Page 91 of Cold As Ice

After stacking the empty crates in the corner of the room, I hit the light switch and left, ducking into the staff restroom.

My shift was almost over, and while there would be no time to freshen up before I headed home, I managed to tidy up my hair and slick some gloss over my lips.

He came.

Those two little words flitted through my mind again.

I’d wondered if he would, but I didn’t want to pin my hopes on seeing Austin again tonight. Not when this thing we had was supposed to be nothing more than a casual arrangement.

Still, I didn’t want to have sex—casual or otherwise—with a guy who treated me like dirt. I’d had enough of that with Warren, and we’d started a family together.

That familiar sense of guilt rose inside me; the little voice of trust whispered I was selfish for pursuing something for myself when I had Imogen to think about.

The little voice that had turned me off dating ever since I got away from Warren.

But life was better now. I was better. And I deserved this—I deserved to have something that wasn’t defined by my label as a mother.

With a weary sigh, I washed my hands and checked my reflection one last time. It wasn’t perfect, but it would have to do.

I’d barely made it back into the main bar area when a voice said, “There you are.”

“Julian.” I gave him a polite smile. “Is everything okay?”

“There’s a mess in the male restrooms.” He stepped closer, and everything inside me went on high alert. “So they said I could use the one back here.”

My gaze darted over his shoulder, but the nature of the hall meant that our position was secluded from the rest of the bar.

“You’re scared.” He stopped suddenly, his brows furrowed with concern.

“I… No.” I forced a weak smile, my eyes darting to the archway again. “I really need to get back to work, though.”

“Of course. I didn’t mean… Madison, I hope you know how much I respect you.” He reached for my arm, gently grasping my shoulder. “It can’t be easy raising your daughter alone. Working two jobs.”

“Madi? Are you—” Hannah rounded the corner and stopped dead. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing.” I moved past Julian. “I was just heading back.”

“And I’m about to use the restroom,” he said smoothly.

So smoothly, I wondered if I’d misread the entire thing. But there had been something in his voice—maybe not a threat, but a strange kind of reverence that set my teeth on edge.

“Hey,” Hannah caught up with me. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, fine.”

“You seem a little shaken up. If he said or did something—”

“He didn’t. He was just being polite, but I got a little spooked.” In part thanks to her unnecessary warning earlier. “That’s all.”

She studied my face, but I locked down my expression. It wasn’t that I was defending him. I wasn’t. But I didn’t want to make a fuss out of nothing.

He’d always been nothing if not nice to me. And yes, maybe he did seem a little overfamiliar at times, but that didn’t mean anything.

It didn’t mean I had to worry.

Do my job. Smile. Make the patrons feel like a friend of O’Shea’s. That’s what Jack always told us. And if anyone did step out of line, Kingsley would be there to show them the door.

I followed her back to the bar and risked glancing over at Austin. The second his eyes found mine, he frowned.

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