I saw people turning as we passed by with some waving or calling out quick greetings. I hadn’t been back home too often, but I did know some locals. I honestly didn’t know who might recognize Sasha.
“Right here,” I murmured, leaning down to speak into her ear.
She slipped her hips onto the barstool, and I leaned my elbows on the bar beside her. She spun around, her eyes arcing about the room. “Wow, it looks pretty much the same.”
The restaurant was in a renovated cape-style home with the walls knocked down and supporting beams refinished to create open space. Tables were scattered in the center with a coffee bar on one side, a liquor bar on the other, and a deli counter and kitchen in the back. The place functioned as a coffee shop and deli in the morning into the afternoon. In the evenings, the coffee bar shut down, and alcohol flowed with the food. They served standard pub fare with the seafood twist of mid-coast Maine. In addition to burgers and sandwiches, they had fresh lobster rolls, fish and chips, crab cakes, and the like.
The restaurant was pretty basic as far as décor went. Over in one corner, there was a pool table. The bar had a glossy wooden surface, and the bartender, Rick, caught my eye, grinning when he recognized me.
“Well, hey there, Noah. Long time.” His eyes landed curiously on Sasha. “Do I know you?” he asked as he set two napkins on the bar in front of us.
“Maybe,” Sasha replied with a saucy grin. “I’m Sasha Hilts. I grew up here, but I moved away in high school.”
Rick nodded slowly, his brows hitching up. “Ah, I remember you. How’re things?”
“Pretty good.”
“What can I get you two?”
“I’m driving, so I’ll just take a water. You?” I glanced at Sasha, not missing Rick’s lingering gaze on her. A bolt of possessiveness jolted me.
“What kind of margaritas do you have?” she asked.
“Strawberry and regular.”
“I’ll take a strawberry one.”
“You two waiting for a table?” Rick asked as he quickly filled a glass with ice and water and handed it to me before making Sasha’s margarita.
I nodded. “We’d like to sit down to eat.”
“Got it.” He glanced over just as a server slipped through the swinging doors into the kitchen in the back. He handed Sasha her drink. “I’ll put that on your check for after you eat,” he said as he turned away to serve another customer. “Great to see you both.”
Minutes later, I decided coming out with Sasha was a bad idea. The guy on the other side of her was flirting with her, and she was flirting back. Grinding my teeth, I was feeling fucking insane. Jealousy wasn’t something I had any experience with. Sasha seemed uniquely able to bring a sense of possessiveness out in me. Hell, I wanted to punch the fucking guy and Rick too. Because he kept casting her appreciative looks.
When the server let us know a table was open, Sasha slid her empty margarita glass over toward Rick. “That was delicious. Thank you.” Turning to me, she added, “Be right there. I’m going to stop in the ladies’ room.”
As she walked away, Rick asked me, “You two a couple?”
Because I wasn’t thinking rationally, I lied, “Yes.”
He chuckled. “Better hold on tight.”
Sasha met me at the table minutes later, sitting down with a smile. “You know, I wouldn’t trade being a single mom, but it’s kind of nice to have a break. Nobody here knows how unglamorous my life is. It’s like actually being single instead of being a single mom.”
I stared at her across the table and almost growled. “Really?” I managed tightly.
“Why so grumpy?” she asked. She pulled the laminated menu tucked between the salt and pepper from the center of the table and began scanning it.
“I’m not grumpy,” I muttered in return.
Her gorgeous green eyes lifted to mine, searching my face. “If you say so.”
A minute later, she tucked the menu back between the salt and pepper. “I’m getting a lobster roll. I haven’t had one in a while.”
“When we’re back in Boston, I’ll take you to my favorite place for lobster rolls at the docks.”
“We?”
“Yes. We both live in Boston. No reason we can’t get together there.”
She stared back at me, and I didn’t know how to read what I saw flickering in her eyes. We had dinner, and it was delicious. My manners kicked in, and I learned more about her life at work. By the time we left, my body was twisted tight for her. Sitting across the table and watching her eat was its own form of torture, made worse by my irrational possessiveness. Every man who looked her way annoyed me. I supposed the worst part was I felt like I’d put myself in the situation.
As we crossed the parking lot toward my car after dinner, Sasha smiled in my direction. “Thanks for going with me. It’s nice just to get out.”
“Great to see you, Sasha,” a voice called. She turned back, waving at the guy who spoke.
“Nice to see you too, Aaron!” she called in return.
I didn’t even know Aaron, but they’d had a few classes together in high school. I rounded the car to open the door for her, trying to shackle my urge to kiss her.
But then, she looked up at me. “Remind me why you’re so grumpy.”
I answered her by leaning down, sliding my hand around the back of her neck, and fitting my mouth over hers. I didn’t know what the hell I was doing, but I was done trying to ignore the flames that licked through my body every time she was in my proximity. Hell, I’d fallen asleep last night thinking about her, and she was all the way upstairs.
Sasha made a little sound at the back of her throat, and her mouth opened, her tongue darting out to slide sensually against mine. With a sigh, she arched into me.
The next thing I knew, I pressed her against my car and kissed her roughly, pouring days of pent-up desire into our kiss. A car door slammed somewhere in the vicinity, puncturing the haze of need clouding my thoughts. I forced myself to lift my head, but it was no easy feat.
Her eyes were dark, and her lips puffy as she stared up at me. “What was that about?”
Fuck me. Even the sound of her voice revved the need driving me.
Chapter Seven
SASHA
“A kiss,” Noah answered, his voice gruff and husked with an edge.
A shiver raced over the surface of my skin, goosebumps following in its wake and my nipples tightening to an ache. I was acutely aware of the slick need between my thighs. I shifted restlessly on my feet in a futile effort to relieve the pressure building there.
“I thought that wasn’t smart,” I said, my voice coming out all breathy.
I felt so foolish around Noah. Maybe I’d been a scandal in high school, but I was anything but since then. I knew he was far more experienced than me, most certainly with having casual fun.
“Maybe I don’t care if it’s smart or not.”
He was plastered against me. I felt the hot, hard press of his arousal in the cradle of my hips and wished we were already home. It was enough that I’d already decided I wanted to act on my desire, but I didn’t feel crazy enough to do something about it right here. A gust of wind blew through the parking lot, and I shivered slightly.