Page 10 of Taken With You

“Fuck you. You’re late,” he grumbled as he poured two drafts and slid them over to waiting hands.

“I am. So you decided to take my place and ruin your bar?” I grinned and took the ticket for the next order.

“You’re an asshole. I should fire you.”

“No, I’m the best thing you have here.”

“Excuse me, I’m the best thing we have here.” Aiden puffed out his chest as he came around the corner with two plates in his hands. It looked as if they held some form of tapas, an appetizer thing that usually didn’t fit well in the bar scene. But the Connollys had spruced up the place and changed the food a bit, thanks to Aiden and his gift. Aiden Connolly had worked at a Michelin-starred restaurant. He could be a famous chef anywhere in the world. But, instead, he had come back to his family and seemed to be setting down some roots. Maybe the guy would open up a restaurant of his own someday. Perhaps even with his little brother Dillon, if the kid decided to take that path.

But until that happened, I knew I would get some really damn good food from the man, and I was thankful that he had decided to slum it in the bar scene.

“Oh, shut up,” Brendon grumbled.

“Wow, you sure are acting a bit growly and unsatisfied for a man who recently got married.” Aiden met my gaze over Brendon’s back as the other man bent down to pick something up from the floor. I winked and continued down our current line of conversation. “Yeah. You having a tough time there? Things not up to the standards you’re used to?”

“Yeah, things hanging low?” Aiden asked.

“I’m going to kill you both. And, for your information, my wife is over in that corner. And she could probably kick both of your asses. You’re lucky I don’t do it myself.”

The hair on the back of my neck stood on end, and I looked over to the corner because I knew—just knew—that if Harmony was there, she wasn’t alone. And, yeah, I was right.

Violet and Sienna were on one side of the booth, laughing with each other as Harmony said something.

And right next to Harmony, in the position closest to me, where she would face me if she turned her head even a fraction of an inch, was Meadow.

Fucking hell.

I should have known that she would be here. The night I was late because I had been too busy trying not to jerk off to dreams about her. After I’d decided that we should stay friends and that I needed to keep away from her in other ways. Thinking maybe we shouldn’t even be that close.

Of course she was here.

She liked it here. At least, I thought she did.

This was her place. Her friends were all over the damn bar. Some of them were my bosses.

Now I had to figure out what the fuck to do about it.

“If your wife’s over there, then why are you behind the bar?” Aiden asked, smiling at one of the customers at the counter. Aiden didn’t smile at anyone much, so he must be in a good mood.

He’d probably gotten laid by his girl before he came to work. Must be nice.

I’d lost count of the number of months it had been since I’d gotten laid. Probably since before I saw Meadow again for the first time.

No, that couldn’t be right. I’d gone out with that girl, Julie, a few months ago. Right?

Dear God. It had been a few months. No wonder I was hard up and having dreams about girls I shouldn’t be fantasizing about. I was just horny. Soon as I found someone at the bar, I’d take them home and fix that. I’d make sure the girl had the best night of her life, and then I’d be fine for a while. Just top one off.

God, I was such a fucking lecher in my head.

“This asshole was late”—he pointed at me—“so I had to help. It’s nice that we’re busy, though, right?” he asked, and I winced.

“Sorry, Brendon. You go sit with your wife. I’ll get to work. I won’t be late again.”

Brendon’s eyes widened a bit, and he met Aiden’s gaze before looking at me. “Hey, I was only messing with you. You were like ten minutes late. You’re usually thirty minutes early all the time. Don’t worry about it. Are you okay?”

I nodded, giving him the smile I knew everyone expected of me. It was what I was good at. Being what people needed me to be.

“I’m good. Go sit with your woman. I’ve got this.”