by Devney Perry
“They’re all outside?” I peered past her.
“Yep. Kaine’s talking to Dakota. Be right back.”
She hurried down the hallway toward the office as I rushed to put on some shoes. Then I stole a heavy ski coat from Thea’s coatrack, shrugging it on just as Piper came back. “Ready?”
“Ready.” I nodded. “Are you guys coming to the party tonight?”
She smiled. “We’ll be there. Kaine’s mom is coming up this afternoon to watch the boys so we can have a night out.”
“It’ll be nice to see a familiar face. Dakota put me in charge of pouring champagne, so I’ll make sure your glass is always full.”
“Perfect.” She laughed. “How’s it going with work and Dakota?”
“Good. He’s sweet.” That word slipped right out. It was not the one I’d meant to say because sweet revealed way too much. I turned and walked to the door, hoping Piper had missed it.
“Hold up.”
Damn. I sighed and spun back around.
“He’s sweet?” she repeated. “Dakota Magee has never been described as sweet. What’s going on?”
If this had been Sean, Logan’s other assistant, I would have been able to avoid this conversation. But Piper had become an extension of Logan’s family over the years, and I’d known her for way too long. She’d keep me inside until I told her all about Dakota and the last two days.
“Nothing. It’s not like that. Kind of. I don’t know. He’s . . .” I tossed my hand in the general direction of the men outside, looking at them from the window next to the door.
They were standing by the hood of Dakota’s black truck, talking. Dakota had his arms crossed over his broad chest. His canvas coat did nothing to hide the bulk of his arms. His faded jeans molded around his thick thighs, his boots planted wide in the snow.
My mouth went dry.
“Hot,” Piper finished.
I nodded. “Super hot.”
“Hmm. And this is a problem?”
“Yes. The last thing I need is another relationship.”
“Why does it have to be a relationship? You know, casual sex gets a bad rap. There is nothing wrong with a woman having some fun with a sexy man.”
“Really?” My mouth fell open. I bet Logan wouldn’t want Piper checking up on me again if he knew she was encouraging me to have casual sex with Thea’s employee.
“Kaine and I jumped right into something crazy and wild. It was so out of character for me and the best decision I’ve ever made in my life.”
“Yeah, but you got married and had cute babies. I’m not looking for a husband. Been there. Done that twice. Clearly, my taste in partners cannot be trusted.”
Piper’s face softened. “Sofia, don’t be so hard on yourself. You’ve had some bad luck with men. But honestly, I don’t think any of that was your fault.”
“You don’t?”
“No, I don’t.” She put her hand on my shoulder. “Here’s what I know. Dakota is a good man. He’s honest. I think a relationship, even a brief one, with a good man is just what you need. He can teach you what it feels like to be with the right kind of someone.”
“I’m leaving as soon as Thea and Logan get back.”
“Logan always says you’re a fast learner.”
Huh? “He does?”
She winked and let go of the door, forcing me out of the way as she stepped outside.
I followed, shielding my eyes from the bright winter sun and locking the door behind me.
Kaine spotted Piper and left Dakota’s side, coming to her side and making sure she didn’t slip on the snowy sidewalk.
“I can walk on my own,” she told him. “I’ve been doing it for over thirty years.”
“Just let me help you.” He didn’t let go of his wife as he opened her door on their SUV. Just as she’d expected, two tiny and unhappy voices were shouting in the backseat.
“Bye!” Piper waved at me as Kaine jogged around and got in the driver’s side.
“See you tonight.” He gave me a jerk of the chin, climbed into the driver’s seat and pulled away, leaving Dakota and me standing outside in the snow alone.
“Good morning,” I said. It felt awkward. Why were we awkward?
Because you almost kissed yesterday.
“Hey.” Dakota’s breath billowed around his handsome face as he walked me to the passenger side of his truck. He stayed a foot away, but the heat between us was enough to chase away the winter chill.
“It’s the big day.”
