Page 59 of Calling a Cease-Fire

ZACK

Could I spend the night with Mia without allowing things to turn physical? Was that what I wanted?

Nope. Far from it. After tonight, all I wanted was to spend all night showing her how good we could be together. Because I knew without a shadow of doubt that even one night with her would surpass all the other nights I’d had with anyone else.

The lock on her apartment door clicked loudly and she pushed the door open, stepping inside. I hesitated before following her, still unsure if I’d be able—or willing—to stop something physical from happening tonight. Because I also knew I wouldn’t be able to settle for just one night.

Thankfully I didn't have to worry about the kittens. Not knowing how late the party would go, I’d left them at the station with second shift. Or maybe deep down I was hoping this would be where the night would lead.

She removed my jacket and draped it over the back of an armchair, grabbing a thin sweater off the coat hanger near the door. I took a minute to take in her apartment. The last time I’d been there, I was focused on making sure she was okay and peacefully sleeping off a drunken night.

It didn’t surprise me that her space was neat and tidy. Everything had its place, and it wasn’t cluttered. Her shelves had pictures and knickknacks, and there seemed to be multiple storage bins and baskets on almost every piece of furniture that I could see. The coat rack had a few pieces hanging from it and a compact shoe shelf underneath. She placed her heels on the rack, and I worked my shoes off, following her lead. The two pairs couldn’t be more different, but sitting next to each other, they looked so right. I could easily imagine them like that every day.

If she’d ever let herself feel for me the way I wanted her to.

“Do you want a drink?” Her voice pulled me from my thoughts.

“What do you have?”

“Beer and a bottle of Pinot Noir in the fridge. Or whiskey if you want something stronger.”

“Whiskey girl, huh?” I started humming the tune to the song titled the same, smiling as I sang the last three lines of the chorus.

Her eyes darkened as she held my gaze, and damn it made me want to close the distance and pull her into my arms.

She trailed her fingers down the edge of her sweater and my gaze tracked the movement, zeroing in on the swell of one of her breasts.

Was she purposely playing a game of seduction tonight?

“Did you decide what you wanted?” she purred.

“I’d already decided before I even stepped foot inside this apartment.”

Her breath hitched and her mouth fell open slightly, like she was surprised at the clear meaning behind my words. I knew her question was referring to what I wanted to drink, but it wasn’t even in the top five things that were on my mind.

“I like to make Tennessee Teas at home. Want one?”

I smirked. “Trying to get me drunk and take advantage of me?”

Her lips twitched. “Maybe.”

“In that case, I’d love one.”

She shook her head, chuckling, and headed into the kitchen.

I untucked my shirt and undid the top three buttons as I walked over to one of the stools that sat on this side of the island-style breakfast counter. I kept my gaze trained on her, watching as she moved around the kitchen preparing our drinks. When she opened the cabinet above her head and popped up on her tiptoes to get glasses down, my gaze drifted lower to her ass as her skirt inched up her thighs. Her movements as she poured the shot and mixed the drinks had bartender written all over them.

“You’ve bartended before?”

She glanced over her shoulder, slightly surprised by my observation. “Briefly in college. I moved up to bar manager pretty quickly.”

“What did you do before you took the dispatch job?”

Lyla had told us all that Mia was living in their hometown and commuting to Half Moon Lake before the two of them decided to take over Izzy’s lease last summer when she moved in with Logan. But other than that, she was pretty tight-lipped on anything Mia related. I always wondered why. At least it gave me a chance to learn more about her. Keep her talking so I could hear that sultry purr I had started to crave.

“Manager of a restaurant.” She walked around the counter and handed me my drink with a slight shrug of her shoulders. “It was okay, but wasn’t that fulfilling.”

I took a sip and hummed with enjoyment. “Pretty good.”