Ahead of the Darkness Page 15

  “Ye’ve never let anyone do that before. Why?”

  I chewed on my lip, and shrugged. “I don’t really date, much.”

  “I was nae ...?”

  I laughed lightly at his unspoken question. “No, you weren’t my first. I just ...” Scratch an itch occasionally. “Don’t date.”

  I don’t think it had been my imagination that for a split second, Drew looked a little disappointed.

  “But ye let me?”

  He seemed to be asking questions he already knew the answer to. He looked satisfied at my lack of response and he smirked, dropping his head to me again.

  “Oh God, not again!”

  He laughed as his lips brushed my abdomen and his toungue up towards my breasts, burying his face between them. I smiled at his playfulness. He rolled me on top of him, continuing to leisurely kiss my breasts. I rocked my hips, rubbing against him. Drew bit my nipple and I gasped, sitting up. All playfulness evaporated as I shifted my hips over the tip of him, and slowly slid down.

  “Ah, sweet Jesus!”

  Drew’s hands went to my waist, gripping tight as he rolled his hips up and I shuddered. He sat up, locking my legs around his waist and slowed our rhythm. His hands trailed up my spine to gently cup my face.

  The slow burn of our hips moving together and Drew’s piercing gaze was too intense. I had to close my eyes at the overwhelming feelings boiling under the surface. He kissed me gently, as if savouring the feel of my lips against his, and we came quietly together.

  Drew fell asleep, with me in his arms drawing circles on his chest. I waited until I could feel his slow deep breaths and slowly extracted myself from his embrace. I tiptoed out of the room, and freshened up in the bathroom. I tried to fight the need to look in at Drew’s sleeping form before I gathered my clothes but I’d failed miserably pausing at the door to watch before I dragged myself away and let myself out.

  I wished I could have stayed in the euphoric sex bubble we seemed to have created. It had been simple, easy, amazing, and I’d felt ... I felt. It was more than I’d allowed myself in years, but I knew, as soon as I walked out Drew’s front door, it would burst and life would swarm in, disintegrating everything.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Deep breath. I can do this. It will be fine.

  I steeled myself off and opened the door. I breathed a sigh of relief. Jules was setting everything up in the bar and Drew was nowhere to be seen. I lost my relief upon seeing Jules’s face as I approached the bar.

  “Well, if it ain't Miss Mia. Can we expect a repeat performance of last night? You had every man biting at the chomp. It was quite somethin’."

  "Don't be ridiculous. I didn’t do anything."

  “Sure you didn’t. Just danced with every guy in the club. Ya know, no biggie, but damn girl, you got some moves. If Drew wouldn't castrate me ... damn, girl”

  “Okay, okay. So I got a little drunk and danced. Can we move on now?”

  I struggled with containing my emotions, and letting Jules see just how embarrassed I was. I had to keep telling myself it was for a greater cause, and I’d gotten what I’d wanted, right?

  "So ..."

  He trailed off as I headed for the lockers in the backroom, but he picked straight back up again when I remerged.

  "You and Drew?"

  "What?"

  "Ah, come on, Mi. I had to listen to him growl all night long at the other men pawing you. Then out of nowhere, BAM. He jumps the gate, not bothering to open it and charged like a bull, knocking out that scum that wouldn't take a hint."

  He laughed heartily at the memory. I played ignorant, as always, but wished I’d seen him jump the bar, it was a least three feet high. It sounded impressive and sexy as hell.

  "It was like some romance novel, or a chick flick, you know? Not that I'd know, or anything but I've had birds go on and on about them. That kinda move, it’s a one-way ticket to—"

  "I don't remember—" I cut him off, only to be cut off myself.

  "I call bullshit! Like hell you don't. The two of you have been fighting this no work play crap for months, and you finally got the balls to push him over the edge. And you don't remember? He dragged you out of the club, caveman style?"

  "I just remember waking up, feeling like I’d died." And went to heaven. I scoffed at myself, but my heart raced at the memory of waking up with Drew, and then squeezed at leaving his apartment.

  "HA! I knew it! It's written all over your face, baby doll. You're not as good at hiding shit like you used to be. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say ..."

