The new Arsenal is 1000 times more alive than the old Arsenal. And it’s mine. It’s all mine.
The ticket printer starts, and I go back to work.
I don’t see Gavin come in, but I hear him talking to Marco at the server station. I wipe my hands on my apron and push through the kitchen door to find him grinning in a dark jacket with his collar open.
“There she is,” he says.
“Gavin.” I smile. “The flowers are beautiful. You didn’t have to do that.”
“Of course I did.” He says it simply, like it’s obvious. “How’s the first full day going?”
“Good.” I glance back at the kitchen, automatically. “Really good, actually. Come in, sit down if you want coffee.”
“I won’t stay long,” he says, but he follows me to the bar and settles onto a stool. “I wanted to check in. Last night was…” He shakes his head. “You’re extraordinary, Sophia. What you’ve built here.”
I blush under his praise and drop my gaze to the bar top. “Thank you.”
“You know, last night, with Vin.” Gavin tilts his head, choosing his words. “He seemed a little intense with you.”
I keep my expression easy and find a way to be truthful withoutrevealing too much. “Vin has a lot of opinions about everything, and last night it was the contents of my menu. That’s pretty normal, actually.”
“Right.” Gavin nods slowly. He always seems to know when not to push. “I believe you promised me that once the restaurant opened, you’d let me take you out.”
I laugh at that, because he’s not wrong. “I did say that.”
“I’m here to collect.” He spreads his hands. “Nothing elaborate. We could just go up the street and get a sandwich or a cup of coffee when you have time.”
The idea is genuinely appealing. I’ve been so busy and even just taking an hour of down time would be amazing.
“That sounds good actually. Yes. Okay.”
“Yeah?” His grin takes over his whole face.
For some reason all I see is the crushed look on Vin’s face when I told him we were done last night followed by his intensity when he dried me off and put me to bed.
“Do you think maybe I could convince you to cook just for me sometime?”
The question lands strangely. Is he just the next guy who wants me to fuck and feed him? I try to push the thought aside.
“Yeah.” I laugh again. “Don’t push your luck.”
“I would never.” He stands, sliding off the stool, and pauses.
“I’ll text you,” he says.
“You do that.”
He’s halfway to the door when my phone rings.
I look down at the screen.
It’s Vin. My heart practically stops beating. He almost never calls. The number of times he has I can count on one hand, and each time something was wrong.
The phone keeps ringing. I want to answer it, but I don’t. I let it ring out. I stand there staring at the blank screen for a long time after it stops ringing. The image of Vin’s face is branded on my brain, his voice sayingplease. Please! Vin Demonio practically begging me to—
To do what? I shake my head. To be his side piece, his mistress, hisgumar?Hell no.
But…my answer to you is always yes.And it is. Even when it shouldn’t be. Which is exactly why I cannot keep answering.
