Page 15 of Some Like It Hops

She’s feisty and stubborn.

And she wanted me. Maybe that changed when she found out who I was, but that attraction between us was not one-sided. Not by a longshot. And tomorrow, I’ll prove it.

Fast Lane is full for a Wednesday lunch crowd, and I smile as I enter the brewery through the front door, pleased to see the packed house. We serve food at only half of our locations, and the delicious scent of fried batter and buffalo wings greets me as I approach the hostess stand. Maybe I should roll out a plan to serve food at all locations—it certainly seems to attract a midday crowd.

The young blonde smiles up at me, but there’s no recognition in her eyes, so entering through the main entrance may work in my favor after all. I’m not sure why Charlie picked one of my locations for our lunch date, but I’d like to spend some time with her without the added chaos of the staff acting crazy because I’m here.

I also changed before I left L.A., forgoing my usual suit for a more laid-back look with jeans and an untucked dress shirt. I rolled up the sleeves and ditched the watch. Hopefully the Average Joe getup makes me blend in, not stand out.

“Hi, welcome to Fast Lane! It’s open seating, but I think…” She stands on her tiptoes, then smiles. “Yeah, looks like there’s a space at the bar.”

I look toward where she’s pointing and Charlie catches my eye, waving to me from a table in the far corner. I nod in recognition and turn to the hostess. “Thanks. Someone is waiting for me.”

I approach the table and Charlie offers me a controlled smile. “Mr. Lane.”

I incline my head. “Ms. Harper.” I motion toward the seat across from her. “May I?”

She rolls her eyes, but her smile widens.

I sit down, holding her gaze. She’s dressed casually like she was yesterday, just a snug white t-shirt with little cuffed sleeves, and a pair of loose blue jeans. Through the t-shirt, her white lace bra is just visible enough to make me want to see more. Her long, dark brown hair frames her face, nearly reaching down to her waist. It’s so straight and shiny it almost looks fake.

I don’t think she wears makeup—so unlike the L.A. women I’m used to—but she doesn’t need it with that ivory skin and those full, dark lashes. I haven’t stopped thinking of her since I first laid eyes on her yesterday, but the real version of her is even better than the one burned in my memory. Her full lips quirk up to one side, and I focus on her mouth—

“What are you thinking?” she asks me, a curious look on her face.

“I’m thinking about how I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since we first spoke at Evans.”

She swallows, and I watch the motion of her throat.

“I’m thinking that you may not realize what that little glimpse of white lace beneath your shirt does to—”

“Here you go! So sorry for the wait.” A server slides two flights between us, breaking the intensity of the moment and saving me from saying way too much, way too soon. Charlie makes me speak without thinking… who fucking knows what I mightdowithout thinking.

I clear my throat and lean back, looking down at the flights, then my interest in Charlie is replaced by irritation. The server has forgotten to include the names of each sample. My jaw tightens a bit and I turn toward her, glancing quickly at her nametag and trying not to linger too long on the cleavage spilling out of her black and white checkered shirt. God, I love our uniforms. “You forgot the names of the pours. It’s really a simple—”

“Actually,” Charlie interrupts, “I requested your flight be served without the list.” She watches me with a dare in her eyes. Hmm. She turns to our server and smiles. “Thank you, Meagan. The wait was no problem. You guys seem pretty busy.”

“We’re slammed today.” Meagan smiles at both of us, lingering on me just long enough to make me think she might recognize me, then inclines her head and says, “Enjoy your flights. I’ll be back in a bit to check on you.” With that, she slips back into the crowd and I focus on Charlie.

She tugs on her bottom lip, and my gaze falls to her mouth, then lowers to that barely-there glimpse of lace covering her tits.

“Well, Mr. Big Shot.”

I look back up into her chocolate eyes.

“Let’s see how well you know your own beer.”

Chapter Nine

Charlie

His eyebrows rise slowly and his sexy smirk creeps into a full-blown smile. I didn’t know how he was going to react, but so far, that cocky expression is pretty spot-on. Let’s see if he can back it up with actual knowledge.

If Griffin is the ruthless entrepreneur they say he is, he knows money, sure, and he knows business, but he’s not likely to knowbeer. He’ll have bought his recipes, not crafted them himself the way I do.

He crosses his arms over his chest and leans back in his seat. His arms are strong and lean, and my desire to see if the rest of him looks like that builds with every passing second. The way he watches me makes heat pool low in my belly. I cross my legs to try to relieve the growing pressure between them—

“You’re testing me.”

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