She sighed. “As you can see, I don’t have time to babysit you tonight.”
“Babe, I’m a big boy.”
“Oh, I know.” Her gaze dipped to my lower half, hidden behind the bar.
The smirk that curved on my lips couldn’t be helped. If she was thinking about my cock, that meant there was a chance. At the very least, she was curious about what a physical connection might look like. It wasn’t ideal, considering I was already halfway in love with her, but I could work with that.
Every great love story had to start somewhere. If ours began with hot sex, and her heart followed later, I didn’t care. Just so long as the end result was the same—her by my side for the rest of our lives.
“You’re back.”
There were open stools at the bar tonight, so I dropped onto one, folding my hands atop the polished wood counter.
“I’m back,” I confirmed.
Before I could ask, Gemma placed a cold glass of cola before me. It was routine by this point.
Every free night I had, I was here, watching her work. Initially, she’d been annoyed, but after a while, she accepted that I wasn’t going anywhere. My persistence and patience would eventually be rewarded, but for now, I was content to be calmed by her presence.
“I wasn’t sure.” She chewed her lower lip, eyes dropping to the floor. “You were gone for a while.”
I smiled. “Did you miss me, babe?”
“Miss is a strong word,” she shot back over her shoulder, heading toward a customer at the other end of the bar who had signaled for her with a hand.
When she returned, I explained, “I was traveling with the team.”
“Right.” She nodded. “You play some kind of sport.”
A snort flew past my nose. “Some kind of sport. Honey, if we’re going to be together, you need to learn what I do for a living.”
Gemma gave me the prettiest eye roll I’d ever seen. “Your mind must be a terrifying place.”
“It’s busy, that’s for sure.”
“Fine, I’ll bite. Tell me about your ‘sport’.” Her use of air quotes on that final word had me laughing so loud that several patrons turned to stare.
With agility born from years of practice, I hopped from my stool to stand atop the bar.
Gemma tugged on my hand, hissing, “Sasha, what are you doing? Get down!”
My height had my head nearly touching the ceiling, and I knocked on it to get everyone’s attention. Once all eyes were on me, I shot a loving gaze at the red-cheeked woman down below.
“Sorry to interrupt, but I’m trying to prove a point to my woman. You all know the lovely Gemma, right?” There wereseveral grunts of acknowledgment in the crowd, so I continued, “By a show of hands, how many of you have heard of the Indy Speed?”
Every single hand in the bar shot up. My gloat-filled grin couldn’t be contained.
“Thank you all. You’ve been mighty helpful this evening.” I mimed tipping my cap to them before jumping down.
Arms folded, Gemma shot me a death glare. “Do you think you’re cute?”
“Doyouthink I’m cute? I’m more interested in hearing your answer to that question.“ I tossed her a playful wink.
“I think you’re the biggest pain in my ass,” she muttered.
Leaning over the bar, I dropped my voice an octave. “That can be arranged, sweetheart.”
Her eyes flew wide, and she stumbled back a step, glasses of hard liquor rattling as she bumped into the countertop along the wall.
