“For what?”
“For you to decide to stay.”
“That was never on the cards, Ali.”
“Come on, we have everything.” Ali smiled winningly. “We have a sweet little town, our very own best selling horror author, great people, and, oh yeah, we have the hottest cops, too.”
Adam didn’t bat an eyelid when Barbie looked directly at him. His gaze just stayed steady and calm.
“But Brandon is already married,” Matt said, then yelped. “Holy shit!”
Lori looked at him askance. “That wasn’t me.”
“No, it was him.” Matt jerked his thumb at Adam.
“Sorry,” Adam said blandly. “I was just moving my foot.”
“You moved it bloody hard.”
Ghost smirked.
Lori smiled and sipped her drink. “How’s the book writing going, Ghost?”
The conversation fell to writing, which naturally slid to books and genres, and from there to movies. Barbie enjoyed herself immensely, feeling as at ease with the small group if she’d known them for years.
The only one who had her senses on alert, though, was Adam. He joined in the conversation, laughed, cracked a couple of jokes which actually bordered on outright obscenity, making them all giggle like kids and cast covert glances around in case anyone else had heard it, and proved to be a warm and entertaining man.
But throughout it all he maintained a calmness, as though everything around him could suddenly erupt and he’d still be sitting there, calmly taking everything in, watching. She noticed that any rowdiness drew his gaze, even while he listened to the conversation at the table. He tracked movements of certain people in the bar, aware of everything that went on in the room.
The jukebox was playing, the fast songs easing to slower tunes.
“Come on, let’s dance.” Ali stood and grabbed Ghost’s hand.
Within minutes she was in his arms, their foreheads together as they whispered and laughed. Ghost’s hand went to her lush bottom and she snuggled closer.
“We better show them that at least one of the Mackay girls is mature.” Taking Lori’s hand, Matt pulled her up.
“Oh, Matt, I don’t dance well,” she protested.
“You dance perfectly, love.”
Personally, Barbie thought Lori looked so sweet, the blush in her cheeks as Matt held her close and dropped a kiss onto her forehead before cuddling her as close against him as he could, the expression on his face that of a truly happy man. It didn’t take a genius to know that Lori was a shy person by nature, but her confidence when in Matt’s arms was a beautiful sight to behold. She literally melted against him.
That left just her and Adam sitting at the table in uncomfortable silence. Or at least it was uncomfortable for her, whereas he just sat there with that damned steady gaze on her.
Lifting her glass, she took a sip of orange juice, returning it to the table to run her fingertips up and down the sides, slipping through the condensation. Unable to take the silence any longer, she looked up, intending to ask him what was wrong, only to find him tracking someone behind her with his gaze.
Going by the way his eyes grew harder, whoever it was obviously didn’t meet with his approval. She started to turn around, only to find someone standing beside her with a calloused hand held out.
Startled, she looked up to find Bruce smiling down at her.
“How about a dance, Barbie?” he asked easily.
It was such a relief to see a friendly face after Adam’s unnerving silence that she gladly put her hand in his and rose to her feet. “All yours, Bruce.”
Laughing, he swung her out onto the dance floor just as the music picked up tempo.
Dancing being one of her favourite past-times, Barbie gave herself up to the music and friendly company, chatting with him as they whirled and parted, laughing at his twinkling eyes and mischievous grin.
Bruce was light on his feet, adept at dancing, and when the music changed to a slighter slower tune but still with a lively beat, he twirled Barbie out before bringing her against him quickly so that she landed with a thump against his body.
“Okay.” She regained her breath, grinning up at him. “You’re into rough dancing.”
“I just like to keep my dance partner happy.” He winked. “So, Ms Declan, you kind of being my boss, am I allowed to hold you this close?”
Liking him, but not particularly comfortable at being plastered up against his body, well-built or not, Barbie put a bit of space between them. “Hmm, well, Henry is technically your boss. I’m just paying him, so I guess on one hand you could, however,” she shook her head, “I don’t know you well enough to dance too close, Mr Bruce.”
“Mr Bruce?” Not in the least offended, he laughed. “How quaint.”
He whirled her out and back in, and this time she firmly placed one hand against his chest to ensure there was a little distance between them. “So, Bruce, how long have you worked for Henry?”
“About six months.”
“Where were you from before then?” Determined to keep things polite and friendly, not wanting this to turn into anything else though she had a feeling it wouldn’t take much for him, she engaged him in conversation.
Whirling her through the other dancers, he pondered her question. “Well, let’s see, I travelled around a bit. From here I went to Melbourne, to Sydney, then up to Surfer’s Paradise and a few towns in-between. But I came back home here, kind of missed the place.”
“Girlfriend?”
He quirked a brow at her. “Would I be dancing with you if that was so?”
“You tell me.”
“I’m not that kind of bloke, Barbie.” Smiling, he spun her in a circle and weaved her around the couples on the dance floor.
She was surprised that he’d actually chosen to dance with her, seeing as how he had to be at least five years her junior, then again, maybe he was just looking to have a good time. A laugh and quick shag, then off to younger and far slimmer pastures. Huh. Been awhile since she’d run herself down like that. Mental head slap.
