Free Negligee Behavior by Shelli Stevens Page B

intend to go home soon?”
    She hesitated, her smile fading. “No, I don’t want to go home. I’ve been thinking…maybe I should take a couple of weeks away. Give myself time to think.” She shook her head. “If I go home Gordon will be all over me, and I’m not ready for that yet.”
    “Sounds like a decent plan. Fortunately Marco was around yesterday to pluck you from a bad situation.”
    Her gaze shifted to Marco, and in her eyes shone something close to hero worship that he wasn’t worthy of. He held the contact. The detachment he was working so hard to sustain crumbled a bit.
    “Yes, I was very fortunate.”
    Her smile turned so secretive, he wondered if she’d been remembering their kiss from yesterday. She lowered her lashes, hiding his ability to read any further emotions in her eyes.
    Damn it. The memory of her luscious mouth under his stirred the blood in his veins.
    “So has he been feeding you? Are you hungry?”
    “Of course I’ve been feeding her,” Marco snapped at Sebastian.
    “He made me bratwurst and eggs for breakfast.” She giggled. “And coffee, I hate coffee though.”
    “Me too, luv. I much prefer my tea. Would you care for a cup?”
    “Of tea?” Her voice rose with excitement. “You guys have tea in a bar?”
    “We’re not complete heathens. Of course we have tea.” Sebastian reached out and touched her hand. “If not for the customers, then for myself.”
    Marco’s blood pounded harder, the pulse in his neck throbbed with such a force that his jaw clenched. Was Sebastian flirting with her? Why?
    “Sebastian, that is so sweet. I would kill for a cup of tea right now.”
    And I’m going to kill Sebastian if he doesn’t get his damn hand off you.
    “Are you sure I can’t get you a bite to eat?”
    “Christ, if she was hungry, she’d ask for something.” Marco jumped up from the stool, his movement so abrupt it fell to the ground with a crash.
    A heated flush spread up the back of his neck. Ignoring their startled looks, he righted the stool and ground his teeth together.
    “You all right there, mate?”
    “Just fine , mate ,” Marco shot back. “I’ll be in the back office. There’re some things I need to take care of.”
    He walked behind the bar and slammed through the double doors that led into the kitchen.
    Well, hell. Talk about losing it big time. Sebastian was going to really give him shit later. And Brandy must think he was completely off his rocker. What the hell had just happened to him?
    He walked through the kitchen, not even bothering to say hi to Dave, the cook on duty. Just beelined straight for the small office in the back, then shut the door behind him.
    Leaning his head against the door, he closed his eyes with a growl of frustration.
    He’d just flipped. Watching Sebastian flirt with her, and then when he’d touched Brandy’s hand…How? How was it remotely possible he was jealous? Brandy didn’t do a thing for him. Did she?
    “Shit.” He banged his head against the door. This was a complication he just didn’t need.

Chapter Four
    “Was it something I said?” Brandy bit her lip, wrapping her hands around the steaming mug of tea.
    Sebastian shook his head. “No, I don’t think it was so much that, luv.”
    She heaved a sigh, leaning down to breathe in the relaxing scent of chamomile. Frowning, she shook her head. “I don’t know, Sebastian. I feel like a complete inconvenience. I’ve basically attached myself to him for the past two days, and he’s just too darn nice to tell me to get lost.”
    “If he didn’t want you around he’d tell you. If you’ve backed Marco into a corner, then it’s only because he wants to be there.”
    “Hmm.” She took a sip of tea. What did that mean exactly? He wants to be there ?
    “Marco told me you teach music.”
    Brandy set her cup down and swallowed the tea in her mouth. “Mmm. Yes, I do. I teach choral music at a private high school.”
    “High school? How do you put up with a bunch of