Kate Ward sat at the bar and sipped her drink. She had no idea why she’d given in to the stranger’s request for her to have a drink with him. It was unlike her to take a risk, but there was something about the way Colt had helped her friends that made her feel like she could join him for one drink and a few minutes of casual conversation. But that was all.

It didn’t matter that Colt was a lean, muscular, six-foot tall man with brown hair that made her want to run her fingers through it. Or the fact that she hadn’t had sex in years. She’d given up the idea of a real relationship long ago. Not only did she have a four-year-old that needed her undivided attention, she couldn’t promise anyone a long-term commitment when the dangers of her past lurked in the shadows all around her. She knew that she might have to drop everything and leave Virginia Beach with her daughter at a moment’s notice. She couldn’t imagine meeting someone whom she’d trust with that information, so she simply kept the men she did meet at a safe distance away, emotionally speaking.

“So, Kate, have you lived in Virginia Beach long?” Colt asked. He was turned in his stool to face her completely, while she continued to face the bar.

She angled her head toward him and smiled. “No personal talk, remember?”

“Oh, that’s right.” He looked up toward the ceiling, then back at her. “Okay, then. How about we start with… do you like the ocean?”

“There are people who don’t?”

“That’s what I always say,” Colt said. “Do you get irritated by the cold weather when living on the beach?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “I just throw on more clothes.” Truth was, she didn’t care if it was below freezing or ninety degrees Fahrenheit, she loved living near the ocean.

He smiled, obviously liking her answer. “Okay, your turn. Ask me anything.”

“Anything, huh?” She swirled the skinny black straw around in her drink, then turned her body toward him. Her knees knocked against his. “You’re not from this area. Are you in town for business or pleasure?

He seemed to think about it.

“Was that too personal?” She drew back slightly, which caused him to lay a hand on her knee.

“No, that wasn’t too personal. I just had to think about it for a second. I guess I’m here mostly for pleasure, but there’s always the chance that business might creep into my plans a little.”

She stared at his hand for a second, thought about shifting away from his touch, but decided not to. She was almost done with her drink.

“My turn. Why weren’t you partying like your friends? You seemed to be the only one who didn’t need a ride home.”

There was something so kind in the way Colt was looking at her, but there was no way she was going to tell him that she stayed sober because she never knew when her daughter might need to come home. She was at a sleepover with her preschool friend, and though this wasn’t Sarah’s first sleepover, she wanted to be available. “It’s just not my thing—to drink like that. Don’t get me wrong,” she quickly added. “I’m fine with them having fun. I’m not self-righteous or anything”—not by a long shot—“but I like to keep a clear head and wake up in the mornings with an even clearer head. So, it’s just a couple for me tonight—one with my friends and one now.” She swirled the ice around in her nearly empty glass.

Colt looked down at his almost empty beer bottle and frowned. His sexy-as-hell appearance made her want to break all of her own rules, but it was the way he made her feel like she was the only person in the entire bar when he spoke to her that made her want to touch the hand resting on her knee. His eyes met Kate’s again. “Is it too cold for a walk on the beach?”

She started to answer with a quick and obvious ‘no,’ but he cut her off. “I flew here today from the west coast, so I’m not even close to ready to turn in all by myself. I’m only here for a few days, but I’m enjoying your company, and I would love it if you would walk with me. Please. If it’s too cold, I’ll walk you home or put you in an Uber or whatever you want.”

He was rambling. She suppressed a smile at his desperate—in a cute way—plea. Colt seemed extremely nice. If he wasn’t, she knew she could handle herself. And she loved the beach at night. “I guess I could use to walk off the drink before I head home.” She pulled her phone from her jacket pocket to verify her daughter, in fact, hadn’t tried to call her.

“Great.” Colt’s expression lit up with boyish excitement that Kate found charming and more than a little flattering.

After paying his tab, he gestured for Kate to lead the way. He placed a warm hand to her lower back in a friendly gesture as they exited the bar. Because her jacket was cropped, his hand slipped easily enough just under the jacket, leaving just a thin layer of fabric between it and her skin.

They exited the bar, and when they reached the entrance to the beach, she removed her heels so that she could walk barefoot in the sand. The sand was cold, and she wasn’t sure how long she would be able to endure the dropping temperatures.

He must have felt it, too, because he removed his light jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

“Oh, no,” Kate protested. “You’re not wearing enough clothes. You need your jacket.”

“I’m fine, but I don’t want you to tell me it’s too cold for this walk.”

She scanned the boardwalk and the beach. There weren’t a lot of people around, thanks to the cooler weather, most likely, and she long ago made it a habit to always be fully aware of her surroundings. She regularly envisioned Jake, her brother, or one of the other members of the motorcycle club she grew up around slipping out from the shadows, pinning her arms behind her back and whispering in her ear that she had nowhere to run. “This is a bad idea.”

He followed her line of vision down the boardwalk and back. “You’re trembling. What are you scared of? Me?” He sounded taken aback, and she could see the hurt on his handsome face.

“No. Yes.” Her eyes slammed shut. “I’m not afraid of you. But like I said earlier. This had to be just one drink and nothing more.” She glanced downward toward his lips and quickly back up.

“I don’t think so,” he said in a gentle tone and took a step closer to her. The smell of his shower gel made her lean even closer. “You wanted to walk with me. Maybe it’s too cold for that walk, but I think you’d like to spend a little more time with me. Something spooked you. What was it?”

She wanted to spend more time with him. He was the first man in a long time that showed interest in her without pushing multiple drinks on her. He seemed genuinely interested in getting to know her even if it was only short-term and even if it had been held to non-personal information. “It was nothing.” She pulled back. “You don’t even know me.”

“I know enough.” He scooped up her hand and rubbed it between his. “I know that you love the beach. That you care enough about your friends to make sure they make it home safely after a night of fun. I know that you like basketball, but that you put your friends before tonight’s game.”

Her eyes widened. “What makes you say that?”

“I noticed you tonight. You were silently cheering on Gonzaga to beat North Carolina, but you tried not to let your friends see you watching the game.”

“The night wasn’t about me; it was about my friend getting married.”

“Exactly. You care about people and would do anything for your friends.”

“Yes, but—”

He dropped her hand and slid his to the small of her back. “I can tell when a woman is attracted to me. And I’m sure as hell attracted to you. All of the reasons I just mentioned just kind of knocked me over. Like a damn ocean wave in the surf. I’m not ready to say goodbye to you. If not a walk on the beach, how about another drink? Coffee?”

“Coffee won’t help you sleep tonight.”

“But if that’s what it will take to get you to stay with me a bit longer…”

She angled her head, studied him. She watched the way the scar just above his lip twitched. The way his hazel green eyes seemed to pierce hers and see much more than made her comfortable. He was damn attractive. And he was only here for a few days. She was so going to regret this, but before she could stop herself, she said, “I know a place.”