Page 46 of The Holy Grail
Jules could see his sincerity, and accepted what he wanted, backing away from what would normally would have happened. And as she did, she realized it would be nice to enjoy the hell out of this moment, because it deserved its own appreciation.
It wasn’t sweaty, needy, mind-blowing sex … but it was a damn good start.
Chapter 13
Late night at Three Amigos
Evan glanced into the back room, which doubled as an office, and paused when he saw Jules at the desk, head down and resting on her forearms. She’d been coming almost every weekend since he’d ‘hired’ her to look over the books, and as usual, she was dressed in leggings, a T-shirt, and a long cardigan, with her hair up in a messy bun. He took the opportunity to simply watch her, until she ruined the moment for him by opening her eyes.
“How do you do this?” she asked, her voice a little deeper than normal, which he now knew was a sign she was tired.
“Do what?”
“Work these ungodly hours all the time. Your circadian rhythm must be totally screwed.”
“It is, but I’m used to it.” He shrugged. “It also helps that I have no social life.”
She made a face. “When was the last time you did anything fun?”
“Define ‘fun’.”
“Has it been so long that it needs to be defined?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, well—” Jules swiveled her chair around so she was now facing him, “—fun is usually characterized as something which is enjoyable, amusing, or entertaining. Also, something that makes you laugh and generally be happy.”
He schooled his features, because she’d just described all the time he spent with her, even if it was here at the bar late at night. “All right, then it’s been a while.”
“Define ‘a while’.”
“Paige and David’s wedding.”
Her face fell. “That’s so not okay.”
“It is what it is. I work mostly nights and that’s when people like to go out and do fun, nighttime things. Plus, I sleep during the day, and that’s when people like to go out and do fun, daytime things. My day off—Sunday—is usually when I hit the grocery store and do my laundry, neither of which are any fun.”
Wanting to shift the conversation slightly, Jules said, “Can I ask you something?”
He’d come to realize she was really fond of asking if she could ask something before asking it, so he decided to mess with her. “What if I said ‘no’?”
“I’d probably still ask.”
“Then why ask if you can ask, if you’re going to disregard a negative answer?”
“Because it’s the polite thing to do.”
He gave a little shake of his head. “You don’t have to be polite with me.”
“But what if it’s a personal question?”
“Well, I won’t know until you ask, so … just go ahead and ask.”
“What would you want to be doing, if you weren’t involved with the bar?”
The question actually took Evan by surprise, and to cover it up, he grabbed the extra chair and sat down, crossing an ankle over the opposite knee before answering. “That wasn’t a very personal question.”
“I didn’t say it was going to be. I said ‘What if it is’?”