“So, do you go away much now?” She queried.
“Now and again, if I feel the need.” He looked down at her. “You?”
“My family are in the city.’
He frowned. “So you really are alone out at the house?”
Her natural caution had her shrugging. “It’s not that isolated.”
“You need to get an alarm system. I can get one for you.”
“It’s an old house.”
“And you’re a woman alone. It’s not safe.”
“I have pepper spray, and I’m not afraid to use it,” she lied, just in case he decided to talk to other people, softening her warning with a friendly smile.
“Isn’t pepper spray illegal?”
“No idea, I just have one.” She paused. “Dad always made sure we were well protected.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “Wise man.” He winked again. “Pretty girl like you needs protection.”
Now she was starting to feel uncomfortable.
They went around the floor a few more times and the song changed to a slower one. Couples either left the floor or pressed close together for a more romantic dance.
Uh-oh. Not wanting the same treatment, she started to pull away. “Thanks for the dance, but I-”
His hold just tightened, not enough for anyone around them to notice, but enough for her to feel the determination he had to keep her close. “No boyfriend?”
“Bruce, I-”
“No one to have to face if I ask you out?”
That caught her by surprise, but not as much as when Adam suddenly appeared behind Bruce, towering over the smaller man. Tapping him on the shoulder, he gave Bruce a hard look when he turned around. “Yeah, me.”
Bruce gaped, which made two of them, because Barbie could only stare in astonishment at Adam as he neatly inserted himself between her and Bruce, forcing the other man to either back away quickly or stumble.
The lighting dimmed and it would have been almost romantic being held in strong arms, cradled against a tall, muscular body, simply surrounded by strength, except it was Adam’s arms in which she was held.
“Um…” she began, flustered.
Tilting his head down, he smiled slightly. “Rescue job.”
“Pardon?”
“He wasn’t going to let you go.”
She tried to ignore the little fissure of disappointment at his words. “Ah, doing the protecting bit.”
“You could say that.” Inclining his head slightly, he studied her expression.
Swearing he could see right into her mind, she glanced away.
He didn’t say anything further, just steered her gently to the music. When she attempted a small step away, he simply reeled her in a little closer.
Why his hold should be any different to Bruce’s was beyond her, except that whereas Bruce’s embrace made her a little uncomfortable, Adam’s hold was…well, she couldn’t say it relaxed her, but it made her feel safe.
Had to be the cop thing.
When he continued to simply dance slowly with her to the music, Barbie decided that she had to do more than simply look at the front of his shirt, so she looked up to find him watching her calmly. “Um…we can head back to the table now.”
He surprised her by asking, “Do you want to?”
Truth be told, no. It had been a long time since she’d felt so protected, and Adam smelled good. His strength made her feel safe, his very height and breadth had her feeling unaccustomedly smaller, his warmth had her edging just a little closer, and corny as it sounded, he smelled good. Clean male scent, faint cologne, soap.
To heck with it. Barbie decided to indulge herself just for the length of the song. There couldn’t be much left, anyway. “Actually, no.”
“Good.” With that, Adam drew her right up against him.
Oh God, her softer body seemed to meld to every hard swell of his muscles, making her so aware of him. Every shift of his body had a muscle flexing somewhere, and his fingers, holy heck, his fingers of one hand had somehow entwined with hers without her realising. His hand rested in the lower arch of her back, fingers spreading out warmly.
Oh yeah, he smelled good and he felt good.
The lights on the dance floor were dim, the music was soft, and she’d never felt more contented, as though her worries could drift away in his strong embrace.
He’s just being nice, making sure Bruce doesn’t come near. Regardless of her thoughts, his body beckoned to her, the gentle pressure of his hand on her back pressing her just that little bit closer if it was even possible, and with a small sigh of contentment, Barbie relaxed against him.
The song finished, slid into another, and still they kept dancing slowly, another song coming and going. Adam made no move to stop, to leave the dance floor, or to relinquish his hold on her.
Drifting in a haze of pleasure, it was only when the lights brightened and music picked up tempo that she realised that she’d actually been resting her cheek on his chest, and when she slowly lifted her head to glance up, it was to find that Adam had his head bent over hers.
They looked at each other and for a few seconds everything vanished, the music, the lights, the happy voices and laughter, until it seemed as though it was only she and Adam standing in their own little world.
“Don’t often see you dancing, Adam,” an amused voice said from nearby. “Must be snowing in Hell.”
The spell between them broke like a popped bubble, Adam turning to face the speaker. Keeping his arm around Barbie, he drew her with him so that she was standing beside him facing the speaker.
A man about Adam’s age with brown hair and twinkling blue eyes looked at Barbie. “Hi, I’m Brandon, a workmate of Adam’s.”
“Barbie.” She shook his hand, liking him immediately.
“Yeah, I know. Kind of hard to miss, being the new girl in town.”
“Ah.” She smiled and started to shift, only to feel Adam’s arm tighten around her waist, though he didn’t look at her as he spoke to Brandon.
