Page 9 of Callahan

It seemed fitting that as I watched, the sun came out and was now shining through the bakery’s large picture window. It was as if any traces of the gloomy day earlier had suddenly vanished.

There was no one else in the store, so I deduced the dancing goddess must be Lainey.

I had not expected Shawn’s girl to be so stunning. Like, take-my-breath-away-kind-of-gorgeous. Her blonde hair was peeking out from the ballcap on her head that framed her heart-shaped face and her perfect button nose. I didn’t think her cheeks were normally that red though.

“I’m so embarrassed.”

“Don’t be. You have some moves.”

She put her hands on her cheeks and shook her head back and forth.

“Oh God!”

I heard the door open behind me, and her eyes lit up.

“Hey, stranger! You just missed out on seeing me make a fool of myself.”

I turned to see who’d made her smile like that. It was Brian.

He laughed as he walked closer. “I’m sorry I missed it?” He phrased it like a question.

She greeted him with a hug. He didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around her, and I found myself jealous that my new friend got to hold this beautiful creature like that.

Pulling away with a giggle, Lainey knocked on the Kevlar on Brian’s chest.

“Doesn’t it get hot in this thing in the summer?”

“You have no idea.” He glanced at me. “Although I’m sure it’s still no comparison to the heat of the summer in the desert.”

I chuckled. “I didn’t get there until September, but yeah, it was still pretty brutal.”

She eyed me for a second, then held her hand out. “Hi, Lainey Beaumont—a.k.a. the dancing queen.”

The beauty was a queen all right.

Her hazel eyes were kind as she introduced herself, and I couldn’t help but stare at her plump lips that seemed like they were made for kissing, among other things.

As she’d been shaking her bootie while she performed for her son, I noticed her body was curvy in all the right places. I’d found myself wondering if her hourglass figure was new, thanksto having just had a baby, or if she’d always been blessed with sexy curves.

My brain screamed,Speak, dumbass!

I reached for her hand. “Nice to meet you. Adam Callahan.”

The second our eyes met and our hands touched, I felt a zing of electricity.

Shit.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

****

Lainey

When Brian walked in not long after the man caught me embarrassing myself, my first thought was maybe the guy was a friend of Brian’s and not Shawn’s, like I’d thought when I’d seen him that morning.

I’d felt a sense of relief at the idea.

While I’d been honored Shawn’s fellow Marines wanted to pay their respects, I hadn’t cared for being the object of their pity when they came into town.

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