Just One Kiss: A Black Alcove Novel (The Black Alcove Series Book 1) (13 page)

Logan walks around the bike slowly and stops
in front of the toolbox. “Is this cool?” he asks, pointing at
it.

“Be my guest. I’ll go grab us some waters,”
I say before heading inside. I’ll have to remember to thank Kelsey.
She didn’t have to send anyone to help me, but I’m glad she did. I
open the fridge and pull out a couple bottles. The sound of a
motorcycle roaring to life comes from the garage.

“No way,” I say, stepping outside and
handing Logan a bottle.

“It was an easy fix,” he says as I grab my
helmet, ready to take it for a spin. “So what’s the deal with you
and Kels? I’m going to be honest. You’ve been a dick to everyone
since the day Sara left, and somehow Kelsey feels enough kindness
to help you out.”

I shrug and look away from him. “I can’t
tell you. But I’ll be sure to thank her later, and thanks for
fixing my bike.”

Ethan

I hate the way everyone is walking around
the bar, pretending like I have a disease. They’re all going out of
their way to stay away from me. At first I thought it was weird
that I hadn’t spoken to anyone since I got here, but it isn’t until
I come out of the office and watch Beth and Abby scatter like the
building is on fire that I figure it out. All in different
directions, too, and any direction that doesn’t include toward
me.

I head straight for the end of the bar where
Abby is working. The moment I get to the end, she turns around and
walks to the other, all without even a glance in my direction. I
study each girl and can’t find a single clue to what’s going
on.

“Hey, Ethan, is something wrong?” Logan
gestures toward Beth with a bar glass. “Or did she do something
wrong?”

“No, I just can’t figure out why my
employees are avoiding me. I haven’t done anything new lately that
would piss them off.” I pull up a seat in front of him.

“Yeah, women are like that. I’ll probably go
half my life not knowing why Sara or Kelsey is mad 70 percent of
the time they are around me. It’s just how they work—one minute
they’re calm and couldn’t care less. The next minute… ”

He clears his throat.

“The next minute, you never know what
they’re going to do.” He chuckles then walks away.

I spin on the seat to see what caught his
attention. My eyes about pop out of their sockets when I find
Kelsey standing in the doorway, a beaming, white smile on her face.
Her hair is pinned up into a messy bun. The Black Alcove t-shirt
she’s wearing is tighter than normal, showing off her every curve
and she is wearing a….mother fucker, she is wearing a skirt. One
that is way too short for the public eye. If it’s getting to me
this fast, it’s getting to every other man in this bar too. I take
a breath and attempt to control the groan in my throat. This woman
knows how to test my patience.

In two quick strides I’m at her side. “What
are you wearing?” I ask in the calmest tone I can handle. My hands
are clenching at my sides, and when I hear a whistle, I know it’s
directed toward her. My breathing picks up as I wait for her reply
and control my urge to punch the mystery fucker in the face.

Kelsey shrugs and glances down at her
chest.

“Um, it’s our required uniform, Ethan.”

“That is not required.” I point to her
outfit. “You should be wearing black pants and, let me guess, you
shrank your shirt in the dryer?”

“No, I bought a size smaller and I didn’t
feel like wearing pants today.”

“You didn’t feel like wearing pants?”

“That’s what I said.” She smiles again.

“Well,” I growl at her and point to her
skirt, “that sure as fuck isn’t going to work for me.”

“Well…” She rolls her eyes and looks away.
“You’re going to have to make it work. I’m not changing.”

I stand there completely
dumbfounded as she walks away. Heads turn as she greets a few
people on her way to the jukebox. I watch her hips sway back and
forth to the music.
That skirt is way too
short
. It reveals her delicious long legs,
and when she leans over the jukebox to press a few buttons, my mind
starts to wander to places it really shouldn’t go right now. I can
do this. I can let a couple of rules slide for one
night.

She turns back around and gives me a wicked,
happy smile. Somehow she managed to learn that when it comes to me,
she can get away with anything. I’m just happy she followed one
rule and kept her hair pulled back. At least she listened to
something I said.

