Page 61 of Love Potion

I do my best to listen to Lowen, but my thoughts are still swirling from what I just read. Is that the best way to handle this? Maybe it would take the pressure off me, and I’d be able to perform when and how I want to.

“That guy sounds good,” Indy says, taking the résumé. “He’s worked in some pretty busy places in the city, so he can probably keep up.”

“I was thinking the same.” Lowen nods.

“Do you think he’d get bored here though?” Ridley asks. “Those restaurants are pretty high end.”

“Maybe he wants a change of scenery,” Kit says. “Burnout is real.”

“That’s what we’d find out in the interview, right?” I ask.

“Exactly,” Lowen says. “Yes pile?”

We all agree, then he goes on to read the next résumé. Halfway through that discussion, the door opens and Bane enters. My stomach flutters and I feel heat immediately crawling up my neck. Seeing Bane has always made me happy, but it’s a new feeling now. It’s remembering the way his lips feel on my neck and how his tongue tangles with mine. It’s the way he smells in the morning when he’s cuddling close to me—soft but masculine, clean but earthy. And it’s the way he looks at me like no one else exists. Like right now. His focus is completely on me, until he blinks and addresses the guys as he walks over to stand next to me.

“What are we doing?” he asks.

“Going over résumés,” Lowen says.

“Cool.”

Lowen continues and we end up with a pile of five people to interview. We sort out who is going to interview who, and of course Bane and I are assigned a person together. The meeting breaks up, and I get to my feet. Now that we’re alone, Bane wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me close and pressing a quick kiss to my lips.

Smiling, I play with the hair resting on his shoulder. “Got your errands done?”

He nods, his eyes searching mine like he has something major to say. “I managed to get my hands on two tickets to next month’s Comic book convention.”

My eyes go wide. “What? How? They sold out months ago.”

“I know. I found someone who was selling theirs because they couldn’t make it anymore. Dude was cool too—he only charged face value.”

A smile tugs at my lips. “You really got them?”

He pulls his wallet out of his back pocket, opens it, and pulls out two slender pieces of paper. “I really got them. I know you wanted to go. We both do. They’re VIP tickets too. Collector’s edition.”

“That’s amazing. Thank you.”

“Seeing you smile is thanks enough.”

Standing this close to him, his sultry smile warming parts of me I’m just discovering, it feels all the more important that I broach the topic on my mind.

“Can we take a walk over to the park?”

“Of course. You okay?”

“I’m good.” Sort of. I feel a little sick, but once we talk it out, I’ll feel better. At least I hope I will.

Bane slides his hand to my lower back, saying, “After you.”

We exit the office and walk through the restaurant. Bane stops next to Indy, letting him know where we’re going and that we’ll be back soon, then we walk outside. The weather today is pretty chilly, but the sun is out, so it still feels nice.

As we cross the street, Bane grabs my hand, but my nerves are really getting to me. I hope he takes this okay. It’s for him, after all.

We find a bench that faces the fountain and sit down. I can feel Bane’s attention on me, his concern almost palpable.

I guess I’ll just jump in. “I’ve been doing some research.”

Bane nods, holding my hand in his and resting both on his lap. “About?”

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