Page 1 of Every Heartbeat After

ChapterOne

Kit

The numberone libido killer has got to be your ex grimacing at you from across the bar while you attempt to flirt with someone new.

And not because she wants you instead. Because she thinks you have no game.

I watch the tall redhead I’d been attempting to charm walk away, silently cursing Zoey Allen for being unable to mask her emotions.

“Have you considered unscented hair cream?” Zoey asks as soon as I’m within earshot. Without waiting for the request, she tucks a glass under the seasonal IPA’s spout and pulls. “Or maybe change into your uniform, if that’s allowed. Women love a man in uniform.”

I drop my empty glass onto the countertop and take a seat. Propping both elbows on the bar, I catch my own terse gaze in the mercury-glass wall behind her. “Have you considered keeping your opinions to yourself?”

She deposits a coaster in front of me, then pins it with the freshly poured beer.

“Believe it or not, I have.” Eyebrows raised, she drums a riff with hot-pink fingernails against the wooden countertop. “But then you do something stupid like pretending to write a woman a ticket for being too beautiful, and I lose all faith in your abilities.”

I snort, rippling the surface of my beer. “Worked on you.”

Her blue eyes narrow. “I’m still claiming temporary insanity on that one.”

“Of course you are.”

We went on a handful of dates when I first moved to town a couple years back. She quickly realized she had feelings for her now fiancé and I wasn’t in the mood for anything serious, so it made sense to cut things off. No harm, no foul. We’ve remained friends ever since. And what kind of friend would I be if I didn’t seize every opportunity to remind her she’s no better than any other woman I’ve seduced in this bar?

Herbar. Even if I wanted to avoid doing this in front of her, I couldn’t. Zoey owns Nomads. It’s the only decent place to get a drink and potentially meet someone in all of Loveless, our quiet little town at the foot of the Colorado Rockies.

I thought moving somewhere so small would bring me peace of mind after leaving the Air Force and ending my broken marriage. And in some ways, it has. Life as a sheriff’s deputy here is none too eventful the majority of the time. Mostly traffic duty and the occasional drug bust. But I’m pushing thirty-two, and while I have no desire to remarry, it’d be nice to have a slightly bigger pool of dating prospects.

A deep chuckle sounds from my left. I turn, realizing Chase Taylor, who owns the small outfitter next door, is sitting a few stools down. He raises his glass and points a finger at Zoey. “Give the man a break, Zo. Just because your sense of humor is too highbrow for his jokes doesn’t mean every woman’s is.”

I’m about to thank him when the implication catches up to me. “Wait?—”

“You’re right.” Zoey blows a stray blonde curl off her forehead and offers me a satirical smile. “Surely there’s someone out there who finds Deputy Llewellyn’s unique combination of uncontrollable lust and pure male ego to be incredibly enticing.”

Chase takes a sip to cover his laughter. I sit up straight, gaze slicing from him to Zoey. “Thanks. Glad to have you both in my corner.”

Chase’s smile is cheeky and loose. The man is happiness incarnate, even exhausted as he is from caring for his newborn twins. And heisexhausted, if the purple bags beneath his eyes are any indication. “Happy to help, man.”

Whether it’s a growl or a groan that putters off my lips, I couldn’t say. “When is your wife coming back to bartending? She’s much nicer to me. Or Zander. Where is he tonight? Anyone who doesn’t delight in my failures, please.”

“Eden’s a bit busy keeping two infants alive, but I’ll send her your regards.” Chase’s face goes soft, eyes dopey. An expression of pure adoration if I’ve ever seen one. “I’m actually just picking up dinner; then I’ll be headed that way, too. Believe me, I’m sure she wishes she were here. Adeline’s going through a sleep regression.”

“Oh man, I forgot she mentioned that.” Zoey winces sympathetically. “I’ll have Santi throw in some extra snacks for the midnight power hour.”

Chase nods his appreciation. As if on cue, a bell chimes from the kitchen, signaling an order is up. He downs the last of his beer as Zoey tucks the towel she’d been using to wipe the counter into her back pocket and points at me. “And Zander is on one of his field courses for the alpine rescue team training. You’re stuck with me, so be nice.”

With that, she disappears into the kitchen, and I sink lower into my seat.

“It’s okay, man,” Chase offers. “It took me giving up on looking to find Eden. I’m sure it’ll happen for you, too.”

A frown I’m embarrassed to admit is rooted in the early stages of self-loathing threatens to take over my face. Whatisthat? It’s been roughly three years since my marriage imploded, and in that time the balance of flirting enough to get laid but not so much that it becomes something more has worked well for me. It’s been fun. Easy. And after Courtney knocked the breath out of me with her affair, lighthearted was exactly what I needed. So why is disappointment tickling my already tense jaw at the fact that I suspect Chase is wrong?

I never wanted it tohappen for meagain, so why do I care if it doesn’t?

“Order’s up. I threw in two extra skillet cookies for Eden.” Zoey forgoes the bar and rounds its corner instead, wrapping Chase in a hug before depositing the to-go bag in his outstretched hand. “Give my love to those babies, would you?”

“You know I will. See you around.” Chase meets my gaze over the top of Zoey’s head and salutes me. “Give ’em hell, Kit.”

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