Page 28 of Her Irish Boss

He found himself questioning not only his sanity but Selena's intentions. Something about that made him feel guilty, projecting Crissy's scheme onto her. Deep down in his gut, he knew that wasn't Selena.

“There were a couple more websites I wanted to go through and see the reviews.” Selena wore her hair down and pink lip gloss that made him want to focus all his attention on her lips. “I logged onto the websites as thebusiness.” She grimaced. “I hope that's alright. There were a few reviews I responded to. They were very nice.”

She was good at this job. Even though he needed her running his waitstaff, another job she excelled at, he really appreciated her help in the morning. If they could do more advertising, maybe they could increase their profit. It wouldn't be in time for the banks to loan them the money, but he'd never give up. He'd decided if they lost this location, they'd move, reopen somewhere else. But the lag time between closing and reopening might hurt the business they had now. They had a loyal customer base that he'd hoped would follow them. But, based on a preliminary review of the other locations nearby, they couldn't afford the rent.

“Did you go to college, Selena?”

She hesitated. “No. Is that a problem?” She kept her eyes averted, booting up the laptop, and almost hiding behind it.

He pushed the top of the computer down a little, forcing her to look at him. “Not in the least. You’re good at this side of the business, advertising and promotion, and I didn't know if you had any training for it.”

Getting to know her, even a little more, was necessary. They only had a friendship to develop. He'd like someone like Selena as a friend since he couldn't bring himself to have something more.

“Thank you,” she mumbled. “I thought about going to school, actually started once, but it never worked out. I fell into waitressing. It doesn't pay a whole lot, but I enjoy it. Ugh, Brogan, the computer wants me to set up a passcode and everything.”

“Then set it up.”

“But it's the company's laptop.” She sat back. “Did you buy this just for me?”

“I bought it for the company. I just never had a reason to have more than one computer here before you.” He smiled, hoping to put her at ease. She'd been jumpy and distant since the Simmons incident. “You can keep it in the office if it makes you feel better.”

“Yes. Definitely.” She started typing, and for the next hour, they worked across his desk from each other in silence, a natural rhythm that lasted until she needed to get ready for her shift.

“Same time tomorrow?” She pulled her hair back, arranging it into a ponytail while he sat and watched. He'd noticed the slender curve of her neck before, the smooth skin that would smell sweet. Was she sensitive there?

He cleared his throat. “Yes.” He needed to finish dressing despite the heat running in his veins from being near her. He began to button his cuffs.

Instead of leaving, she waited, as if she waited for him to finish, and they could both start their day together. The thought made him smile. They had their own morning routine.

“Any big plans this weekend? Going back out with Katie?”

She laughed, her honey-colored eyes sparkling. “No. Katie hasn't mentioned it.”

“I figured it was a regular thing you both did.”

“Not at all. Katie only goes out when she's not in a relationship. She just broke up with someone a few weeks ago. So, she's kicking the dust off, so to speak.”

“And you?” He swallowed, afraid to get personal. “Are you, um, seeing anyone?” He picked up his tie, concentrating on sliding it behind his neck while he waited for her response.

“No. Are you?”

He tied his tie, stalling for some type of rational thought to make him pull back from the direction of their conversation. But he didn't want to. He wanted her to know there wasn't anyone else, either.

“No. I'm not,” he said, slipping into his suit jacket that suddenly felt tighter than before. He shouldn't have these thoughts about her. Shouldn't risk it.

She took a step, her expression wary a split second before she tilted her chin and closed the distance between them.

Brogan stiffened. If she kissed him, here, in his office, he’d surely die from the shock of the experience.

But she didn't kiss him. She reached up and straightened his tie. “Sorry. I didn't want you to leave with it crooked.”

“Thanks,” he said. She smelled like wildflowers. He'd noticed before when he'd held her close. “We should probably get to work.”

She patted his tie twice before she pressed her hand against his chest, sliding down a little. He held his breath at her touch.

“Thank you, again, for what you did with Simmons.” Her open expression and upturned face tempted him. The rush of breath over her lips, a soft sigh, was the only sound he heard. After a long pause, she dropped her hand to her side. “Have a good day, Brogan.”

He swallowed, finally finding his voice. “You, too.” Why did he feel the need to torture himself this way?

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