“Perhaps you could pretend to get me trained up or something and if the police want me to be shadowing Tom or whatever so I’m there in case his brother approaches him?” Seb shrugged. “I could totally wear a wire,” he said, his eyes widening. “When I was a kid, there was a whole summer I was determined I wanted to join the FBI. I was all over it, watching movies, memorising moves and lines,” he rushed out, making me smile. “It was then this arsehole kid at school took great delight in crapping on my dreams, saying I had to be American and not Australian to join. Was pretty bummed there for a while.” An almost whimsical sigh escaped him. “I would have nailed the whole black suit, crisp white shirt, and shades look.” A grin stretched his face as he looked over at me. “Even better if I could have been an agent in the Men in Black.” He followed with a slight laugh, the sound light and lifting my mood. “But whatever you need, I’ll do it.”
At his words, his vocal, sweet support, I finally reached out and touched his hand. Seb startled slightly as I caught him by surprise. His reaction morphed quickly to a tender smile that had me mirroring his expression, especially when he turned his hand palm up so he could hold mine.
“I don’t think any of that is necessary, even though I’m sure you’d look incredibly hot in a suit.” His cheeks pinked at my words. “At the moment, we’ll just carry on as usual and hope everything is resolved soon.”
Seb bobbed his head. “I’m sure it will be.” His eyes brightened, and he sat a little taller, his hand remaining in mine. “And can I just say, holy shit! Lady Bra Ga is incredible.”
Happiness filtered through me at his reaction. Seb was lightness and enthusiasm and sunshine. Yeah, there’d been those slivers of something not so carefree, which was more reassuring than everything. It made him more human, more accessible, especially to a guy like me. “You enjoyed the show?”
He nodded enthusiastically. “The best. I’ve seen movies, but never a live show. I loved every minute.”
“She is an amazing performer. Her act’s been with us for over a year now. She pulls in the crowds. We have a few other performers who are great in their own right, but, yeah, she’s a draw card.”
Seb appeared riveted as I spoke, his attention on every word. I cleared my throat a little, uncomfortable, not quite sure how to respond to his rapt attention. He did that a lot, seemed solely focussed on my every word, every syllable. It wasn’t like I wasn’t used to holding court when needed, but Seb’s attention was different. It felt like he was truly listening, as in hearing me while looking into my soul or some shit. As unnerving as that was, I’d be a fool to not latch on to the man who was clearly under my skin.
“I can see why,” he said. “Why she pulls in such a crowd,” he clarified.
I offered a smile and was about to speak when a rumble had him turning red and clutching his stomach. “Well, that makes the next step clear. Breakfast. My treat.”
“Are you not busy?”
I really was, but I’d blown him off one too many times, and I wasn’t quite sure how many more chances Seb would give me. The promise I’d given him last night fluttered into my mind unbidden. And I had no desire to back down. But breakfast first. “I have time for breakfast with you.”
The slight tension in his shoulders loosened at my words, and I realised his question had been genuine rather than a flippant question intended to placate. “Come on.” I stood and offered my hand to him. A flick of his gaze to my hand, then my face, reflected his sweet surprise. He took it almost hesitantly, and I tugged gently, helping him stand. “Do you need me to take you home for a change of clothes first, or are you good?”
“I’ll make do.” Seb’s eyes were bright and wide as he looked up at me.
“Great. Go grab a shower, and I’ll tidy up. Fifteen minutes long enough?”
He bobbed his head and made to leave, but I didn’t let go of his hand. Shock registered in his eyes when he glanced at me.
I leaned down slowly, making my intentions clear. His breath hitched while my pulse sped up. There was a slight angling of his head, a tilting of his neck, giving me the all clear. I pressed my lips against his, just a gentle touch before pulling away.
Eyes closed, cheeks flushed, Seb was all kinds of adorable. My gaze roamed his face, recognising a vulnerability I hadn’t seen before. I leaned back while simultaneously reaching out and touching his cheek. His eyes sparked open.
“I didn’t see you coming.” The words slipped out, taking me by surprise, and Seb too from his wide eyes. Before I could backtrack or simply clear my throat and run, his quiet words stopped me.
“Is that a bad thing?”
I shook my head, not quite sure of how to answer but wanting to make it clear that I could never associate Seb with anything bad.
He relaxed at my gesture, tenderness entering his eyes. “I didn’t see you coming either.” His lips were on mine for the barest of seconds following his words before he spun around and darted back inside my home, leaving me outside and trying to figure out how to even begin to navigate a relationship, specifically one that would stick.
After breakfast, where we’d laughed discussing waves that had knocked us about, I’d dropped Seb off at home, sharing another short and soft kiss with him and promising to call him this evening. Fully aware we needed to talk more openly about what exactly we were doing, especially considering he worked for me and I didn’t want to stuff that up for him, I invited him over for food tomorrow—after we’d finished up with the fire department.
I spent some time at work doing the books but wasn’t scheduled to be behind the bar at all so was able to hide out for a couple of hours before I was found by Lenny.
“You kept your being here quiet,” he said with a quirk of his brow. “Impressive, Boss Man, but you’re just the person I was looking for.” His smile slipped, and he stepped fully into my office, closing the door behind him.
