Champagne Toast

by Melissa Brown

  “Because you flirt with the girls like crazy,” I reply. “Seriously, I’ll bet half of those girls get fall-down drunk because they keep ordering from the ‘swoon-worthy’ new bartender. By the way, I’m not saying that. It’s a direct quote from the blondies who came in here earlier.”

  Evan runs his fingers through his hair and whoops with laughter. “Yeah, somehow I don’t see you ever using the word swoon, Kate.”

  “You’re right, because it’s not in my vocabulary.”

  “And because you don’t do it,” Evan says matter-of-factly.

  “Do what?” I ask, pretending to be confused.

  “Swoon,” Evan says with a grin.

  “That’s not exactly true,” I flirt.

  “Oh really? So, have I just not had the pleasure of watching you in action?”

  “What, watch me swoon?” I ask, leaning my elbows on the bar. Evan mirrors my actions and leans in, as well.

  “Yep,” Evan says, licking his lips. I can hardly stand it as his well-defined lips slowly form a sexy smile. I feel my face go red and I know he sees it. Shit. I don’t want him to know he’s affecting me so much. He’s breaking down my resistance. Suddenly, I want to go bounding for the door.

  “Well,” I begin, but my voice comes out hoarse. I cough, trying to restore my vocal cords. Evan chuckles softly to himself and I raise an eyebrow in response, as I stand upright once again. “Me swooning is something to see, mostly because it hardly ever happens.”

  “You mean, except for right now?” Evan presses.

  “In your dreams, Maxwell. Seriously, I am so far from swooning.” But, his eyes see right through my retort, through my denial. He shakes his head knowingly as he chuckles. And in this moment, I know he sees everything.

  “We’ll see, Kate. We’ll see,” Evan says as he makes his way behind the bar. With each step he takes, my resolve is breaking down, and I know I’ll kiss him if he gets close enough. Thank God, Bree went to the back room. I can’t stand sharing this moment with anyone.

  Evan walks closer so that we are only inches from one another. He glances at the top of my head, before slowly smoothing my hair down with his hands. My brow knits as I struggle to figure out what he’s doing. He places the pads of his fingers on my cheek, brushing lightly before pushing my hair behind my ear and placing my long thick hair behind my shoulder.

  “What are you doing?” I whisper, my pulse racing so fast I feel like I might faint.

  “Swooning,” Evan smiles softly as he looks me in the eyes. My heart stops.

  “Oh,” I reply, swallowing hard, attempting to hide my emotions and failing miserably. He knows I want him as much as he wants me.

  “I want to kiss you, Kate. But, I don’t think I should . . . ” his voice trails as he explores my features with his eyes.

  “Why?” I ask, completely under his spell.

  Evan caresses my face gently with his fingers and then cups my chin with his hand. “Do you still have a boyfriend?” I nod with an apologetic glance.

  “It’s okay, I want you to,” I say, my words betraying me.

  “Not my style,” he says, shaking his head with a deep frown. He leans in and kisses me gently on the cheek. “Goodnight, Kate,” he says softly before walking into the back room. I hear him saying good-bye to Bree and Vince. Slowly, I slide down the bar until I’m seated on the floor, in a complete daze.

  Every bit of me is on fire, my skin, my hair, my bones. I didn’t know I was capable of swooning. But, Evan Maxwell has gotten under my skin in a way I never knew was possible. So, if Kate Armour swoons, this is how she does it.

  Chapter 5

  Evan

  November 17, 2007

  She’s doing it again. She’s purposely bending over right in front of me just to get me to check out her ass. Am I complaining? Absolutely not. But, she’s driving me crazy. We’ve been working together for over a month now, and the tension between us has been growing steadily since I walked through the door for my interview. Some days I can hardly stand to be near her, like I’m afraid I won’t be able to keep my hands off of her. And others, I just can’t stay away. It’s fucked up.

  She’s still dating a guy named Shawn, which I seriously don’t understand. I’ve seen them together and they make no sense at all. He’s an angry guy who seems to want her on his arm for nothing more than to be a decorative ornament. He sits at the bar, waiting for her to get off work, driving me nuts. She’s different when he’s here. She’s not herself — she’s anxious and edgy and she hardly speaks to me. But, tonight, tonight is different. Shawn went home for the weekend to visit his family, and Kate is in rare form, but I’m enjoying her change of mood too much to say a word. Instead, I play along, even though I know I’m just torturing myself. She’s not mine, no matter how much I want her.

