Page 4 of Nothing At All

She was waiting for Dan to open her door. He had best not.

I stood in the warm circle of his arm, studying his face. He gazed down at me, a slight crinkle at the corners of his eyes, like I held the secrets of life.

His smile widened to a grin, and he flexed his hand at the base of my spine. “Ready?”

One brow lifted, I tilted my head toward the back seat. An exasperated huff pushed up from his chest, and he leaned around me to peer through my open door.

“Nicole, can you hurry it the hell up?” Irritation laced his deep voice. “I need to lock the truck.”

A moment stretched before the back door flung open with enough force that it bounced on the hinges, and I cringed. Dan's face shifted from mild annoyance to outrage.

“What the hell?” He stepped around me to catch the door, running a hand along the top edge. He glared at Nicole, who flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder. “Can you not destroy my shit?”

“Sorry.” Her smile was tight, full of fake apologies. “It was lighter than I thought.”

“Yeah.” He closed the door with care, a solid thump before he engaged the lock. When he looked at me, his entire demeanor shifted, features relaxing, affection and anticipation replacing his irritation. He reached for my hand. “Let's go.”

With his fingers curled around mine, I sidled closer to him, our hips bumping every so often. Warmth and the subtle, sharp smell of his aftershave enveloped me, laughter and carefree chatter drifting from the outdoor seating area behind the Millhouse.

Nicole trailed behind us, her heavy displeasure like a radioactive cloud.

I pressed my palm against Dan’s and ignored her. She might be interested in him, angling for something that didn’t belong to her, but he clearly didn’t reciprocate those feelings.

He was mine, completely and unreservedly, and tonight I had nothing to be jealous or uneasy about.

Nothing at all.

Chapter Two

Lila

I loved the feel of the Millhouse from the first time I stepped through the doors. Residing in an old wood-frame shotgun house, the establishment felt like home, like walking into a great party. The staff was friendly, the locals were welcoming, and this had been where I’d first met Dan, so the place held good memories.

Nicole’s palpable glare and sour attitude would not ruin that.

Not that she was really a worry – Dan obviously believed he’d done his due diligence giving her a ride, barely saying goodbye to her once we walked inside. A hand at the small of my back, his body nearly glued to mine, he urged me through the various rooms that led to the back deck. A dark-varnished bar graced what had probably been the dining room when this had been a private home, and patrons packed the seats there. Our hips brushing, we walked through the living room, where velvet sofas and leather chairs provided seating for people listening to the guy strumming a guitar in front of the fireplace.

A pair of French doors opened onto the deck area overlooking the big back yard. A massive oak tree anchored one corner, string lights looping from its branches to create a magical dome of muted light. Music hovered here, too, piped in tonight from discreet speakers, although some nights a small local band played out here.

As we stepped onto the deck, Dan steered me toward a large table on one side, lifting a hand in greeting. I recognized the dark-haired guy who waved us toward the table, one of his coworkers I’d met briefly when I’d dropped by the station. That was Josh, although I didn’t know the woman at his side or the other couple at the table.

Heels clicked on the wood behind us, and from the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Nicole mincing over to join a pair of blondes at a table on the opposite side of the deck. Dan never glanced in her direction. At our table, he leaned over to shake hands with Josh and the tall man with sandy hair who rose to greet us. I smiled at the two women while Dan pulled out a chair for me.

“Lila, this is Josh and Lacey.” Lacey, seated next to Josh, grinned at me, a wide, open expression that lit up her face and crinkled her green eyes. She had the most beautiful silvery blonde hair, cut to frame her jaw. Dan tucked in my chair, then dropped into the seat next to me. He waved a hand, palm up, at the other couple. “And Dix and Altee. This is my girlfriend, Lila.”

My chest warmed at the pride in his voice. I laid my hand on his thigh and squeezed, catching sight of his pleased grin before exchanging hellos and nice-to-meet-yous with the others. I recognized Dix’s name – he was Dan’s chief – but I hadn’t realized he was relatively young, late twenties at the most. Altee appeared a little older, maybe thirty, with big brown eyes and her dark hair shaped into a cute pixie with angled bangs.

Our server approached, taking our drink order and appetizer preferences for the table, making sure we knew we had plenty of time to peruse the menu for our entrees. I almost didn’t have to look – I loved a good burger and the Millhouse boasted one that was amazing, with melted pimento cheese. But the fish tacos were awesome, too . . .

“Lila, what do you do?” Lacey took a sip from her mojito.

“Pharmaceutical sales.” I flashed a smile at our server as she placed an old fashioned before me, along with a glass of water. Dan folded an arm along the back of my chair, tracing a design on my upper arm, fingers warm through my thin blouse. Sensation zinged along my skin.

“So you’re a high-dollar drug dealer,” Josh teased, a glint of real humor in his hazel gaze. I’d heard the lame joke a gazillion times before, but he looked so earnestly pleased with himself I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“That’s me.” I glanced between her and Altee. “What about you?”

“I own a shop downtown.” Lacey flipped her hair over her shoulder, easing a little closer to Josh. “Books and coffee.”