“Who wants to kiss a CPA?” Gertie swatted her with a menu. “Dentists have better oral skills.”
Lily forced her eyes back to the specials list, but the words “set for life” dug sharply. That was exactly what she’d almost chosen—a safe, steady life where passion wasn’t required, where she could ignore the gnawing ache that she was settling. But sitting across from Rush Callahan, with her body still shakingfrom what he’d just done to her, she finally understood the difference. Security was numb. Passion was heat.
One of the deputies swiveled his stool. “Looks to me like she’s already traded up. Isn’t that right, Sheriff Callahan?”
Heat shot up Lily’s neck, but Rush merely nodded at the teasing. Clearly, he was used to ribbing, but Lily wasn’t.
Eden rolled her eyes. “This is all riveting. Are you two ready to order?”
“Hi, Eden,” Lily said brightly, pasting on a smile. “I’ll have a maple cinnamon latte and the soup-and-salad special. Tomato basil and Chicken Apple Harvest—no chicken, please.”
“Vegetarian. Shocker.” Eden’s brows arched, highlighting her spectacularly drawn cat-eye. “And the usual for you, Sheriff?”
Rush didn’t even glance at his menu. “Chicken pot pie and coffee, please.”
When Eden stalked away, Lily let out a shaky breath. Lunch with Sheriff Callahan in uniform would’ve been surreal on its own, but after he’d had her spread out and coming apart an hour ago, she could barely make eye contact with anyone.
Eden dropped off their drinks, and Lily snuck a peek at him as he sipped the coffee, watching his strong, square jaw move. The black stubble on his face gave him a swarthy, sexy look, and his mustache only added to the appeal. His gray uniform stretched across broad shoulders, the badge pinned high on his chest. His Stetson rested on the seat beside him. The duty belt at his hips—gun, cuffs, authority—wasn’t abstract anymore. She knew exactly what it felt like to be at its mercy.
And yet, sitting here, she realized how little she truly knew about him. She knew the groan he made when he came, the exact shade of smoke his eyes turned when he wanted her. But everything else about Rush was a mystery.
Last night in his kitchen and even during the weekend at hiscabin, they had both been so far from their jobs and their identities that the situation had stripped away the reservations and awkwardness. Just two people, suspended from titles and baggage and other people’s opinions.
But here, in the light of day in the middle of a lunch rush at Maple and Main, everything felt more complicated.
Her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten anything since a rushed bowl of oatmeal early that morning before teaching two yoga classes and directing pageant rehearsal.
Rush’s brow arched. “Hungry?”
“Starving.” She took a sip, more to keep her hands busy than anything else. “So. We did this kind of backward.”
“How so?” Rush caught her with that direct look of his.
“I don’t know much about you other than you drink your coffee black, you always have a plan, and you…” Her voice trailed off, picturing him behind her in the mirror. “And…” She cleared her throat. “You don’t exactly hesitate when you want something.”
“Other things,” he repeated thoughtfully, amusement flickering in his eyes. His shoulders relaxed against the booth, settling in comfortably, and she did the same, crossing her legs under the table. She’d thrown on an oversized soft cream sweater and leg warmers over her leotard and tights before they left the studio. The sweater slipped down one shoulder as she shifted, exposing the V of her leotard.
Rush’s eyes flicked lower, lingered for a moment, before he dragged them back up to hers. A muscle in his jaw tightened, and her pulse jumped as a sweet, reckless thrill sparked in her belly.
“What do you want to know?”
She thought for a minute before starting with a softball question. “What’s it like being a sheriffhere?”
The diner door jingled, and Rush glanced over her shoulder. She realized he’d deliberately taken the seat with his back to the wall. Another stark difference between the two of them. She would rather slink down in the booth and hide, while he was built to protect and serve.
He shrugged. “Some days it’s shaking hands and letting people see you around town. That does more to keep the peace than anything else. Other days it’s paperwork, and sometimes there are emergencies.”
His gaze drifted to the window, his smile fading as he watched the snow dust Main Street. For a second, she caught the shadow of the weight he carried. Her fingers itched to reach out and cover his hand with hers, just a small human connection at the sadness on his face, but just as quickly, it cleared and he looked back at her, the emotionless stone wall back in place.
“Was that the first time you’d seen Chloe?” The question slipped out before she could stop it.
His eyes went from warm teasing to gunmetal cold, answering her even before he spoke.
“No.” The single word was final—a “push and we’re done.”
Lily blinked against the unexpected sting of it. What was she doing? This was supposed to be fun, a temporary escape where they could both take what they needed without dredging up all the dark, tangled emotions that made things messy.
And yet, her chest pinched, knowing he hurt. Her instinct, for better or worse, was to comfort, even when he refused to let her in.
