CHAPTER THIRTEEN

LIAM

Shit. I was nervous. 

Nothing made me nervous. Except for the fact that this was the first date I’d be willingly going on in several years. And no one even set me up for it. 

When I picked up the phone to find Hazel on the other line, I couldn’t stop grinning from ear to ear. I hardly expected her to call me at all, let alone the same day I sent the flowers.

Thank you, Dahlia.

Even if this date, our first actual real date, didn’t end in my bedroom, I’d be perfectly okay with that. I was most looking forward to learning about the girl I couldn’t stop thinking about since I first laid eyes on her. I tried to make that clear when we talked on the phone. 

“I’d like to take you out on a proper date,” I said, pacing back and forth on my back patio. The word date felt strange in my mouth. “And not a repeat of when we first met, necessarily.” 

“Necessarily,” she repeated. I swore I could hear a smile in her voice and my cock twitched excitedly. 

I decided on a silky, dark blue button-up shirt that matched my eyes and did a quick check of my face, hair, and smell before heading out the door. 

My heart fluttered nervously as I started up my car and pulled out of the garage. I felt like a damn teenager. I didn't even remember feeling this nervous when I first met Katie. 

A few minutes later I pulled up to the Forsyth house. Early evening darkness settled over the world and the light from inside the house glowed warmly. 

I knocked three times and waited. After a few seconds, a man rivaling my size with dark hair and green eyes opened the door. 

"Evening, Asher," I greeted, extending my hand. 

His eyes flashed for a moment but he accepted my handshake and returned it firmly. 

"Evening, officer. Hazel's still getting ready. I think my wife's helping her." 

I nodded. He didn't invite me in so I remained where I stood. As a man, I could understand being protective of your private space, especially if your sister and pregnant wife lived there. 

"Ash, what the hell!" A voice called from inside the house. "Let him in, for fuck's sake. Don't be rude." 

"It's alright, Dahlia," another voice called. "I'm all set to go." 

Asher turned to the side, allowing full view of his sister in a sexy but tasteful green dress to fill my vision. 

Hazel made my breath stop. Her long dark, hair cascaded in shiny waves over her shoulders, spilling over the top of the V-neck dress that opened just at the top of her breasts. The dress, matching her green eyes, hugged all her curves until it reached her hips where it flared out and ended at her knee. 

Her calf muscle flexed delicately as she pulled on a pair of ankle boots before standing to greet me. 

"Hey," she said. 

"Hey," I barely choked out, feeling absolutely speechless. 

"I want her home by midnight," Asher joked, yanking me out of my stupor. 

"Oh god fuck off, Ash," Hazel muttered as she passed through the doorway. "You remember you're my little brother, right?" 

"Still bigger than you," he shot back before kissing her cheek. "Have a good time, guys." 

Hazel nestled into my side as the door closed and we descended the front porch. My hand flew instinctively to her lower back. 

"I apologize for him," she said as we got into my car. "He's already getting into father mode." 

"Not a problem," I replied as I eased the car back on the road. "I respect your brother a lot. It's a good trait of a man to be protective."

She smiled, looking a bit coy. "At least he doesn't have major trust issues with cops anymore." 

"Lots of those old school guys are retiring out," I replied. Thankfully the ones who tried to get Ash falsely convicted were already long gone. "The younger generation coming in doesn't want to make the same mistakes their parents made."

And hopefully, I won't have to keep my skeletons in the closet for much longer, I thought.

I pulled up to Vino Veritas, the downtown wine bar. A popular lounge singer was scheduled to perform tonight so the place would be packed. 

Being a law enforcement officer had its perks, though. My dad was good friends with the owners, who scored us a great table reservation.

When the valet drove away with my car, I got my first true, unobstructed view of Hazel that evening. 

"You look beautiful," I breathed.

She smiled a gorgeous, red-lipped smile and cast her eyes downward shyly, her thick dark lashes sweeping over her cheekbones. 

Fuck me, I needed to bring her home with me if she kept looking and smiling like that.

"You look really nice too," she said quietly, slipping her hand into mine. Her soft, delicate fingers felt as fragile as bird wings in my giant, calloused paws. 