  “Evan, can you help me?” Kate asks. She’s standing on her tiptoes, her t-shirt rising up her back, exposing her midsection. I do my best not to stare as I walk towards her. She glances back at me over her shoulder before continuing her request, “Vince put the spare key to his office on the highest shelf of the bar and I can’t reach it.” Her hair smells like strawberries.

  “No problem,” I say, easily reaching the key. Just for fun, I dangle it above Kate’s head. She smirks at me, narrowing her eyes as if to say, ‘okay, let’s play.’

  Grinning from ear to ear, I ask, “Oh, I’m sorry, can you still not reach them?” Whenever I’m near this woman, all I want to do is tease her, tease her so badly she can hardly contain herself. But, the result is that I can hardly contain myself. Tiny beads of sweat are building along my hairline as I twist the keychain back and forth between my fingers. Kate swats at the key and gives me a fake dirty look. I know her well enough to know she’s not upset at all.

  “Ev, c’mon.” Yeah, that’s another thing. She started calling me Ev. It drives me crazy. I can’t take it! Every time she says it, I want to throw her up against the bar and kiss her hard, really hard. I want her all to myself, to make her mine, and yet when the fantasy is over I realize I can’t have her. Not yet.

  “All right.” I hand her the keychain and give her a crafty wink. She gives a satisfied smile. “What do you need it for anyway?” I ask.

  “I don’t.” She raises an eyebrow at me before walking away to take orders from a large table of college students. My jaw hits the floor as she saunters away, looking back with her signature tease of a grin. This girl is going to be the end of me.

  The next several hours go by in the same manner — Kate flirting with me, getting me to watch her walk by, shaking her sexy ass and even flirting with patrons. Doing my best to play her game, I find myself flirting with a group of girls sitting at the bar. Their giggling is pretty annoying, but the blonde is checking me out every chance she gets and I know that if I wanted to, I could get her number with no problem.

  “So, Evan, is it?” the raven-haired, outgoing girl asks. She leans in and puts her chin in her hands. “Are you single?”

  The blonde slaps her arm and turns a hideous shade of crimson. She looks like a tomato. “I’m sorry,” she says, “my friend has had a few too many.”

  “That’s not true, Care,” her friend persists, “I was just asking him an innocent question. What’s the big deal?”

  “Tess, stop it!” the blonde says through clenched teeth. Sensing her embarrassment a mile away, I decide to ease up on her.

  “Care. Is that short for Carrie?” I ask. She nods in response. “Well, Carrie and Tess, it’s very nice to meet you,” I grin, “and yes, Tess, I am, in fact, single.”

  “And looking?” Tess persists. Kate shoots me an icy cold stare from a few feet away. She’s pissed and I like it. Time to really push her out of her comfort zone.

  “Absolutely,” I grin, refilling their beer glasses. I glance up to see Kate with her hands on her hips, her lips pressed together in a thin, intense line. A laugh starts to rise up from my throat, but I hold it back.

  “Well, my friend, here,
is single as well,” Tess continues. Neither of these girls seems to notice that my attention is focused elsewhere.

  “Is that right?” I ask, turning my body in Carrie’s direction in order to give her my full attention. She nods in response to my question, her cheeks quickly turning red once again. She clears her throat, opens her mouth to speak, but says nothing. “Well, Care, I’m working the rest of the evening. But maybe you could give me your number and I could call you sometime?” I ask, leaning forward.

  Am I being fair to the blonde? Nope. Am I a terrible guy? Sometimes. But, right now, all I care about is pissing off the brunette who is shooting daggers at me with her eyes. Carrie jots down her phone number on a napkin, hands it to me and smiles warmly. Suddenly, I feel terrible for using this girl. Maybe I really should call her.

  “We should be going,” Carrie says, staring awkwardly behind my shoulder. “Call me, Evan.” She and Tess slink out of the bar. I grab their beer glasses and turn to find Kate standing just a few feet behind me. She’s fuming and I love it.

