Something to Prove (13 page)

She looked at the beer in her hand, more than half foam. He took the glass and set
it down. “No one wants a glass of foam. Let’s try again.”

He handed her a fresh glass and she stood in front of the tap, but made no move to
pour.

“It doesn’t bite.” Against his better judgment, he stood behind her and wrapped his
arms around her body, doing his best to limit contact. He helped her tilt the glass
with one hand and his other rested on top of hers on the handle.

“Easy,” he said as he moved their hands to pull the tap. “You tilt the glass to keep
the head small.”

Her back was mere inches from him and her hair tickled his nose. She’d worn it up
again, exposing her long neck. Cinnamon scent drifted up. If he dipped his head just
a little, he could taste the soft skin. His mouth watered and he thought her breath
quickened.

Suddenly, his hand was wet as she yelped, “Hey.”

He jerked the handle to stop the tap. He’d forgotten about the beer and the glass
had overflowed. “Sorry,” he mumbled.

Turning away to grab a towel, he checked his thoughts. Elizabeth was not a piece of
ass for a one-night stand. She was his business partner, and she’d made it clear they
would never be anything more.

“Here.” He thrust a dry towel into her hand.

“Thanks,” she said, but she didn’t look pissed off. She looked . . . amused. “Can
I pour you one?”

“Huh?”

“A beer. I think we should celebrate. We had a great night, it’s time to close, and
I learned how to pour a beer.” She paused, a grin lighting her face. “Not very successfully
mind you, but I poured.”

“I’ll have a pop. Sorry about the spill. I got distracted.” His gaze wandered down
the length of her.

He scooped ice into a glass and turned toward the pop spigot. Once the glass was filled,
he faced Elizabeth with his raised glass. “To success.”

She clinked her glass against his and took a gulp of beer. Her nose crinkled and she
set the glass down. “I hate beer.”

“Then why drink it?”

“Because I poured it. It was my first, and it seemed like I should.”

“Do you always do what you’re supposed to?”

“Pretty much.” She took another sip of beer.

He grabbed the glass and poured it down the drain. “Life’s too short to do what you
hate.”

“Hey, buddy, you owe me three fifty for that.”

He laughed. “Put it on my tab. Can I get you a glass of wine or something else?”

“No, it’s late and we have clean-up to do.” She turned and began wiping down his already
clean bar.

“I have these last few glasses to wash and the floor to sweep. Everything else is
done.”

“Oh. Then I’ll grab the broom.” She shifted her body and angled to move around him.

His arm reached out and landed on her hip. Her chest rose and fell in rapid succession.

“What are you doing?”

He didn’t respond with his voice. He let his body answer. Pulling her close, he tasted
her lips, the tang of beer lingering. He angled his head and licked, hoping she would
open her mouth. She complied, and he slid inside her slick warmth.

One of her hands rested on his at her hip, the other fisted in his shirt. She rocked
against him with a slight moan. He turned them so that she backed up to the bar. Trailing
kisses down her neck, he tasted the skin at her pulse. She threw her head back to
give him more access and in doing so thrust her hips into his groin.

As if he wasn’t turned on enough, his dick hardened and strained against his jeans,
looking for release. He tugged at her shirt, and his hands caressed the warm skin
of her torso and glided up to find her full breasts.

God, he wanted to get her naked.

A sound trilled from behind her and she jerked, smacking her shoulder into his head.
He pulled away and rubbed the sore spot. Getting involved with this woman was definitely
dangerous.

Her eyes stared, darkened with desire, and he knew the blush on her skin was because
of lust. Her chest heaved as she straightened from the bar. Reaching behind her, she
pulled out a phone. She scanned the screen and inhaled deeply.

“I have to take this.” Seriousness returned to her face.

“I’m sure whoever it is can wait.” He wasn’t sure he could.

The phone stopped.

“No, I have to call him back.” She slid along the bar to get out of his reach.

Him? Maybe she wasn’t just serious, maybe she felt guilty. “Are you married?”

“What?” She shook her head. “No.” The grip on the phone tightened.

“Then what is so important you have to interrupt what we were doing?”

The muscle in her jaw twitched, and he knew he’d fucked up. Again.

“What we were doing was wrong. It shouldn’t have happened. It will complicate things.
You should be grateful you were saved by the bell. Literally.”

“Do you really believe I was the one who was saved?”