“What’s up?” Immediately concerned by Lenny’s reaction, I pulled my brows together.
He sat down heavily in the chair opposite my desk, appearing increasingly ruffled. “My friend Val just called, like five minutes ago. He was here last night.” A huff of agitated breath escaped him before he continued, “He called to tell me last night when he left, a couple of guys jumped him.”
My muscles tensed immediately, nausea battling it out with the fury building in my gut. “Fuck, is he okay? Does he know who they were?”
Lenny winced. “He will be. Took a couple of punches before a passing car pulled over. And other than it being a couple of young guys, there was nothing more really. Said they looked a little rough but he’d never seen them before.”
“Fuck.” I wiped a hand over my face. “Did—”
“There’s more.” A grimace followed his interruption. “He said it was a targeted attack. That they mentioned Bar QK and a whole host of disgusting shit.” Lenny’s skin flushed red with the heat of his anger. “The guy who pulled over called the police and the ambulance.”
I blanched. “He needed to go to the hospital?” This was not good. The poor guy. I knew only too well how intimidating and scary an attack like that could be. It had happened to me when I was much younger. That shit right there was what needed to be taken more seriously in this screwed-up world we lived in.
“No. The paramedics checked him out. He was fine but shaken. He’s made a statement, so I thought you should have the heads-up.”
I nodded in appreciation. I didn’t think I was jumping the gun to expect Tom’s brother, Ricky, to be the culprit. The attack happening at the end of the night could have easily been before the police pulled him on Tom’s statement, assuming that had happened last night.
“You okay?” Lenny’s tentative voice reached me, managing to break through the pounding in my ears. “You look like you’re going to explode. Shit, you’re not going to have a heart attack, right?”
I flicked my gaze at him. “You good here if I head out?”
He nodded in acknowledgement.
> “You need me to call Cole and organise a guy to be here? You worried?”
Lenny shook his head. “No, I’m fine, honestly. If I’m worried, I’ll call Cole, and if anything happens, I’ll call the cops.”
I switched off my computer, grabbed my keys, helmet, and jacket, and made my way to leave. I paused before exiting fully, turning back to Lenny, who stared at me wide-eyed. “Thanks for coming to me with this.” Without waiting for his response, I headed to my bike.
The only person I could go to was my brother-in-law again. He’d be pissed that I kept disturbing him while off-duty, but I needed the connections to be laid out nice and clear. I sighed, beyond livid. Someone being hurt because of drinking at my bar made me sick to my stomach. For years I’d worked so bloody hard to get something amazing going at Bar QK, making it a safe place for the community, and I couldn’t let these fucking bigoted bogans take that away from me. I just hoped like hell the police could do their jobs and take these bastards down.
Twelve
Seb
A restless sleep meant I’d woken bleary-eyed and feeling even worse than my hungover state the previous morning. Rather than booze being the cause, it was me waiting up, checking my phone so often I was sure I had RSI, and waiting for the call from Elijah that never came.
The tingle from his parting kiss became a ghost of a memory as my brain jumped to the very real possibility that he regretted the kiss, the talks, regretted opening himself to something more with me.
There was also the very real possibility he was caught up in the nightmare exploding at work. Bar QK was more than a job to him, more than “just” a business, but my own history was hard to shake off and ignore.
From an early age, I’d soon worked out survival meant you relied on yourself and shouldn’t expect anything from anyone. Well, only the bad and the bullshit. But this time I’d hoped Elijah was different. In the depths of my gut, there remained a flicker of awareness that I was being oversensitive. But to nurture that flame took hope and bravery and a whole heap of faith. And if it became clear that my suspicion of his regret was accurate, I had no idea if I could handle it like all the times in my past.
But it was almost time for me to catch my bus and head to the bar, regardless of receiving a call or not. I’d made a commitment to be there when the inspection was taking place, and I needed any chance of making additional money I could get.
I didn’t have a game plan for when I arrived. I considered it during the whole journey, but figured I’d simply play it by ear. However I reacted to whatever I discovered would be real and instinctive, and I had no energy to change that.
The front doors were locked, so I made my way around the back. The door was open, the back entry quiet when I stepped inside. I always found places like bars to have a weird, almost lonely feeling to them when they were empty and the lights were off. It perhaps didn’t help that it felt a little eerie too.
The sound of bottles clanging together followed by a light thud drew my attention to the main bar. I headed in that direction, my gaze landing immediately on Elijah. He flicked his attention my way instantly, standing straight after rearranging the crates.
“Hi.” I followed with an awkward wave that had me inwardly cringing. “It’s weird, right, when this place is all closed up. Feels like a place for lost souls or something.” I paused briefly, my brain whirling in confusion, trying to figure out what on earth I was talking about. Place for lost souls? What even is that? “So, yeah.” I glanced at the time, relieved it was almost ten. “They should be here—” The knock on the front door made me pause and a relieved exhale rushed out of me. “I’ll get that,” I said quickly, more than aware I hadn’t left Elijah room to speak, not even to say hello.
