Page 206 of Dagger in the Sea

Bingo.

“A sister.”

“Husband, kids?”

I smirked. “She does, yes.”

“Not your sister, Grace. You.”

“Me? No,” I replied a bit too sharply. “No husband. No boyfriend either, if that’s going to be your next question.”

He lowered his head. “You off to somewhere new?”

I shrugged my shoulders at him.

“Not telling, huh?” He turned back around and settled his elbows on the bar. “Guess we all have our dark secrets,” he muttered and polished off his vodka.

My ears pounded with the booming vibe of a Florida Georgia Line song. I cleared my throat. “I guess it’s country music night tonight?”

“Almost every night,” he said, an eyebrow lifting. “You in the mood for something else?”

I grinned. “A little Santana would be a good thing.”

He grinned back at me. “Great band.”

“One of the best.”

Oh, I liked his grin. It was hard won, I suspected, yet worth it.

He gestured to my not quite empty glass. “You want another?”

“No thanks. I’m good.”

“Mind if I try?”

“Go ahead.” I pushed the glass towards him.

The sight of his generous lips clinging to my glass, and the movement of his long throat as he drank in my whiskey held me spellbound. I might as well have been witnessing some sort of supernatural phenomenon.

“Single malt?” he asked, his eyes on me. His lips puckered for a moment as he set it down.

“Yes. Only way to go.”

On some sort of insane reflex, my fingers reached out to wipe a glistening amber drop that clung to the corner of his beautiful mouth. His hand caught mine and held it fast to the side of his face while his other hand wrapped around my neck and pulled me close.

“Only way,” he breathed.

Any trace of oxygen was sucked right out of me as his warm lips touched mine and gently explored. Suddenly his tongue swept over my lower lip, and I tasted my beloved whiskey on his slickness. A groan choked in the back of my throat. The heat of his hand around my neck made my insides pulsate almost painfully.

I desperately wanted this kiss from him.

I opened my lips to welcome him in. The next moment our mouths assaulted each other, and our tongues devoured deeply. Somehow I didn’t care that I was in a public bar where a herd of people pushed around us, music boomed, laughter and chatter droned in my ear.

All I thought or cared about was this demanding, hungry kiss.

My hands gripped his biceps, and his hard muscles flexed under the soft material of his hoodie. He pulled me into his chest, and his scent flooded my senses once more. This time I wanted to drink it in; let it entwine around me and hug me close. My nipples hardened against the thin satin of my bra.

Miller’s teeth nipped my lower lip, and he hissed in air. . .or was that me?

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