He was still there. This was really strange. Usually, AJ would come in for a beer or two, and hang around for a couple of hours, but tonight, he'd been here almost my entire shift. I was getting more and more nervous, because I wasn't sure what he was up to. Sure, he'd said he was gonna kiss me, but I wasn't exactly taking that seriously. I mean, let's get real here. All of my fantasizing aside, a man like AJ Chegwidden and a woman like me? Please. That man could have any woman he wanted and he's gonna pick a high school drop out who runs a bar? On what planet? That still left the question of why he was hanging around. Then it hit me. The real reason I was so nervous. It wasn't because a man, even one like AJ, might actually be interested in me. It was that it was AJ. I had built up this entire romantic fantasy of what he would be like if he was interested. What if the real thing didn't live up to the fantasy? Did I really want to lose the only man, albeit an imaginary one, to keep me company at night for longer than I cared to admit? And if he didn't live up to my dream man, would it ruin what had become a pretty good friendship?

I looked at my watch and saw that it was 12:45. Almost closing time. And AJ was still here. He never stayed this late. Sighing, I announced last call to the few remaining college kids who'd hung around the pool table all evening. God, what was he doing? My nerves were worn to a frazzle. What the hell was a frazzle anyway? I remembered my mother using that phrase, but damned if I knew what it meant. Ok, Dottie, breathe. He was just sitting there watching me. Maybe he was waiting for me to say something. What the hell was I going to say? Knowing my luck, he was staring at me because I had something stuck in my teeth or something. Oh, God. I walked over to clean off the table the students had been using, and casually checked to make sure my jeans were zipped. Yup. Zipper up, As far as I could tell without a mirror, my teeth were clean. Ok, those two options were taken care of. And they still didn't answer my question.

I carried the mugs back to the bar and quickly washed them out. Sensing someone behind me, I spun around so quickly that I almost dropped the mug I'd been about to put on the rack to dry. I wanted to blame the pounding of my pulse on the scare, but I knew it was because AJ had come around the bar and was standing so close that he was able to catch the mug before it shattered on the floor. He reached around me to put it in the rack, careful not to actually touch me.

Damn.

"Darlin', you need to relax."

Relax? Relax? I couldn't freakin' breathe, and he wanted me to relax? Not likely. I tried to speak, but my mouth was too dry. I closed my eyes in a vain attempt to regain my balance, but when I opened them, he'd moved again. Now he had an arm on each side of me, reaching back to the counter behind my back, effectively pinning me against the bar, but still he wasn't actually touching me. I had the feeling that if he did, I would instantly dissolve into a gooey puddle on the floor. My knees already felt like they were turning to liquid. I grabbed the edge of the bar, hoping I wouldn't embarrass myself by sliding to the floor.

Slowly, steadily, but determinedly, he leaned in until his lips barely touched mine. Amazingly, I was still standing. I realized that I was straining up on my toes to reach him, but I didn't care. By the time he finally deepened the kiss, I thought I was going to lose my mind, but when his tongue darted between my lips, I knew I would. One of us moaned. I think it was me. When he finally pulled back, I was glad for that white knuckled grip I had on the bar.

He smiled that infinitely sexy smile of his. "See you tomorrow, Dottie."

And he turned and walked out the door.

As soon as the door swung closed behind him, I slid down the bar, and sat on the cold concrete floor. For all I knew right then I was sitting on a feather pillow. As I raised a trembling hand to my lips, I realized that, other than his mouth, he hadn't touched me at all.

God help me when he does.