Page 4 of Watch Me

I lifted her chin with my fingers, making her look into my eyes again. “I’ll save up and come visit you before winter break.”

Reagan sucked in a quick breath. “Really?”

“I’d do anything for you, Buttercup, and the time apart is going to kill me too.” I leaned down and captured her lips with mine. It would be months before I could taste her again. Months before I could hold her, touch her, seeher.

“Reagan!” her father shouted. “Let’s go!”

We broke apart, and I laced her fingers with mine. Without another word, we walked back to the driveway. I nodded to her father, and he stepped into the car where Reagan’s mother was alreadywaiting.

“I love you,” I admitted and brought her against my bodyagain.

“I love you too.”

We let go of each other a final time, and Reagan slipped into the car. I watched her tear-stained face as she waved goodbye from the backseat, not knowing that twenty-three years would pass before I’d see heragain.

Present Day

I watched Reagan move behind the bar, talking to customers and making drinks. She wasn’t the eighteen-year-old I’d last seen. No, she was a woman. A fucking beautiful woman. Her hair was still long, dark, and luscious, and her eyes were still the familiar deep emerald color I’d stared into so many nights when we were younger. But her body ...

Fuck.

She was curvier in all the right places. Her breasts were larger than I remembered, and so was her ass, but not in a bad way. She’d filled outnicely.

She was stunning, and I wasn’t the only one who noticed. While I sipped my beer, I noted that her barback had his eye on her too. He would smile when they bumped into each other, making sure to accidentally brush her arm every time he was near her, and he watched her when he didn’t think anyone was looking.

ButI was looking.

It was hard not to focus all my attention on how beautiful she was, but being a police officer, I always tried to be aware of everything around me. A part of me was jealous that he got to work with her, but my cop senses told me something was off with this guy. I couldn’t put my finger on it just yet, but I knew I needed to watchhim.

So, Idid.

“Want another?” Reagan asked, coming over to me a few minu­teslater.

I looked down at the half-finished warm beer. “No, I’m good.”

“All right. Just let me know if you do.”

“Hey.” I reached out my hand and grabbed her wrist, stopping her from walking away. “What time do you get off?”

She smiled warmly at me and then cocked a hip. “Are you flirting with me, Mr. Valor?”

I smiled back, leaving my hand on her warm skin. “What if I were?”

Before she could respond, her barback bumped into her, causing my grasp to break free. “Sorry,” hemuttered.

“Are you okay?” I askedher.

“Yeah.”

“Clumsy, ain’t he?”

Reagan chuckled. “Yeah, first night working with him too.”

Interesting.

She stepped back in front of me. “I get off in an hour. Are you sticking around?”

Hell yeah, I was.I looked at my watch and noted it was just after eleven. “Yeah, I don’t live far.”