Eager to not let go, I gently led her through the throng of people gathered outside the wine bar and gave my name to the hostess. She smiled at us both and led us back through the building to a cozy booth facing the center stage. 

"Wow, this is a great view!" Hazel exclaimed as we slid into our seats.

"Yes, it is," I agreed, although I wasn't talking about the show. 

My eyes roamed shamelessly over her thighs and hips sitting so close to me, slowly trailing up to take in her waist, the swells of her perfect breasts, then her shoulders, neck, and lips. 

Already I was rock hard and knew I wouldn't last through the entire performance before needing to relieve some mounting pressure. 

"Let's get a bottle and some appetizers," I suggested, looking through the menu in an attempt to distract myself. "Do you prefer red or white?"

"Red, usually," she replied. "I only drink whites if the mood strikes." 

"My kinda girl. Red it is," I said with a grin. "What kind of mood do you have to be in for white wine?" 

"When I feel like pretending to be an old lady with white hair and I gotta have my chardonnay with ice cubes in it."

The laughter and mental picture hit me so suddenly, my guffaws echoed across the mostly empty room. We were both still giggling by the time a waiter came around to us and I struggled to maintain composure while putting in our order.

It had been ages since I laughed liked that and I loved seeing that playfulness come out in Hazel. That joke set the mood for the rest of the evening. 

As the main room filled in with people and the music started up, we kept chatting and laughing over our wine and bruschetta, lost in our own little world.

I felt my own walls crumbling and sensed hers did as well as we bantered and flirted with ease. The only thing I didn't mention was Katie. Truthfully, I never even thought about her while I was with Hazel. I was determined to leave her in the past and fully enjoy the present. 

Before I knew it, our bottle of wine was gone and the first intermission began, not that either of us was paying attention. 

I couldn't tell who initiated the kiss. I swore we both did, leaning naturally into each other during a lull in our conversation to connect physically for the first time that night. 

She tasted wonderful. The wine coating our tongues added a berry flavor to the already sweet, warm sensations of her lips and mouth. 

I closed my eyes and just savored her, at some point pulling her into my lap and exploring the sweet sensations of her mouth and her skin. 

My hands hid under her skirt and gripped her bare thighs as she moved to straddle me. I hesitated, waiting to see from her how far she wanted to go. 

Her answer came in the form of pressing her hot, soaking pussy against the stiff tent in my pants. 

We moaned in unison, riding the same wave of lust and dying to catch the next one. 

"Wanna get out of here?" I asked, my voice husky with need. 

"Yes, please," she whispered against my ear before biting me there. "Just let me freshen up in the ladies room." 

"Hurry on up." I grabbed a lush handful of her ass before she climbed off my lap, straightening her clothes out as she walked hurriedly toward the restrooms. 

I gulped down a glass of ice water and adjusted my cock in my pants before deciding to stand and wait by the door. 

The bathrooms faced the main wine bar, where a few patrons sat with their drinks. 

One of them looked straight at me and my heart nearly stopped. 

I recognized him instantly. A huge, muscle-bound man with slicked back hair and tattoos decorating from his hands to his neck. Even the white dress shirt and dark slacks didn't offer any kind of disguise. 

I leaned against the bar casually near him, not looking in his direction. 

"The fuck are you doing here, Solomon?" I asked gruffly under my breath. 

He smiled widely, completely unabashed about being seen talking to me. 

"What, can't a dirty gangster like me enjoy a classy evening once in a while?" He swirled the wine in his glass for emphasis and took a delicate sip. "Ahhh. Even I can appreciate the bountiful harvest of the Napa Valley." 

"Did you follow me here?" 

"Get over yourself, man," he scoffed. "I'm not interested in dick, not even cop dick. It's a small town, in case you forgot. We're bound to run into each other here and there." 

"Is everything still as it should be?" 

"Running as smooth as a porn star's pussy," he said at full volume, the wily smile never leaving his face as a few people glanced over. "You ain't got a thing to worry about." 

"Keep it that way." 

I moved away from him the moment the door to the ladies' room opened and Hazel stepped out, still flushed from our hot, teasing session earlier. 

Grabbing her by the hand, we stepped outside into the cool, evening air together.