Chapter Seven
E mily’s pulse leveled out as uncertainty set in. No. It wasn’t.
At least, she didn’t think so.
“What’s wrong?” Lyndsey asked, leaning close enough for her to hear as they continued to dance.
Since she’d only seen the back of the guy and not his face, Emily shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Saying the man’s name out loud would ruin the night. Her friend wouldn’t hesitate to alert the men, then they would start searching the crowd and even if it was Perez, he hadn’t done anything. No. It was best to keep it vague.
“Bullshit. Spill it.” Lyndsey stopped dancing and pulled her to a halt.
Isla and Christa followed suit. “What’s wrong?”
“That’s what I’m waiting for Emily to explain.” Lyndsey set a hand on her hip and raised a brow.
Great. She knew that look. It was her friend’s famous unmovable hippopotamus look she’d perfected in her pre-teens.
She shrugged again. “It’s nothing, really. It just feels like someone is watching me.”
“Oh, is that all?” Lyndsey grinned, her concern and the hippo were gone. “There is someone watching you. Holden can’t seem to take his gaze off your ass.”
“Now who’s bullshitting?” She smirked and refused to look back at their table…until she did, and sure enough, Holden was watching her. In fact, all the men at the table were watching them.
“Do you think they’re wondering why we stopped dancing?” Isla asked.
“No.” Lyndsey shook her head. “They’ve been watching us from the start.”
Emily smiled. “I wonder if they even ate their food?”
“Oh, I’m sure they did.” Christa grinned.
Lyndsey smirked. “Absolutely. Those men are used to multi-tasking.”
“And are good at it, too,” Isla stated, then promptly blushed.
Ah, her friend had it bad. Emily had never seen Isla so happy, and they’d practically grown up together since the woman was Lyndsey’s cousin and had visited often.
“Well, I’m heading back to the table,” Lyndsey said. “I’m thirsty and Gabe will probably be leaving soon.”
Exactly what she was planning to do, too.
It’d been a long day. Heck, a long week. She was suddenly beat.
Stifling a yawn, she followed the others winding through the busy pub on the way back to their seats. Her friends sat down at the chairs their men held out for them, but she remained standing.
“I’m going to head home,” she said, grabbing her purse off her chair and opening it.
Holden was standing too. He shook his head. “The bill has been taken care of.”
She frowned. “Thanks, but you didn’t need to do that.”
A grin twitched his lips. “I didn’t. Apparently one of Mac’s cousins was here and picked up our tab.”
“Wow.” Christa’s brows rose.
“That was so nice of them or him or her,” Isla said.
“Happens to Gabe all the time.” Lyndsey shrugged. “People always want to buy the sheriff a meal, but they know better than to ask him for the bill. They get it from the waitress so he can’t tell them no.”
Gabe’s lips twisted into a scowl. “I don’t like being beholden to anyone. Don’t want them to think I owe them and will look the other way for them.”
She understood.
“Happened to me a few times too, back in Houston.” Because of it, Emily had stopped eating out while on duty.
“It’s a uniform thing,” Holden said.
For the most part, people were being respectful and trying to show their appreciation.
“True. And on that note, I’m going home,” she said, smiling at her friends. “Thanks for the fun night.”
They repeated the sentiment.
“I’ll walk you out,” Holden told her, his tone friendly with a hint of steel, as if he knew she’d protest.
Damn, she probably shouldn’t find it sexy, but she did.
What was wrong with her?
“No need,” she protested anyway. “I’ll be fine. There are a lot of people around and lights in the parking lot.”
“I’m heading home. The parking lot is on my way,” he told her in that same sexy tone.
Emily ignored the goosebumps spreading across her shoulders and sighed. It was probably quicker to just let him walk her out and get it over with.
“Okay, then, sir-yes-sir .” She saluted. “Let’s go.”
He chuckled as he followed her out, and Emily exited the building the same way she’d entered—with a smile on her face.
The sun had just about set, making way for a sky full of stars she knew were twinkling above but were obscured by the glow of the streetlights dotting the lot. The air was warm, with a soft breeze that seemed to keep the humidity in check.
Her favorite type of night. No rain, no jacket, no worries.
“I parked over there,” she said, feeling the need to break the silence even though they could hear the muffled music and thud of a base as they walked through two rows of cars to get to her Subaru.
She dug her keys out of her purse and hit the button on the key fob to unlock her doors. The accompanying beep sounded, and lights flashed.
Once there, Holden walked around her vehicle, looking for what, she had no idea, but apparently, he was satisfied because he joined her by the driver’s side and nodded. “Looks good.”
She opened her door and dropped her purse and keys on her seat, fighting the smile that threatened to return. “I’m glad you approve.” She snickered, turning to face him.
“Oh, I do, Emily,” he said, amusement and heat swirling deliciously in his eyes. “I definitely approve.”
His blatant interest was a little surprising and a whole lot exciting, and Emily felt that crazy, charged fog rolling in again. That was dangerous. It was time to retreat. Escape.
Leave.
So, it made zero sense for her to just stand there, allowing her insides to melt as he smiled warmly at her.
God, she could get lost in those mesmerizing depths. They were like a green apple covered in caramel. Delicious. Both made her feel warm.
A light breeze blew off the gulf, sending several strands of curls into Emily’s face. Before she could push them aside, Holden reached out and used a finger to brush the errant curls off her cheek and hooked them behind her ear.
His gentle, unexpected touch sent a shockwave of awareness through her body. “So, Emily, do you approve of me kissing you right now?” he asked, lightly brushing her lower lip with his thumb.
She inhaled at the feel of his touch and nodded to test the friction. “Oh, I do, Holden,” she replied, using his earlier words. “I definitely approve.”