“It is. You ready for this?” That deep voice paired with those dark eyes sent a rush of desire down my spine. It pooled between my legs and made me slightly dizzy.
There was no ignoring my attraction to Dakota. Forcing it away was impossible. The magnetism between us was going to keep pulling us together until one of us finally gave in. Maybe Piper was right. Why resist it?
This didn’t have to be anything serious. A kiss, or something more, didn’t mean we’d be walking down the aisle. For once, maybe I would give casual a try.
I’d show myself that I didn’t need a man. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy the company of a hot one for a few days.
Was I ready for this?
“Hell yes.”
“I found one more bag of confetti hidden underneath the streamers.”
“Goodie,” I deadpanned.
“Oh, stop.” Sofia laughed, opening it up to sprinkle the confetti across the bar.
I’d hoped to keep Thea’s box of decorations a secret, especially the confetti. That shit was a pain in the ass to clean up. But Thea must have known I had no plans to decorate because she’d sent Sofia a text on the drive to the bar this morning. The first thing my helper had done was find the decorations and start decking the place out.
Thea had bought so much crap, it had taken Sofia hours. Not that there had been much else to do. The lunch hour had been dead, and I doubted we’d see a soul until seven or eight, when the party was scheduled to begin. The decorations had at least kept Sofia busy.
And as much as I didn’t want to spend the extra time taking it all down, it was nice to see her so excited. Sofia’s eyes sparkled brighter than the plastic gold tiara she’d put on her head.
“What do you normally do on New Year’s Eve?” she asked, wadding up the now-empty confetti bag and tossing it into the garbage.
“Work.” If I wasn’t bartending here, I was somewhere else. There were always one or two out-of-staters who wanted a private bartender for their intimate parties. They were boring as hell, but the money was stupid easy. “What about you?”
“Normally, I’d spend the day getting ready for a party or two.”
“I’m scared to ask what that entails.”
She sighed. “Facial. Massage. Pedicure. Manicure. Makeup. Hair. Dress. The works.”
“Guess today you’ll have to settle for dressing up the bar instead.”
“I guess so.” She adjusted the tiara on her head. “This is different but better than I’d expected. So far, today has been one of the best New Year’s Eves I’ve had in ages. I’m not usually the one who decorates for parties. This is fun. Really fun, actually.”
Damn. I reached into my jeans pocket and pulled out the last bag of confetti I’d stolen earlier to throw away when she wasn’t looking.
“Here.” I tossed it to her. “Go nuts.”
Sofia’s smile hit me square in the chest as she tore into the bag. Those eyes shone bright, like I’d just handed her keys to a new car, not a ninety-nine-cent bag of confetti.
She’d gone all out today, arranging items for maximum visibility. Hats and tiaras, like the one she was wearing, were placed in various spots around the room. We’d find a bunch of them trampled on the floor by the end of the night. A banner announcing the year was strung across the jukebox. The chances of it surviving to midnight were slim. Gold foil horns that were going to drive me crazy by ten o’clock were on every table.
But I wouldn’t tell her any of that
.
“Looks good in here.”
“Thanks.” She spread out the confetti on a cocktail table. “You’re the third person to give me a compliment today.”
“And the first two?”
“Piper when I saw her earlier. And my mom when I talked to her this morning. She said she was proud of me for working here.”
“She should be proud.”
“Well, I don’t get compliments like that much. It felt good.” She finished with the confetti and came to sit across from me at the bar. “Did Thea and Logan tell you about the magazine?”
“They mentioned it.”
“It was humiliating.” Her shoulders fell. “It is humiliating. I guess I’d always just thought that my family saw me as useless, no matter what I did. Then the article happened, and I realized the world saw me that way.”
“Don’t say that.”
She shrugged. “But it’s true. Or was. I don’t know. But I guess what I’m trying to explain is that in my family, I’m not the child my parents are proud of. I’m the one who makes bad decisions in husbands and friends. In life. My mom saying she is proud is . . .”
