Page 37 of The Fangirl and the Crooner

No fucking way.

I call out to the other bartender to tell him I’m going on break, then head to the end of the bar where the opening is to wait. When Pressley reaches me, I take her hand without a word, pull her past the bar, through the kitchen, and right out the back door. As the door swings shut behind us, I yank her into my arms and press my mouth to hers in a searing kiss.

I can feel the tension drain out of her as she kisses me back, opening her mouth in an invitation I can’t refuse. I walk her backward as I kiss her, and when her back meets the brick wall, I lean into her, my hands cupping her throat while my thumbs brush tenderly against her cheeks.

When I break off the kiss, I only pull back the tiniest bit to say, “Hi.”

“Hi,” she parrots back, her chest heaving with each quick breath. Then her lips curl upward as she adds, “Is that what you wanted to talk about?”

“That’s part of it,” I say with a smirk, then nibble her lips one more time before taking a step back and giving her room to breathe.

“I can’t wait to hear the rest,” she says with a waggle of her eyebrows.

I grin back, then the smile drops as my expression turns serious. I had it all worked out, what I wanted to say, and now that I have her here in front of me, my mind has gone blank. I start to pace back and forth, and when I look back at Pressley, her smile is gone and the worry is back in her eyes.

I stop pacing with a sigh, then cross my arms over my chest as I say, “Trace and Gavin were in earlier. They guessed that something happened between us. I didn’t confirm anything, but I guess they could tell how happy I am and put it together.”

“Okay,” she says slowly, drawing the word out. “Did you not want them to know?”

“No,” I say with a shake of my head, then grimace. “I mean ‘no, that’s not what I meant,’ not that I didn’t wantthem to know. I don’t care who knows. I wanteveryoneto know, actually. It’s just, Gavin asked me a question I couldn’t answer, and I need to talk to about it.”

“What is it?” she asks.

“He asked if we’re doing some ‘friends-with-benefits’ thing.”

She goes completely still, then asks in a thready voice, “Is that what you want?”

I shake my head slowly. “No.”

Her expression brightens immediately, and she replies, “Me, neither.”

“Good,” I say. “I don’t know what’s going to happen or where this is going, but I’m ready to find out. I’m all in, Pressley.”

She responds by leaping forward, wrapping her arms around my neck, and pulling me down for another long kiss. Circling my arms around her, I brush my palms down her back to her ass. Gripping both cheeks firmly, I yank her into me, letting her feel how the kiss is affecting me. She groans into my mouth when my rapidly growing erection pushes into her stomach, then somehow manages to climb up my body until her legs are wrapped around my waist and my cock is pressed against her center.

We make out for several more minutes, but reality intrudes eventually, and our kissing slows to tender pecks and nibbles. I bury my face in her neck and hug her to me for a few more moments before I grudgingly set her on her feet.

“I have to get back to work,” I groan before pressing one last kiss to her lips.

“I’ll be waiting at home for you when you get off,” she says, and hearing her call my placehomeignites something in my chest.

“I can’t wait,” I say, then lead her back inside.

We hold hands as we walk back through the kitchen, ignoring the pointed stares and knowing chuckles of the cooking staff. We break contact as she heads to the opposite side of the bar, and our gazes remain locked across its width as we both walk toward the other end.

Pressley shoots me a saucy wink just before she walks through the door, and I swear to Christ, my smile is even bigger than it was earlier. I can’t wait to get home tonight.

I can’t wait to see her again.

I’m officially addicted, and I plan to feed this addiction as often as possible.

Chapter

Twenty-Three

Pressley

As I walk the short distance between Wolfsbane Tavern and Moonstone Mystic, the joy I felt in Bram’s arms starts to slip away, replaced by more anxiety. While I’m ecstatic he doesn’t want to have some casual, friends-with-benefits arrangement, some old fears are creeping in past that joy.

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