The phone rang again. She pressed the button and began talking as she walked away.

He snatched the towel from the bar and wiped everything down again.
Nice going, asshole. Way to control your dick.
Elizabeth was right. They shouldn’t have been making out. How many times had she
told him that they were business partners and that was all?

That thought had him adjusting his crotch again. She was every bit as attracted to
him as he was to her. They were both adults. Why couldn’t they enjoy each other’s
company?

He wasn’t looking for another one-night stand, but Elizabeth wouldn’t be a permanent
fixture either. She would be a nice distraction while he worked on getting his life
in order. Besides, if he showed her a really good time, she might even cut him a deal
when he asked to buy the bar.

“Hi, Keith. I thought you were coming in tonight.” She forced the words out slowly
in an effort to sound natural instead of like a lust-crazed teenager.

“I had to take care of something for Dad. Surprisingly, he didn’t want to interrupt
your vacation.”

“Did you tell him?” Her stomach fluttered.

“Nope. I’ll leave that up to you. How did tonight go?”

She leaned a hip on her desk. “Great. We had a crowd. A real crowd.”

“That’s good. I’m glad it’s working out.”

“Thanks.”

“I’m tired, Elizabeth. I just wanted to let you know that I didn’t forget about you
tonight. I’ll stop by tomorrow morning and you can tell me all about it.”

He sounded beat, and she wondered what had happened that Keith needed to handle. Her
brain scanned the few properties they owned in Chicago. Nothing popped. “Thanks for
checking in. We’ll talk later.”

“Definitely tomorrow. I want all the details.”

She clicked off the phone. Keith had sounded really interested in her success. Like
when they’d first started working with Dad. She took a deep breath. Suspicion crept
back in. Keith had something up his sleeve. He was a great brother, but he hadn’t
been supportive of her jobs in years. He was always afraid she’d get the upper hand.

Standing at her desk, she stared at her closed door. The nervous flutters returned,
and she popped another antacid. How was she going to get out of here? She didn’t think
she could face Colin again.

This time, she was every bit as involved in the kiss. She couldn’t pretend she didn’t
enjoy it or that it wouldn’t have gone further if the phone hadn’t rung. Keith had
saved her from making a fool of herself. That would’ve gone over well with Dad.
Make me CEO. Ignore that I slept with my business partner.

She hung her head.

Turning back to her desk, she reached for the bottle of antacids. Damn, only the green
ones were left. They should really sell a bottle with only the pink ones. She grabbed
a green and chewed. She could handle this. She and Colin were adults who happened
to let things get a little out of hand.

They could control their hormones.

She swung her office door open and strode back into the bar. Colin looked up from
where he was sweeping the floor.

“Sorry about that.”
My mind more so than my body.
“That was my brother.”

“Something wrong?”

“No.” She hesitated, searching for the right words. “Look, I’m not sure what’s going
on between us, but we need to keep it in check. It’s unethical and unprofessional
for us to be doing . . . that.”

“We’re adults, and it’s not like you’re my superior. I promise not to sue you for
sexual harassment.”

“I’m sure you wouldn’t. But I think it would be best if we kept everything platonic.”

“I think you’re wrong.”

“Sorry you feel that way. I like you, I really do, but I don’t have time to start
something here. I need to keep moving forward to get the work done.”

He leaned against the broom handle, bending the bristles to the floor. “You know what
they say about all work and no play.”

“I’ll take my chances. Do you need any help here?”

“No, I’ll lock up. What time do you want me here tomorrow?”

Keith had said he’d stop by in the morning. She debated whether she wanted them to
meet. “We don’t open until four, but I’d like you to work with Mike to make sure he
knows what he’s doing.”

“Okay, see you in the afternoon.”

Elizabeth grabbed her keys and purse from the office and left, turning over Colin’s
words in her head. They were both adults, and she hadn’t had any kind of companionship
at all lately. She shoved the illicit thought from her mind. It would be too complicated
for her to get involved with Colin, even short-term. Risking her career wasn’t worth
it.

She drove back to her hotel and smiled at the smooth ride. Colin had talked her into
trading her business suit for a T-shirt, but she’d kept the Mercedes. No one paid
any attention to the car she drove. And even if they did, so what? She owned the bar.
She didn’t need to fit in.

Her phone rang as she pulled into the hotel parking lot. Mom? She never called this
late. It would interfere with her beauty sleep. “Hi, Mom. What’s wrong?”