  I looked at him incredulously, just as Mac stormed through the doors. Oh God. My eyes widened and I tried to implore Jules. PLEASE DONT, not in front of Mac. He rolled his eyes, and gave me a crooked grin.

  "Look what the cat dragged in. Mac attack is here. Big night? Oh, no. She’s on the war path.”

  He laughed heartily at her disregard of him. I couldn’t help but think she looked like shit.

  "Oh yeah, real big. Speaking of big, where's ..."

  The door burst open, and in came the sex god himself. I couldn't look at him, and thankfully, I didn't have to. I was still facing Jules, who was fighting a cat got the cream grin. Bastard.

  Wait. What did she say?

  "Drew, baby, where ya been? Don't you usually open up? I had to put up with Jules’s smart mouth." Baby?

  "She wishes. You look well ... exercised there, mate." Jules chuckled to himself.

  "Aye ..." The hair on the nape of my neck stood on end. I didn't have to look at him to tell he was staring at me. I closed my eyes and bit my lip. Suppressing the shudder Drew seemed to inflict on me, I turned around. Ah, bollocks. He really had been exercised—well, more so. He looked freshly showered, from the gym I presumed. His hair was a chaotic damp mess, and I struggled to fight the flashes of Drew in the shower, wet and naked, that bombarded my brain. I had to distract myself, and quick.

  "Hey Jules, I'm going in the cellar. Yell out what we need, yeah?"

  Before anyone could protest I had the trapdoor sliding open, and started the descent. It was just the shock to the system I needed. I hadn't been down here since my first night, and the dread and claustrophobia were fighting to gain ground before I had fully descended the stairs. I was so caught up in trying to breathe evenly as I made it to the shelves on the far wall that I didn’t hear anything Jules had said.

  “Jules?” I yelled, turning to face the stairs, “What do we ... AH! God damn it, Drew.”

  Drew was stand at the bottom of the stairs.

  “You can’t just sneak up on someone! Especially not down here, and not me. I swear I just died!” I clutched at my pounding heart, trying to stop it from jumping further out of my chest.

  “Aye, ye jumped a good foot in the air.” He chuckled to himself, but stopped quickly as he approached, all serious again.

  “What are ye doing down here? I thought I told ye, ye did nae need to come down here. If I dinnae know any better, I’d say ye’re avoiding me?” He cocked an eyebrow at me, deep in thought.

  “I, umm ...” I tried to look anywhere other than at Drew, but he kept pulling my gaze. “I guess I forgot how much it bothered me. I’m okay. It’s fine. I was just helping Jules out, seeing as he had to open all-”

  Drew didn’t like where I was going with that. He stepped impossibly close to my body, but didn’t touch me. I was relieved and disappointed, all at once.

  “Ye helping Jules out, because he had to open alone. Is that right?”

  “I didn’t mean it like that ... I just ...”

  “Aye, because I wasn’t here to do it. And why wasn’t I here?”

  “You, um, were late from the gym ...?”

  “Aye, ye would think that, but that’s what everyone else was supposed to think. Ye should know better than that.”

  He took another step forward, closing the distance between us. This time, we were almost nose to chest. He leaned in, and whispered in my ear.

  “Ye left me s
leeping, and I woke late.” Oh, oops. “I cannae work smelling like ye, now, can I? Ye were all over me when I woke. I could smell ye on my skin, my hair.” He breathed me in. His nose grazed my neck as he pulled back. My eyes fluttered closed, and then burst open.

  “Don’t! Don’t do that. What happened to your no playing with staff rule?”

  “I think we broke it, repeatedly.”

  “Gah.” I pushed him in the chest to get him to move out of my space, but he hardly budged.

  “Well, I’m repairing it.”

  And with that, I walked around a chuckling Drew and back up the stairs. Breathing too heavy for entirely different reasons, I emerged to find a laughing Jules.

  “Sorry Jules, I hate it down there. Drew has it under control. I’m ah, going to clean the tables.”

  He shook his head, still laughing, but covered it quickly with a cough when Mac emerged from the back.

