Page 47 of Wine and Research
But he was spared talking to the women because they walked over to a large table in front of the fireplace and sat down, except for his sister. Jenna strolled over to hug him, even though he was sitting. She held on for a moment before kissing his cheek, then joined her friends by the fireplace without uttering useless words.
He appreciated that, which she no doubt knew.
Ryder, however, dropped onto the stool next to him. “Sorry about today.”
Stomach tightening, Jeremy nodded, and was grateful Ryder let it drop and chatted with Ethan about a pavilion his construction company was building for the resort.
He tuned them out, barely tasting the food he was forcing himself to eat when awareness skittered down his right side. Stiffening, he set his burger down and turned his attention tothe doorway. Elle stood there, glancing around the room, then smiled at his sister and the rest of the waving women before heading to their table.
At the sight of her, Jeremy inhaled as if he’d been deprived of air for hours. More like five days. It’d been that long since he’d seen her.
After she’d finished out her ride-alongs a few weeks ago, they’d fallen into a routine of getting together on his off-duty days, mostly at night, since she was writing every day. He’d been careful not to falter from their agreed upon plan or break any of his rules, but lately, Jeremy had found himself wanting to see Elle more than just two nights a week.
Stupid, yeah, but thankfully, she’d kept them on track.
Too bad the beautiful woman tended to knock him off the rails. Like now. She was breathtaking in a strapless, light purple dress with tiny white flowers stitched on it, and a tiny purple sweater opened over it to cover her arms. The dress appeared lightweight, clinging to her generous chest and waist, before it fell away from her hips, hinting at her luscious curves that he knew were underneath.
And, damn, her shoes…
The sudden urge to see her in nothing but the strappy white heels was strong.
Then she spotted him as she’d settled into a chair, and her gaze warmed, her face lighting up. He felt it clear to his bones.
Shit. That wasn’t good.
She got up and walked over and sat on the stool on his other side. Jeremy’s chest swelled and squeezed at the same time. Both were due to her presence. He was happy to see her but worried she’d want to talk about his day. That was the last damn thing he wanted to do. Hell, he didn’t want to talk to anyone. Not even her.
No, he’d much rather have her naked and wrapped around him as he pounded into her until they were both too exhausted to think, let alone talk.
Yeah, that sounded perfect.
She held his gaze for a long beat. She didn’t ask if he was all right. She didn’t add her worry to the massive weight already on his shoulders. No, she just looked at him with those beautiful green eyes, and he found himself warming up from the deep chill that had held him hostage since he’d received the call from the Good Samaritan.
“You’ve had a long day,” she said quietly.
He lifted a shoulder.
“Heard about Owen.”
He remained quiet. No words were necessary.
But she continued to regard him closely and as tended to happen when he stared into her mesmerizing gaze, everything else faded away. The noise of the bar, the chatter, the faces of everyone around them…all of it disappeared until it was just the two of them.
She lifted a hand and placed it lightly on his arm, and incredibly, under that simple touch, he felt himself relax and the tightness in his chest eased up enough that he took his first unobstructed breath since just before noon. “I’ve got your back.”
Her eyes were warm, with a bit of heat and a touch of concern. She could keep the concern. The heat, on the other hand, that held merit, so he nodded. But she’d come here to be with her friends, not a sour-tempered oaf.
He nodded toward the table by the fireplace. “Having another girls’ night out?”
“Sort of,” she replied, her hand still on his arm. “They insisted on taking me out to celebrate finishing the first draft of my book.”
His brows rose. “You finished it?”
“Yep.” She grinned. “About an hour ago.”
He actually found a smile. “Good for you. Go ahead and celebrate. You deserve it.”
“Thanks.” She squeezed his arm. “But what about you? You want to join us?”