  “Can I help you with something?” I ask innocently.

  “What the hell was that?” she demands, crossing her arms in front of her.

  “Um, you mean the blonde?” She nods, her eyes wide. “Well, I was just taking her number. She was cute,” I respond calmly.

  “You’re not supposed to date customers. You know that,” she snaps. Shit, she’s right.

  “Somehow, I don’t think that’s why you’re pissed, Kate,” I say, walking past her. I can tell she’s about to erupt, and I don’t want to be near customers when it happens. She follows me and I lead us to the back room. Luckily, the bar is slow and there are plenty of people working tonight, so we won’t be missed. I close the door behind us. Kate’s breathing is ragged as if she’s just run a race.

  “Why are you so pissed off, Kate? So I forgot about the policy. So what? It’s not a big deal.” I egg her on.

  “Throw the number away,” she snaps.

  “I don’t think I need to do that. When I take her out, I’ll just ask her not to come here anymore. Vince won’t have to know,” I reply. I’m purposely being snide with her.

  “Throw it away!” she yells, getting close to my face.

  “Why? Tell me why you care so much,” I say, widening my eyes and glaring into hers. My breathing begins to pick up as I feel the electric charge building between us. I’ve never been so turned on in my entire life.

  “I don’t,” she says, looking away from me.

  “All right, then,” I say, putting the napkin in my pocket, “discussion’s over, I guess.” I shrug.

  “Ev,” she says, looking back at me once again, her eyes glistening, her voice pleading.

  “Talk to me, Kate. For real, no more games. No more bullshit. C’mon . . . ” I say softly, reaching for her hand. She squeezes it tight and stares at the floor.

  “Don’t make me say it,” she says, shaking her head.

  “Say what?” I ask, almost begging.

  “I don’t want you seeing that girl,” she admits, looking up at me once again, her eyes pleading with me to let her off the hook.

  “Why not?” I ask, stepping closer to her, closing the gap between us.

  “C’mon, Ev, you know why,” she groans.

  “I want to hear you say it,” I say, pushing her hair from her eyes. She sighs and I can’t hold back any longer. I stroke her cheek with my hand and lean in to kiss her soft lips. I half expect her to push me back, but I can’t stop myself right now. I have to do it. I have to kiss her. I need to kiss her. Kate returns my kiss with soft, feathery kisses of her own and then parts her lips, inviting me in. Playfully, I tug on her bottom lip with my teeth, and Kate moans softly into my mouth. I pour my satisfaction into a smile as she peers into my eyes.

  “I want you,” she admits, her voice soft, almost innocent. It surprises me. I didn’t know she could sound like that. “I can’t stand seeing you with someone else,” she continues, clutching my cheeks with her hands.

  “I get it,” I nod. “I’ve lived it for weeks,” I say with obvious resentment in my voice. Kate looks like I’ve slapped her across the face. She pulls her hands away and is silent for what feels like several minutes.

  “I should get back to work,” she says dismissively.

  “Fine,” I snap, “whatever.”

  “What the hell?” She turns, glaring at me.

  “What?” I yell. “Do you seriously not get it?”

  “Get what?” she screams, throwing her arms up in the air.

  “You have me, Kate. I’m yours,” I yell, pulling at my hair in utter frustration. “Make a fucking decision for God’s sake.”

  Kate storms towards me and pushes me against the wall. She crushes me with her lips as I grab her ass and lift her into my arms, turning our bodies to press her against the door. Her tongue strokes mine in such a delicious way, and I’m instantly hard. I can’t get enough of her. I suck the soft skin of her neck and she sighs, whispering my name, “Ev.” Just hearing that pushes me further. Instinctively, I pull at the ties of her apron, yanking it off of her and exploring her back with my fingers. Her skin is soft and silky, just as I’d imagined it. Again, she says my name and for a moment I panic. Please don’t stop this. I grasp her hair in my hands and pull back slightly. She gasps and looks me dead in the eyes.

  “Come home with me,” she says, “please.” Desire pulses through my veins.

  “What about your boyfriend? You have to choose,” I say, fighting for breath.