  “Gee, Mia, you’re keen today.” The curiosity in her voice was evident, and she seemed ... off.

  “I guess I didn't have to work yesterday, so I doubt these lazy gits cleaned anything.”

  "Oh. Have you seen the office, damn men? Manky, the pair of them."

  "Oh, bollocks. Seeing as you're on a cleaning spree, how's about you do the office, too?" Jules wrinkled his nose, clearly not wanting Drew see.

  "Yeah, alright." I pretended I was doing Jules a favour, but he knew.

  "Mac, go unpack the crates in the storeroom, would ya?"

  "Why me? Where's Drew?"

  "He's in the cellar. Mi couldn't handle it." He laughed at his own inside joke. "Unless you wanna clean the bathroom?"

  "Fine." She stormed off towards the storeroom.

  "Don't break any!" He yelled after her. "You break it, you bought it. Speaking of breaking ..." Jules swaggered over to me. Oh God.

  "So, how bad did he break you?"

  "What?" Physically? ... not so much. Emotionally, I was still taking inventory.

  "I mean, ya don't look like you're walking funny. You do look like you were up all night, and have a ... glow about you."

  "Sod off, Jules. You can be such an arse."

  "This is true, but you'll tell me eventually. Sadly, Drew isn't the shag-and-tell kinda guy, but you, I can work with." Thank God he wasn’t.

  "Well, I'm not working with you. Your imagination is good enough. Just make up some more shit. You're already halfway there."

  I laughed at his puzzled expression and headed to the office for some space. Eventually, Jules would let it go, right? I very much doubted he would, but I didn’t have time to ponder that as I walked into the office.

  Holy shit. There was no way Drew has been in here yet; he’d have had a conniption. The office was a complete disaster, and I realised why. Drew had stormed out, leaving Jules to close, and whatever that other guy’s name was. The till print-outs were scattered all over the desk, there were empty food containers, and the safe had been left open.

  "Jesus, Jules."

  I gathered all the rubbish and threw it in the staffroom bin, but left the till receipts for later. I bent down behind the desk, and started to count the float and extra tills when the door burst open.

  "Jesus, Jules." Jinks

  "I suppose that's what happens when he's left to his own devices." I chuckled. If only he’d seen it before.

  "Mia? Where ...?" He leaned over the desk to find me on the floor, surrounded by money.

  "What are ye doing, love?"

  "Well, I thought I’d sex you up, and then take all your money.” I really needed to think more before I spoke around Drew. “It was left open. I'm just checking it's all here."

  "Ye're not very trusting, are ye?"

  "Not really, no. Who was the guy last night, anyway?"

  "Jules’s cousin. He fills in from time to time, ye know, when staff call in sick.” I didn’t miss the playfulness in his tone. “Ye’ve nae met him as he’d been away when ye started here but remind me nae to let Jules close. He's a right lazy git." He came round to sit in the desk chair and began tidying up the papers.

  "Is that why ye live with Anne instead of a share house, or something?" he added.

  "I guess, in part. It was just easier. I’m not very social ...” Drew smiled at that. I guess it wasn’t a secret. “... and find share houses rather ... awkward. Plus, Anne didn't require a set number of months I had to stay, so I can leave whenever I want."

  I was distracted with the safe, not realising Drew had been just quietly staring at me for a while, and I realised my mistake. I'd inadvertently told him I hadn't planned on staying long.

  "The safe's fine." I stood up and went to leave when Drew’s hand wrapped around my wrist, stopping me. I nervously looked back at him, and waited for him to speak.

  "I have to go ..."

  "Stay ... with me."

  He added the last past so quietly I almost missed it, and I felt my heart constrict.

  "I can't." I pulled my hand free and hurried to the door. "I ... have to get back to work.”

  I tried to smile playfully, but I don’t think Drew was buying it. He just nodded his head once as I closed the door behind me.

  “Mia!” Georgia exclaimed, running up to hug me as I exited the staffroom.

  “Georgia, hi. What are you doing here?” It came out a bit bewildered and slightly short. “Sorry, I’m a little tired, and you caught me by surprise.”

  “I can see that. Big night.” She smiled an all-knowing smile, and I cringed.

