Page 16 of Beneath the Blue Moon

***Casey***

Jan playfully pokes me in the side and jerks her head toward

the entrance. I look up and find two chocolate eyes staring at me from behind a

huge bunch of red roses. He moves in my direction as Charlie and Brick choose a

booth at the far end of the room. The man has the most beautiful smile I have

ever seen… and eyes… and hair… and lips… and—good God—arms. I try not to notice

how he fills out his black T-shirt, the way the material clings to him, showing

off his muscular arms and defined chest. I try not to notice how

perfectly his jeans fit, hanging off his hips. I tried. I really did. Well… maybe

not so hard. He is undoubtedly the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen in my

life. I catch a glimpse of his abs as his shirt inches up when he runs his fingers

through his hair. Did it just get hotter in here? Yes, this ultra-slow night

just became extremely interesting.

The closer he gets, the bigger the knots in my stomach become.

My knees wobble just a little, and I hold on to the bar to keep me upright. His

manly-man smell sends my body tingling. I try my best to look unaffected as he

sits on the bar stool in front of me. He’s so relaxed and sure of himself. Not

in a cocky way, but in a confident, sexy, panty-wetting way.

“Miss Bryan.”

“Sheriff McKenzie. What can I get you?”

“Dinner.”

Fuck! Please, don’t do this. “In case you didn’t

notice, this is a bar. We do drinks, not dinner.”

“Have dinner with me. Tomorrow.”

Oh, no… “Like a date?”

“Not like one… A date.”

His smile is gone, and his stare becomes intense. For the

first time in my life, a man is making me nervous. The thing is, I don’t date. I

don’t do relationships, and he wants to take things slow. That sounds very

relationship-y to me.

“Um… I’m working—”

“I’ll fill in for you,” Jan offers eagerly.

I look over at her, widening my eyes in irritation. Butt

out!

“It’s your night off. You—”

“I’ll be happy to do it. Go, have a good time.” Leaning in

close, she whispers, “I want details.”

She bounces off with a self-satisfied grin. Beautiful, ample

Jan. She flips her brown hair and bats her lids at one of the patrons. As she

leans close, he stares up into her blue eyes. She sure is a charmer. And a

meddler. Sheesh.

“Well…” I turn back to the sheriff. “I guess I’m free.”

“Great. You can come to my place. I’ll cook.”

“You cook?”

“I make a mean steak.”

“Huh… We’ll see. Should I bring anything?”

“Just your beautiful self.”

He called me beautiful. How can I say no now?

“Okay, it’s a date. But….”

“But?” He raises a brow.

“I’m still not in the market for a relationship, Sheriff.”

He just smiles, like what I’m saying is inconsequential. So

he thinks he can change my mind?

“I’ll pick you up at seven.”

“Make it eight. I have to get my dad down for the night

before I leave.”

“No problem.”

“Okay then.”

“I’ll do my best to make it a detail-worthy evening.” He

winks.

“You heard that?”

“I have great hearing.”

“That you do.”

“These are for you.”

When he hands me the roses, my fingers brush against his,

and a shiver runs up my spine. Good Lord.

“They’re beautiful. Thank you.”

I have a date… with the hot sheriff. This could either go

blissfully right or disastrously wrong. I hope it’s not the latter. I reach for

the scotch to pour him a drink and realize he’s suddenly grown very tense. He

turns on the stool and faces the door. At that very moment, a tall blonde walks

in. She smiles directly at him as if she knew he’d be here waiting for her. She

sashays over, swinging her hips. Her black leather bustier and matching mini skirt

leave little to the imagination.

“Ethan, darling,” she purrs in a syrupy-sweet voice.

He unceremoniously removes her arms when she wraps them

around his neck.

“What are you doing here?” he asks.

“Your mom called.”

Okay, private conversation. I leave his drink on the

bar behind him and slowly walk away.