Hooked on You: An Annapolis Harbor Series Prequel, Lea Coll [love letters to the dead .txt] 📗

want more? No, that wasn’t right. I wanted everything and the feeling rushed over me making me lightheaded. “I need your help tonight, if you’d like to work.”

Her smile widened. “I’d like that.”

“You have nothing else going on a Friday night?”

She grimaced. “Our office is probably going to happy hour, but I can miss it. One of the attorneys at our office is really full of himself and it’s not that fun.”

She never mentioned hanging out with anyone or people at work. I wanted to ask her a ton of questions but I wasn’t sure I had any right to know. I hadn’t told her about Zach yet. She’d been good in not pushing me, but I knew I needed to tell her. If today showed me anything it was that I could rely on her, she followed through on her promises, and I could trust her.

“One of the attorneys, Hadley, has been really nice. She’s going to help me with the block party.”

“I didn’t know you were planning one.”

“I thought it would bring more people into the neighborhood. We could have a live band, food trucks, and maybe the shop owners could set up tables outside. I haven’t talked to the business owners yet but I’m sure they’ll be on board.”

I was speechless for a few seconds. I knew community outreach was part of her job, but planning a party to bring in customers to our street was not. “I think that’s a great idea.”

She went up on tiptoes, placed her hands on my shoulders, and placed a light kiss on my lips. “I’ll see you tonight.”

I couldn’t respond because I couldn’t form any words after that kiss. I still felt the warmth of her hands on my shoulders and the touch of her lips to mine as I watched her flag down a cab and climb inside. The kiss was sweet, but I hoped it was the start of something more—less innocent. Unfortunately, in my life, hope was as dangerous as trust.

Chapter Fourteen

TAYLOR

That night, as I filled drink orders and served them, I couldn’t stop thinking about how I’d made a move on Gabe. I’d kissed him. I’d seen the turmoil in his eyes—he wanted to trust someone, he wanted to trust me. I could only hope he would. And I’d seen the look on his face after that kiss. His eyes darkened with lust as if I’d woken him up with that brief touch. Things between us were different. I hoped he’d finally let me in.

The evening went by quickly because each time I took a drink order to the bar, Gabe greeted me with a smile. He’d teased me about my shorthand notes for the drinks when I was in a rush and asked if he needed to come out on the floor to stop a table of college-aged kids from flirting with me. It felt good that he’d noticed—that he could be jealous. He’d found ways to touch me. He’d steadied me when I almost fell walking back to the storage room when he was coming out of his office. He found excuses to be out on the floor with me, whispering things in my ear about how my ass looked in my jeans. At one point, he touched my back as he maneuvered behind me and I turned so that we touched from chest to knees. His hands went to my waist and he pulled me in tighter to him.

“Shouldn’t you be at the bar?” I asked, tilting my head in a way that I hoped looked flirty.

“I can’t stay away from you.”

My whole body flushed at his honest words. I wanted his hands on me. His lips on me. I wanted to feel his bare skin on mine. But now wasn’t the time.

Then he winked like he knew the effect his words had on me and sauntered to the bar.

Had I ever seen him flirt or wink before? Not since the day he’d showed me around the French Quarter. My heart squeezed as he smiled at a group of women at the bar and one reached out to touch his bicep.

His eyes flashed to mine and I looked away. Was he serious about me? Or did he flirt with everyone in the bar? I hadn’t noticed it before. He usually had the bad boy chip-on-his-shoulder routine, which did nothing to deter women.

At midnight, the bar was still hopping but I asked Isaac if I could leave. I was exhausted between working my desk job, talking to the police, and being on my feet all night. “Sure, darling. You’re doing us a favor coming in at all. Gabe told me you wanted to arrange a block party?”

“Yeah, we could have a live band and food trucks. I could advertise it and hopefully bring in more people.”

“That sounds like a great idea.” Isaac’s eyes warmed before his attention was drawn to a spot over my head.

Gabe stood at my elbow. “You ready to go home?”

I smiled at him. “Yeah.”

“I am too,” Gabe said.

Isaac raised a brow. “You leaving early?”

“It’s not my late night.” Gabe glanced around the room. “And it’s slowing down.”

“You always work late if I schedule you or not, so you deserve it.”

Gabe looked down at me. “I have somewhere to be.”

“You do?” Did he mean with me? With a sinking feeling, I realized he could have been talking about meeting someone else.

“See you tomorrow, then,” Isaac said.

Gabe nodded at Isaac and lightly touched my elbow, guiding me through the crowd to the door.

“I’d like to spend some time with you. Can we go to your place?” he asked.

Was it a good idea? Sure, he’d accompanied me to the police station today and we’d kissed, but did I want more? I knew I wanted to get to know him better—to see where it could go. “Sure.” His hands slid down my arm to my hand, intertwining his fingers with mine.

“Thanks for coming in tonight.” His voice was low and husky.

“You asked