Page 9 of Mob Star

Thanks nite

Heidi

Nite

I slip my phone back into my pocket as Katie comes out with Thea’s food.

Thea. Where did that come from? I heard her friend call her Ally. That’s way too generic for a woman like the one sitting across the bar from me. She’s just as stunning now as she was the first time I saw her. Her hair’s in braids, pulled back in a thick ponytail. Her eyes are translucent, even lighter than before. It makes me wonder if it’s because she’s tired. Or could it maybe, possibly, just a tiny bit be because she’s aroused? I sure as fuck am more than a bit. It’s a good thing the bar is hiding my hard on.

“Can I ask you something?”

She hesitates before she nods.

“How long were you with him?”

“Two months.”

That’s not very long. Maybe that’s why she didn’t know he was a douche. Or is that her type?

“I never would have gone out with him once, let alone dated him if I knew that’s what he was thinking. He and I have been friends for nearly a decade. I didn’t want to believe someone I’ve known that long would say something so hideous about me. I brushed it off last time as you being overly sensitive or blowing whatever he said out of proportion. Now I realize you restrained yourself to only toss him out.”

I didn’t restrain myself this time. I keep a dozen socks with bars of soap in them for a reason.

“Do you work directly with him? Will it be awkward?”

“No. He’s a nurse anesthetist, working primarily in oncology. I’m a neonatologist.”

“You save babies’ lives?”

“I try to.”

I rest my forearms on the bar as I lean forward. “Today wasn’t a good day even before you got here.”

She stares at me for a moment then nods. “How’d you know?”

“You tried to sound optimistic. But you glanced down for a moment. It’s a tell.”

“It was a twenty-four-hour day, and I had to break some horrible news to a couple. It was the hardest day I’ve had in a long time. Probably since residency. Since the first time I had to tell parents whatever birth defect their child had was inoperable and terminal.”

I’ve had to tell plenty of parents that their son isn’t coming home. It’s horrible being the bearer of that bad news. But it’s always news about an adult. I can’t imagine what it must be like for Thea or for those parents when it’s a baby. I don’t catch myself before my hand covers hers on the bar. My thumb slips between her thumb and forefinger. She turns hers over beneath mine. I give it a soft squeeze. Just like last time, she doesn’t pull away. We’re trying to figure each other out. Our gazes remain locked as she takes a bite of her food. She takes four more, and neither of us has moved our hand.

I have the strongest urge to ask her out. But a) I don’t date. Ever. It’s way too fucking complicated, and b) she just broke up with a guy thirty minutes ago. I’m not looking to be her rebound, and I sure as fuck don’t want to come across as a creeper. But, God, it’s tempting. It’s only when Katie looks in our direction that we both seem to come back to Earth. We don’t snatch our hands away like guilty teenagers, but we’re close to it. Katie’s been trying to catch my eye since she started working here a year ago. I’ve never considered her. She’s pretty, and smart, and funny, and nice. But she does nothing for me.

Thea, on the other hand, does all the things. Like make my dick ache right now. I’ll be jerking off to the thought of her again. Yeah. I’ve already done that twice. I’ll be doing it a lot more now that I’ve touched her, even if it was only her hand.

“Finn?”

I turn toward the kitchen and watch Mair step out. She must have come in through the back. I won’t say anything to Dillan, but I am going to say something to her. I smile at Thea before excusing myself to speak to Mair. We hug and exchange a kiss on the cheek.

“Did you drive, or did Joey drop you off?”

“I drove.”

I just look at her. She huffs and rolls her eyes.

“Your brother was coming in at the same time. You can check in the kitchen. Shane’s eating you out of house and home. Rather here than my place.”

I thought the guys left after they escorted arselick out. I should have known Shane would come back since there’s fresh bread and butter in there. We get the butter from a dairy in Jersey. The soda bread is the same recipe my dad’s family has used for like ten generations. However many back to the potato famine. My dad taught us, and I taught our cook who’s my cousin Angie from my mom’s side. It didn’t thrill Da to know I’d let the secret out, but she’s family.

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