Page 32 of The Best Shot

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

I laughed. “Clearly you didn’t need the backup.”

“I’m glad you came anyway.”

“You’re an entertaining man, Hale Henry.”

I checked my phone.

Diana: Nothing available yet, unfortunately. Sorry. I’ll keep you posted.

My chest tightened. I was stuck in this town with Mama and Shaun and whatever fresh drama I’d definitely be pulled into.

Me: Thanks.

“Bad news?” Hale asked.

I shook my head. “Family stuff.”

“Want to talk about it?”

“No.”

He nodded and nudged his drink closer to me.

I took it and drank, letting the burn give my body something else to do. Then I looked at my phone again, like something might have changed in the last few seconds. It hadn’t.

“There is something you can do for me, though.” The words slipped out before I could cage them.

“Name it.”

“Bathroom’s down the hall,” I said, voice low. “Sixty seconds.”

His body went still. The smile dropped away, and whatever joke had been waiting at the edge of his mouth went with it. He held my eyes, read correctly what I was asking for, and everything I wasn’t saying with it.

For a second, I thought he might make me say it plain.

Then he gave me one slow nod.

I slid out of the booth and walked away, past the empty stools at the end of the bar, past the pool tables, past the hallway where the bathrooms sat under a neon exit sign.

Nobody was waiting outside the single-stall door. Nobody was close enough to care.

Only bad judgment followed me in.

I closed the door and counted to sixty.

The handle turned at fifty-eight.

He stepped inside and the deadbolt snicked behind him. For one hot second we only stared at each other.

The room was too small. The music from the bar hummed faintly through the walls, crawling into my bones. Hale stood with his back to the door, jaw tight, chest rising like he’d been holding his breath since the booth.

One short stride and he was on me, his mouth crashing into mine.

My back hit the door hard as he shoved both hands under my shirt, rough palms scorching my skin, thumbs flicking my hard nipples until I was moaning into his mouth.