Page 31 of Tough Luck

“Still, it’s a good idea.” She started to rinse the cake dishes and put them in the dishwasher while I wiped down the countertops.

“Yeah, maybe a backup to your genius.”

Once we were done cleaning up and making sure the doors were locked, we headed toward the stairs.

As she walked up the timber steps, the soft glow of the loft lights catching the edges of her dark hair, I knew one thing for certain. Winning Marcus and his team back was going to be easy, thanks to Sofia. Keeping my hands to myself for the next few days in this cabin was going to be the real challenge.

Chapter 12

Sofia

It was our last night in the cabin and for some reason I was more nervous than any of the nights before. We had finished our mock-up of the CCB app, the recycle drop-off containers, and all of the marketing that went with our new ideas. Rick had even drawn up a makeshift speakeasy using the digital plans of the brewery.

We had pulled up the plans of the building that I’d thankfully saved to the account folder, and we’d discovered that there was an older bottling building that hadn’t been used in years. From the pictures in the folder, we could see that there was plenty of old equipment and a bunch of barrels that had been used for a special barrel-aging that induced deep flavor. With a lot of work, the space could be a really cool speakeasy.

The design program that Rick used added a long oval shaped bar in the middle of the room and utilized several barrels for table tops scattered around the space. He added some metal hanging lights, art work, and a hidden entryway that completely blew my mind. It utilized a large metal door that was already there between the old shop area and what would be the new speakeasy space. It was a good idea. People could come in, buy things, then enter the speakeasy. When they left, they would have to exit through the tap room again, and hopefully buy more things.

He had mapped it out so that a heavy, false wall of stacked aging barrels at the back of the tap room area would serve as the secret door. They just needed to be moved in front of the real door and a hidden mechanism created with a digital code reader. When a customer scanned their maximum-tier app token on a small, disguised reader, the central barrel would click open, swinging inward to reveal the warm, amber-lit sanctuary inside.

“It’s perfect,” I breathed, leaning over his shoulder to watch the 3D rendering spin slowly on his laptop screen. “It looks fun, like someplace I’d want to hang out, but it also physically connects the craft of brewing with the reward system.”

“It’s all thanks to you,” he murmured, closing the laptop just enough that the glowing screen dimmed, plunging the kitchen island into the soft, flickering light of the fireplace.

He turned on his stool to face me. He had a glass of bourbon in his hand, the ice clinking softly against the glass.

I had a glass of champagne that he’d poured me after dinner. We were celebrating a little early. We had finished everything we needed for the project. The large posters were at the printers and ready for us to pick up in the morning, on our way to the brewery.

Rick had a relaxed, easy air, and everything felt different tonight. Lighter. More casual than the rest of the work trip.

My heart did that familiar, erratic dance against my ribs when he looked at me. Tomorrow morning, we had to drive back down to Golden and face the wolves.

The professional boundaries that had kept us safely on opposite sides for days felt incredibly thin tonight.

“You’re quiet,” Rick said. Those sexy blue eyes held mine with an intensity that made it hard to blink or breathe. “Nervous?” he asked.

“A little,” I admitted, crossing my arms over my chest to keep from reaching out. “But mostly I’m just thinking about how much everything is going to change once we leave this mountain,” I added honestly.

Rick set his glass down on the counter with a soft clink. Then he stood up and stepped into my space until the heat radiating from him was completely overwhelming. He reached out and brushed back a stray lock of my hair, tucking it behind my ear softly. His touch sent a violent, electric shiver straight down my spine and to my core. Desire, pure and fast, hit me like I’d never felt before.

“Sometimes change is good,” he whispered, his voice dropping as his thumb lingered on my jawline. “But some changes are inevitable.” He shifted slightly. “This time, I don’t think I’m going to let you make the first move.”

“Okay,” I said, smiling. “Show me what—” I ended on a groan as his mouth covered mine.

This, this is what I had been missing in life.

I hadn’t realized I was missing it until I’d tackled him in the elevator and I’d kissed him outside of my apartment.

When his body pressed against mine, I knew there would be no stopping the wave of desire I felt for him. Not now. Not when we had just created something so… magical. So perfect.

I wanted—no, I needed—to celebrate that in the most raw way I could think of.

My fingers slid into his thick hair, holding him, pulling him closer until we were pressed up against one another. He tasted like the richness of the bourbon, like smoky, sexual, and forbidden fruit.

This should be wrong. He was my boss. He was practically a stranger.

Parker and I had known each other for years before we’d done anything like what I was imagining doing with Rick.

“Sofia,” he murmured against my lips. He shifted slightly to look down at me. “This has nothing to do with work. In no way will this affect your job. Just so we’re clear.”