During my rambling, though, it was impossible to not notice the slight tilting of his head, the two lines forming between his brows, but giving him time to speak would have made everything so much worse. Especially if those words had been ignoring the connection we had or even worse, asking to “talk.”
I shuddered at the thought, a new sense of resolve settling in me as I unlocked the bar door. I’d keep ignoring my own awkwardness for as long as possible and simply deal when I was forced to. It seemed like I had a plan after all.
I pulled the door open wide, my brows shooting high when my gaze landed on the tall man in the doorway. He was a good half a foot taller than me, his brown hair buzz cut and suiting him perfectly while showcasing the most spectacular green eyes I’d ever seen. Unable to stop myself, I let my eyes roam downwards, resting a moment on the local fire station emblem on his snug-fitting T-shirt and a pair of jeans that I was sure were Wranglers.
It gave him a bit of a weird cowboy vibe that was unusual since the beach was a stone’s throw away. But hell if it didn’t suit him.
“Sebastian?” he said, his voice smooth and giving me goosebumps.
I nodded, remained mute, and stuck out my hand after he reached for it.
“Benji,” he said. “We chatted by email.”
“Yes, right.” My smile followed, and I felt my cheeks heat. “Your eyes are the most amazing colour,” I blurted. Benji laughed lightly, and I clamped my mouth shut and then quickly released his hand, realising I was still clinging to him.
“Thanks. A gift from my grandad,” he said, raising his brows in expectation.
I simply stood there and jumped when heat hit my back in the form of Elijah’s hand. “Oh, right, sorry, come on in,” I said quickly. I shifted out of the way, losing Elijah’s touch, which did something extra to befuddle my brain even more. Benji was hot as hell. It was impossible to not drool over the bloke, but one touch from Elijah sent an awareness through me the likes I’d never experienced before.
And hot didn’t even begin to cover just how gorgeous I thought Elijah was. Yeah, he had this whole funky city, grunge vibe thing going, which helped with the sexy factor. But pull off his beanie, and his chestnut hair somehow brought out the deep brown in his eyes even more. He had the ability to render me speechless and frozen with a simple glance. Add into that his care and sweetness, and completely ignoring the mixed messages he’d sent my way, I had no doubt that he was way out of my league.
But damn, I wanted him. All of him.
He could do with his own manual. And not one of those confusing ones you got with IKEA furniture. The ones that had you ignoring them and making a desk look like a bookcase.
No, Elijah’s needed to be detailed and thorough and clue a guy in to how to peel back the layers to figure out… well, everything. I’d gladly give up all my vices of Chinese takeout and cheap wine and save hard if I had to.
“What, sorry?”
Elijah saying my name jolted me back to the bar and my perhaps enviable position of standing next to two incredibly delicious men.
His brows were drawn low. “Are we ready to get started?”
“Yes, sure.” I nodded, needing to get my head in the game. All ogling aside, this was serious, and passing it was essential to stay open.
We set up in the bar rather than cramming in the office as we worked our way through all of the documentation, showing Benji the previous four years’ worth of records and talking through how we’d implemented the recent changes imposed by the Queensland government.
Elijah had gone and made us coffees while I answered Benji’s questions and showed him the relevant information. When he’d returned with three steaming hot mugs, he settled on the bench seat next to me rather than the chair opposite, taking me by surprise.
I side-eyed him while Benji had his head buried in paperwork, wishing I knew what Elijah was thinking. Him not calling me yesterday had stumped me, sure, and our weirdness this morning didn’t help. Even though I was fully aware I was responsible for this morning’s greeting and strange behaviour.
The need to speak and break the quiet rode me hard as the tension spiked between us. The heat from his body so close to mine made it impossible to be at ease. I willed myself to clamp my mouth shut,
worried my words would spill out unfiltered.
Instead, I focussed on Benji—the safer option, considering my vibrating need to touch Elijah, kiss him, or simply rush out my words asking what was going on. “Everything looking okay?” I said, aware my voice didn’t sound even.
My words appeared to take the good-looking man by surprise as he jerked his head up. A smile settled on Benji’s mouth. “Yeah, all good so far. Sorry this whole process is a ball ache, but there’s no cutting corners with fire safety.”
I bobbed my head. “For sure. The preventative stuff I imagine is the preferred way forward rather than dealing with fires.”
“Too right.” His warm gaze roamed my face a moment while I tried to figure out what else to say.
“Uhm, so, just this and a walk around?”
“Yep. Should only be an hour or so. Then I can get out of your hair. There’s meant to be a swell coming in this arvo.”
Interest piqued and feeling the comfort of a familiar topic, my easy grin settled on my mouth. “Oh, excellent. You surf locally?”
“There’s a few local spots I like to head to. It’s all just about choosing the right one so I’m not dodging the tourists, you know?”
I nodded. “It’s why I prefer to head out super early when I manage to get out.”
“I plan to head to Coolum this afternoon. If you’re not working—”
“We have plans.” Elijah’s interruption took me by surprise. It took a moment for his words to register, but when they did, my body heated, a bubble of happiness chasing the path of the spreading warmth.
“Oh, sure. Another time maybe,” Benji said gracefully, his gaze roaming over the two of us.
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