Chapter 6
Brock
“ R eady to get out of here?” Josh smacked me on the shoulder as he walked into the station.
“Hell yes, I’ve been on paperwork patrol for way too long.”
“Would probably help if you had a life outside of work. Go out, get laid. You broke your leg, not your dick.”
I shot him a look. Fuck, if only he knew who I wanted. My gut twisted every time I’d seen him since my last session with Dani. Feeling her warm breath against the back of my neck while her hand slid over my abs just inches from where I wanted her most had been too much. The way she looked at me and touched me when we trained together had me realizing that thing was far from one-sided. The heat in her voice when she’d offered to rub me down had been a green light, and I’d almost stomped on the gas.
“I’m thirty, I’m past the whole bar-and-party scene.”
“Well, I’ve never seen you keep a girl around for more than a week or two, so you better find out where the old people hang out. You get cranky when you haven’t gotten any.”
Yeah, there was a reason I never kept a woman around long. It had nothing to do with womanizing and everything to do with knowing who I wanted and not being able to have her. No matter how many times I put myself out there, it all came back to her. With all the shit that had happened in my life recently, seeing her, even if it was to get my ass kicked, had become a bright spot.
“I’ll work on it.” It was a lie, but it moved the conversation along.
“Good, want to hit the pub? I feel like I never see your goofy ass face anymore.” And there it was. The roadblock, or cockblock, of the situation. The man standing next to me had been my closest friend since before my balls dropped. We’d been tight through high school, sports, me moving away to college, and now on the force. We were as close as brothers. Here he was, trying to cheer me up even when it was my dumbass fault I got stabbed in the first place. He would never approve of me and Dani. He didn’t think I had it in me to stick around for the long haul. Logically, I knew this, but when we touched, those thoughts went flying out the window.
I nodded, and we headed out. The station was in the middle of downtown. For all the sprawling suburbs and rolling hills that Kamloops had, the downtown core was perfectly square blocks of brick buildings with the river running along one side. On the surface, this city was a little bit redneck. Downtown, though, there were boutiques, spas, salons, trendy coffee bars, and expensive restaurants. Small trees were planted at regular intervals along the sidewalks, draped with lights that came on as the sun went down.
We walked into the same place we always went. It was a little Irish-themed pub just down the block from the station. It was always a little too loud and a little too crowded. But the beer was cold, and we could get nachos made with waffle fries, so it was always option one when we went out. I followed behind Josh but stopped dead when I saw a hand waving at us from across the dining room. Dani. “You didn’t tell me your sister would be here.” My voice was louder than necessary, and I knew it.
Josh raised an eyebrow at me over his shoulder. “It’s just Dani; I didn’t think I had to.”
I scratched at the back of my neck and didn’t respond. She’d run out of my place pretty quickly after our last encounter. It would be damn near impossible to sit across the table from her now and act like nothing had happened. I could see redness spreading through her cheeks as we approached, and I gave an awkward wave.
Luckily, Josh took over. “Hey, champ, how’s your training going?” He sat down next to her and elbowed her shoulder. They were the kind of siblings who still fought like they were five rather than the huggy type. Dani started animatedly telling Josh about her earlier training session while I studied her. She didn’t once look in my direction, but that was probably for the best. I was sure my feelings for her were all but tattooed on my forehead at this point. The excitement level she showed when talking about fighting was infectious. She was miming the different strikes and blows with a sparkle in her eyes that I wish was aimed at me.
A waitress appeared at our table. “Are we ready to order?” Josh and I each asked for burgers, beer, and the famous cheese fries before the waitress turned her attention to Dani.
“Can I make a custom order? Grilled salmon, rice, and asparagus? No oil or sauce, please.”
The waitress popped her gum. “Let me guess; you want that with a diet water, low-calorie cup, and fat-free napkin.” The waitress giggled at herself and looked to Josh and me for approval. Josh’s jaw ticked, and I had eyes only for Dani.
Red crept up her neck, but she gave the waitress a lazy smile. “I’m training for an MMA fight. In a few months, I get to stand in front of thousands of people and attempt to knock another woman unconscious. Need the right fuel so I can get punched in the teeth and keep on swinging. So yes, one diet water would be lovely.”
Once the waitress had scurried away to place the order, Josh burst out laughing. “Going to need a mop, Dani, you had that girl peeing herself.”
Dani fiddled with the napkin on the table but didn’t reply. The excitement she’d shown when we’d arrived had evaporated. Her cheeks were red, and her knee had started to bounce under the table. For all of her bravado, determination, and training, she wilted under the judgmental words of a total stranger.
I was still in shock. Why would anyone judge someone else’s food choice like that? Especially when that someone worked for tips. Unreal. Dani mumbled something about needing to pee and wandered off towards the back of the restaurant. I watched her go. She had on a tight pair of leggings, and I had no idea what else. My eyes locked on the muscles of her ass flexing as she walked, and that was where they stayed. I was worried about her but also fighting every instinct to follow her and pin her against the wall of the bathroom. Make her forget every shitty thing anyone had ever said to her.
When she disappeared around the corner, I shook myself out of it. I turned my attention back to Josh, who now frowned at me. “Studying something awfully hard over there, man.” His eyebrows were pinched together, and he took a sip of his beer.
“Just zoning out. Long day.” He nodded, but when Dani came back to the table, I made damn sure my eyes weren’t on her.