Page 6 of Love in Overdrive

She turned toward the bar. Her beautiful eyes looked… sad.

Fuck. He pushed off the bar.

All evening he’d been watching, keeping her safe from afar, never intending to approach her. He sure as hell wasn’t going to ask her to dance. But when the guy at the next table sent her a drink, Cade’s hands got itchy. The way the guy was looking at her, like she was a tasty snack, had Cade’s instincts on high alert. Everything about this guy screamed predator.

So, when the creeper tapped her on the shoulder, and her pretty mouth turned down in a frown, he lost control.

His gut warned this could end badly. Too late, he was pushing through the crowd. A heat-seeking missile en route to its target.

She looked up and her pretty pink mouth opened. No words came out.

Cade knew the feeling. Any game he had slipped away when she looked up at him with those blue orbs. Up close, she was stunning.

“Hello. Addison will be back in a moment if you were going to ask her to dance.”

“Who? Uh, no. I didn’t come for your friend.”

“Oh.” Confusion crossed her face. Cade liked the way her forehead wrinkled as she looked at him. “Did you want to sit down?”

“No.”

Those creases between her brows deepened.

Man, he sounded like an idiot, even to his own ears. But what could he say? He’d wanted to see if she was alright? He wanted to see her smile? Instead, the one thing he never planned on saying slipped from his lips. “Do you want to dance?”

Surprise replaced the confused expression. She glanced at the dance floor, then back at him. “Um, sure.”

The first few notes of a country ballad filled the room as her hand slipped into his. Her soft palm warmed his callused hands. He led her to the crowded dance floor, keeping his eyes peeled for scary exes.

She slipped into his arms like a missing puzzle piece, but that didn’t stop Cade from being on alert. His shoulders hadn’t relaxed until the final notes of the song played.

When she didn’t make a move to pull away, he whirled her to the next song. More at ease, he locked his gaze with hers. Leaning in, he whispered, “I’m Cade.”

“Laney.” A soft smile lit her face.

Maybe everything would be alright.

A person bumped Cade, and he stiffened. The dance floor was crowded and people were jostling around, but Laney could see his whole body went on high alert. She didn’t know why, but she found herself surveying the room as well.

“Sorry, dude,” the guy dancing behind them said, but Cade’s back stayed stiff as a ruler.

Laney leaned up and whispered in his ear, “Is everything alright?”

He gave her a strained smile. “Yes. It’s really crowded in here. Do you want to get some air?”

The guy was big, which should scare her, but instead, something about him had her feeling protected. Safe.

She nodded.

He locked his fingers with hers and led her out the door.

She followed him to the end of the building where soft lights glowed at the edge of the parking lot. They gave off just enough illumination to see the lines of his face.

Cade stepped back. He gently held her hand. Just firm enough, she could feel the strength running through him, but not so tight that she couldn’t have pulled free.

“Sorry. Crowds aren’t my thing.”

She wanted to ask why he’d come to the bar then, but she remembered, she hadn’t wanted to be here either. Laney took in his face… the weathered lines, the angled features, the tight smile. “Military?”