Page 38 of Sweet and Salty

She hands it over immediately.

“I’m putting my number in here, in case you need anything and Owen isn’t available.”

“Thanks,” she says, taking the phone back.

I nod at Caleb, knowing it’s a good idea to cover all the bases. I don’t want to think there’ll ever be a time where I’m not available to her, but if I was hunting down a lead and something happened? It’s comforting to know she has someone to call.

After another fifteen minutes of chatting about the club, I've determined everything is in order. The update definitely feels more satisfying, especially when Zoe would smile or give me impressed looks at every question I asked. And while Caleb headed back to the storage room to get more stock for the bar, I take Zoe’s hand and give her a quick tour before climbing the stairs with her in tow.

“This feels familiar,” she says as I unlock the roof access door and lead her through it, allowing it to shut softly behind us.

“A good familiar, I hope,” I say, my boots crunching on the graveled rooftop. I spare a glance over at the garden, noting Caleb has been watering my plants.

I straighten some of the patio furniture the wind has blown to the side as Zoe walks toward the balcony, checking out the unobstructed view of the bright blue sky.

She's an absolute knockout, a delicate silhouette with the open sky behind her, her hair blowing slightly in the sweetbreeze. Something shifts inside me just looking at her, like a tether tightening, connecting me to her.

“This is such an awesome spot,” she says, motioning to the roof. “This and the club,” she adds. “I can tell how much you love it. What made you want to be an owner?”

“When I was in the military, it was something that I always dreamed about,” I answer as I cross the space to lean against the balcony next to her. “When the deployments would be long and home seemed so far away, I realized that the people in my unit were writing letters to significant others they'd left behind, or their kids or their parents, and I didn't have that. My parents both passed away several years ago, and I was an only child. And since I enlisted when I turned eighteen, the only significant friendships I made were those in the military too. And while I still keep contact with some of the people from my unit, we're all scattered across the country now. Except for Caleb, who practically followed me here.” I laugh.

“Watching them miss their families and the people they love had me dreaming about putting down roots too. I would dream about getting out and running a small bar, maybe offering a few menu items. But when I got home, this place went up for sale not two days later, and my dream shifted into something I never could’ve imagined. And here I am, five years later and somehow, we haven't gone under.”

“Of course, you haven't,” she says. “You're really amazing at what you do. This place is one of the most in-demand clubs in Charleston. My friends talked enough about it that night months ago. The night you brought me to this roof.” She bites down on her smile, and that quickly, I want her. “Have you ever thought of doing this full time?” she asks, tilting her head slightly.

I nod. “I have actually,” I say, but don't mention that I've been thinking about it more and more since I met her. “It's a tough decision though,” I continue. “Because I’m really good atmy other job. It’s hard to turn that part of me off sometimes.” The mission mindset, the satisfaction at using my protective instincts that I honed in my time in the military to help someone in need.

“I definitely can vouch for that,” she says, sighing softly as she gazes out over the balcony again.

“I could see myself only working this job though,” I say. “Now more than ever. But I'm happy I didn't before this. If I hadn't taken this case, who knows how long it would’ve been before we met officially.”

“I was getting close to breaking,” she says. “I wasn't going to last much longer. But I’m glad it was you who walked through my door that morning.”

I step closer to her, interlacing our fingers. “I'm glad it was you who walked into this club, Kitten.” My grin deepens. “Yelling in my ear and getting sassy about the AC.”

Zoe chuckles. “It was really hot that night.”

“Oh, I remember,” I say, and a delightful little flush brushes across her cheeks.

She steps closer to me, sliding her free hand along my chest before curling her fingers around my neck, urging me toward her mouth.

“What are you doing to me, Silver?” she whispers, her lips a breath away from mine.

My pulse thrums hot and hard in my veins as I draw her body flush against mine. “Exactly what you’re doing to me, Kitten.”

We share a look, a silent one that screams all the serious things we’re not saying. I won’t be the one to push her into making a decision about me, not when I’m the one with the job that could separate us and hinder a serious relationship. A job I’m coming closer and closer to letting go of.

She spans the distance between our mouths, kissing me in a slow, languid kiss that has every muscle in my body tightening.Fuck me, kissing her on this rooftop takes me straight back to our first night together up here. The night she brought me to my knees with just a look.

I haven’t stopping wanting or needing her since.

“Kitten,” I growl between her lips as her hand roams over my abdomen, her kiss growing more intense. “Tell me what you need.”

Zoe nips at my bottom lip, drawing back just enough to catch my gaze. “You,” she says. “I just need you.”

“You have me,” I say, reclaiming her mouth, my hands flying to her hips as I tug her against me. “You want to play up here again?”

Her flush deepens as she nods.

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