Page 4 of Deadly Intentions

“Sure. That’d be nice of you.”

While I waited for him to place our order, I let my eyes dance over his body. Alex Coulter wasdefinitelyhandsome. Harley had been right about that assessment. And in casual clothes, I could see a bit more of his build. He was well over six feet tall. His brown hair was cut short, giving me a perfect view of his chiseled jawline. He had beautiful blue eyes that twinkled when he spoke, drawing me in automatically. Alex was extremely fit—the tightness of his shirt did little to hide the toned physique beneath the cotton material. I was so caught up in ogling his body that I didn’t notice him watching me. I jumped when he cleared his throat.

Pink tinged my cheeks as I forced my eyes up to find his glimmering with laughter. “Like what you see?”

I grabbed the drink in his hand and guzzled it down. Alex tipped his own glass to his lips and sipped the amber liquid down. He set the glass down and took the one I was hiding behind and placed it on the bar.

“I didn’t mean to embarrass you.” He brushed a loose lock from my face. “Tell me about yourself.”

He sat back and waited for me to answer. “Not much to tell, I’m afraid. I needed a change of scenery and found this job. And here I am.” I smiled.

“Where are you from originally?”

“Atlanta.” I’d created a whole backstory for my previous life. I couldn’t take a chance on telling anyone the truth.

“Wow. You picked the furthest location possible. Running from something?” He laughed, half joking with his comment.

“Maybe.” I blinked, causing him to pale at my words.

“Shit. I was kidding.” He shifted nervously on the stool.

“I’m kidding.” I pressed my palm to his leg, realizing my mistake instantly. “Overbearing parents and a career I wasn’t happy in.”

“Gotcha.” He looked at me with a softened expression that made me feel exposed.

“What about you?” I desperately needed to change the subject, needing the attention off me.

“Boring, I’m afraid. Originally from Montana. Former Army ranger. I was injured on deployment and decided it was time to get out.”

“And you chose here?”

“Yep. A buddy of mine grew up here and talked about the serenity of the place. After all the turmoil I’ve lived with, serene sounded nice.”

I sipped the remnants of my drink and smiled. Alex noticed my glass was empty and grinned. “You want another?”

“Sure. Tonight’s about letting loose, anyway.”

“Is it now?” He grinned as the bartender set a fresh drink down.

Harley approached us with a shit-eating grin and thrusted her hand out. “Hello Detective. We haven’t met yet. I’m Harley Cook, the nursing supervisor at the hospital.”

“Nice to meet you, Harley. Alex Coulter. I’m a new detective with the P.D.”

“Right. Anyway. Sorry to interrupt, but a few of us are heading out to the ski lodge. They’ve got some live music and we want to dance. You going to come?” She turned toward me and grinned. “Or are you gonna finally get that thing fixed?”

My eyes widened with embarrassment, but fortunately Alex didn’t know what she was talking about.

“Maybe I can help you fix it.” He glanced between us, confusion marring his expression.

“Oh, I think you most definitely could,” Harley said, and I slapped her, causing her to roar harder with laughter.

“I feel like I’m missing something here.” Alex scratched his head as he glanced between us.

“You go on ahead. I might catch up later.” I shook my head as she waved goodbye. Turning back to Alex, I smiled. “Sorry about her. She can be a lot.”

“It’s all good. But what was she talking about?” Alex flicked his eyes to the door briefly, before taking a sip of his drink.

“She’s worried about my ability to get laid.”

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