Page 16 of Secrets We Fight

“Of course.”

“But what if I want to dance withyou?”

Before he could respond, the person in front of us stepped back and bumped into Rhett. He looked him up and down and then turned to me before looking back at Rhett. The guy quickly muttered he was sorry and scurried away.

“Great. You’re going to scare off all the guys.” I wrinkled my nose playfully and moved into the empty space.

“Good,” Rhett stated.

“Long time no see.”

I turned toward the bartender to respond, but I realized he wasn’t talking to me.

He was speaking to Rhett.

6

RHETT

When Fallon toldus the name of the club, I instantly went on high alert. Not because of my job, but because I knew there was a good chance I could run into someone who would recognize me from the many nights I’d spent at Chrome when I lived in the city, and I was apprehensive about him learning something more intimate about me than I’d planned to share.

It wasn’t that I wanted to be deceitful about my sexuality—plenty of people knew I was into both men and women. But the chemistry between Fallon and me was undeniable, and not telling him I was bi allowed me to maintain some boundaries because I was finding it harder and harder not to give in to temptation.

Unfortunately for me, Perry, the bartender, blew my cover right away, and it felt as though the protective wall I’d built around myself when it came to Fallon was about to come crumbling down.

“Hey, Perry,” I said, wondering if he’d just started his shift since I hadn’t seen him when Shea and I completed our sweep.

“You working tonight?” Perry asked, looking between me and Fallon.

The black suit and earpiece were a dead giveaway, so there was no point in denying it. “Yep.” The agency didn’t have a rule about us telling people what we did for a living, and I’d told Perry I was part of the Secret Service before I left town for the campaign trail.

He turned to Fallon and smiled. “I guess that means you’re the only one drinking. What can I get you?”

“Sam Adams in a bottle.”

A few seconds later, Perry placed the bottle in front of Fallon, who then slid some cash across the bar.

“Let’s sit over there.” Fallon nodded toward a table in the corner.

Although the club was busy, most people were dancing, which made it easy to find an open spot.

Before we stepped away, Perry called out, “Hey, Rhett, give me a call sometime when you’re not working.”

I didn’t want to be rude, but that ship had sailed, so I just smiled and followed Fallon to the empty table.

He picked one of the seats facing the dance floor, and since I couldn’t sit with my back to the crowd, I pulled out the chair next to him and sat. The music wasn’t as loud where we were, which meant I heard him just fine when he asked, “So, how do you know the bartender?”

I rubbed the back of my neck. “We may have hooked up a few times.”

“Interesting.”

“Is it?”

“Well, yeah.” He took a sip of his beer. “After you told me you had a daughter, I sort of assumed you were straight.”

“Definitely not straight, but I am bi.”

It appeared as if he wanted to say something else, but two guys walking our way caught his attention, and a broad smile spread across his face.