Page 28 of Roar & Lizzy: A Forever Kind of Love

Part of her breathed a sigh of relief. This wasn't about her.

Another part of her tensed. She wouldn't want to snitch on her coworkers.

The mixed reactions on top of Roar mere inches from her had her taking a bigger drink. "There was a learning curve because The Fire Ring is new. We all had to figure out the best way to get the orders to the kitchen and get the food back to the customer in the shortest amount of time, but I think we've all made improvements in that area. Peer does a great job keeping up with drinks which helps all of us be more efficient."

"That's good to hear." He studied her. "And the women getting along? Any problems?"

She swallowed. Kelli was challenging to work with because of her jealousy. The woman was standoffish toward her and Coco, for some reason.

"I think it helps that three of them are friends away from work and then Coco and I live together." She hesitated. "They seem to feed off each other and know when one of them needs help. Same with Coco and me. I think the longer we all work together, we'll figure out each other's personalities and work more like a team."

Roar tipped back his drink, taking in all the information. She watched the moment the burn came to him because his eyes were focused on her.

She exhaled slowly. That was hot.

He had the most penetrating eyes. Icy blue and hypnotic. When he looked at her, like he was doing now, she felt naked. In an exciting way.

"You're not going to throw anyone under the bus?"

She shook her head and whispered, "No because there really aren't any problems I can think of that affect the job we do."

"Okay." He straightened. "Fair enough."

She took that as her cue that she'd passed and finished her drink, needing the calming side-effect of the alcohol to stop her heart from racing.

Roar moved away and brought back the bottle of Kahlua, pouring her more. Before she could tell him she was good after one glass, he said, "How about you? Any changes you'd like to see happen around here?"

She wrapped her hands around the glass. "I enjoy working here. Tonight was slow, which surprised me but the festival is going on down at the waterfront, and I think that draws people away from the bar. But, normally, the hours go by fast, and I'm surprised by how much I enjoy the customers. I thought serving alcohol might be more stressful and harder than serving lunch or dinner, but the good mood sets the pace for the night."

"I'm going to put a Slag member at the door from now on." He leaned over the counter again, closer to her. "There will be some nights that I'll be on a ride and can't check in or be within yelling distance."

"As extra security?"

He nodded. "I'd feel better knowing someone was dedicated to watching out for you, and the others. Business is only going to grow from here on out as we get into the heat of summer. Customers are already starting to return every weekend, and word of mouth will happen more as we grow."

"True." She sipped her drink.

He eyed her glass. "Is that stuff good?"

She smiled and laughed softly. "Oh, yeah."

At the heated look in his eyes, she slid her glass toward him. "Try it."

Without looking away from her, he lifted her Kahlua mocha and took a drink. She held her breath, waiting for his opinion or maybe she found it hard to breathe because he'd put his lips where her lips had been and the thought of tasting him with her next sip excited her.

"Not bad." He pushed his drink closer to her. "Whiskey?"

She laughed louder than she meant to and shook her head. "I've had whiskey."

"Not a fan?"

"No." She leaned forward and touched the end of his beard which he'd braided.

There was a bead hidden in his whiskers, holding it all together. She found everything about him interesting.

"No rubberband," she said, more to herself than him.

He held still, and she removed her hand. He grabbed her wrist, taking it down to the counter. Instead of letting go of her, he strummed the inner side of her wrist with his thumb.

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