Not having much choice except to either wait politely or struggle to get free, she stood tucked into Adam’s side, feeling conspicuous, especially when she saw some openly curious stares from some of the people.
Actually, make that a lot of stares. At least they had the good manners to look away when she met their gazes.
“So what miracle had you out on the dance floor?” Brandon asked Adam.
“No miracle,” Adam replied calmly.
“And with the woman who tried to drown you with my milkshake, no less.” Brandon grinned widely. “You failed, I might add, Barbie.”
“You think?” She grinned back.
“Yep. Oh wait.” Brandon held up one finger. “Instead of arresting you for assault with a sloppy weapon, is Adam dancing with you as punishment?”
“I don’t think it’s punishment, he’s a pretty good dancer. Better than me, actually.”
“Oh, I doubt that. I saw you cutting up the floor with that painter until Adam muscled his way in.” Brandon punched Adam on the arm. “Jealous much?”
“Big mouth much?” Adam returned.
“I’m a cop. I observe things.” Brandon tapped his temple. “I know things.”
“I think you’re starting to short circuit.” Adam glanced around. “Where’s Tessa?”
“She’s getting the drinks.”
“You’re all class.”
“Hey, she offered.” Brandon looked at Barbie. “Settling in all right?”
Not really wanting to repeat yet again that she wasn’t moving to Peeron permanently, Barbie simply smiled. “Yes. Everything is getting done.”
“Good, good. Liven the place up.” Brandon grinned widely at Adam, who simply looked levelly at him. “Ah, here’s Tessa now.” Brandon turned to a redheaded, slim woman who handed him a glass of beer. “Tessa, this is Barbie. She’s staying at the old Declan place.”
Introductions were made, pleasantries exchanged for several minutes before Adam looked down at Barbie. “Ready to go?”
“Yes.” She smiled at Tessa and Brandon. “Nice to meet you both.”
“Same here,” Tessa replied. “I’ll see you around.”
Adam steered her over to the table where Ghost, Ali, Lori and Matt getting ready to leave.
“Work in the morning,” Ali explained. “Unlike Ghost, I can’t work in my pyjamas.”
“And I’ve just got a call to inform me that Hamish is unwell, so I’m pulling early shift on the ambulance instead of late shift.” Matt sighed. “I was looking forward to a sleep in.”
“Never mind,” Lori said. “I’ll snuggle with Dougie instead.”
“Lucky fur ball.”
Barbie expected Adam to release her as they walked, but he kept his arm around her, only shifting it when they went through the door, though he kept his hand on the small of her back right up until they got to the cars. He stayed with her until everyone was gone and she had started her car.
She looked up at him standing quietly by the window. “Thanks for the rescue job.”
“Anytime.” His deep voice slid through her like warm chocolate.
It had to be the lingering effects of having him so close to her. “You’re a good dancer,” she offered, wanting to say something as he continued to just watch her, the shadows making his expression unreadable.
Bending down, he placed one hand on the window sill and looked in at her.
Unsure what to expect, she could only look back at him, startled when he reached out suddenly, his thumb trailing down her cheek before he suddenly straightened abruptly. “I’ll follow you home.”
Of all the things she thought he might
have been going to say, this caught her off-guard. “What?”
“I’ll see you safely inside.”
Tyring to gather her scattered thoughts at his unexpected touch, she started to object. “Oh, Adam, no need. I have the security lights and-”
“I’ll follow you.” He strode to his car.
Totally bemused, she could only shake her head and drive off, his headlights in her rear view mirror. True to his words, he followed her all the way home, his car idling in the driveway as she parked the Laser in the garage and unlocked the door. When she glanced back at him, he still waited, so she gave him a quick wave, not really knowing what else to do, before closing and locking the door behind her.
Fred and Barney were sitting in the doorway of the kitchen like two disapproving fathers awaiting an errant daughter’s arrival home.
“Hey.” She dropped the keys onto the hall table. “Something really weird happened tonight.” They didn’t look impressed. “Adam touched me. On the cheek. For no reason.”
She couldn’t stop the little grin that curved her mouth. Call her a sap, but that touch following his protective embrace had struck a cord deep inside her.
Barney shot his leg up and proceeded to wash his manly bits.
“I know you’re not impressed, but I’m- ” What? She blinked. Actually, she didn’t really know.
Now that she thought about it, did Adam maybe feel sorry for her? Maybe - and this was a bit of an ick factor - see her as Melissa’s kid sister? Oh no. That made her wonder why he’d even bothered to save her from Bruce’s intent to press a date on her.
Because he’s a cop. He’s a naturally protective man. He’s always been a gentleman when it comes to women.
Basically, she wasn’t sure what to think of the whole evening. Maybe he was just ensuring that Bruce would see his gesture and not bother her further. Yeah, that was probably it.
With a sigh she had no business heaving, Barbie went to bed.
While her brain told her Adam was just being Adam, her body told her that he was a hunk that left her thighs damp when she awoke the next morning from some really erotic dreams. The fact that the dream involved handcuffs and a really strong hand was something she refused to contemplate.
A cold shower was pretty effective at taking away any lingering heat. Or so she told herself as she readied the massage room for her first client of the day.
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