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She took a drink. “Why’s that?”
He looked around, then moved in closer and dropped his voice. “He’s researching the grays.”
“The—”
Caught in his gaze, she was vaguely aware of someone stomping toward them. The dark-haired man moved toward them through the crowd with a very protective look on his face.
“Um…” Kimber gestured to him. “Is this your very angry boyfriend, or…?”
It hit her then, what Ethan had said. The grays—the same aliens her father had claimed abducted him. The dark-haired man stopped at Ethan’s shoulder, glowering.
“Boyfriend? No… no, this is Tristan, my friend. Tristan, this is Kimber.”
Tristan crossed his arms like a guard standing watch over his charge. He nodded, his expression morphing into something more amicable. This dude was probably the worst wingman ever if he glared at every woman Ethan spoke to.
A little amused at the thought, she checked her cell one more time. Nothing. That was her cue. She couldn’t afford to stay here and get caught in a conversation about the skinny, anemic aliens she’d spent a lifetime trying to forget.
“Well, gentlemen, it’s been a pleasure. Ethan, thank you for keeping me company. I’m going to call it a night.”
She dug in her pocket for cash for the beer, but he shook his head. “Already taken care of. I’ll walk you out.”
“Thank you. No, please, no need. I don’t want to disrupt your evening.”
She stood. He placed a warm hand on the small of her back, his chest brushing her shoulder as he moved between her and the stool. “Too late,” he breathed as he stepped in front of her and began clearing a path through the bodies on the way to the door. Glancing over her shoulder, she found Tristan rooted in his spot as Ethan walked her out.
Outside, the driver was waiting for her beneath a streetlight.
Hugging herself against an aggressive wind that picked up since she’d arrived at the pub, Kimber was hyper aware of Ethan standing next to her on the sidewalk. People milled in and out of the building while others popped into a neighboring pub. Seems the entire town liked to have a drink on a Thursday.
“Thank you for the beer, Ethan. It was nice to meet you.”
“You’re welcome. Can I walk you to your—”
She pointed to the waiting car. “My ride is right there. You mentioned that Mr. Cappa is researching the grays. He speaks generically about his alien research online but doesn’t mention the grays specifically. How do you know?”
Ethan’s gaze fell to her mouth. Her lips tingled as if he were already kissing them. Trying hard not to get pulled back into his orbit, she took a small step back.
“He likes to impress the ladies with research talk. Everyone who goes to Dougal’s knows all about the grays. Breakfast tomorrow? I’ll tell you all about it.”
“Sorry. I have a full day tomorrow.”
His chin jutted up as if he loved a good challenge. “A drink tomorrow night, then? Here, say nine?”
Kimber pondered the gravity of saying yes. She’d see him again. Bonus. But they’d be talking about aliens. An absolute no-no. If he hadn’t mentioned thegrays… damn it. She’d already encouraged the conversation to continue. She didn’t want to fall into this, but he’d reeled her in tight.
“Are you an alien researcher, Ethan? Is that why you’re so interested in his work?”
Ethan’s eyes darted to hers and flashed with sudden intensity. Just like that, it was gone. He shrugged. “Personal experience, you could say.”
“You, too?” The words burst out of her. Kimber’s face went hot. “I mean, personalinterestfor me.”
He nodded as if he didn’t believe her change of wording. “Right. That, too. Good night, Kimber.”
She nodded and hurried across the street to the car. Later, in her hotel room, she showered and downed a glass of wine from the complimentary bottle in her room. Peering out her window over the water, she watched for a while.
Waited.
But the skies over the ocean remained dark and, for her sake, she hoped they’d stay that way for the rest of her time in Dingle.