The music switches to a new song and “Sour
Cherry” by The Kills plays throughout the bar. I smile back at her,
approving her choice of music. From the hoots and hollers it sounds
like I’m not the only one who enjoys this song. Right at that
moment she reaches up and pulls her ponytail out of her hair and
shakes her curls loose down her back.

Fuck. This is not happening.

Kelsey

Before I focus too intently on the fumes
blowing out of Ethan ears, I quickly start to chat with some
regulars and collect their drink orders. I pick up a few empty
bottles as I weave between tables on my way back to the bar. I can
feel his eyes burning into my skin. I can do this. I can do this.
He’s budging on the rules, so this is a start.

“Girl, I can’t believe you are testing him
right now. Logan said he had a hot temper earlier today, and the
rest of us have been doing everything we can to stay clear of him.
Then, here you walk in, acting like you own the place.” Beth laughs
and shakes her head. We both glance toward Ethan, who’s now
standing with his hands on his hips and his head hanging to his
chest. God, he looks so cute when he dresses up. For once I’d like
to see him just relax here. He might be a lot happier if he didn’t
take everything so seriously. I can’t imagine Sara giving him any
lectures before she left. Maybe he needs someone to help him in a
non-work-related way.

I could do that.

What would he do if I march
right up to him and kiss him? He sure as shit isn’t going to make a
move.
Damn it, Kelsey. Stop
that.

“I sure hope whatever you have planned works
out for both your— Oh shit, here he comes.” Beth is gone before I
can fully process what she just said. How did I miss him strutting
over here when I was staring at him? Oh right. I was imagining
kissing him.

“Kelsey, might I have a
word with you?” Each slow word sounds practiced and forced.
Crap.
I hadn’t prepared
for this reaction. I mean, I knew this was going to happen, but I
never planned how I would react.

“I—”

“Ethan, I need some help behind the bar.
Would you mind talking to Kelsey later?” Relief instantly takes
over at Logan stepping in just in time.

“You need help with three customers?” Ethan
asks.

I glance at Logan, who looks back at the
customers then grins at Ethan. “Just go easy on her, please.” He
chuckles and returns to his spot behind the bar.

Well, that was a poor job
of saving me.
I’ll have to warn Sara about
this. Logan is a horrible defender of best friends. He was the one
who wanted to devise a plan against Ethan. Clearly, I’m the only
who will actually mastermind it. As slowly as I can muster, I turn
to face Ethan. When I meet his heated stare, I bite my lip and hold
back a smile.
At least it’s kind of
working.
I shrug.

“We can talk in my office.” He turns for the
door with me right behind him.

When the door clicks closed
and I hear the twist of the bolt, I step deeper into the office and
cringe as I lean against the wall.
I got
this.
I’m not scared of Ethan.

But I am surprised when he
turns around and a sneaky grin appears on his lips. He stalks over
to me and stops once we are toe to toe. Damn, he’s close. I can
smell his musky and woodsy scent that I can’t get enough of. He’s
so close I can see how soft his skin is from his shave this
morning. I can smell the mint on his breath, which now focuses me
fully on his lips.
Oh
god
. Have I always been this attracted to
him?

“I can’t let you go back out there, Kelsey.
Not dressed the way you are.”

“Why not?” I cross my arms
and look away from him. “I’m wearing the same outfit we used
to
always
wear,
Ethan. And no one had a problem with it before. Casual is friendly
and approachable. You’re just going to have to let some things go.”
I reach to move him out of my way, but instead he grabs my wrist
and stops me. I freeze and take a deep breath.

I’m shoved against the wall
and his lips are on mine before I can finish that breath. He
quickly releases my wrist and his hands go to my waist, each hand
digging into my sides and pulling me closer. His tongue slips past
my lips, and I lock my arms around his neck.
Hot damn, this man can kiss.

Ethan moves his knee between my legs and
rubs against me. A moan comes from inside me, fueling his hunger
even more. A hand slips under my shirt, snapping me back to
attention. I break the kiss.

