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“Menace.”
“Ooh big, bad, dangerous. It makes you sound like you can fuck shit up.”
I laugh loudly as I reach forward, grabbing a chip and dipping it in the cheese sauce. “Iambad and dangerous, Idofuck shit up. You’re right on all accounts.”
“Modest, too.” Her tone is sarcastic and playful as she takes another drink.
Chewing around the bite I’ve taken, I nod. “I mean I’ve been modest the last fourteen years, why shouldn’t I give you all the impressive parts of me?”
She cuts her eyes my way. “Pretty sure I got to feel the most impressive part of you.”
Coughing loudly as the chip goes down the wrong way, I struggle to get under control before turning in the seat and facing her. “Not what I expected to come out of your mouth.”
“There’s a lot about me you don’t know, Menace, just like there’s a lot about you I don’t know. We’re gonna have a good time getting there with each other.”
“That we will.” I lean forward, grabbing another chip and dipping it in the cheese dip. This time though, I hold it up to her lips and wait for her to take a bite. When she does, she makes a huge production of circling her tongue around my finger. I try but fail to hold back the groan that rips its way past my throat. “How are we going to do that? Get to know each other better?”
She situates herself in the seat, leaning a little closer to me. My eyes immediately go to the dark color of her lipstick or whatever it is. I can’t wait to smear my lips across hers, see if I can disturb the harsh outline. “I don’t know about you, but when I want to know something, I ask.”
Immediately my mind goes to the questions she could ask. I’m not used to sharing my life, and if I’m honest, I haven’t wanted to share my life with anyone before. This is a first for me, but it feels like a new beginning at the same time. This is the kind of relationship I should have had in my early twenties, but never got the chance to.
“Like twenty questions?” I don’t know if we know each other that well yet.
She shrugs her shoulder, one of her curls brushing against my arm. I’m hyperaware of everything about her. “Or something like that. If it’s a question we don’t want to answer, we’re allowed to pass. How’s that sound?”
“Why the fuck not. You go first?” I give her the option. If I was taught anything, it’s that ladies come first.
She twirls her straw in her glass, and I can feel her leg kicking beneath the table. Risking a glance, I see that she’s crossed her legs, and there’s something arousing about the way she’s crossed them toward me. “How long have you lived here, and why Laurel Springs?”
Taking a drink and another chip, I start into the story about why we came here. Truth be told I haven’t thought about it in a long time, so it’s kind of odd to talk about it with another person. “I was working in a small sheriff’s office in Texas, but I really wanted to put the training I got in the military to use. This place was small as hell; they didn’t even have a damn SWAT team. There’s places for law enforcement to apply for jobs, just like I’m sure there are for teachers. I applied everywhere I could. Laurel Springs was the first one to offer what I wanted, so Caleb and I packed up and moved here. We’ve been here for a number of years now, and I can honestly say I see myself retiring from here, unless something huge changes. I love the area, love the job, and love the people.” I twist part of her hair around my index finger, pulling slightly. “What about you?”
She takes a healthy drink of her margarita before pouring another round. She blows out a breath in between her perfectly matte lips and puts her arms on the table before she lifts her head to look at me. “It’s like some horrible country song.” She snorts. “My fiancé and my best friend were fucking each other behind my back. I found out days before the wedding. Actually caught them doing it in the house I paid for. When I caught them, something inside me snapped. I kicked him out, kicked her out, cut off all my hair, and pawned my engagement ring. Within the week, I’d put the house on the market and had a job here. My family told me I was crazy to pick up everything and move south like I did, but honestly, I couldn’t stand being around my ex-fiancé and ex-best friend anymore. When I saw either one of them, I got sick to my stomach. Couldn’t stand to be in that house and was ready for a change. My family still asks me every time I talk to them when I’m coming home, but after almost two years, Laurel Springs feels more like home than Philly ever did.”
She’s quiet for a few minutes before she glances over, smiling at me. Her eyes are glassy and I think maybe she doesn’t hold her liquor as well as she thinks. Karina Holland drunk and naked in the back of my Jeep would be fun, in my bed would be even more fun, but I don’t want to press my luck and make any kind of plans before I know how the night is going to go.
“I’m glad you grew your hair back.”
“So am I,” she whispers. “I like when you grab hold of it.”
This woman and this mouth of hers.
“Time for my question. Exactly how old are you, Karina Holland?”
She picks up her glass, puckering her mouth around her straw as she looks up at me from beneath hooded eyes. The motion is complete sex kitten, and I wonder if this woman knows how fucking hot she is.
“Don’t you know it’s rude to ask a woman her age.”
I pull her closer with the arm around her neck. “Not when I’ve fucked her and plan on fucking her again. As an officer of the law, it’s probably a smart thing for me to know.”
“When you put it that way…” she trails off, putting her hand on my thigh below the table. Her nails dig slightly into the denim covering them, and in that moment I want to forget the dinner and the date. There’s one thing we do well, and I’m ready to do it again with her as soon as possible. “I’m twenty-seven.”
“Does it bother you that my son is nine years younger than you?” That had been a problem with one of the few women I had considered exploring things further with in the past. She couldn’t get over the fact that Caleb was so close to her age, and like I’d told Karina before, we’re a package deal. I can’t be with someone who can’t love Caleb at least a fraction of the way I do. If anyone deserves it, it’s him.
“Does it bother you?” She turns it around on me. “Because it doesn’t bother me. What would bother me is if you didn’t pay attention to him, if you weren’t a good dad, and if you raised him to be a brat. He’s a good kid Mason, even though he had his issues. You should be proud of what you’ve done with him. There are kids in his class with a ton of money and two parents that are holy terrors.”
The praise warms me like nothing else has. “Thank you.” I lower my head, kissing her on the cheek. “It means a lot that you say that.”
“I say what I mean, Mason. You’re raised a good son, and you should be proud.”