“Is that any way to greet me? Who said anything was wrong?” Her mother’s voice was
strained.

“You never call this late. It’s the middle of the night.”

A quiet sigh eased across the line. “It’s your father.”

Elizabeth slammed the car into park. “Is he okay?”

“Yes. No. He promised he’d retire by the end of the year, but he keeps acquiring more
buildings and businesses. You need to talk to him.”

Elizabeth rested her head on the steering wheel. For a moment, she’d thought something
bad had happened, and now she realized it was just her mom’s usual high-strung nature.
“Even if he does retire, the business will continue. He keeps acquiring so that everyone
who works for him continues to have a job. Have you talked to him? Did he say that
he wouldn’t retire?”

“Well, no, but shouldn’t he be easing away from the business? I expected that by this
time he’d be spending more time with me.”

Cue the woe-is-me speech. Elizabeth was too tired to listen today. “Talk to him, Mom.
Keith and I are more than ready to take over.”

“You? I thought we decided that Keith would run the business. He has a family to support
after all.”

“And how does that make him more qualified? I have more time in the field than he
does. I’ve brokered as many deals as he has. I’m every bit as qualified to take over
the company, and I’m really tired of you thinking I’m not, simply because I’m female.”

Silence met her. She barely heard her mother’s breathing on the other end, but Elizabeth
knew her mother hadn’t hung up. That would be rude and her mother was nothing if not
totally polite.

“I never said you were unable to take over. I just think that Keith is a more appropriate
choice.”

“I know what you think. You’ve made it abundantly clear. I’m tired of this conversation.
I’ll talk to you later.” She clicked off before her mother could say anything more.
She began to think that running the family business wouldn’t be all she’d thought
it would be. Maybe branching out on her own would be the way to go.

CHAPTER 8

C
olin swept the floor and prayed his hard-on would go away. He couldn’t get Elizabeth
out of there fast enough. Smelling her scent as she walked out made his blood pound
south. Sleeping with her might not be the brightest idea, but it sure as hell wasn’t
the dumbest. Their chemistry was scorching if just kissing her made him hard.

He gave the bar another once-over and made sure all the glasses were clean. Not bad
for a first night. If they could keep this up, the weekends would be fabulous. He’d
have to check the sports schedules to see what kind of games were going on over the
weekend. Maybe some fights for Saturday night.

He locked the door and headed to his car. He was beat and grateful that he didn’t
have to work at O’Leary’s for a couple of days. Although Ryan hadn’t been too supportive
of the new bar idea, he knew opening night would be hectic. Colin drove on autopilot
to get back to his apartment. As he pulled his keys from the ignition, his phone rang.
Late-night calls weren’t that unusual for him, but everyone knew he’d be busy with
Brannigan’s. He smiled, liking the sound of the new name.

Colin glanced at the phone. Moira? “Hi.”

“Come to the hospital.”

His stomach twisted and every muscle in his body knotted. The last time he got a phone
call like that his father had died. “Who?”

He death-gripped the steering wheel, waiting to hear the response, afraid he’d lose
his mother when he’d just gotten back into life with the family.

“Quinn. She’s having the baby.”

His heart lifted. Not bad news. Good. Excellent, in fact. His lungs finally refilled
with air. “I’ll be there soon. How long?”

“Who knows? She went into labor about an hour ago.”

“Why am I just getting the call now?”

“Ryan said you’d be busy and it’ll probably be a while yet.”

After disconnecting, he sat, slowly releasing his fingers from the steering wheel,
waiting for the dread to completely leave his stomach. The high of his evening had
disappeared immediately with the thought of someone in the hospital, but the fear
dissipated at a much slower rate. There was probably some psychological reason for
that. He’d chalk it up to exhaustion.

When his hands and stomach were steady again, he pulled out and went to the hospital.
He didn’t want to miss the arrival of his first nephew. He smiled. He was going to
be an uncle. Uncle Colin. Had a nice ring to it.

“Dad” would sound better. He pushed the thought deeper. It just wasn’t his time yet.
The streets were empty on his drive to the hospital, so he stopped for some decent
coffee on his way. If he remembered nothing from his time in the hospital with his
father, it was the terrible coffee.

Juggling the box of coffee, creamer and sweetener packets, and cups, he kicked the
car door shut and headed into the hospital. He had to look at the directory to know
where to go. Labor and delivery had never been a stop for him.

