Page 33 of Royal Cocktail

So, yeah. She could do this thing. And she wanted to, if only to make Leo proud.

Once again, she cleared her throat, then concentrated on breathing and slowing her speech. “Right. So, today’s drink … special is the Jalapeño … Margarita. And if … you want a truly … hot time … try … pairing it with … our Pimento Cheese … Poppers. You’ll love … the kick.”

She was starting to sweat, and she knew that the words had become so slurred that anyone interested was having to concentrate to understand. She met Leo’s eyes, feeling trapped, but he only smiled and nodded encouragement.

Right. She was almost done. She could finish this. Even if she’d have to throw her blouse away after since no way were the sweat stains coming out. “Both are … fifty … percent off. So enjoy.”

“Great pitch, cutie,” someone called from the back. “You already drunk on the things?”

Tears pricked her eyes, and she hurried off the stage, only then realizing that Leo wasn’t at their table anymore. Instead, he had his hand wrapped around the heckler’s collar and had hauled him up out of his chair.

“I’ve got this,” Tyree said, putting a calming hand on Leo’s shoulder. “That’s no way to talk to a lady,” he said to the drunken creep, his voice soft but firm. “I think it’s time for you to leave.”

The man protested, but Skye didn’t catch all of his words. She was already hurrying to the restroom at the back of the bar. And about the time she heard the applause—presumably for Tyree kicking the guy out—she closed the door and locked herself inside.

There was a sharp knock on the door a moment later. “Hey,” Leo said. “It’s me. Can you let me in?”

She almost didn’t, but right then what she craved more than anything was to be in his arms. She pushed away from the sink where she’d been bent over, willing the tears to stop, then unlocked the door. The moment he opened it, she fell into his embrace.

“I’m sorry,” she said when she’d stopped crying. “I got … your shirt all wet.”

“No. I’m the one who’s sorry. I shouldn’t have put you up to that. I didn’t think there would be anyone in the audience who was that much of a prick.”

“It’s not your … fault. I shouldn’t care so much. And you’re … right. He’s the one who’s the … asshole.”

“Of course you should care. I care, too.”

It was such an honest and unexpected response. Most people tried to tell her that she shouldn’t care. That she should learn to just blow it off and push through it. They didn’t understand that would never happen. She would always care. It would always hurt. The trick was learning how to handle the hurt.

Leo got that. Maybe it was because he lived his life in public, but somehow he truly understood. And before she could think about what she was doing, she lifted herself up on her toes, hooked her arms around his neck, and kissed him.

Chapter Fifteen

Oh, dear God, how he’d missed this.

The power of her kiss exploded through him, firing his senses, making him crave what he knew he shouldn’t take.

“Please.”

Skye’s whisper filled his head, the need in her voice acting like a drug, stealing thought and reason.

“Skye—”

She drew back, then pressed a finger to his lips. Her eyes were puffy from crying, but they no longer looked wounded. Now, they were filled with a passion and need so palpable that it made his skin tingle.

“Please,” she whispered. “Take me back to your room.”

He swallowed, his mouth going dry. He was as hard as steel, and all he could think about was touching her, taking her. But they shouldn’t, not when there was no future for them.

“We can’t,” he said. “You know we can’t.”

She slid her hand down, cupping his cock and making him groan from the force of the pure, feral need that cut through him. “Can’t? I don’t think so.”

“Shouldn’t.” He could barely croak out the word.

“Why not?” She bit her lower lip, her expression a delightful mix of shyness and certainty. “We both want it.”

“And we both know it will end. That it will have to end.”