Their gazes met again, hers defiant, his heated. “I can’t seem to help myself.”
“Well, try.”
“I don’t think you really want me to . . . or you wouldn’t keep coming back.”
She gave a huff of laughter. “You think I keep coming back here for you? Well, aren’t you nice and full of yourself.”
He grinned at her. “If not me then who?”
“No one you know.”
Before he could question her any further, customers seemed to pour into the bar in one big drove and he was diverted by the attentions of his job. Ten minutes later he was in the middle of pouring a customer a lager when Joss stopped beside him.
She smirked up at him. “Your gorgeous brunette says your phone is ringing.”
He glanced down the bar and saw Rain waving his phone at him. He’d clearly left it with her. “Shit. It might be my mum. Can you take over for this customer? It’s this lager and I’ve still to get him a JD and Coke.”
“Got it.” Joss took the lager from him, and Craig hurried down the bar to Rain.
“A text from ‘Mum’ popped up on the screen,” Rain said, handing him the phone. “Thought you might want to know.”
“Thanks.” He gave her a tight smile and quickly pulled up the text.
I had a wonderful night. Drew was a gentleman. I’m home safe and sound so you can stop worrying and get on with work. Talk to you later. Love, Mum xx
Craig sighed in relief.
Glad to hear it. I’ll call around tomorrow. Night.
“Everything alright?” Rain said.
He looked at her and was surprised to find she appeared to genuinely care. Christ, he wanted to kiss her so fucking badly. Why was she here? What the hell was going on with her? Craig suddenly found himself irrationally angry and he knew it was because Rain Alexander was a mystery that was beginning to frustrate him in more ways than one.
“She’s fine,” he said.
Rain’s concerned expression turned blank at his sharp answer, and he instantly regretted his tone.
“Craig, if you’re done?” Joss shouted back down the bar.
He sighed and looked back at Rain, but she was avoiding his gaze as she glanced around the bar in that searching way of hers. He strode away to take a customer’s order. Alistair passed him as he mixed a cocktail.
“Who’s the gorgeous brunette?” he asked as he cleaned out a glass.
Craig shot Rain a look. She had her back to the bar now, her eyes searching the club. “Fuck knows,” he sighed.
“I thought you knew her.”
“Knowing her name doesn’t mean I know her.”
Hearing the dismay in his voice, Alistair grinned. “Could it be you want to know her though?”
“Only in a biblical sense.”
Alistair studied him and then grunted. “If you say so.”
As soon as he walked away, he was replaced by Joss. She was grinning at him. He frowned. “What?”
“You have a crush.”