Page 38 of Under the Radar

He chuckled. “Then you need to do something about that, son.”

“I don’t know how,” I replied honestly. “I don’t want to jeopardize the friendship we have. Or lose her as a roommate.”

“But you like her more than a roomie.”

I turned, facing the bar. “Yeah, I do. I like her a lot. But I come with some baggage.”

“We all do.”

I glanced at him. “You been in touch with her mother?”

He grinned, shaking his head. “Nope. That one is stubborn. I need to take it slow with her.”

“So is her daughter.”

He finished his beer. “Not a surprise.”

“You want another?” I asked.

“Nope. I am heading home. I’m looking at a couple of places tomorrow. One close to you, actually. On Boulder.”

“Oh, the two-story place?”

He rubbed his chin. “I like older places. More character. It looks decent from the pictures. I saw a brand-new build one town over last week. Hated it. Felt like a box. I would rather fix up a place a little and make it my own, you know?”

“I hear you.”

“You want a ride home?”

“Nah, I’ll walk. I might hang around a little.”

His eyes danced. “Maybe dance with a pretty officer?”

“We’ll see.”

He clapped me on the shoulder. “I’ll see you Monday, kid.”

He left, and I ordered another beer, chatting to a few people I knew. I leaned against the bar again, my gaze immediately finding the group Hannah was with. Some of the women had sat down, but Hannah wasn’t with them. I scoured the bar, not seeing her, until a glimpse of her hair caught my eye again. My heart sank at what I saw. Hannah was dancing with a man who wasn’t me. His arms were around her possessively, while her hands rested on his shoulders as they moved to the music. Well, not really moved so much as swayed in one spot, his back to me, which was why I didn’t see her at first. Slowly, they moved, him backing her up, going closer to the corner. I hated seeing another man’s hands on her. I took another long pull on my bottle, grimacing when I realized I had drained it. Turning, I slammed it on the bar, making Fletch, the bartender, frown at me.

“Okay there, Chase? You want another?”

I wanted an entire case. I wanted to get drunk and forget what I saw. Ignore the feeling of pain that flickered in my chest and the sensation of loss. But I was being ridiculous.

“Nope. Just a tonic for now, thanks.”

He poured me a glass, and I turned back to the dance floor. The music had turned up to a faster song again, and the crew Hannah was with were all back on the dance floor. She wasn’t with them. I looked around, spotting the guy’s blond hair. He had one arm braced on the wall, Hannah in front of him. He was bent, talking to her, looking serious. Something about his stance and the odd look on Hannah’s face made me set down my drink and push my way through the dancers and toward the pair. I moved quicker when I saw how he had his other hand wrapped around her arm, preventing her from moving. She was shaking her head, and with a lull in the music, I overheard her. “No, Dan. I said I wasn’t interested. I-I have a boyfriend.”

She looked to the right, spotting me. “There he is! Chase, baby! I’m right here!”

She broke away, racing to me and flinging her arms around my neck. “Please play along,” she murmured into my ear.

And then, her mouth was on mine.

* * *

I yanked her tight to my chest and kissed her back. I had no idea what was going on, but she wanted me to play along?

Then we were playing by my rules.