Kickstart My Heart (Burgers and Brew Crue #1) - Lacey Black Page 0,67
hard again, anxious for round two, and pull her against my chest.
“Walker,” she whispers, her lips grazing across my pec as she nestles in close.
“Do you want me to head out?” I ask, running my hand over her bare back.
“Stay.”
Relief fills my entire body. One word, and all feels right with the world.
Stay.
So I do. I hold her tightly in my arms and drift off to sleep.
***
“Hey,” I say, slipping onto the only available chair at our table for four.
Jasper glances up and meets me eye. “You got laid.”
“What?”
He snorts. “I knew it!”
“All I said was hey,” I argue, taking a drink of my Coke.
“It wasn’t what you said, but how you said it.”
I can feel all eyes on me, but I don’t twitch. Instead, I sit back in my chair and give nothing away.
“At least someone is getting laid,” Jameson mutters.
“What are you talking about? I ran into Amie yesterday and she said she was coming here last night,” I tell him.
He snorts and shakes his head. “Oh, she did. I snuck out the back when she was getting another drink at the bar.” His eyes meet mine. “She was with Bethani.”
My friends know what happened with her and about the restraining order I was forced to file. “Ran into her yesterday too.”
“What happened?” Isaac asks, setting aside his stack of papers and pulling off his reading glasses, giving me his full attention.
I shrug. “Nothing, really. She wanted to come over, as if nothing happened two years ago, and I told her that wasn’t fucking happening. I told her she wasn’t allowed here. I had Lizzie and Mal with me, but that didn’t seem to deter her in the least. In fact, I think she looked at them as a challenge.”
Jasper grins. “So you did get lucky.”
“Shut up,” I reply, giving him a pointed look. Just then, Mallory walks in from the restaurant and heads for the bar. Jillian is there and starts making whatever drink order she has. Mal glances over her shoulder and sees me, offering a small smile.
“You have it bad.” Jasper laughs and takes a drink.
I don’t reply. Not because he’s wrong, because he’s not. I do have it bad. Waking up with her in my arms this morning was the best fucking thing ever. So was the shower we took together immediately after. Taking her against the cool fiberglass wall, water cascading down her naked body, and my name on her lips as she came on my dick will be something I won’t forget anytime soon.
Adjusting myself casually, I glance back over my shoulder and watch her retreat back into the restaurant, ignoring the snickering and teasing from my closest friends. Someday, they’ll understand. They’ll get what it feels like to be so wrapped up with one woman you can’t think straight. A month ago, I would have scoffed and fought it, but now?
Now I embrace it and want more.
“All right, let’s leave Walker alone and get to our meeting. I looked over the material Jameson presented last Monday,” Isaac says, slipping back into manager mode. He glances across the table and meets our friend’s eyes. “I like it.”
“You do?” Jameson asks, seemingly surprised.
“Yeah. In fact, if we do this right, this could be an incredibly profitable venture for us. I talked with a man in Illinois who owns a restaurant and brewery and got some tips and ideas. He’s more than willing to help in any way he can. In fact, he sent over his vendor list for the brewery, along with a few contacts.”
We spend the next hour going over everything. P&L sheets, startup expense projections, and a contract for the building next door. It’s been empty for a while, and when Isaac contacted the bank about leasing it, the owner decided he’d be willing to sell. The initial expense is going to be big, mostly due to the cost of leasing or purchasing the equipment needed to start manufacturing our own beer, but I can tell by the look on everyone’s faces, this is a venture we’re all excited about taking.
“I want to run it.” Jameson clears his throat and sits up straight in his chair.
“Will you have time for that?” Jasper asks, finishing his burger and setting his plate on the table behind him.
“I don’t feel like I pull my weight around here. Not like you guys,” Jameson says, finally vocalizing one of the issues I know he’s battled since we started the business.