Page 13 of Phoenix Rising

“A friend of ours stayed here last week. Do you remember her?” Reese showed the bartender Paige’s photo, and he studied it.

His eyes lit with recognition. “Yeah, I remember her. Gin and tonic. She was here a few times.”

“Was she with anyone?” asked Audria.

Raphael shook his head. “She flew solo.”

“Did you get her name?”

Raphael frowned at Reese. “I thought you said she was a friend. Shouldn’tyouknow her name?”

“She’s a friend of a friend,” Reese corrected. “I need to talk to her.”

“Nah, she didn’t give a name. She came in three or four nights in a row and sat over there.” He pointed to the end of the bar. “She kept to herself and mostly watched the other patrons from what I could tell. She hasn’t been back in, I don’t know, five, six days? A week? I’m not sure about that.” Raphael’s eyes suddenly narrowed. “You a cop?”

“Me? No.” Reese shook his head.

“You look like one. Act like one, too. I can usually pick them out of a crowd. I’m excellent at it and rarely wrong. What do you do?”

Audria was about to inform him it was none of his business, but Reese responded with, “Insurance.”

Raphael grunted. “Don’t need any, so don’t try a hard sell. Hey, what’s your room number? I’ll charge the drinks to your tab.”

Reese gave it to him, and he tapped the numbers into a tablet. Another patron signaled him, and he took off to fill their order.

“Do you think Paige was watching for someone here?” Audria asked. “He said she studied the crowd.”

“Maybe. It might be why she chose to stay at this resort.”

The beeper they’d been given vibrated and blinked with red lights, letting them know their table was ready. They carried their glasses to the host station and followed the man to their seats. Candles in hurricane glasses lit the room, and music softer than what was playing in the bar drifted through the space. One wall featured floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a creek and the beautifully landscaped grounds. Their booth was in an alcove, surrounded by tall palm plants and hidden from other patrons.

It had to be the most romantic seat in the entire restaurant, Audria thought with a frown. Her feelings for Reese were already at the surface. All it would take was one look from him, and she’d be confessing her undying love.

Audria slid in and picked up the menu for a distraction. Reese followed and sat close—too close. She scooted over to put distance between them.

“This is nice,” Reese noted.

“Um.”

“Audria?”

“What?”

“Look at me.”

Darn it. She was afraid Reese would notice the desire in her eyes if she did. She turned her head, and there went that flutter in her chest. He was so good-looking. He’d said she smelled nice, but his scent was an intoxicating mixture of a subtle aftershave and something uniquely Reese.

“We’re supposed to be married. This won’t work if you can’t stand your husband’s touch or even look at him.”

Darn it, he had a good point. “You’re right. I’ll do better.”

He closed the gap until their bodies were pressed together, and she forgot how to breathe.

“It was the kiss, wasn’t it?”

Oh lord, she wasn’t up to a discussion about it, not when all she wanted to do was kiss him again.

“It shouldn’t have happened.”

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