Read Online As Bad As Can Be by Kristin Hardy - Free Book Online Page A

as entrenched as this.”
    â€œNewport’s a tough market, not least because it changes throughout the year. It’s easy to stumble.” The way he’d stumbled for her.
    â€œHopefully I won’t do too much of that.” Sheopened the menu and scanned it. “I know food can be a hassle of its own, but I figure it’s a good way of keeping clientele from going somewhere else. We get ’em to spend more money and with food in their stomachs, they’ll be able to drink longer.”
    â€œWhat are you going to serve?”
    â€œI haven’t thought it through all that much at this point. Bar food, I suppose, with three or four obvious crowd pleasers. We don’t want to put a lot of resources into it when we’re just getting started.”
    â€œYou definitely want to go into it cautiously, the way you are. I’m surprised. I’d have pegged you for the…ambitious type,” he said. “No offense.”
    Mallory slanted him a look. “None taken. Now, see, I already had you down as the cautious type. Doesn’t it ever get frustrating, though?”
    â€œWhat do you mean?” He glanced up at her.
    â€œBeing cautious all the time. Don’t you ever get the urge to say the hell with it and just go for what you want?”
    For a brief, inescapable moment, his imagination painted exactly what he wanted—her, hot and steamy and naked against him.
    The waitress interrupted them to take their orders and Shay jolted. He watched the mischievous look flicker over Mallory’s face as she ordered an array of bar food.
    â€œOnion rings, potato skins, jalapeño poppers and French fries? Are you paid up on your medical insurance?” he asked dryly.
    Fun glimmered in her eyes. “I’m doing research. Who knows, I might wind up stealing their chef.”
    â€œTheir chef’s name is Andre and he’s the son-in-law of the owner. He’s not going anywhere.”
    â€œHow’d you know that?”
    â€œI tried to steal him two years ago,” he said blandly.
    The waitress set down their drinks and Mallory stripped the paper off her straw. “So we were talking about going for it, I believe. And do you ever?”
    â€œRarely. It’s generally a luxury I can’t afford.”
    Mallory gave him a sidelong glance. “How can such a gorgeous, sexy man be such a hopeless stuffed shirt?” she asked aloud, pouring a packet of sugar into her tea. Flicking a glance at him, she licked the stray crystals off her fingertip, sucking on it for a moment, her eyes on his.
    Shay shifted in his chair, suddenly aware that his thoughts had nothing to do with the question of Mallory’s bar. “Don’t be so sure you have me pegged. I might surprise you.”
    â€œLike you surprised me by coming on to me at the bar when you were working for Dev? Relax,” she waved him down, “I’ve forgotten it. More or less.” She gave him an enigmatic smile, then looked around the restaurant. “So is the Brickworks competition for you? It goes after the family crowd like O’Connor’s does.”
    He moved his shoulders and tried not to think of the way she’d looked licking her fingers like a smug cat going after cream. “O’Connor’s is more about local people than visitors.”
    â€œDid you plan it that way?” Now her face just showed curiosity, and he relaxed a little.
    â€œMy great-grandfather did. He started it as a place for the Irish workers to feel at home. There weren’t so many places like that back then.”
    Mallory’s eyes widened a bit in surprise. “O’Connor’s has been around since your great-grandfather’s time?”
    Shay watched her, a faint smile on his face. “Look around next time you come in. The building’s been there since the turn of the century. We’ve kept it up.”
    â€œI’ll say. You really love it, don’t