He shook his head. “No, just don’t drink that much.”
“Is it because you…?” Well, shit. How did she ask if he had a drinking problem?
“I’m not an alcoholic,” he said, guessing what she failed to articulate.
“Why don’t you drink?”
“I’ve seen what it can do to people when they’ve had too much. I enjoy the occasional beer during a game or when the family barbecues, but that’s all.”
“Were you ever in the military?”
He shook his head. “No. I knew I wanted to serve, but I knew I didn’t want to be in the military. Cop was the next best thing.”
She tilted her head. “Why didn’t you want to be in the military?”
“My dad was in the Army—Special Forces. He was gone a lot and I was old enough to see how it affected my mom. It wasn’t only the constant moving, it was the constant worry. I remember the look of fear she had every time someone knocked on the door while he was gone. I swore I’d never make someone go through that if I could help it.”
She swirled her drink with the straw. “Aren’t you in danger as a police officer?”
“Yes, but not nearly as much as I would be in a bigger city. Haven Springs has had its fair share of excitement, but it’s nothing like Raleigh.”
Crossing her legs, she saw his gaze drop down and followed where he was looking. Her skirt had fallen open, exposing a wide expanse of thigh. Under normal circumstances, she’d cover up but she liked that Tim was looking. She felt sexy. Desirable.
His thumb brushed the skin between her shoulder blades and her heart kicked against her ribs. His eyes came back to hers. She licked her suddenly dry lips and his gaze dropped to her mouth.
He leaned forward, grazing the corner of her mouth with his lips as he moved closer to her ear. Her eyes fluttered as she caught a whiff of his cologne, the musky scent subtle and sexy.
“Dance with me.”
Blinking, she realized the DJ had changed to a slow song. She could only nod.
He dropped his arms and held out his hand, helping her down from the tall stool. Even in her four-inch wedges, she barely reached his chin. Leading her to the middle of the dance floor he stopped and gathered her close, wrapping his right arm tight around her back and using his left to tuck their hands between their bodies. Her other hand rested on his upper arm.
The last time she’d danced with a man had been at her wedding and all she and Mark had done was sway side to side like it was junior high. She knew the basics of a two-step but had always felt awkward dancing with someone she didn’t know, even before she got married. Tim had no such issue and led her smoothly around the dance floor, using gentle pressure on her lower back to direct her around other couples. It was effortless and she relaxed as she let him guide her.
As the tension left her body, her focus shifted to other things. The heat of his body. The pressure of his fingers at the base of her spine. His warm breath against her cheek. The slight brush of his lips at the corner of her own. She turned her head so their mouths were closer, the barest space separating them. Neither of them closed the distance.
Her stomach rolled. She’d read somewhere that desire sometimes felt like nausea but had never experienced it. Not until that moment. She was breathless and lightheaded. Her blood raced through her veins and heat pooled in her core. It was the most sensual thing she’d ever felt and all he’d done was dance with her.
“Would you two get a room already?”
Zoe snapped out of her reverie. She and Tim looked at Elba, dancing by with a different guy.
“You two are going to burn down the place if you don’t leave. Z, call me later.” She danced off with her partner.
Tim hadn’t relaxed his hold and she had to lean back against his arm to be able to tilt her head enough to look at him. If he hadn’t been holding her, her knees might have buckled from the intensity of his gaze.
“I’d like to take you home, Zoe.”
“Okay.”
