Page 16 of Diamonds in the Mud

I smiled. I liked this game. Shifting again, I ran my eyes up and down him slowly.

“You’re not a smoker,” I said and he nodded. “Not much of a drinker,” I added. He rolled his eyes.

“I thought we established that already?” he joked.

I smiled. “You’re from up north.” I felt him tense beside me. His poker face was good. He could have easily hidden his worry from anyone else. If I hadn’t been sitting close to him with his arm pressed against my shoulders, I wouldn’t have felt the slightest move. “But it’s important to you that people think otherwise,” I added. He didn’t even blink, so I moved on. “You’re packing heat.” I smiled. His eyebrows rose slightly. “Then again, I’d wager everyone else in this bar is too.”

“You?” he asked.

My smile dipped slightly. “Always,” I said seriously.

“Go on.” He nodded slightly.

“You can’t stand Declan O’Malley,” I added, taking a chance.

I felt him tense again. “How do you know that?”

“Because, while everyone else in your little club watched me pin the bastard to the wall, only you looked like you wanted to help me. The rest, if they could, would have taken me out back and…”

“Yeah,” he agreed, and I watched him run his hands through his thick curly hair.

Then, for a split second, I saw something else. Something I must be wrong about. There was no way.

“Shots!” Aria said, breaking into the awkward silence as she set a tray of bright yellow drinks in little tubes down in front of us. “Let’s get this birthday party started!” she cheered, and I groaned.

“Whose birthday?” Jameson asked after downing the very sweet and very strong shot.

“She thinks it’s mine,” I answered and took a sip of the beer that Aria had gotten me.

No more ginger ale for me tonight. Damn it. Not with Aria here. She’d want me to party and, well, I wanted to cut loose too.

“Thinks?” Jameson asked after taking a swig of his new cold beer. “I thought you two were BFFs. If it’s not your birthday, then…”

I smiled. “I don’t have one,” I said as I watched Aria pull Tobias out on the dance floor. Charlotte had disappeared with a man on the dance floor before the drinks had even arrived.

“You… everyone has a birthday,” he said.

I shook my head. “Nope, I don’t have a last name either.”

His eyes narrowed. “Rayne? First and last name?” I nodded. “Now I’m intrigued,” he added.

I shook my head. “I don’t tell everyone my past.” I nudged his shoulder. “Can you dance? Because it’s my pretend birthday and I feel like dancing.”

He nodded and then slid out of the booth.

When I put my hand in his offered one, a quick jolt raced up my arm and spread throughout my entire body like a bolt of lightning.

How in the hell was I going to not jump this guy’s bones tonight?

I didn’t do quick in relationships, and I certainly stayed away from one-night stands. Especially, in a town where almost everyone knew everyone else’s dirty secrets.

When we hit the dance floor, I was shocked at how well the man moved, and for two entire songs, I put my work world behind me and just enjoyed the moment.

Sweaty, breathless, and thirsty, I pulled Jameson back to our booth.

Charlotte was there, sipping a cocktail while looking at her phone.

“Didn’t hit it off with Carl?” I asked as we sat back down.