“I meant for songs,” he laughed, pulling away from me.
My chest was heaving, and I was sure—more than sure—my eyes looked wild and glazed over with desire.
“Christmas songs, you know? ‘Frosty the Snowman?’ ‘Up On The Rooftop?’ ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ perhaps?”?
“Frosty’s fine,” I stammered. I opened the door to my office and ushered him through it. “Just get out.”?
As he walked past me, he let out a soft, airy laugh. He stopped and locked eyes with me again. “You’re awfully lucky your jeans aren’t as tight as they look, baby. You would have definitely felt what’s been hiding in my stocking ever since I saw you bending over if they were.”?
Guitar in hand, he took the stage and fiddled with the acoustics for a minute before starting his warm up. The next bus was due in fifteen minutes, so he rushed through it. I stood, dreamy-eyed, in the doorway of my office. He strummed the beginning notes of “Still Crazy After All These Years,” and I slammed my office door.?
Once I regained my composure and heard guests milling around in the bar, I decided there were enough bodies and buffers around to hide the fact that I had almost ripped my pants off in my office and let Lee bend me over my desk just moments prior.?
“Why do you look like you’re about to have a stroke?” Sutton asked, as I meandered toward her in a daze.?
“No reason.” I shrugged, heading behind the bar.?
She followed behind me, whisper-shouting, “Did you two have a moment behind that closed door? I heard something crash. We all just kind of looked at each other and decided to let nature do its thing. You know?”?
“Oh my God, stop. No. I did knock over my bookshelf, though. Because I was looking at Lee’s ass. Like a creep.”?
Sutton giggled and poured us two eggnogs. She handed me one, and we cheers’d. “It’s a nice ass, girl. I don’t blame ya for one second.”?
“It’s just like there’s still something there. I know it, he knows it.” I gestured wildly around the bar. “I think the entire city knows it. But it is what it is. I almost feel like he’s trying to make me squirm to see what I’ll do. I’m not taking his bait, though. We’ve been down this road before, and we all know how that ended.”?
Sutton scoffed. “Yeah, you were an idiot then, and you’re an idiot now.”?
I shot her a scowl and pretended to busy myself with dirty dishes so that I didn’t get distracted by Lee crooning on stage.
Sutton shrugged. “Well, you know what I always tell you. I will support you in whatever you do if it makes you happy. I will notsupportmisery. But I will stand by you no matter what choices you make.”?
“Why do I feel like this has some sort of deeper meaning than me almostpossibly hooking up with Lee?”?
“Because you and I both know it does.”?
***
Lee’s hunch that if he whipped out his guitar, people would stay was spot on because we had a packed bar all the way until I had to do last call and basically throw the crowd out. Once everyone left, our friends included, Lee and I got to cleaning. I turned on the stereo and tied on my apron, dragging the trash can behind me to toss in empties.
Lee followed behind, wiping up tables and collecting glasses in a plastic bussing bin.?“I think it was a really great night, Maggie. Don’t you?”?
“I do, but I’m getting awfully nervous that people will only stick around if your handsome face is on stage crooning.”?
He laughed. “Oh, I’m handsome now?”?
I rolled my eyes. “You are. We both know it. Don’t distract me now. I’m trying to clean this mess up. I’m exhausted.”?
Before I could even register what was happening, he had me in his arms, holding me close and swaying to the low, country ballad blaring from the speakers. I didn’t hesitate. I inched toward him, letting him rest his hand on my lower back.?
“I know why you’re with my brother,” he said gruffly, bringing our joined hands to his chest. “It will be easy, and he’ll never keep you on your toes or ever make you feel anything less than complacent. It’s the safest path, and that’s why you’re picking him.”
“Picking him?” I momentarily lost my balance and almost fell headfirst into a table. I took a step back, putting some distance between us. “I didn’t realize this was now a meat market and I had a choice.”
“Oh, you have a choice, alright. You’ve had one since I came home, and you know it.”
“Speaking of that… How am I supposed to know you won’t get up and leave again? This whole partnership isinsane.You’re here, but for how long? After the wedding? And what’s going on with you and Janelle?” I was rambling, hard. But I wasbigmad. I threw my hands on my hips and stared him down. “You almostkissedme tonight, Lee. I know you were going to. I know when a Wilderman wants my tongue in his mouth.”
He winced and turned away from me.?
