Chapter 12
TWELVE
EMILIO
As soon as our eyes meet, the noise of the bar dulls into nothing. I forget what Kline was just saying—hell, I forget where I am for a second—because Raelynn Carson is standing across the room, staring straight at me like the world narrowed down to just the two of us.
Of all the damn bars in this city, I had to walk into this one.
She’s standing just outside the hallway near the bathrooms, frozen for a beat like she’s debating whether to turn around or come over. Her expression shifts somewhere between surprise and caution, and then—finally—she starts walking toward me.
With every step, more of her comes into focus.
That halter dress she’s wearing accentuates every curve, the neckline dipping just enough at the front to tease the swell of her chest. Her hair’s a mess of soft beach waves, a flower clip pinned near her temple.
There’s a flush to her cheeks that tells me she’s been drinking—enough to feel good but not enough to be sloppy.
And God, she looks happy. Relaxed. Lighter than I’ve ever seen her.
I shift slightly in my seat, trying to act like I haven’t been staring. Kline lifts his beer to his lips and glances at me sidelong, clearly catching the sudden change in my posture.
But it’s not until I catch the bartender watching her—that slow, hungry once-over, like he’s mentally undressing her—that something sharp twists in my chest.
Jealousy.
I have no right to it, and yet it surges anyway. She’s not mine. I know that. But the idea of anyone else having those thoughts about her makes my jaw tighten.
She stops just short of our table, her gaze flicking between me and Kline. She offers Kline a small smile—a silent greeting, and he returns it before setting his beer down on the table as she flicks her gaze back to mine.
“I wasn’t expecting to see you here.” she says, tilting her head slightly, her voice low and even despite the clamor of voices and music pulsing through the bar.
“I could say the same thing,” I reply, leaning back in my seat as I drape my arm casually along the cool metal backing of the chair. “Who are you here with?”
She jerks her chin in the direction of the karaoke setup. “Just a couple of friends.”
I follow her gaze to a table across the room where three girls are laughing over their drinks, eyes flicking between Raelynn and me like this moment is something they’ve been waiting for.
The girl with shoulder-length blonde hair and a pink crocheted top spots Raelynn and waves enthusiastically, which earns another round of giggles from the others.
Raelynn waves back with a sheepish smile before refocusing on me. “I was roped into coming tonight.”
I nod, swirling the last inch of beer in my bottle before taking a slow sip.
I am due for another, but I have no intention of getting up—not with the bartender still eyeing Raelynn like she was the only thing on tap tonight.
Every time the guy isn’t pouring drinks, his gaze is locked on her.
It is starting to piss me off, and if I go up there, I might end up punching him in the damn throat.
I glance at Kline, who seems lost in thought, his beer cradled between his hands like it might offer answers if he stared long enough.
“Kline, you mind grabbing me another?” I ask, not taking my eyes off Raelynn.
He blinks, coming back to the present, then nods. “Sure. I need another anyway.” He sets his half-empty bottle down with a soft clink before pushing away from the table.
“Is he okay?” Raelynn asks quietly, her eyes following him as he makes his way toward the bar.
His absence shifts the air immediately. The bartender’s focus moves with him, leaving Raelynn out of their direct line of sight, and I feel my shoulders loosen a fraction.
I turn back to her. She’s closer now—close enough that the faint trace of her perfume teases my senses.
Jasmine and berries, subtle but warm. It’s intoxicating.
I find myself wanting to lean in, to breathe her in until the scent is imprinted on me.
My fingers drum idly against the neck of my bottle, a poor substitute for touching her.
“Bad call today, that’s all,” I finally say. “He wanted to blow off some steam, so… like you, I got dragged out.”
Her brow arches slightly. “Did everything with Detective Meyer get sorted out?”
That catches me off guard, pulling my focus. My brows knit. “What?”
“I overheard bits and pieces of that conversation the other day with that call we were on. You and Kline were at that bar where the bartender worked, right?” she asks.
“Oh. Yeah.” I give a short nod. “No, everything’s fine.
Zeke’s has exterior cameras and ones covering the parking lot.
Footage caught Kline leaving not long after I did.
The bartender was seen leaving after closing with another guy.
They got a clear enough shot of him to put a name to the face.
He was arrested that evening after she was found.
