Bound for Me (Be for Me #4)(5)

She looked up, her gaze instantly locked with his.

He didn’t say it. Didn’t say anything. Nor did she. But breathing seemed to be hard, like the air was suddenly heavy with humidity.

Kiss it better.

Kiss. Him.

Savannah never kissed customers. Never kissed anyone. But the urge now?

“You should get it checked by a professional,” she muttered, then coughed to clear the frog from her throat.

“Don’t dramatize. It’s not that deep.” He laughed.

At that sound, the tightness in her chest loosened. She couldn’t help smiling as she hopped off the stool to pack away the First Aid gear and wash her hands.

“You mind if I stay a little?” he asked. “I’m feeling dizzy. Must be the loss of blood.”

He so wasn’t, but this playful tease was such a contrast to the moody man who’d first ordered that icy beer and she couldn’t resist her curiosity. She hesitated, then reluctantly smiled again. “You’d like another beer?”

He held her gaze. “Isn’t it past closing?”

“It doesn’t matter.” She turned to pull one from the fridge, when she turned back with it he’d put a bill on the bar.

She frowned. “I’ve closed the cash register.”

His eyes narrowed. “I don’t want you to feel like you owe me anything.”

“I won’t owe you either.” She pulled out her own wallet and gave him the change from her pathetic coin collection. “I’ll square it with the register tomorrow.”

As she flipped the lid on his bottle, she saw something flare in his eyes. He took a long swig as soon as she handed it to him.

“You’ve been working on the slopes?” she asked.

His gaze shot to her, surprised. His eyes narrowed. “Today, yeah.”

“You like it up there?” Wasn’t he the mountain king? A slope-style champ or something? She wasn’t really sure of the terminology, before coming here, snow hadn’t really been her thing.

“Doesn’t everyone?” His lips twisted.

Not everyone, no.

“It doesn’t bother you?” he suddenly asked. “The way they talk?”

She shrugged. “I don’t let it.”

“I don’t like it.”

“It’s not your problem.” She fell silent at the look in his eyes. Her stupid pulse sped up.

“Will you tell me your name?” he asked.

“Does it matter?”

“Maybe not.” His smile was wry. “You don’t want to know mine?”

“No. I don’t.” She definitely didn’t. She didn’t want to know anything more about him… right?

“Have a drink with me.”

“Not while I’m working.” Keep it together, Savannah. Keep as cool as ever.

“Bar’s closed now,” he pointed out. “Anyway, it doesn’t have to be alcoholic. Isn’t it your duty to keep the customer happy?”

“As the bar’s now closed, it’s no longer my duty,” she countered, unable to hold back a small smile.

“Choice then. Will you choose to stay and talk to a lonely customer?”

“Lonely or alone?” she asked lightly. “There’s a difference. You seemed happy to be alone and uninterrupted not so long ago.”

His lips twisted. “My job sometimes makes me unpopular.”

Why, did he have to ban people from using the chairlift? And that took time to get over at the end of each day? The ironic thing was she understood—when you worked serving people all day, at the end of it all you wanted was some alone time.

“They like watching you,” he laughed softly. “How long have you been working here?”

“Almost three weeks.”

“And you’ve made such an impression on the customers already.” He waggled his eyebrows, teasing.

“Some of them.” Heat simmered in her belly. She’d been left utterly cold by those guys. By all guys these last few months. But here she was on total defrost. All because of an unexpected sense of humor and blue, blue eyes.

“You do the lifts?” Her voice rusted.

“Only for today.”

Her pulse flitted faster. Was he leaving?

That heat climbed the rung to sizzling. Possibilities raced through her mind. The kind of possibilities she’d never entertained before. “You’re finishing up?”

“Other things I have to do.” He nodded.

Other places to go. He had that restless look in his eyes. And that was a good thing, right? Because Savannah didn’t want any distractions. Didn’t want anything else to think about—but for this one moment?

“I don’t agree with them, by the way,” he said.

Some how he was closer. Quieter. Somehow he knew.

She raised her eyebrows, she’d keep cool to the end.

“About what you need,” he clarified.

She swallowed.

“You don’t need it hard up the ass, or in your mouth or where ever the hell else they want to stick their tiny dicks.”

She stifled a laugh. “No.”

“I’m not saying there’s nothing you need, though…” He cocked his head, looking into her eyes.