He got off the elevator and saw a waiting room filled with O’Learys. This was the
biggest thing he’d missed while he was gone. The unconditional support. Whether you
wanted it or not. He thought of his sister-in-law, Quinn, and was pretty sure that
she wouldn’t want them all there, but she’d deal with them for Ryan’s sake.

Quinn and Ryan had been together for a year, but she was still getting used to the
idea of a big family. He scanned the room.

“Where’s Ryan?”

Moira took the box of coffee and looked at him like he was stupid. “With Quinn, of
course. He and Indy have been back and forth. They’ll both be as grateful as I am
for the coffee.”

“If Indy’s here, where’s Griffin?”

“He’s at home with Colleen. You can’t bring a baby here.”

Now he did feel stupid. This was where babies arrived, but they couldn’t come back
to visit? Where was the logic in that?

He knew he’d get another you’re-an-idiot look, so he opted not to ask.

His family sat in silence, waiting to hear something. All worried about Quinn, who’d
had complications earlier in the pregnancy. All afraid to speak the worries for fear
they’d come true.

His mother whispered the prayers of the rosary.

Moira texted someone; Liam and Michael focused on the TV in the room that was tuned
to an infomercial for cleaning supplies. Michael’s wife, Brianna, sat with her arm
around Mom’s shoulders.

He grabbed a cup of coffee and sat next to his brothers. Fatigue sank deep into every
muscle. After his success at the bar, he’d thought of being able to tell his family,
make them proud. He couldn’t bring it up now. It would pale in comparison to a new
family member.

After sitting for two hours, Indy poked her head in and said, “She’s finally ready
and is starting to push. Hopefully, it won’t be too much longer.”

Then she was gone again. Colin wondered how Ryan was holding up.

Colin must’ve dozed because the sudden noise of cheering startled him. He scrubbed
a hand over his face and checked his watch. Nine-thirty? He’d been here all night
and half the morning. Moira stood on tiptoe, bouncing back and forth. Liam and Michael
were standing behind Ryan as Mom hugged him.

Standing in the back, Colin waited.

“He’s perfect,” Ryan said. “Totally healthy.”

His voice wobbled and his eyes became watery.

Colin moved forward with his hand extended. “Congrats, man.”

Ryan pulled him into a surprising hug and whispered, “I’m glad you’re here. I want
to talk to you.”

“Sure.”

Ryan nodded to the rest of the family and led the way a little farther down the hall.
Colin began to feel a bit like he was headed for the firing squad. He hadn’t done
anything to piss off Ryan this week that he could remember, so he tried to prepare
to be blindsided with something stupid.

“So,” Ryan started. Then stopped.

Colin shoved his hands into his pockets. “So?”

“I wanted to talk to you about the baby’s name.” Ryan stared at him as though Colin
should read his mind. “We want to name him Patrick.”

Colin’s gut clenched at the sound of their father’s name. He said nothing.

“I didn’t want to just use the name without talking to you first.” Something in his
eyes shifted.

“Really?”

Ryan blew out a quiet breath. “No, Quinn said I should talk to you because you’re
the oldest and you might want to use the name. I didn’t think you’d care.”

Wrong. He did care. He’d always wanted to name his own son Patrick. He still said
nothing.

“It’s okay, right? I mean, it’s not like you even have a girlfriend right now, much
less a wife.”

Something primal in Colin wanted to scream no, it wasn’t okay, but he knew Ryan was
right. Once again, Ryan had what Colin wanted. He’d been more together and quicker
to get it.

Telling Ryan no would only deepen the rift between them.

He hugged Ryan hard and tempered his voice. “Of course it’s okay. I want you to be
happy.”

“Thanks.”

They separated and stood awkwardly staring at the floor. Colin forced out lighthearted
words. “You’re a dad, huh?”

“Yep, Uncle Colin.”

They walked back to their family, both smiling, a tentative peace settling over them.

Yeah, Uncle Colin definitely had a nice ring to it.

Elizabeth walked through the bar with a smile on her face. She’d spent the morning
totaling the receipts from the night before. Their first day open had been a success.
If they kept this up, she’d be back in Florida in no time. Three weeks, tops.

It was near noon and she hadn’t heard from Keith yet. He’d said he’d come by in the
morning, but he hadn’t called. Even if he’d slept in, she should’ve heard something
by now. She wanted to talk with him before Colin showed up.

