The Way We Burn

Thirteen: Sully

This girl was going to be the death of me.

We'd been at Kindling a little over an hour and I still hadn't made it through the pint glass in my hand. I was too busy watching her.

Craving her.

Needing her.

I'd somehow managed to make it through the last week without my self control crumbling, though it had been no easy task. Snow seemed intent to push me to my absolute limits. Even sitting at a table in the middle of her packed bar, it was like she was taunting me, daring me to leap over the edge. And honestly? It was fucking working.

"That girl is something else."

I shook off my lust-filled haze and looked at Finn, settled into the chair next to me. "Who are you..."

"You know damn well who," Finn snickered. "You can't take your eyes off her any better than any man in this place."

He wasn't wrong. The entire bar was eating out of the palm of Gigi's hand. Every pair of eyes watched as she sauntered back and forth in her painted on jeans, stared when she leaned over the bar and gave some lucky schmuck a wink, counted the seconds until it would be their turn to garner her attention. Another man might've been jealous, but me? I knew who this show was for, and it wasn't for anyone but me.

I turned my gaze back to Galena, licking my lips like I was the wolf that had just spotted ol' Red. "She's something alright."

"You gonna do something about it?" Finn asked.

I lifted my pint glass to my lips and one shoulder in a shrug. "What should I be doing about it?"

"Come on, Cap," Finn scoffed. "You two have been undressing each other with your eyes since the first night she was here. You wouldn't even have to work at it!"

"Watch yourself," I almost snarled.

"You know who she is, right?" Jamal jumped in, nursing the long neck in his hand.

"Who?" Finn questioned. He had to be the only one oblivious to her being the Chief's daughter. Every fucker in here knew exactly who Galena Castellanos was, though it wasn't stopping them from leering evidently.

"That's Chief Castellanos's kid," Jamal answered as I went back to my pint.

"No shit," Finn retorted, his gaze turning back to Galena. "You think he knows what she's doing?"

"What exactly is she doing?" I asked. "Looks to me like she's doing her job."

"Come on," Finn responded with a chuckle. "Look at her. She's doing a little more than her job if you ask me. Half the dudes in here are ready to propose."

I shrugged as I took a sip. "Seems to me she's just good at what she does. She can't help it if these douchebags are drooling after her. She's a gorgeous girl, not really her fault."

"What's your excuse?" Finn snickered.

"Excuse me?"

"Come on, man!" Finn exclaimed. "You're drooling harder than anyone in here and yet you refuse to do anything about it!"

"What would you have me do?" I responded, already annoyed with his Labrador antics. "We're in her place of business, moron. You think just because a waitress is nice, that means she's flirting with you?"

"I mean, have you seen me?" Finn smirked. "They usually are."

I rolled my eyes. "Beside the point. Even if I wanted to, I ain't doing anything that makes her life harder. This place is swamped, the last thing she needs is some idiot thinking a smile is an invitation."