Bad to Be Good - Andrew Grey Page 0,3

had cracked some of the hardest men, actually reducing them to tears when he was in charge of the clubs. But hell, Daniel could give lessons on keeping your mouth shut.

When Daniel’s order was ready, Richard went to the kitchen to get it, returned, and placed it in front of him. Daniel reached for his cutlery and his hand brushed against Richard’s. The gesture was completely innocent and accidental, and yet Richard nearly gasped at the shock that raced through him all the way to his bones.

“Thank you,” Daniel said.

Richard nodded and turned away to go back to work, frustration building high enough that he felt it in his temples like the start of a headache, except this held a touch of the delicious and the forbidden, which only made him want it all the more, even though he told himself repeatedly that Daniel—or anyone at all—was off-limits.

Richard made sure all the drinks were filled and that Andi had what she needed before flipping his attention to the baseball game. Detroit was playing Tampa Bay, and Tampa scored a run. The room murmured its approval, and Richard smiled, even though he was pissed inside. One of the hardest things to change had been his allegiance to sports teams. Detroit all the way, even if they sucked. But now he had to root for the local team as part of his cover.

He pulled his attention away from the television and back to his work. The half inning ended, and Detroit came up to bat. Richard noticed that Daniel leaned a little forward, and a few minutes later he grinned when Detroit hit a two-run homer.

“Tampa Bay isn’t your team?” he asked, taking away Daniel’s empty plate.

Daniel shook his head. “Nope. I always rooted for Detroit. Not that they’ve done much in years, but it’s my team.” He finished his beer. “Can I get another?”

“Sure.” Richard took his glass and pulled a fresh one out of the cooler, filled it, and passed it over. Detroit hit another homer before the side retired, and Daniel ended up grinning like a cat while the rest of the bar grumbled. At least the guy was smart enough to keep it to himself and revel quietly in his happiness.

The evening went on as most of them did, with Richard keeping the drinks flowing and Andi hopping with drink and food orders. He helped her when he could by delivering some of the food. About the time the game was just getting good, Andi squeaked, wiping her backside. Richard caught the tourist’s gaze and fixed him with an icy stare that had him pulling in his arm and mumbling an apology. Yes, he still had it. Over the years, he had perfected his “you do that again and they’ll never find the body” stare. It was one of his talents.

“Would you like another beer?” Richard asked Daniel as he checked the time. It was nearing nine o’clock and about the time Daniel usually left… and some of the light went out of the place for Richard. He always asked, though typically Daniel would drain the last of his beer, settle his tab, and say good night.

Daniel finished his beer and passed the glass over. “Maybe one more,” he said. Richard almost double-checked that he had heard him correctly. “I want to watch this for a while.”

Richard swallowed hard as Daniel turned to him instead of the television. Jesus, the intensity of that gaze was throat-drying. Richard nodded, but damn, he didn’t want to turn away, not for a second. He got the beer by feel and placed it in front of Daniel.

The bang of the front door hitting the wall pulled his attention, and a stream of bikers flowed in. Richard had owned a motorcycle before his change in circumstances and he loved a good ride, but he also knew trouble when it came calling, and this group came with a capital T—times about twelve.

Richard remained calm. There was nothing he hadn’t or couldn’t have handled. He sent a quick message to Terrance, and within five minutes he came in and settled at a table by the door.

Now Terrance, he could intimidate anyone, even a gang of huge biker thugs. No one was going to mess with him… at least not anyone in their right mind. Though Richard was starting to wonder about these guys.

“Could you please bring me my bill?” Daniel asked as the place grew louder.

Richard gave it to him, and he handed over some