Page 28 of Full Mountie

But I sign out tonight without a second thought. There are good protocols in place and I’ve got my phone on me.

And more importantly, Beth is worth it. I’d lost sight of that, but I see it clearly now, and I want to make up for lost time.

I head home and shower and shave again, then change into jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt. I grab a jacket, too, but it’s warm enough I won’t need it.

Beth is ready to go when I get to her place. She followed my advice and put on jeans, which she’s paired with a funky pair of heels and a bright red floaty tank top under a cardigan.

She’s got bright red lipstick on, too. That’s new. And irresistible. I draw her close and brush my lips against hers, sliding my tongue against the seam of her mouth. Asking—no, begging—for entrance.

She opens for me with a happy little sigh and I kiss her thoroughly, until she’s soft in my arms and my head is buzzing.

And when I let her go, her lipstick is still intact. Miracles.

“Ready to go?” I ask.

She grabs a small purse off the hall table and flicks it open. I don’t miss that she’s got a condom in there—I think she angled the purse towards me on purpose—and the buzzing gets louder. She double checks the contents and then snaps it shut and gives me a big grin. “Yep.”

Tease.

I take her to a pub I like, that’s got a big west-facing patio enclosed in wrought-iron gates, now hung with blooming flower baskets. The sun is low on the horizon, but still warm. We sit with our backs to it, on adjacent sides of a small, square table. Close enough for me to take her hand, but on enough of an angle to each other I can see her face as we talk.

“This place is nice,” she says, looking around.

“They’ve got my kind of food, and it’s always good and fast.”

“What do you recommend?”

“The sweet potato fries are great. The burger’s good. They always do a really nice soup, that’s different every day. Everything, really.”

She looks at the specials on the outdoor chalkboard. “Soup. Yes, I want that.”

We order half-pints of beer to go with our dinner, and then I take her hand like I’ve wanted to since we arrived. “So.”

An amused look settles on her face. “Yes. So.”

“This weekend was interesting.”

“Are you freaking out?” She squeezes my fingers.

“A little.” I shift in my chair and lean toward her. “But I’m more interested in making up for lost time.”

“I like the sound of that.” She presses those perfect red lips together and smiles like she’s got a secret. I’m sure she’s got many, and I want to discover all of them. “But I don’t want to rush, either.”

“Oh?” I don’t know how I feel about that.

“I want to explore what we have between us, don’t get me wrong.” She drags her gaze all over me and her smile grows. “Explore everything. But after a year of wanting each other, I think there’s a risk of swinging too quickly into something serious.”

“You want to keep things casual.” Ireallydon’t know how I feel about that.

“I want…” She takes a deep breath. “Casual? I don’t know if that’s the right word. Nothing about this weekend felt casual. It felt intense and crazy and wonderful. It felt good, exactly as it was.”

“Okay. I don’t think I’m following.”

She hesitates a beat. “I had breakfast with Hugh today. And I might have dinner with him tomorrow or Wednesday.”

Ah. I nod slowly. “And…”

She shrugs her delicate shoulders. “And if you wanted to have dinner with him, that would be fine, too.”

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