She knew it was ridiculous, but she didn’t want Keith to know about Colin. In business,
they hired outside help all the time, but somehow she felt if Keith knew about Colin,
it would take away from her success here.

Without Colin, this success wouldn’t have happened.

The thought hit her hard. Colin had done more than she had originally thought. He’d
pulled his weight and then some. He’d been a good pick as a partner.

She’d have to remember to tell him that.

Two hours later, Mike showed up as promised to make sure he knew where to find everything
and get a feel for the new setup. Unfortunately, since Colin had done the setting
up, she couldn’t direct much.

“I’m expecting someone for a meeting soon; maybe you can look around until Colin gets
here?”

“Sure. The place isn’t that big. I think I can manage.” He settled his large frame
behind the counter and surveyed the setup.

The front door opened, and Elizabeth turned to let the customer know they weren’t
open yet, but it was Keith. Finally. She glanced at the clock. Maybe she could still
get him out of here before Colin showed.

“Hey. It’s about time. You said you were coming this morning. Where have you been?”

“Sorry. I got hung up with calls.” He pointed over his shoulder toward the door. “Brannigan’s,
huh?”

Shit. She’d forgotten about that change. “Yeah. Since we changed the entire concept,
it only made sense to change the name. Take on a whole new identity. The old one wasn’t
exactly working.”

“I like it.” He looked at her from head to toe. “You look pleased.”

“I am. Come to my office and I’ll show you the numbers from last night.”

“I don’t need to see the numbers. I have no doubt you did well.”

She crossed her arms. “Then why did you want to come by? I thought you wanted to see
the success.”

“I’ll take your word for it. I wanted to see you to see how
you
were doing. To see if you were enjoying yourself as much as it sounded like you were.”
He tucked his hands into his pants pockets. The smile on his face was odd.

A noise from behind caught her attention. Mike was bringing more glasses to the bar.
“Hey, Mike, this is my brother, Keith. Keith, this is Mike, one of my managers.”

As they exchanged greetings, Elizabeth started toward the back, hoping Keith would
follow. She thought about his question. Was she having fun? Her immediate reaction
was that it was a job like any other. But in reality, it was more. Maybe it was the
sneaking behind Keith’s and her dad’s backs, maybe it was the unusual challenge. Over
the past weeks, she had been enjoying herself.

A hand touched her shoulder. “So?” Keith asked.

“What?”

“That smile tells me either you know a good joke, or I was right and you’ve been having
fun with this project.”

“Okay, I admit that I’ve had more fun doing this one than most.”

The tender look on his face startled her. “What is it?”

He shifted again. “I have something to show you.”

“Okay.” She looked over her shoulder. Still no sign of Colin, but Mike would be okay
until he showed. “Where are we going?”

“Close.” He grabbed her hand and pushed through the back door. “I didn’t want to tell
you before. I figured you’d get discouraged. But this was the real reason I had Dad
buy the place.”

He pulled her around the corner to the front of the building again. He jingled keys
and stopped in front of the boarded-up door. He unlocked the door to the business
that adjoined the bar and her stomach sank.

This couldn’t be good.

His enthusiasm swirled around like a strange aura. Keith didn’t act this way. She
followed him through the door into the dark room. With the soap on the windows, sunlight
battled to illuminate the space, but failed. Her eyes tried to adjust as Keith dropped
her hand.

“What’s going on, Keith? I don’t like surprises.”

“Trust me. You’ll like this surprise.”

Her stomach went from flopping to burning. Fluorescent lights flickered and buzzed
to life. She squinted against the sudden light and blinked. What the hell?

Keith rushed back to her side. “What do you think?”

“About what?” She stared at the space. Racks covered in plastic and layers of dust
and rows of lanes, equally as dusty.

A bowling alley?

“This is the other half of the bar.”

“What?” Her voice squeaked, and she spun to face him. “No other business was listed
as part of the holding.”

He smirked. “Ah, Libby didn’t do her homework after all. How unlike you.”

The burn raced up toward her chest. “I did my homework. The business is listed only
as The Irish Pub.”

“The lanes are part of the pub. When the business began to fail, I closed off this
part and left the bar open.”

She forced air into her lungs. “You mean you left the bar to run into the ground,
and now you dump this on me? How dare you? You could’ve mentioned this before. You
said nothing.”