Joe pours my drink, smirks, and leans on his elbows. “I get off at midnight. We could catch up.”
“Sorry. Another time, maybe.” My tone of voice says I’d rather have my wisdom teeth pulled.
It took me a while but now I remember the sonofabitch. My junior year, he threatened to crucify me on social media unless I let him look over my shoulder in Algebra.
Bastard.
Cole claims me with a gentle palm to my lumbar region and leads me to the only empty table. Sitting, he leans back and eyes me from head to toe with open male appreciation.
My clit swells but no-how, no-way. She’ll have to wait for a manual intervention with my favorite vibrator. Mr. Sexy and I are never, ever doing the dirty again.
He raises the brew to his thick lips, takes a swig, and holds my gaze. “So, tell me. How’d you find out about Stacy?”
“Milly, the librarian in Colchester, gave me the news.” Tears well, my nose runs, and I dig for the handkerchief he gave me.
Of course, it smells like him, and when his beautiful mouth moves, I don’t hear a word because I’m lost in the past.
His was my first real kiss. The popular girls invited Stacy to the party, not me. A loyal friend, she insisted I be allowed to tag along. After alcohol, came the game of spin-the-bottle where the class bad-boy and I ended up in the closet. Clueless, I worried he’d try to cop a feel but when his lips met mine, he seemed… nice. He cupped my cheeks and I opened my mouth for his questioning tongue. Breathless, we’d only stopped because one of his friends barged in and started to laugh hysterically.
“Danni?” Cole’s voice startles me out of my daydream and into the present.
“Ah, sorry. What did you say?” Red faced, I sip my bourbon, and try to catch up as he smiles.
“I asked what you were doing in Colchester.” Those few crinkles at the side of his eyes, make him better-looking than I first thought.
“Give me a moment.”Damn, I’m going to need more liquid courage.I finish my glass, slip out of the booth, and order myself another at the bar.
All the while, Stacy’s email burns a hole in my pocket. What will Cole think when I show him? Will he scoff at my concerns? I have no clue how small-town investigations work. Is it even his jurisdiction? And what to do about this raging attraction?
“Thanks.” I leave a few bills on the bar for Joe, gulp down my drink, and place the empty glass on the wood.
After a deep breath, I make my way back to the table, and reach into my jacket pocket. “Okay. I’m ready.”
“My place or do you have a motel?” He jumps up, keys in hand.
Oh, hell no.My face heats. “L-listen, I apologize if I gave you the wrong impression.”
The tops of his cheeks brighten and he rasps a nervous hand over his short beard. “No. Shit. I misread your intentions. Sorry.”
“I mean, I would but…” Mired in embarrassment, brain cells refuse to fire.
This whole situation is not his fault because I’m betting my eyes have been dilated all evening. In addition, I’ve been staring at his mouth while dreaming of his cock deep inside me. Good Lord, how did I let this happen?
“What? Are you married?” His accusatory tone pisses me off and anger is a whole lot easier to deal with than humiliation. I may send confusing signals but I’m no cheater.
“No.” For heaven’s sake, all I wanted was to show him my friend’s email. My marital status is none of his concern.
“Here.” I unfold the paper, smack it on the table and a wet spot broadens in the center.
The lawman eyes me for a moment before grabbing the damp, somewhat smeared printout. “Is this for real?”
What, now I’m a liar?“Of course, it is. I was supposed to meet Stacy in the library but when I got there, Milly told me what happened.”
“Huh. Why did she ask you for help and not the sheriff?” His brows crease, his mouth turns down, and my ears burn at his harsh tone.
“How the hell would I know? Maybe she did and he ignored her.”Take that, Cole Abbot.Standing, I glare back. Here I am, trying to do the right thing and he’s accusing me.
“She fell down the stairs. End of conversation.” He shoves the paper at me and snatches his coat from the back of his chair.