He even made a full confession, too. Guess he didn’t see the point in denying it once they had him. ”
“Oh, good,” she says, when a voice behind me cuts through the brief reprieve between awful karaoke renditions—drawling, amused, and dripping with mischief.
“Is that a baton in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?”
My brows arch in confusion, and I turn to find the blonde in the pink top standing a few feet away, a devilish grin stretched across her face. The other two girls in the group giggle behind Pink Top, their gazes fixed on Raelynn.
“Rae, you gonna introduce us to this daddy of a cop?” Pink Top teases, her eyes shamelessly scanning me up and down.
Raelynn looks both mortified and amused, flicking her eyes from her friends to me. I bite back a smirk and take the last sip of my beer, finishing it off before setting the empty bottle on the table and rising to greet them properly.
“Emilio Perez,” I say, offering my hand.
“Khloe,” Pink Top replies as she takes my hand. Her grip is firm, her gaze lingering longer than necessary—especially below the belt—before she finally lets go.
Next is a petite blonde with a bright smile. “Hi! I’m Marlena. It’s so nice to meet you!” she says, shaking my hand with far more politeness.
“And I’m Tessa. Rae’s told us so much about you.” The redhead giggles as she shakes my hand quickly, releasing it with a wink.
I glance back at Raelynn, whose cheeks are turning pink. I raise a brow and let a grin tug at the corner of my mouth. “Oh yeah? What exactly has she told you?”
Tessa doesn’t miss a beat. She smirks, looking past me at her flustered friend. “Oh, just how hot she thinks you are and that she’d totally fu—”
“Tessa!” Raelynn snaps, cutting her off with a glare sharp enough to draw blood. Her face is flushed now, and I can’t help the laugh that escapes me as I drop back into my seat. I knew what was going to be said, and truth be told, I’ve had the same thought more than once.
Kline returns then, beers in hand. He slows slightly when he sees we’ve gained some company, his eyes flicking between the girls before handing me my drink and sliding back into his seat.
Grasping for a safer subject, Raelynn turns to face Kline, her lips curled into a smile that was doing little to mask her embarrassment.
“How are you doing, Kline?” she asks him as he pushes the lime into his beer with his thumb.
Beer fizzles out the top, coating his thumb, and he pulls it out and sucks it off.
“Could be better. You?”
“Honestly, not bad.”
“That’s good. How about you ladies?” He turns his attention to Raelynn’s friends. Khloe leans against the table, giving him an exaggerated once-over.
“Having the time of my life, baby,” she purrs, her eyes shamelessly undressing Kline now. Raelynn groans quietly, covering her face with one hand as I chuckle behind the rim of my beer.
Kline chuckles, lifting his beer. “That’s good to hear,” he says, taking a slow drink, his gaze locked on Khloe the entire time.
“You here to sing?” he asks as he sets the bottle down, the glass clinking softly against the table.
“Mmhmm,” Khloe hums. “We’ve already sung a few, but—” She leans across the table, elbows resting against the marble as her chest presses forward.
The blue bikini top beneath her pink crocheted layer does little to hold her breasts in; they are barely hanging on, the curve of her nipples teasing the edge of the thin fabric.
Kline’s eyes drop, just for a second too long.
His grip tightens around the bottle until his knuckles pale, and he subtly shifts in his seat.
“—I can always sing another just for you, baby,” Khloe finishes, voice low and dripping with suggestion, punctuating it with a slow, sultry wink.
Kline nods, eyes never leaving Khloe’s chest as he lifts the bottle and drains the rest like it’s water. Two heavy gulps, and it’s gone. The glass hits the table with a sharp clack, louder than it should be in the charged silence between them.
That was my cue.
The last thing I need tonight is to witness my partner pop a boner for a girl barely old enough to legally drink. I watch his eyes trail after her as she gives him one last wink, her glossy lips curling in mischief before she spins on her heel and follows her friends back to their table.
Kline doesn’t even try to hide it; he stands up and stalks after her like a dog in heat, his eyes glued to the way her ass sways with each step. And with the way those frayed shorts barely covered her, he didn’t have to use much imagination.
I glance over at Raelynn.
She’s watching the scene unfold with thinly veiled discomfort. Her arms are loosely crossed, and her lips are slightly pursed like she is trying to decide whether to laugh or cringe.
I lean toward her, raising my voice enough for her to hear over the tone-deaf, drunk singing and indistinct chatter. “Want to get some air?”