  “I’ll end it, I promise. I’ll call him, text him, whatever you want. Just come home with me.” She whispers, “You’re the one I want.”

  Grabbing her cheeks forcefully, I press my lips to hers once again. Immediately she opens her mouth and deepens the kiss. Her tongue strokes mine desperately, like she wouldn’t be able to stop if she wanted to. Her fingers run forcefully through my hair as I stroke her back, kneading her muscles with the pads of my fingers. Kissing Kate is like nothing I’ve ever experienced. And as much as I want to think I’m the good guy, as much as I’ve proclaimed that sleeping with an attached girl isn’t my style, I’m not walking away. I can’t. I have her now. She’s mine. And I’m not going anywhere.

  Chapter 6

  Kate

  January 19, 2008

  The room is dim, aside from the small Tiffany lamp glowing from my nightstand. My grandmother gave me that lamp, and even though it really wasn’t my style at all, I couldn’t let go of it. It has become a constant in my life. No matter where I live, I always bring Nana’s lamp. Nana was the one person who “got me”, who understood my personality. We were so much alike, and it was so nice having her there to talk to when my parents didn’t make the effort. But, she passed away two years ago, and I miss her every single day.

  Evan lets out a yawn and begins to thread his fingers through his gorgeous, chocolate brown hair. He gives me his signature smirk before dragging his fingers up and down my arm. He knows it tickles me and he loves to see my reaction. He loves breaking down my barriers, even when I fight him tooth and nail.

  Lying here, facing one another, I feel so at peace, so at home. I feel as if I can tell him everything about myself, and in return, I want to know everything there is to know about this man I love. Slowly, I caress his lips with my fingertips. He quickly takes my index finger into his mouth and bites down softly, just enough to tease me. A shiver runs down my spine as I begin to realize just how much Evan means to me. He is digging his way into my very soul. It’s terrifying, but I can’t get enough. Not nearly enough.

  “Tell me about your childhood, Evan,” I say softly, gazing into his deep eyes. Hoping he won’t find the question silly. We’ve been dating for about three weeks now, still very much in the honeymoon phase. Shortly after that intense kiss in the back room of Molly’s, I ended things with Shawn, and immediately, Evan and I were a couple.

  “How far back do you want me to go, sweets?” Evan asks as he leans up and pushes his e
lbow into the pillow, supporting his head with his hands. I mirror his movements and gaze into his eyes again. I love that he calls me sweets. It all started one night when we were watching The Breakfast Club here in my apartment. It’s one of my all-time favorites. I have a thing for misfits, and that movie delivers. I love when Judd Nelson glares at Molly Ringwald and says, “Sweets, you couldn’t ignore me if you tried.” I told Evan that line makes me think of him. Because seriously, even if I tried to ignore Evan, it would be impossible. He got under my skin the day he walked into Molly’s, and as much as I tried to deny my feelings for him, they were impossible to ignore.

  “As far back as you wanna go. I just want to know you better,” I shrug.

  “Well, I grew up in Green Bay, hence my love for the Pack.” He laughs as I roll my eyes. “We moved when my dad lost his job. I think I was around 7 years old. He found another one, but we had to leave Wisconsin and made our way to the oh-so exciting Chicago suburbs.”

  “They’re not so bad,” I interrupt, stroking his forearm gently.

  “Oh yeah, I know. But, I missed my grandparents, my aunts and uncles. I missed having family around. We were secluded for so long. I eventually made friends and stuff, but it was hard. My mom hated it. That’s why they live in Green Bay again. She never felt at home in Arlington Heights.”

  “But, you didn’t want to move back?” I asked.

  “Nah, I mean, I was only seven. I adapted, made lots of friends, and eventually stopped feeling so homesick. Except during football season. But, it’s not a far drive or anything. I’ve gone to games with my cousins.”

  “Are you close with your folks?” I press on.

  “Hmm, yeah, I guess so. I adore my mom. She’s a gem, seriously. I admire her so much. She was the biggest support a kid could’ve asked for growing up.” Evan sighs and then continues, “My dad’s always been kinda detached, but I always knew he loved me. Speaking of which, you don’t really talk about your family so much . . . wanna tell me about your parents?”