He nodded too, and smiled, but didn’t talk or move. He studied her, his gorgeous eyes pulling her in, making her want things in a desperate manner she wasn’t used to feeling. Emily wanted him to kiss her. She craved it, and that tingling awareness suddenly turned to sparks, and there was no way she couldn’t stop her tongue from boldly brushing his thumb.
He growled.
Or was that her?
She wasn’t sure and didn’t care as he stepped closer, cupped her face in both hands, and slowly lowered his mouth to hers.
At first contact, Emily inhaled and reached out to set her hands on his chest, needing the anchor. And when his lips brushed hers again and again, she melted against him, running her hands up his solid chest and over his broad shoulders, more than a little turned on by the heat she could feel coming off his hard body.
A car honked and someone whistled, but for the first time in Emily’s life, she didn’t worry about others. She worried about herself. Worried about her needs, and what she needed was for this man to keep kissing her.
And he did.
His mouth was hungry and firm, his kiss slow and thorough, and damn, she’d almost forgotten what it was like to be kissed this way…like there was nothing and no one in the world more important to him right now than her.
No car horns or people whistling. Just her.
It was amazing and addicting, and an unfamiliar thrill of feeling soft and feminine rushed over Emily. She kissed him back, responding to his honest, primal intensity with a matching fervor of her own.
When they broke apart, she set her forehead on his chin and panted while he sucked air into his lungs. The feel of the crazy crescendo of his heart pounding under her palm made her smile. It matched the wild, out-of-control beat of her own.
After a few seconds, she drew back and smiled up at him. “They train you to kiss like that in the military?”
He huffed out a breath. “No. That was pure reaction to you, Emily.”
“Funny, I was responding to your energy,” she said.
A smile twitched his lips. “Yeah?”
He caught her chin between his thumb and forefinger but instead of bringing his mouth down on hers as she’d hoped, he stiffened and suddenly glanced around.
Emily’s pulse jumped as alarm erased the passion from her body and the fog from her brain. Then she felt it too. The back of her neck prickled.
Someone was watching them.
She moved out of Holden’s arms and together, they surveyed the area. A few people were walking toward Tex Pub. A young couple exited the building, hand-in-hand. Three women and two men were smoking near the side of the building. And someone pulled out of the parking lot in a black vehicle…was it a Bronco?
Emily couldn’t tell because it had disappeared down the street and several structures blocked the view.
“You felt that too, didn’t you?” Holden asked, his gaze too serious for the question to be about their chemistry.
As much as she wanted to make light of the situation or ignore it completely, Emily knew the man wouldn’t let that fly.
“Yes.” She blew out a breath. “As if someone was watching.”
Just like on the dance floor.
She opened her mouth to tell him about it, but Gabe approached with concern in his eyes.
“Everything all right?” the sheriff asked, coming to a halt by her car.
Holden shrugged. “Not sure.” He explained their weird feeling of being watched.
Gabe arched a brow, and his gaze immediately scanned the area. “Anything out of place?”
Emily figured that question was directed at Holden because of his military training.
“No. Just normal actions, although there’d been a bit of a crowd near the side of the building. Not sure if someone was standing behind them in the darkness. I thought I saw movement but can’t be sure.”
“And a black vehicle pulled out of the parking lot, but I couldn’t tell if it was a Bronco or not,” she said with a sigh.
Holden shook his head. “No, it was a Tahoe.”
Like Gabe’s. Yeah, she nodded. Could’ve been.
“Anything else strike you as strange tonight?” Gabe asked, gaze inquiring, shrewd…sheriff-like. “Anything at all?”
She scratched her the side of her nose. “I did feel like I was being watched on the dance floor.”
“What?” Holden’s head snapped back. “When? Why didn’t you tell us?”
Emily shrugged. “Because Lyndsey pointed out that all of you guys were watching us, so I thought it was probably just that.”
“Possible.” Gabe nodded and appeared as if he wanted to say more but he received a call. He stepped back to answer it.
She glanced at Holden and found him regarding her closely.
“You sure there was nothing else?”
Emily debated on telling them about her possible Perez sighting on the dance floor. But she hadn’t seen the guy’s face. Besides, she knew neither of the men would be pleased that she’d remained silent about it, especially Holden, and well, she liked the way their rapport was building.
They shared the same views and were like-minded about animal welfare.
And he was an amazing kisser.
“I’ll contact Animal Control,” Gabe said, capturing her attention. “You secure the scene. I’m on my way.”
Her mind instantly switched into work mode. She stepped toward Gabe. “What’s up?”
“Accident out on the highway heading west,” he replied. “There was a dog in the car that got injured too. I’m about to put a call into your dispatch.”
She nodded, moving toward her car again. “Tell them I’m aware and on my way in.”
No need to go home and change, she always left an extra uniform in her locker at work.
Holden frowned. “Isn’t there a shift on duty now?”
“Sort of.” She shrugged. “There are two part-time and three full-time officers trying to fill all the shifts. We have a few new hires, but the candidates must finish training and become certified. Even though today is Saturday, it’s actually my Friday. The nights are currently on-call. We take turns, and this week, it’s me.”
“I see,” he said, opening her door wider for her. “Then you stay safe out there, Officer Harrison.”
Returning his smile, she brushed past him to get into her car. “Will do.”
She wanted to say more, but what else could she add?
Her body had a few suggestions, but she shot them down.
Bad timing.
As Emily drove closer to Animal Control and farther from Holden Jones, she realized something important. In fact, she was beginning to detect a pattern. Her temperature and pulse elevated whenever Holden was nearby.
It was crazy, how several times this week, Emily had told her friends she wasn’t interested in the guy, but that had been before their incredible kiss.
Still…she frowned. Did she really have time for a social life?