  “What did Jules tell you?”

  I slowly started heading towards the bar, and away from the possibility that Drew would hear.

  “He has such a big mouth sometimes, but it was sort of obvious. You and Drew, that is. I saw it at the beach, and I hear the two of you have been seen working out at the gym together.”

  Stupid small towns. I sighed.

  “Drew and I bump into each other from time to time at the gym, yes. There is only one gym here, and we do have the same work hours, so it makes sense that we’d end up there at the same time.”

  Truth be told, we never did actually arrange to meet at the said time every day, it just sort of happened, but I still had a feeling Anne had something to do with our perchance meetings in the beginning.

  “Uh-huh. And last night?”

  “What about it?”

  “A few of my friends were here last night, and said they saw Drew whisk you off on his shoulder and out of the club.”

  There was really no denying that. Stupid Drew and his huge public display. I couldn’t hide the small smile playing at the corners of my mouth at the memory. It was a lot funnier now than it had been last night.

  “So, that really happened? Gosh, that’s so romantic.”

  “I was too drunk to walk. Not really all that romantic.”

  “You’re a bad liar.”

  I never used to be ... “So, what are you doing here?”

  “Oh. Over the summer months I work here a few nights a week, when it starts to pick up.”

  “Oh? It’s only the middle of May.”

  “School breaks up for the summer next week, and I won’t have to start back until early September. You’re stuck with me for three whole months.”

  “Oh, right. You can help keep me sane. Working with this lot ...”

  I detested how my eyes snapped to Drew as he walked out of the staffroom, and his to mine. He looked ... he looked like I’d kicked his dog ...

  “Makes you crazy?” Georgia finished my hanging sentence, looking at me peculiarly.

  “Completely.”

  I pulled my eyes from Drew to find Georgia smiling at me, and I frowned at her. What did I say?

  “Something definitely transpired between you too. It’s all over both of your faces. Except ...”

  She frowned slightly, taking in Drew’s expression as he made his way towards us, and looked at me, perplexed.

  “What did happen between you too? You look, well, closed off, and he looks ...” Hurt.


  “All right, Georgia?”

  “Hi Drew.”

  “Mia.” The way he said my name, so reverently, gave me goosebumps. “Could ye start teaching Georgia how to make the cocktails? She wanted to come in to learn.”

  “Okay.”

  I smiled at Georgia’s excited face as she linked arms with me, hurrying us the rest of the way to the bar.

  “What shall we make first?”

  “Sorry to be a killjoy, but how about I show you some of the techniques first? That way we don’t waste as much.”

  “But I’m off the clock. I can drink them.”

  “All ten? You’ll be on the floor.”

  “Oh ...”

  I chuckled at her meek expression.

  “Go on then, make her a few.”

  Drew’s hand went to the small of my back as he moved closely behind me, chuckling as Georgie jumped up and down on the spot, clapping her hands excitedly.

  “G, you know you’re a piss pot, right?”

  “Sod off, Julian,” she yelled back at Jules

  “I’ll put less in for you,” I whispered to Georgia

  “Yeah, that might be best. So, what’s first?”

  Drew came behind the bar to help serve so I could concentrate on going through the simple ins and outs of the cocktails we had on our list. Drew and I had purposely chosen ones that didn’t require too much skill, and if there were any requests for more complicated ones, I could handle them, or Drew could. He’d picked up a thing or two from me.

  We seemed to have gathered quite a crowd standing around to watch, with people wanting to see how this or that was made. We ended up having a lot of requests, so a very excited Georgia did get to make a few on her own. I leaned back against the wall to watch at one point when there was a lull in service, and Drew came to lean beside me.

  “Ye’re a pretty good teacher.”

  “She’s a quick study, and nice. It was easy enough.” I shrugged.

  He dropped his hand next to mine, our little fingers touching, and he cleared his throat leaning in to whisper in my ear. “Are ye grooming her as yer replacement?”

  I pulled back to look at him confused. “What ... Oh.” And then it hit me what he was asking.

  I pulled my hand away from his, and folded my arms across my chest, looking back at Georgia. I didn’t know how to answer that. Was I?