“Huge.”
“Epic.” Sofia nodded. “It was nice to get recognized for something right for a change. And I needed it. I didn’t even know how much.”
Sofia slid off her stool and plucked the tiara from her head. Then she did something that nearly short-circuited my brain. Instead of walking over to put the tiara on the cocktail table, she danced.
Raising her arms above her head, she lifted to her toes. The muscles in her legs, those toned thighs and calves, bunched underneath her tight jeans. Her sweater rode up above her hips, giving me a glimpse of her belly button and the diamond jewel in its center.
On one foot, she spun in a graceful twirl, her hair whirling around her shoulders in loose curls that hung down her back.
One spin.
That was all she did. One spin and I was dizzy.
She set down the tiara on the table, like that spin midstep was as easy as walking, and came back to the bar and stood across from me.
She was so graceful. She was whimsical, like a fairy without her wings.
Add in that sexy navel piercing, her expressive brown eyes, and I was standing next to an enigma.
Every time I thought I had her figured out, she surprised me. Every damn time.
As Sofia approached, I snapped out of my stupor and dropped my eyes to my boots.
My fingers itched to pull up the hem of her sweater just to make sure I’d seen that piercing. But if I spotted it again, it would be impossible not to run my tongue over the gem. To suck it into my mouth and wet the warm metal on my tongue.
I closed my eyes, taking a breath and willing my blood to cool. One. Two. Three. I counted up to ten. Then backward to zero. When I opened my eyes, I expected to see Sofia watching me, wondering what the hell was my problem.
But she wasn’t in front of me.
She’d quietly climbed on top of the bar.
“What the fuck? Get down.” My heart stopped and my arms shot out to grab her. But she took a step away. “Sofia, get down.”
“I have to hang these up.” She wiggled the spirals of silver and gold foil in her hand.
“Let me do it.”
She waved me off. “I’m fine.”
“Be careful.” I stepped closer, keeping my arms out in case she stumbled and fell.
She rose up on her toes and taped a streamer to the iron beam that ran the length of the room. Sofia took a few steps, taped up another, then continued until she’d spaced them along the length of the bar.
The entire time, I followed her with my arms outstretched.
When the last one was hung, she smiled at her work and dropped her gaze to me and my arms. “I’m not going to fall.”
“You might.”
“Then you’d catch me.”
Without question.
I wouldn’t let her fall, not while she was here. I had no idea how I’d done it, but somehow in the last few days, she’d gotten that message too.
Sofia bent lower and held out her arms.
I stepped up, gripping her at the waist. Her hands dropped to my shoulders. And then she just fell forward, trusting that I’d deliver her safely to the floor.
Her chest dragged down mine as I lowered her. Her eyes stayed locked on mine the entire time.
The moment her toes touched the floor, I should have let her go and backed away, but my hands were glued to her hips. My fingertips dug in harder to her jeans, not wanting to let go.
“Thanks.” Her hands stayed on my shoulders.
“Welcome.”
Her lips were parted as she breathed. She hadn’t worn lipstick today, just a light-colored gloss that made them look wet.
I wanted to lick it off, clean those lips so the only thing on them was me.
Sofia let out a breath, and the words kiss me lingered in the air.
So I did.
I crushed my lips down on hers, hard. I moaned, letting the sticky gloss wet my lips and the softness of her mouth mold against mine.
Sofia gasped, wrapping her arms tighter around my neck. Her fingers dove into the strands of hair at my nape, digging her manicured nails into my scalp.
I loosened my grip on her hips so I could wrap my arms around her back, then I pulled her to me, smashing our bodies together. I slanted my head to delve deeper, my tongue exploring every corner of her mouth.
Her taste exploded in my mouth, her own flavor mixing with a hint of lime. It was as delicious as I’d expected. Better, even.
Sofia Kendrick was a sweet creature. The sweetest I’d ever tasted.
