When Rafe had left the bar at two, it had taken tremendous effort not to race over to the B and B and pound on the door so he could tell Bailey the news. He’d wanted her to celebrate with him. He’d wanted to watch her eyes glitter with excitement the way they always did.
God, he fucking missed her.
Although they hadn’t yet signed any papers, Mack had laid out his plans to transfer ownership of the bar so Rafe could look over it. He informed him the paperwork was already in process, and once it was completed, they would sign on the dotted line. Until then, they would stick to business as usual, the schedule remaining the same until Rafe felt ready to take the reins fully.
Thankfully, Jeff had been there to clarify a few things, outlining that Mack was keeping the land, but he agreed to lease it to Rafe long-term for a price that boggled his mind. Rafe was responsible for the property taxes, but other than that, Mack was only charging him a dollar a month. The liquor license would remain with the property, and Rafe was responsible for renewing it when it was due in six months.
Rafe probably should’ve asked Jeff if they should be worried. Maybe Mack had a brain tumor because this all seemed too good to be true. Especially since Mack had a son, and if nothing else, Rafe expected Daniel to want first dibs on the place.
Not that it mattered anymore. Rafe knew Mack wouldn’t do something like this without thinking it through. If he wasn’t giving the place to his son, he knew there was a reason. So Rafe would wait patiently for the papers to be signed and notarized and for Mack to transfer all the utilities into his name. Jeff had gotten Mack to promise to help Rafe track profits and losses for the next few months until he got the hang of it. Mack would continue working regular shifts until Rafe hired someone who could help.
It was a lot to process. He’d already started making a list of all the things that owning a bar entailed. To be fair, it was a lot more than he’d expected. But as far as he was concerned, it would be worth it.
Sitting up, he dropped his feet to the floor at the same time his phone chimed. He glanced at the screen to see it was a text message from Rex.
I heard the news. Congrats, little brother. Jack and I will have to stop in for a beer to celebrate.
Thanks, but don’t stop by tonight. I’ve got the night off.
For the record, owners don’t get time off. Just ask Mack.
Rafe knew there was more truth to that than his brother meant, but he was okay with that, too. The only thing he wasn’t okay with was where he stood with Bailey. With things falling into place, he knew he needed to fix that. Since he had the night off, he figured it would be the perfect time to seek her out. He owed her an apology, if nothing else. He only hoped she would accept it.
***
“What are you doin’ out here?” Baileyasked in a hushed whisper when she found Holt in the swimming pool a little after ten on Tuesday night.
“Taking a break.” He smiled up at her. “Why don’t you join me?”
She peered around, hoping no one could hear them. “You know the pool closes at ten.”
Holt’s grin widened. “I know. Breaking the rules is part of the thrill.”
“There are kids upstairs,” she whispered as loud as she dared.
“Even if they were awake, their rooms don’t face the back of the house.”
He had a good point. “But other ones do.”
“Are you worried they might see us? What are they gonna do? Tell the manager?”
Bailey couldn’t help but smile.
“Plus, the possibility of getting caught is also part of the thrill.”
She couldn’t deny that the idea of it was appealing. Holt brought out the bad girl she never let loose, and Bailey was starting to really enjoy that side. It had resulted in some rather incredible orgasms recently.
He held out his hand to her. “Live a little. Come on. Join me.”
Pretending to consider, Bailey stared at his hand. Even if she’d wanted to, she couldn’t tell Holt no. The past few days had been a whirlwind. She’d been walking around on a cloud all day, thanks to Holt and the magical night they’d spent together. Passing up this opportunity because she worried someone might see them was something Good Girl Bailey would do. And she’d already learned that Good Girl Bailey got taken advantage of by men like Seth. Bad Girl Bailey got to set her own rules and not worry that she would get in over her head.
Joining Holt meant she would get a few minutes alone with him. Something she’d been wanting all day. One night hadn’t been nearly enough, and Bailey was ready to explore the other dirty things she was capable of.
“Give me one minute,” she told him. “I need to—”
“I already got you a towel.”
Bailey scanned the darkened ground around the pool and found that there were, in fact, two towels stacked neatly near the end with the steps.
