Page 47 of Beat of Love
“Hello, Stanislaw. And for your information, I do not strut.”
Her snippy comment earned her another flash of teeth from him. It also masked her disappointment at her body’s lackluster response to his kiss.
“You strutted.” Stas stepped back, and his gaze swept her from head to toe. “And babe, that’s an outfit made for strutting.”
She wrinkled her nose. “My kids made me wear it.”
“Smart kids.” He moved beside her and slung an arm across her shoulder, drawing her closer.
The small purse with its procured contents hanging from the crossbody strap rubbed against her hip with each step.
You’ve gotta start somewhere, Brandy.
But was it right to take advantage of Stas in that way?
*
“Having fun, Red?”
Her head jerked up, and her eyes clashed with Rafferty’s hooded gaze as he emerged from the dark.
“What are you doing here?”
“If you mean Daisy’s, it’s Friday, and the music is good. If you mean here, in the restroom hallway, well, I’m lurking,”
“Lurking?”
“Yeah. Waiting for you.”
“Waiting … Why?” she wailed, heart hammering.
“Honestly, I don’t know.”
The bright overhead light picked up the midnight glints of his black hair.
She took in his broody countenance enhanced by the dark scruff of his beard and the tight black tee. He looked … haggard.“Are you okay?” She took a step closer and peered into his eyes. Had he been using?
Rafferty compressed his lips. “I’m clean, Red.”
“Good.” Brandy refused to apologize for her concern. God help her, but she cared about what happened to him.
“So, you and Stas …” He trailed off, the words hanging between them.
“What about me and Stas?” His comment reminded her that he had supplied the condoms in her purse. And dammit, she couldn’t stop her cheeks from heating up.
And double damn, he noticed. A smile ghosted over his lips. “Nothing to be ashamed of, Red. He’s a good man.”
“He is.” She frowned, not liking the way he unsettled her. It was one thing to interact with him in the wide, open space of the ranch, but the confines of the narrow hallway enhanced her senses, making her ultra-aware of him. It was as if his mere presence consumed all the air, making it hard for her to breathe. “I need to go,” she muttered.
“That’s probably for the best.”
Yet her feet stayed rooted.
The woman who had entered the ladies’ while Brandy had been washing her hands exited, her focus on her cellphone, not even noticing the two of them. A blast of noise reverberated off the walls as she pushed through to the main bar area, then dimmed as the door swung closed behind her.
“I saw you and him,” Rafferty said. “Earlier. Outside. When you kissed.”
Her frown deepened to a scowl, annoyed he’d observed something she did trying to exorcisehimfrom her mind.