“More.” Sofia grappled at my shoulders, pulling us even closer.
I let my hands drift down to cup her ass, tilting my hips so she could feel the entire length of my arousal.
“Uh, are you guys open?”
The voice broke us apart. Sofia and I both panted. I shook my head, blinking furiously to get out of my lusty haze as I turned to the door. A man I’d never seen before was hovering just inside, looking awkward and ready to bolt.
“Yeah, we’re open.” I dragged a hand over my lips, wiping away the signs from our kiss and Sofia’s lip gloss. “Come on in.”
Sofia’s face turned bright red as she turned her back to the customer.
“Sorry to interrupt.” The man crossed the room and sat at one of the tables. He plucked the menu from the stand and started to read it.
I raked a hand through my hair, muttering, “Shit.”
Sofia looked over. The redness in her face was gone but her cheeks were still flushed. “Back to work?”
“In a sec.”
Her eyes drifted down my body, widening as they landed on the bulge behind my zipper. “Oh. I-I’ll just go take his order.”
“Thanks.” I nodded, closing my eyes and taking a few breaths. But it was impossible to get my dick under control with the taste of her still on my tongue.
Fuck my life. I’d just crossed a line and there was no going back.
Kissing her was the best bad idea I’d had in years. She was rich and beautiful and the type of woman who sucked men in and held them captive.
Sofia took the man’s order and came back around the bar. Without a word, she poured his beer and delivered it with a coaster and tray of peanuts.
I was still fighting to get myself back under control.
“I’m going to see if there are any more decorations.” She walked past me and down to the office.
“Fine.” I went straight for the bottle of whiskey on the back shelf, poured a shot glass full and tossed it back.
“Need me to take this to go?” the man at the table asked, grinning as he sipped his beer. “You could lock up and help her look for decorations.”
“We’re good.”
He raised his eyebrows.
I sent him a glare, making it clear that if he brought up Sofia or the situation he’d walked in on again, he would
n’t have to leave. I’d throw him out the fucking door.
“This is the last of the decorations.” Sofia returned with another two bags of confetti and a box labeled in Chinese.
“What’s in that one?” I pointed to the box.
“Noisemakers.”
I took the box from her hands but saw that it was unopened. “How do you know it’s noisemakers?”
“Because it says so on the box.”
“You can read Chinese?”
She shrugged. “Not well, but enough. I had lessons in high school. I’m much better at Spanish because I spent a month in Barcelona after graduation. Though I haven’t used it since. Both are rusty.”
I blinked. “You speak Spanish and Chinese.”
“I don’t really speak Chinese. I haven’t since I stopped taking lessons. But I can read it well enough to get by.”
Christ. I didn’t need more turn-ons. A woman whose mind was as sharp as the bite of her fingernails was impossible to resist.
The door to the bar opened again, and this time a familiar face came walking in.
“Hey, Wayne.” I jerked up my chin.
“Dakota. Hey, Sofia. How are you two getting on?”
The man at the table choked on a peanut as he laughed.
“We’re fine,” I muttered. “Want your usual?”
“Sure.”
I poured Wayne a beer as Sofia went to sprinkle more shit on the tables we’d just have to clean up later. I didn’t have the heart to tell her she’d probably be the one to sweep up all that confetti.
“How are your feet holding up?” Wayne asked Sofia.
“Much better.” She kicked up a heel of the Chuck Taylors I’d seen Thea wear frequently. “These are comfortable. Though I look silly in sneakers.”
I frowned. “No, you don’t.”
Her skinny jeans and simple white V-neck tee were much more appealing than the fancy shit she’d worn the last two days. Today, she looked like she was comfortable here.
Confident. Every move was made with more surety, whether she was picking up glasses or using the soda gun. She walked around this bar like she owned the place.
It was the confidence I recognized from her siblings.
Add to that her beauty, and it was hard not to stare. For the rest of her “internship,” I’d be more focused on her than I would the bar.