To Cecily Baker,
being unattached means making her own decisions, living by her own rules, and
never answering to anyone. So when her sister drags her to a singles night at a
local club—and then ditches her—it only strengthens Cecily’s conviction that
dating just isn’t for her.
Pulling double duty
as a bouncer and a bartender, Rafe Serento has seen a parade of beautiful women
walk through the doors of Electric Mist, but he’s never met anyone like Cecily.
Lovely in every sense of the word, and just as stubborn, she challenges
everything he thought he wanted in a relationship.
The more Cecily
pushes him away, though, the harder Rafe pushes back, and unless they find some
common ground, they’ll both end up Alone.
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EXCERPT
“About four years
now.” The tightness in her voice testified to her level of pain, but Cecily
didn’t complain as she limped beside him. “Thank you, by the way. I’m sure this
isn’t how you planned to spend your night.”
“Oh, I don’t know. I
like to think I’m something of a superhero. Leaping tall buildings, racing
bullets, and helping beautiful damsels in distress. It’s all in the job
description.”
Cecily laughed at
his lame joke, a deep, throaty chuckle that tripped his pulse into a gallop. “Mild
mannered bouncer by night, milder mannered superhero by later night? Sounds
intriguing.”
“Yeah, but it’s not
all fun and games.” The breeze shifted, bringing with it the faint scent of
floral perfume mixed with just a hint of vodka. “I mean, where do you even find
a phone booth in this town?”
Nearing the
crosswalk, Cecily pulled him to a stop and leaned heavily against his side.
“Just one second, okay? Sorry about this.”
He could tell her
not to apologize for something she had no control over, but Rafe had a feeling
anything he said would fall on deaf ears. “I’m not in any hurry,” he answered
instead. “I don’t have anywhere to be, and it’s not like I’ve got someone
waiting up for me.”
“So you live alone?”
Cecily sounded nothing more than mildly curious as she reached over to drop her
shoes into the nearby trashcan. “I really liked those shoes,” she mumbled
offhandedly. “They hurt like hell, but they were pretty.”
“I’m sorry for your
loss. We’ll look into grief counseling in the morning.”
Cecily’s husky
laughter ended abruptly when she sucked in a sharp breath through gritted
teeth. “Light’s green. I’m ready.” She held a little tighter to his arm as they
crossed the street, allowing him to support just a bit more of her weight. “You
never did answer. About living alone?”
“Miss Baker, are you
flirting with me? Trying to get me all to yourself?”
“I already have you
to myself, Mr. Serento, but don’t worry. I promise not to take advantage.”
The Garden
Apartments loomed just ahead, windows illuminated with soft amber lights or
flickering with the glow of television sets. “Almost there. How you doing?”
“It hurts.” Cecily
pulled his wool coat more securely around herself as she limped along beside
him. “I’ll live, though. I think you were on to something with that bed rest
and aspirin plan.”
Neither of them
spoke again as they made their way along the canal to the complex. The silence
was peaceful, not awkward or uncomfortable, and Rafe felt a small pang of
disappointment when they finally reached their destination.
“Here we are, safe
and sound as promised.” He gazed up at the wall of windows. “Tell me you’re not
on the fifth floor.”
Ducking her head,
Cecily tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and bit down on her bottom lip.
“I’m on the fifth floor.”
“Well, okay.” In one
fluid motion, he swept Cecily into his arms and strode toward the steps.
Cecily squealed, a
sound he didn’t think her capable of making, and swatted him in the back of the
head. “What the hell are you doing?”
“How else do you
plan to make it up five flights of stairs?”
“Shut up.” With a
disgruntled, though adorable, growl, she settled into his arms and stopped squirming.
“Are you always like this?”
“Like what?”
“Logical.”
“Oh, absolutely
not.” Rafe shook his head as he ascended the third flight of steps. “Probably
ninety percent of the shit I say makes no sense whatsoever.”
“You’re not like
most guys.”
It sounded like a
compliment. She looked thoughtful instead of disgusted when she said it. I’m going to take it as a compliment.
“Do you need help
getting settled?” he asked when they reached the landing on the top floor.
He expected her
stubborn pride to make a comeback, so he was pleasantly surprised when she
nodded and pointed toward her apartment door.
“If you don’t mind,
I’d appreciate it.” Cecily paused and tilted her head to the side. “You’re not
a serial killer, right?”
“Or a prude?”
“Uh…” The air
suddenly felt thick and suffocating, and heat crawled up Rafe’s neck to his
cheeks. “Why do you ask?”
Pushing the lapels
of his jacket aside, she licked her full lips while her green eyes danced with
what he could only assume was mischief. “My apartment key…” Cecily skimmed her
fingers along the swell of her left breast and reached into the plunging
neckline of her dress to produce a sing, gold key. “Ta-da.”
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