Page 27 of Unearthed Dreams
“Here you go.”
The bitter liquid hit my tongue and my body revolted. Beer sprayed across the polished wood before I could stop it. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry. That’s absolutely disgusting.”
His shoulders shook with laughter, the sound warming me more than any alcohol could. My embarrassment faded, replaced by satisfaction at drawing out another genuine reaction from this usually reserved man.
“Wanna stick with Coke?” He reached for a rag to wipe up my mess.
I wrinkled my nose at the offending beer glass. “No. Can you make me something... fruity?”
“Sure thing, pretty girl.” Kai winked and got to work.
That unfamiliar warmth—the one that had started seeping into me every night as thoughts of Kai invaded my brain—pooled between my legs. Watching him mix the liquors, shake the metal cup, pour the drink, was intoxicating, and yet I hadn’t taken more than a sip of alcohol tonight. His movements were graceful, almost sensual. The muscles in his shoulders bunched and rippled as he moved. His large hands deftly maneuvered bottles and glasses until he placed a short tumbler filled with pink liquid in front of me.
“What is it?” I asked.
Ice clinked against glass as he adjusted his stance behind the bar. “Something fruity.”
I traced the rim of the glass, gathering condensation. “Does it have a name?”
“Nope.”
I eyed him, taking in the way his muscles flexed as he dried another glass, one brow raised in question. The bar’s dim lighting cast shadows across the planes of his face, making him look dangerous and alluring.
His hands stilled on the cloth. “Just take a drink, Charlotte.”
The way my full name rolled off his tongue sent a shiver down my spine. “Oooh, using my full name. He means business.” I grinned, lifting the glass to my lips. The sweet aroma hit my nose before the liquid touched my tongue. “Oh my god, that’s delicious. It tastes like pink lemonade!”
His lips quirked up at the corners. “Yeah, you like it?”
The liquid slid down my throat—smooth, refreshing, with just enough of an alcoholic edge to warm my chest. I took another long pull, savoring the perfect balance of sweet and tart. My eyes drifted shut as pleasure coursed through me. “Mmm, so good.”
The heavy silence drew my eyes open. Kai had stopped moving entirely, his intense gaze locked on my mouth. Heat bloomed across my cheeks. My tongue darted out to catch a stray drop of pink liquid on my bottom lip. The small movement snapped him out of whatever trance he’d fallen into.
“You cannot sit at my bar moaning like that,” he growled, his voice dropping to a rough whisper that made my insides clench.
Embarrassment and arousal warred within me. “Oh, um—Sorry?”
“Fuck, Charlie.” His voice came out strangled, hoarse. He reached behind the bar, adjusting what I suspected was the same bulge I’d glimpsed straining against his jeans in his apartment last week.
My stomach fluttered with a mix of guilt and something darker, more primal. “Are you okay?”
A harsh laugh burst from his chest, the sound ricocheting off the bottles lining the wall behind him. “Ah, what a question...”
The tension between us thickened, making it hard to breathe. My fingers twisted the napkin under my drink into shreds. “Should I go?”
His eyes squeezed shut, chest expanding with a deep inhale that made his black t-shirt stretch across his broad shoulders.
One Mississippi, two Mississippi...
The seconds ticked by before he released that breath in a controlled stream. “No, don’t go. We haven’t even gotten to why I asked you to come here.”
“Right.” I took another sip from my pink drink.So yummy.“Whydidyou ask me here?”
“I finished reading your book.”
The warmth from the alcohol vanished, replaced by an icy dread that spread from my chest outward. My heart plummeted to my stomach. “Oh.”
Those magnetic hazel eyes captured mine, searching my face with an intensity that made my skin prickle. The ambient noise of the bar faded until all I could hear was the thundering of my pulse in my ears.
