I divert, sighing like I’m forlorn. “Here comes the big brother.”
“Seems that way,” Cole says.
“Hopefully, he won’t be too big-brotherly.” My throat feels tight, but I manage a weak smile at Ryder when he walks up. “Hey, everyone’s at a table already.” I point in the direction of where his bride-to-be waits, before waving at the bottles of liquor lining the bar. “You boys want something to drink?”
I glance furtively at Charlie, who glances furtively at me before glowering when his attention snags on Cole.
“Hey, Jessica. Let me get it,” Ryder says because he can’t help being a big brother.
“No, don’t be silly. I’m getting it. It’s the least I can do after all your help,” I say.
Griffin and my brother give me their order.
I can’t avoid Charlie any longer. I clear my throat. “What about you?”
Those midnight eyes of his meet mine. “Bourbon.”
The word flutters over my skin and stutters across my heart like he’s just declared his undying love for me.
I’m impossibly aware of him.
My fingers twine around my gold necklace.
He tracks the movement. Everything tightens as I remember the stretch of his hands around the cords of my neck, the weight of his thumb pressing into the throb of my pulse as his mouth devoured mine.
I blink, shaking off the visual, before I swallow hard. “Okay.”
His expression darkens.
I linger on him.
This has to stop.
We’re over.
It was sex. That’s it.
I jerk my attention to Griffin, clearing the thickness of the memory from my throat. “I’ve instructed everyone to tell you how awesome I am and how much easier I’ll make their lives. Just in case you’re questioning your hiring decisions.”
He chuckles, sliding a glance at Charlie before returning to me. “I can promise you’ve already made your mark.”
“It’s an uphill climb, so I’ll take it. I understand most people aren’t happy to have me around. I get it. Lawyers make things complicated and have this pesky habit of pointing out why you can’t do illegal things just because you don’t think they should be illegal. So I have to find some way to make up for my shortcomings.”
I tap my card on the bar, fidgeting with the edges.
Cole speaks up. “I did notice you had a way of making us feel like we should be happy you’re giving us work to do.”
Charlie’s shoulders tense.
My back straightens.
Griffin looks at Charlie and me with amusement, while Ryder frowns.
Luckily, Sam chooses that moment to come over to take my order.
I swing around to face him, and his blue eyes meet mine.
Something in me eases.