“Ethan.”

“I can’t let you go back out there dressed
the way you are because I won’t be able to keep my eyes or hands
off of you. And if I won’t be able to do it, no other man out there
will either. I don’t feel like getting in a fight tonight, Kelsey.
It wouldn’t be professional and it wouldn’t end well for the other
guy. I don’t know what you’ve done to me, but I’ve never felt this
way about anyone and I can’t get enough of you.”

I push him away slightly and look into his
eyes. If he really feels this way then where has he been? Why
hasn’t he called me or come over for breakfast? If he really feels
this way, he never would have stopped showing up. But I can’t let
him know how this bothers me.

“I’m sorry, Ethan, I…I got carried away. I’m
not attracted to you that way.” I take a step around him.

“That’s bullshit, Kelsey, and you know it,”
he challenges once I reach the door.

“I don’t know it. I don’t know anything
except that a relationship between the two of us would never
work.”

“Why not? We’ve never had
one. You can’t just pre-reject something because you
think
you know how it
will turn out. It doesn’t work like that.”

I remain silent because everything I say is
only making this situation worse. I don’t want him upset with me
but I do want him to stop being such an uptight jerk.

“I’m sorry, Ethan. I should get back to
work.”

“Wait. Look me in the eye and tell me you
don’t having even a pinch of feelings for me. I know you do. I want
to hear you say it.”

I don’t hesitate to look him in the eye. I
even open my mouth to confess everything he wants to hear, but the
words don’t come out. Instead, I open the door and walk out.

Ethan never comes out of his office during
my shift. I don’t know what is wrong with me, but I do care about
him. It’s just that after you add our past and his present behavior
together, it all screams that I shouldn’t trust him. I’m not doing
that again. I can’t let myself go through that more than once. I
know I said I’d just go with it, but I can’t. Even if every part of
my heart wants to be with Ethan.

Kelsey

All week I have failed miserably at hiding
my emotions. Both Beth and Logan have threatened that if I don’t
cheer up by Saturday night, they will call Sara. Calling the best
friend can be just as bad as physical pain. Now it’s Friday, and
Logan and I are once again the bartenders for the night. I’m
determined to prove there is nothing wrong with me. Technically
there isn’t if you take away my obsession with the fact that I
think I made a mistake with Ethan. Maybe I should have given us a
real chance. Maybe he acted that way because I wasn’t ever all that
clear on how I felt. I should have gone all in. I was stupid, now
I’m miserable.

“Hey, Pip,” Logan jokes as he flicks my side
ponytail. I laugh, set a few beers on the counter, and start
popping off the tops.

“Pip had two pigtails, Logan. I only have
one,” I correct him, and the customer across from me nods in
agreement.

“And Pippy braided her hair too,” the man
says before taking his beer and walking back to his table.

Logan shakes his head before pulling apart a
thirty-pack of beers and squatting to load them into the cooler
under the bar top.

“My point is, you’re over here bouncing
around all cheery and humming along to the music. Lately you’re in
here all stressed and shit.” He stops to look up at me. “Is there
something you want to tell me? Has someone finally turned that
frown upside down?”

I playfully kick him and he wobbles a little
before correcting himself and continues stocking the fridge.

“Nope,” I say, giving him a straight face
and shrugging my shoulders. “Is there something you should be
telling me?”

He stands up and puts his hand on his hips.
“You girls are the weirdest creatures, you know that?” I only smile
at him. “But you want to know something else?” he adds. “I’m a guy
and that makes me smarter than any creature out there, so I know
exactly what you’re hiding.” My smiles drops and he laughs as he
walks to other end of the bar.

He’s just messing with me.
He doesn’t know anything —does he?
I bet he
already talked to Ethan, even though there isn’t anything to talk
about. Boys are so much worse than girls at gossiping because they
don’t know when they are doing it. But if they are talking, that
means Ethan’s been thinking about me. And if he has, maybe all I
need to do is talk to him. Fix whatever mess this is. If he were
someone I could just get over, I’d have done that by
now.