Let’s get back inside.”
CHAPTER 4
Harper measured out the Campari, then the gin, followed by the sweet vermouth. She waited until she’d put the orange peel in the glass to stir it and push it across the bar to Barry. Then she held her breath and watched as he lifted the glass to his mouth and tasted the drink.
His face gave nothing away, to the point that nerves fluttered in her belly.
Finally, the glass hit the bar again. “Girl, that is agoodNegroni.”
“Really?”
He leaned forward and touched her hand. “You’re going to dazzle the pants off this town.”
She grinned at him because, well, if nothing else in her life was going the way she’d planned, she would at least be able to make a good cocktail, right?
“Barry! No hitting on my new bartender.”
Her heart thumped at Cody’s voice, and she turned to see him walk in through the back-room door, carrying a big box. His white T-shirt was tight, the material stretching across his biceps as it always did, and with the box in his hands, those muscles were rippling.
Holy dry mouth…
Tonight would be her fourth evening working at the bar, and for some reason she’d thought that after a few days, this little infatuation with the bar owner would go away. Okay, not little. Big, huge, mammoth infatuation.
But nope. It seemed familiarity did not have that effect on her. Not even a little bit. If anything, her attraction had intensified. Not only was the man hot as hell, he was sweet and attentive and protective, and she had no idea how to deal with any of that, because no other guy in her life had ever treated her that way. Certainly, no previous boyfriend.
Cody grinned at her. “Be careful of the old man. He has a thing for beautiful women.”
Her lips parted, a small puff of air sucking into her chest. Beautiful? The gorgeous man was now calling her beautiful?
“Who are you calling an old man?” Barry grumbled, taking another sip of the drink. “I could run circles around you, boy.”
Cody laughed. “You could try, but I wouldn’t recommend it. You might break a hip.”
Harper bit back a grin. The two men did nothing but bicker. It was quite entertaining.
“Keep dreaming, son.” Barry stood, lifting the cocktail as his gaze returned to Harper and softened. “And good work, Harper. You’re a keeper.”
He moved into the kitchen.
“I like him,” she said quietly, her thoughts slipping out of her mouth.
“Me too. But don’t tell him that—it’ll go to his head.”
She chuckled and walked over to the box he’d just opened, helping him pull out the bottles. As their arms grazed, it took a lot for her to not react, when in reality every part of her felt hot from the burn of his skin.
That had been happening a lot over the last few nights. Sometimes his hand or hip would brush hers while working the bar. Sometimes he’d lean close to grab something over her head. And every time, she scolded herself for wanting him. Although, in all fairness, she was human and he was…well, he was ex-special forces with a sweet side no one expected, least of all her.
“Hey, wait here. I got something for you.”
Her gaze shot up at Cody’s words. “For me?”
It was a stupid question, there was no one else in the room. Didn’t stop the shock though.
He laughed. “Yeah, Storm, for you. Give me a sec.”
He disappeared into the kitchen just as the bar door opened and the most beautiful woman Harper had ever seen stepped inside. She wore three-inch heels, which just elongated her already long, toned legs. Skintight jeans that hugged every curve, and a tight red top that accentuated her ample breasts. But it was her face that really had Harper pausing. Beautiful, high cheekbones, long lashes with perfectly applied makeup, all framed by her long, thick black hair. The woman could run for Miss America.
The smile on the woman’s face fell when she saw Harper, her feet pausing partway across the room. “Who areyou?”
