Jasper didn抰 have an explanation for the way he抎 pried without much encouragement, only that she抎 sat down across from him looking shell-shocked and puffy-lipped from kissing and being her closest confidant had become his life goal. That hadn抰 changed on the drive home. And it was starting to become pretty damn obvious that goal wouldn抰 evaporate with the morning sunrise.
Careful to shut the driver抯-side door without alerting anyone inside the Liquor Hole to their presence, Jasper then crossed to Rita抯 side, grateful when she waited for his assistance in climbing out. He caught a peek of her panties beneath the stretched red skirt as she turned, and barely checked the instinct to slam the passenger door and shove her up against it. God. He抎 known his blue balls tonight would be a motherfucker, but they were shaping up to feel like ten homicidal maniac motherfuckers out for vengeance. It certainly didn抰 help that Rita was definitely feeling the wine she抎 drunk at dinner, making her loose-limbed and relaxed.
Lord save me.
Instead of attacking Rita抯 mouth the way his brain urged, Jasper took her hand, leading her through the back entrance. He caught the screen door before it slapped the splintered wood and removed his keys, smiling when Rita rubbed her hands together vigorously.
揧ou抮e excited.?
揧eah. Yeah.?She tried to peer in through the glass door. 揘o one has eaten here yet. No bad, good, or mediocre meals. No reviews. It抯 a clean slate.?
Jasper turned the key and pushed open the door, but when Rita attempted to precede him, he grabbed her wrist. 揌old on, now. If we抮e doing a big reveal, we抮e going to do it right. Close your eyes.?
She did as he asked, humming in her throat as Jasper led her through the small hostess section, into the dining room. It felt more natural than breathing to hook an arm around her middle, drawing her back against him, exhaling into the fragrant skin of her neck. 揙kay, here goes.?
Jasper flipped on the lights.
He hadn抰 put his lips against her pulse purposefully, but hell. Having them there, feeling her pulse kick up into overdrive as she scanned the dining room? Might have been the best moment of his life. Because someone paying homage to the four walls he抎 built, what he抎 done inside them, would have been nice. But having undeniable proof that he抎 managed to accomplish something worth a damn梟ow that was priceless. The fact that it came from Rita made it all the sweeter.
When he抎 decided to build the addition, he抎 only been able to see shapes, colors. No real vision for what the place should look like. So he抎 thought of Hurley. How its people were unique梥ometimes uniquely crazy梑ut somehow meshed into a pattern. He抎 tried to portray that with mismatched antique furniture, eclectic lighting, different-shaped tables tucked back into quiet corners. To describe it out loud, the dining room would sound like a straight-up disaster, but it somehow flowed together in person. He hadn抰 quite planned for every table to have a different theme, but that was the way it had worked out. And knowing he wasn抰 the only one who thought so was one hell of a relief.
揓asper.?She pulled out of his arms and took a few steps into the dining room, running her fingers over one of the chair backs. 揥hy did you let me think厃ou said you were just going to open the door and see what happened.?
揟hat wasn抰 a lie. We open two days from now.?He leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms. 揂fter that, it抯 up to the town.?
揟hat抯 always the case. In every restaurant.?She looked up at the chandelier fashioned from faux deer antlers. 揌ow much time have you spent putting this together??
Time had never been a factor since he owned the building free and clear, so he hadn抰 kept count, but he wanted Rita to keep looking around, keep talking to him梬ould he ever get used to that?梥o he thought back. 揑ncluding the time it took to build, I抎 reckon it抯 been around eighteen months. I抳e been driving up to Santa Fe on the weekdays, bringing back pieces I liked, going to auctions.?He nodded toward the back. 揔itchen is that way if you抮e interested.?
Jasper could only see Rita in profile, but he caught the flare of curiosity in her eyes, even as her shoulders tensed up. 揧es. I am interested卛n a minute.?A loud round of laughter drifted through the wall, invading the eatery抯 intimacy, but Rita抯 lips only twitched. 揝mart idea, putting separate entrances. Are you going to serve food at the Liquor Hole, too??
揘o. Just here.?
Rita nodded and continued her slow turn around the room. 揑 can抰 believe this has just been sitting here, like卋uried treasure.?
An ache speared Jasper through the chest. 揟hat抯 it. That抯 the name.?
揥hat??
揃uried Treasure.?Trying the name out a few more times under his breath, he pushed off the wall. 揂ll the knickknacks and antiques, you know? One man抯 trash厰
搮is another man抯 treasure. Wow. It fits.?When they stared at each other too long, Rita ducked her head. 揃ut you should name it. It抯 your place.?
Or maybe it had been waiting for Rita to walk through the door, say a few words, and make it real. Make it a possibility instead of just a project. Maybe it wasn抰 just his place and that梩hat梬as why he抎 dragged his heels opening it. Something had been missing. It seemed obvious that Rita wasn抰 ready to hear any of that out loud, however. Apparently they were at the point where she would share intimate details about her life, but not the point where he could attempt to include himself among those details.
Rita broke his stare and headed for the kitchen, Jasper following a moment later. He found her testing the knobs on his oversized stainless-steel range. Nodding in approval over the utensils hanging above the workstation.
揥ho抯 going to cook here??
揟he only local man with decent experience.?He went to join Rita near the stove, but she抎 already moved on to the storage area, the pantry, beyond. 揌e used to work at a hotel in Gallup and retired a few years back. He抯 going to get me up and running, training one of the other local guys to eventually take over.?
Rita nodded, then she was on the move again.
Since flipping on the lights in the restaurant, he could swear they were performing some kind of dance. A dance that kept Rita just out of reach梐nd he didn抰 like it. Something about the restaurant seemed to have done it, though, rather than him. Needing to witness her reaction to every small thing, Jasper found Rita just as she exited the walk-in freezer and could only describe her expression as subdued excitement, with a hint of anxiety.
揧ou didn抰 cut any corners,?Rita murmured. 揈verything is where it should be, functionality wise. There抯 room to move, to breathe. Lots of ventilation. Anyone would be lucky to work in this kitchen.?
揋lad to hear it.?
Rita shook her head, laughing a little beneath her breath. 揓asper, why don抰 you see this place is extraordinary??
He moved into her space, relieved when she didn抰 try to lunge away. 揥hy do you seem so sad about it??
揥hy would I be sad??She wouldn抰 look at him. 揑 don抰 know. Maybe this is how I always am in a kitchen.?
Ah, beautiful. 揟alk to me about it.?
揑抎 rather not.?The serene expression she slapped on was fake and they both knew it. 揑抦 fine.?
Jasper reached up a hand, slipped it into Rita抯 hair, and used his grip to tug her body the remaining distance. 揌ow about I kiss the fine right out of you??
She exhaled in a big rush. 揙kay. I could go for that.?
It was a gamble, to be sure. Kissing Rita in a dark, enclosed space where they were guaranteed to have zero interruptions. His lips were only a breath away from hers and already he tasted wine. Woman. Rita. There was an audible catch in her throat when he leaned in, grazing their mouths together. Those hands of hers twisted in the waistband of his jeans, as if that slight touch alone could do her in. Which made it painfully hard to restrain himself, to kiss her slowly. He pressed his lips to hers, widening them enough to rest his tongue on her full lower lip. Just resting it, and yet, a shudder passed through Rita like a roll of thunder, quaking her against him.