Page 35 of To Professor, with Love
“Don’t worry about it.”I waved my hand to excuse her behavior, to make it not as hot and sexy as it really was.“I know all about alcohol-induced slipups.Remember?”I flashed her my forearm and then immediately swung away, in petrified retreat.
I didn’t want to leave, but I needed space before I did something unforgiveable.
I shoved Pick in her direction, grabbing a strawberry daiquiri out of his hand.“You gotta keep me away from her,” I gasped, tempted to down the drink instead of deliver it to its owner.“If she goes into the back for any reason, do not let me follow her.Do you understand?If she tries to give me her number, do not let me keep it.And if she...Jesus!”I glanced at her just in time to see some guy tap on her shoulder, gaining her attention.“And keep that little asswipe sniffing around her away too.Got it?”
Pick blinked.“Uh…”
“Thanks.”I turned away, leaving him to his new duties.
16
Noel
“There is a charm about the forbidden that makes it unspeakably desirable.”- Mark Twain
Pick didhis job for the most part.With me constantly talking to her all night, I must’ve been keeping away the prowlers.Because as soon as I immersed myself in work, serving drinks, the men flooded in, trying to hit on her.Pick didn’t exactly field the losers away, but he didn’t really have to either since she brushed them off all on her own.God bless her.
I told myself that didn’t mean anything.So what, she had welcomed my attention and practically asked me how I liked to take my women, but she’d turned others away.That didn’t mean…except maybe it did.Even drunk, she preferred me over everyone else.
When she asked Pick where the restroom was and disappeared into the back, every fiber of my being wanted to follow her.But my damn, annoying coworker grabbed my arm.
“You told me not to let you go, man.”
I jerked my arm out of his grip and sent him a dirty look but stayed behind the bar like a good boy.But when she didn’t return within five minutes, I was ready to chew my own arm off.
“What if someone caught her back there and is harassing her?”I growled to Pick, needing to check on her safety, which surprised the shit out of me.Outside of my brothers and sister, and okay, maybe my teammates on the field, oh, and possibly my coworkers, I’d never felt protective of anyone before.Not over a girl I wanted, anyway.
“I’llcheck on her,” Pick said, lifting his eyebrows in that fatherly way, telling me to back off.
I glowered at him even as I practically shoved him toward the hallway.“Well, get to it, then.”
He left and returned almost immediately.“She’s fine,” was his only answer.
I opened my mouth to demand details.She was fine how?Fine with some other guy?Fine, as in not puking her guts out?Fine, as in passed out peacefully and untouched in the back office?I needed to know more.Everything.
But last call came, and work stole my attention for the next half hour.I kept looking for her, but I never saw her again.She must’ve slipped out between people when I wasn’t looking.Which aggravated me to no end.I couldn’t even get one final glimpse of her in that unforgettable backless number.
Pick found a pair of sloshing drunk girls and offered to help them home, leaving me behind to clean up behind the bar.More people filtered out, and the waitresses got busy sweeping and straightening the main area.
I was wiping down the bar when I saw someone from the corner of my eye stumbling out of the hall that led to the bathrooms.Since we had closed ten minutes ago and the place was empty of customers, I glanced over to tellwhoeverthat they needed to clear out.
But Aspen Kavanagh was too busy digging into her purse and pulling out a set of keys to notice me.
My mouth fell open.She hadn’t left yet.I soaked in my last glimpse, so occupied with my perusal that it took me a second to realize exactly what she was doing.
Christ, she wasn’t seriously going to drive in her condition, was she?
Sorting through the ring full of metal until she found the key she sought, she tripped on her fuck-me heels, bumped into the side of a table, and then straightened herself before weaving a crooked path toward the door.
Oh, hell, no.“Hey!”I called.“Dr.Kavanagh.”
She didn’t hear me, or just plain ignored me.
As she pushed her way outside, I cursed.“Vick.”I turned toward a waitress who was pulling out bills and counting them at the cash register.“You guys okay here?”
She didn’t even pause her count, but nodded and waved me on.“Yeah.You can go ahead and go.”
“Thanks.”I didn’t wait around for her to change her mind.Setting a hand on the counter, I leaped over it and dashed toward the door.
