Juliette stood up and closed the distance between us. “Good to see you again, Leo.”

When I kissed her on the cheek, her breath hitched. My whole body lit up, knowing I had an effect on hers. I felt her breath release on my ear. It was the sexiest thing I’d ever experienced. I had completely forgotten she had a boyfriend to that point and the realisation tore strips from me. I let her hand go and stood back. She appeared mildly shaken by our brief interaction and quickly returned to her seat and took her cocktail to her perfect lips.

“Um… Excuse me. You two know each other?” Bea demanded.

Juliette and I looked at each other, willing the other to explain.

“Remember the charity function I worked at last month?”

“Of course. I’m unlikely to forget the rare occasions you come home, am I?”

“Juliette was at that function too.”

“Oh!” Bea had the lightbulb moment. “That was the same day I met you.” She then turned to me and mouthed, She’s the girl.

I opened my eyes wide, silently begging her to shut up.

“I was on my way to my mother’s function when I stopped by Bea’s Beans,” Juliette confirmed.

I sat down next to Bea, opposite Juliette and Angus.

“So, how’s this for a small world.” Bea was clearly delighted by the obvious sexual tension between Juliette and me. She knew about Richard though, so she had to know it wasn’t going anywhere.

“It does seem to be happening a bit lately.” I caught Juliette’s eyes and she held mine.

“I love this song.” Juliette shocked us all when she started singing along to the Jimi Hendrix freak power anthem, If 6 Was 9. After a few lines, she noticed we were all just watching her. “Easy Rider?” She looked at us expectantly.

I glanced at Bea and Angus, but they were blank faced.

“Dennis Hopper chose the songs for the film based on what he heard on the radio in 1968.” My knowledge on the subject elicited another megawatt smile from the beautiful girl opposite me.

“Thank you.” She held up her cocktail. “Cheers to that.”

I really fucking liked this girl.

My ten minutes were up way too quickly and I begrudgingly returned to the bar. They promised to come and say goodbye before they left. Bea was yawning, so it wouldn’t be long. Every time I saw Juliette I felt the same way—I wanted more.

As suspected, Bea came to the bar about forty-five minutes later.

It was around one in the morning and the music was louder and uptempo. There was no set dancefloor, but people were dancing wherever there was room.

“Juliette wants to stay.” She had to shout to make herself heard. “We offered to drive her home, but she said she was enjoying the music. Can you keep an eye on her?” She winked, probably knowing watching her was no burden.

“Sure thing.” I hoisted myself up on the bar and kissed her cheek. “Thanks for coming by, gorgeous.” I looked over her shoulder and saw Angus.

“Thanks, mate,” he shouted, but his words were muffled by Pulp’s Mile End. I glanced around expecting to see Juliette.

“I told her to check in with you before she leaves.” Bea gave me a knowing grin.

“Okay. I’ll look out for her. Safe trip home.”

“She broke up with the douchebag boyfriend. He was at the wedding and isn’t taking it very well, but she’s officially single.”

My mouth opened and closed twice before I could respond.

“I really like her, Leo. Good luck.”

Five minutes later, I caught sight of Juliette walking absentmindedly towards the stairs leading to the mezzanine level. She was staring at her phone, grimacing at whatever she was seeing on the screen. I wanted to make eye contact with her, but she didn’t look my way and I had a queue five deep in front of me waiting for drinks.

My shift ended at two. It was one forty-five and I hadn’t seen her since shortly after Bea and Angus left. My manager asked if I could do a last glass run, and I jumped at the chance to get away from behind the bar and look for her. I hoped she hadn’t left without at least saying goodbye. She had looked upset by whatever she saw on her phone, and I was worried.

The whole bar was packed with moving bodies. The movies and the soundtracks had everyone on their feet, so I had to push and shove to clear a path through the crowd. I saw her before she saw me. She was dancing by herself, unaware of the three different guys clearly waiting for an opportunity to proposition the most beautiful girl in the room—the most beautiful girl in any room. I put the few glasses I’d collected down on the nearest bar table and moved towards her. She had her eyes closed and appeared lost in her own world, moving in perfect rhythm to the beats of Whitney Houston’s I’m Every Woman.

Before I made it to her, her eyes snapped open and she immediately found mine. No words were required. We’d already said everything that needed saying with our heated silent exchange, and my need for her was now off the charts. My pace picked up, and before I could second-guess what I was doing, my body collided with hers and our lips meshed in a desperate tangle of desire and need. My arms encircled her lithe body, and we moved as one to music I could feel but my brain could no longer identify. I wanted to think only of this girl and how perfect she felt against me. Her arms had found their way around my neck and were pulling me impossibly closer.

Eventually, our lips moved apart and she stared up at me. Her arms were still around my neck and her body still moved to the beat. My body moved on instinct, and for the longest time, I knew what it meant to be at peace. My hands were clamped to her lower back, pinning her to me. A tapping on my shoulder killed my bliss, and I turned my head without reducing my hold on Juliette.

“What happened to club policy?” The drunk redhead from earlier was standing behind me with her arms crossed over her generous chest.

“I made an exception.” I turned back and kissed the top of Juliette’s head. Unfortunately, the interruption reminded me that I was still at work.

“My shift is about to finish. Will you wait for me?” She looked at me with her navy eyes, and I couldn’t remember my question.

She took a step back, and I immediately felt the loss of her heat. “Okay.” She appeared suddenly shy and unsure.

“Don’t go anywhere.” I kissed her again hard on the lips. I pulled back and held her face. “Promise?”

Slightly breathless, she promised she’d wait. I dashed around, collecting empty glasses at double speed then depositing them behind the bar.

“Nice job, Leo. Can you work next weekend?” Adriana, my manager, asked as I was collecting my wallet, keys and helmet from the locker in the staff room.

“Absolutely.” I had enjoyed working at the bar far more than I thought I would, and that was even before Juliette had shown up and the night had turned into the best of my life so far.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Juliette

I was lost to Leo. Completely lost. I’d all but forgotten about my earlier altercation with Richard. Leo had made me forget about the unnerving messages I’d been sent earlier. He’d made me forget my own name with his searing kiss, his steady heartbeat, his strong arms holding me to him and the way his body felt against mine as we moved in sync.

He wanted me to wait for him. I’d wait forever had been my first thought to his request, and then I’d remembered the shit storm of my life and hesitated. As if sensing my waver, Leo had kissed me again, reminding me how good his lips felt on mine and how I yearned for more.

“Let’s go.” Leo took hold of my hand and gave me no option but to follow him towards the exit. He was now wearing a very sexy leather jacket, and my brain was firing in every direction, trying to work out what I was doing. The several cocktails I’d drunk, the heady mixture of movies and tunes I loved, the ominous text message from my increasingly sinister ex-boyfriend, all combined in a whirlwind of battling emotions. All I knew for sure was I’d wanted to see Leo again desperately.