Page 129 of Stone Temptation

Luke sighed, shoulders sagging in relief. “Thank God for that.”

“You alright?”

“Yeah. You?”

“Better now he’s gone.”

He nodded, sending a text to Tom, and then Luke’s manager.

Man, what a shame we weren’t going to his workplace tonight. I fancied a dance.

After an hour or so of twiddling our thumbs, me laying out some crystals and lighting some candles, Luke got behind the bar to make some drinks.

“What do you fancy?” he asked, going through the liquor supplies. “I’m not making a green tea and scotch, though.”

“But what if I want it?”

“Number one rule in this bar is you have something other than that.”

“Shaming me again.”

He shrugged. “My bar, my rules.”

Gods, he was so cute.

Stay on this side of the bar at all times.

“Is this a reenactment of a shift at Midas Cherry?” I asked, resisting the urge to pull him across the bar and into my lap.

Really?!

“A stripped-down version, I guess.”

“Speaking of which…” I winked at him.

What the fuck are you doing?

He cocked an eyebrow. “I don’t remove my clothes while pouring a mojito.”

“Just checking.”

He grinned, not blushing.

Stop. This. Now.

I took a seat on a gray barstool. “I’ll have whatever you wanna make. What’s your favorite cocktail?”

“Cosmopolitan.”

“What’s in it?”

“Vodka, Cointreau, cranberry juice, sweetened lime juice or a fresh one.” He bent down. “Awesome. They have both.”

“Fresh lime, pretty please.”

“Coming right up.”

Luke found cocktail glasses, a shaker, and all the other things required to make a banging beverage. Even laid out a bag of those rotten strawberry creams, popping one into his mouth as he got to work.

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