self-consciously. “I was in a nicely hideous black dress when I looked in the mirror and heard Katie.” Tears filled and fell from her eyes, and a small smile curved her lips. “I swear I did. She was teasing me like she always did because I never dress up. Katie was always making me go shopping with her and pushing things like this dress on me. I’ve never had the guts to wear it, and she never stopped harassing me about it. So, for her…for her I wore it today.”
Brice took the time to look his fill. She was lethal. Her straightened hair was held back with some clips so the exquisite symmetry of her features was evident. He let his gaze lower past her slender neck and almost-bare shoulders, where the dress was held on by delicate straps. Her waist flowed in an hourglass curve to a flat tummy and perfectly rounded hips. He swallowed audibly when he saw that her legs looked just as tempting from the front as they did from the rear view, long, tan and slender.
He said the only thing he could think of: “You look like a walking fantasy.”
She laughed softly. “Then I did her proud, I guess. Thank you.”
“Can I help you to your seat?” he asked, hoping there would be an empty one next to it so he could stay close even though the service was all but over.
“No, it’s almost done and I couldn’t sit still any longer. Thanks, though.” She smiled at him again. He was getting hooked on those smiles.
“Well, I’ll stay here with you then and stand guard.”
“Stand guard?” she asked, puzzled.
“In this dress? You need it, even if we are in a church.”
The Surf-N-Slurp was closed to the public for the day in memory of Katie. After the service and reception, a small group of Katie’s friends and co-workers gathered at the coffee shop. More to avoid going home and facing her lonely apartment, Terryn was one of them. The café was crowded with people who she could only assume felt the same. Terryn noticed that Kent wasn’t straying far from Angie and wondered if the two of them had had an official date yet. She knew Angie pretty well and didn’t think the poor girl even realized that she was in love with him.
Terryn saw Brice head her way out of the corner of her eye and sat up a little straighter in her chair. There was just something so captivating about the man that made her sit up and pay attention. She knew that it was cliché to hook up at a time like this; people needed to reaffirm that they were alive and to find that most basic of comfort. Cliché or not, she might just see if the yummy Detective Marshall could be persuaded to take her home. He’d been kind and polite to her since he’d come to the center and told her about Katie. Right now she would give just about anything to get him to drop the detective persona and bring out the Dom she remembered from that first night. She had a suspicion that if he’d tie her up again, he could make her forget everything.
“How are you holding up?” Brice asked, taking a seat next to her. He was dressed in a black silk shirt and slacks that fit him so well they had to be tailor-made.
“Um, I’m fine.” She shrugged one shoulder and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “Well, not really. I want to say something about how I feel. But everything that comes to mind sounds shallow and stupid. No wonder everybody always says the same things when they lose someone—it’s all there is to say.” She looked into his eyes and asked him, “Do you want to know what I’ve discovered over the last three days? There are a total of five acceptable phrases.”
“Five?” he asked, reaching out to brush his fingers along her brow.
“Five,” she replied, tilting into his touch as chills raced up and down her arms. “Five sentences sum it all up. ‘I can’t believe she’s gone. She was so young. She had so much life left to live. I still can’t believe it’.” Her voice broke and she reached up to press his hand until he was
Brice took the time to look his fill. She was lethal. Her straightened hair was held back with some clips so the exquisite symmetry of her features was evident. He let his gaze lower past her slender neck and almost-bare shoulders, where the dress was held on by delicate straps. Her waist flowed in an hourglass curve to a flat tummy and perfectly rounded hips. He swallowed audibly when he saw that her legs looked just as tempting from the front as they did from the rear view, long, tan and slender.
He said the only thing he could think of: “You look like a walking fantasy.”
She laughed softly. “Then I did her proud, I guess. Thank you.”
“Can I help you to your seat?” he asked, hoping there would be an empty one next to it so he could stay close even though the service was all but over.
“No, it’s almost done and I couldn’t sit still any longer. Thanks, though.” She smiled at him again. He was getting hooked on those smiles.
“Well, I’ll stay here with you then and stand guard.”
“Stand guard?” she asked, puzzled.
“In this dress? You need it, even if we are in a church.”
The Surf-N-Slurp was closed to the public for the day in memory of Katie. After the service and reception, a small group of Katie’s friends and co-workers gathered at the coffee shop. More to avoid going home and facing her lonely apartment, Terryn was one of them. The café was crowded with people who she could only assume felt the same. Terryn noticed that Kent wasn’t straying far from Angie and wondered if the two of them had had an official date yet. She knew Angie pretty well and didn’t think the poor girl even realized that she was in love with him.
Terryn saw Brice head her way out of the corner of her eye and sat up a little straighter in her chair. There was just something so captivating about the man that made her sit up and pay attention. She knew that it was cliché to hook up at a time like this; people needed to reaffirm that they were alive and to find that most basic of comfort. Cliché or not, she might just see if the yummy Detective Marshall could be persuaded to take her home. He’d been kind and polite to her since he’d come to the center and told her about Katie. Right now she would give just about anything to get him to drop the detective persona and bring out the Dom she remembered from that first night. She had a suspicion that if he’d tie her up again, he could make her forget everything.
“How are you holding up?” Brice asked, taking a seat next to her. He was dressed in a black silk shirt and slacks that fit him so well they had to be tailor-made.
“Um, I’m fine.” She shrugged one shoulder and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “Well, not really. I want to say something about how I feel. But everything that comes to mind sounds shallow and stupid. No wonder everybody always says the same things when they lose someone—it’s all there is to say.” She looked into his eyes and asked him, “Do you want to know what I’ve discovered over the last three days? There are a total of five acceptable phrases.”
“Five?” he asked, reaching out to brush his fingers along her brow.
“Five,” she replied, tilting into his touch as chills raced up and down her arms. “Five sentences sum it all up. ‘I can’t believe she’s gone. She was so young. She had so much life left to live. I still can’t believe it’.” Her voice broke and she reached up to press his hand until he was
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