Love Unscripted
Page 10
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“So you live upstairs?”
I nodded; my eyes instinctively flashed up to the ceiling. I still couldn’t look directly in his eyes. “My apartment is the entire second floor.”
“Roommates?” he asked, almost expecting me to say yes.
“No, I live alone,” I informed quickly.
“Cats?” he questioned.
I laughed lightly at his insinuation. “No. I’m allergic to them.”
Ryan grinned and pushed his empty glass forward on the bar. “Me too,” he mumbled. We tapped our shot glasses together and downed our second shot of whiskey.
“Would you like another beer?” I didn’t want to assume.
He nodded and smiled. “Yes, please. If you don’t mind.”
While I was refilling his glass the keg kicked, sending a pop of foam all over my face, shirt, and hair. Oh great, perfect timing. I suppose by the way he laughed at me that he thought it was amusing.
“You have my kind of luck,” he admitted.
“Ugh,” I groaned, wiping myself off with a bar rag.
Ryan had a huge grin on his face. As much as I was embarrassed, his smile was quite contagious.
I reached down to pull the empty keg from the cooler and gasped slightly when I noticed he had come around the back of the bar. He was standing there staring at me again.
“Here, let me help you. It’s the least I can do.” He gently wiped some beer froth from my hair then moved me out of the way to grab the empty keg. I felt flush – like my heart skipped a beat.
I noticed that when he was right next to me he sniffed me; he even leaned in to get a better whiff.
“Is that you that smells like… peaches?”
I looked at him out of the corner of my eye as I reflexively leaned away. I smelled my shirt to get a better understanding of what he was referring to.
“I guess so,” I answered.
Ryan leaned over closer and smelled me again. I instinctively leaned farther away, almost tipping off-balance. His nostrils opened wider and a slight grin appeared on his lips.
“Peach scented perfume?” he asked.
“No. Just soap and body lotion.” Why is this guy sniffing me? “Do I smell bad?”
“No. Quite the opposite.” He smiled and inhaled deeply through his nose, like he was sensing the most pleasing of all scents. He muttered something about being a first under his breath. I didn’t understand.
“So, you really own this place?” Ryan asked, carrying the empty keg to the back room for me.
“You sound surprised.”
“Well, I’m not the best judge of a woman’s age, but aren’t you sort of young – I mean, you look about as old as I am and you own your own business.”
His observation didn’t bother me. I was used to having people make assumptions as to how I was able to afford a pub while only being twentyseven.
“Well, my grandfather was the original Mitchell. Then when he passed away my dad took it over,” I informed him. “My father died a little over a year ago, it's been mine ever since.”
“Oh, I’m sorry – about your father,” he corrected. “And your mom? Is she…?”
“No,” I murmured. “She died four years ago – right after I turned twenty-three.”
“Wow. I’m sorry to hear that. So do you have any brothers or sisters?”
I just shook my head. “No.” I shrugged, trying to sound content and cheerful. “Just me.”
I hated the reminder that I was alone in this world. I wheeled around the cart to load up a new keg of beer as the sadness washed over me.
“Here, let me do that.” Ryan placed his hand in the small of my back and gently moved me out of the way so he could take over loading the keg on the cart. I jumped ever so slightly when his fingers made contact with my body; I was surprised that he touched me.
We were so close that I could smell the scent emanating from his body; he had a slightly spicy but light and manly aroma. He smelled wonderful.
I breathed in another whiff of him while I could, only I wasn’t so obvious about it.
Ryan gave the keg a good shove to get it into the cooler under the taps. Why did I notice the muscles in his arms flex? I had to shake the thought from my head.
“Thank you.” I smiled.
“Sure! No problem,” he said happily.
“This bar is beautiful.” He rubbed his hands across the mahogany rail as he returned to his seat. “You don’t see craftsmanship like this anymore. The scrolling and detail is magnificent.”
I nodded; my eyes instinctively flashed up to the ceiling. I still couldn’t look directly in his eyes. “My apartment is the entire second floor.”
“Roommates?” he asked, almost expecting me to say yes.
“No, I live alone,” I informed quickly.
“Cats?” he questioned.
I laughed lightly at his insinuation. “No. I’m allergic to them.”
Ryan grinned and pushed his empty glass forward on the bar. “Me too,” he mumbled. We tapped our shot glasses together and downed our second shot of whiskey.
“Would you like another beer?” I didn’t want to assume.
He nodded and smiled. “Yes, please. If you don’t mind.”
While I was refilling his glass the keg kicked, sending a pop of foam all over my face, shirt, and hair. Oh great, perfect timing. I suppose by the way he laughed at me that he thought it was amusing.
“You have my kind of luck,” he admitted.
“Ugh,” I groaned, wiping myself off with a bar rag.
Ryan had a huge grin on his face. As much as I was embarrassed, his smile was quite contagious.
I reached down to pull the empty keg from the cooler and gasped slightly when I noticed he had come around the back of the bar. He was standing there staring at me again.
“Here, let me help you. It’s the least I can do.” He gently wiped some beer froth from my hair then moved me out of the way to grab the empty keg. I felt flush – like my heart skipped a beat.
I noticed that when he was right next to me he sniffed me; he even leaned in to get a better whiff.
“Is that you that smells like… peaches?”
I looked at him out of the corner of my eye as I reflexively leaned away. I smelled my shirt to get a better understanding of what he was referring to.
“I guess so,” I answered.
Ryan leaned over closer and smelled me again. I instinctively leaned farther away, almost tipping off-balance. His nostrils opened wider and a slight grin appeared on his lips.
“Peach scented perfume?” he asked.
“No. Just soap and body lotion.” Why is this guy sniffing me? “Do I smell bad?”
“No. Quite the opposite.” He smiled and inhaled deeply through his nose, like he was sensing the most pleasing of all scents. He muttered something about being a first under his breath. I didn’t understand.
“So, you really own this place?” Ryan asked, carrying the empty keg to the back room for me.
“You sound surprised.”
“Well, I’m not the best judge of a woman’s age, but aren’t you sort of young – I mean, you look about as old as I am and you own your own business.”
His observation didn’t bother me. I was used to having people make assumptions as to how I was able to afford a pub while only being twentyseven.
“Well, my grandfather was the original Mitchell. Then when he passed away my dad took it over,” I informed him. “My father died a little over a year ago, it's been mine ever since.”
“Oh, I’m sorry – about your father,” he corrected. “And your mom? Is she…?”
“No,” I murmured. “She died four years ago – right after I turned twenty-three.”
“Wow. I’m sorry to hear that. So do you have any brothers or sisters?”
I just shook my head. “No.” I shrugged, trying to sound content and cheerful. “Just me.”
I hated the reminder that I was alone in this world. I wheeled around the cart to load up a new keg of beer as the sadness washed over me.
“Here, let me do that.” Ryan placed his hand in the small of my back and gently moved me out of the way so he could take over loading the keg on the cart. I jumped ever so slightly when his fingers made contact with my body; I was surprised that he touched me.
We were so close that I could smell the scent emanating from his body; he had a slightly spicy but light and manly aroma. He smelled wonderful.
I breathed in another whiff of him while I could, only I wasn’t so obvious about it.
Ryan gave the keg a good shove to get it into the cooler under the taps. Why did I notice the muscles in his arms flex? I had to shake the thought from my head.
“Thank you.” I smiled.
“Sure! No problem,” he said happily.
“This bar is beautiful.” He rubbed his hands across the mahogany rail as he returned to his seat. “You don’t see craftsmanship like this anymore. The scrolling and detail is magnificent.”
