Sweet Harmony (Harmony Falls #1) - Elizabeth Kelly Page 0,37

him?” Kira asked. “Jesse’s a sweetheart and it’s obvious he likes you.”

“He’s not my type,” Grace said dismissively.

The door opened and a group of giggling women walked in. They headed for the stalls, and Grace grabbed her purse off the counter. “C’mon, we’ve been in here so long, the guys will think we’ve ditched them.”

They left the bathroom and headed back to their table. The Thirsty Beaver Pub was the biggest pub in Harmony Falls and its laid-back atmosphere and casual décor drew in a variety of people from college students to seniors.

Kira sat down next to Connor. While she was gone, he had pulled her empty chair over until it was almost touching his. Her thigh brushed against his, but before she could shift over, his hand dropped on the back of her neck, anchoring her in place. He was listening to Jesse and Ethan, another firefighter, arguing good-naturedly about some brand of beer, but his fingers kneaded the muscles of her neck with slow deliberateness.

She hesitated and then rested her hand on his thigh, wondering if he would move his leg away from her touch. He turned to her and gave her a lazy grin. He leaned forward and brushed his mouth against hers in a light caress that made her nipples peak.

“Hey,” he said.

“Uh, hi,” she replied.

“Did you want another beer?” His fingers found a tense spot and massaged a little harder.

She bit back her moan of pleasure. “Um, no, I’m good. I don’t actually drink that much.”

“So, doll, how did you and the doc start dating anyway?” Daniel was sitting across from them and he leaned forward, resting his beefy arms on the table. “He’s not exactly your type.”

“How would you know?” Grace said. She was sitting on the other side of Kira and she gave Daniel a stiff smile. “You don’t know anything about Connor.”

Daniel grinned at her. “Good point, Gracie-Lou.”

“Don’t call me that,” she said.

“Why don’t you tell us about your new… boyfriend, Kira?” Daniel said.

“I can tell my own life story, thanks,” Connor said.

His body was tensing, and Kira rubbed his thigh. “I told you, Connor is my dentist. I met him at the office.”

“And no,” Connor said before Daniel could say anything, “it isn’t illegal to date my patients.”

“Right.” Daniel gave Jesse a nudge. “And here I thought being a firefighter would get us the ladies. Turns out dentistry is the way to go.”

He turned to Connor. “I guess the ladies just like having you in their mouth, huh?”

“Don’t be a pig, Daniel,” Grace said.

“Kira loves it when I talk dirty, isn’t that right, doll?”

“Uh…” Kira had no idea what to say. Daniel flirted with her occasionally, but he never talked dirty to her.

Connor’s hand tightened on the back of her neck before releasing. “It’s getting late. Are you ready to go, Kira?”

She nodded. The tension radiating from both Grace and Connor was palpable and it was making her tense. “Gracie, are you leaving too?”

“Yes,” Grace said.

“I’ll just pay our tab and meet you outside, all right?” Connor said.

“Sure.” She managed not to look too surprised when Connor pressed another kiss against her mouth before standing and heading toward the bar.

She smiled at the three firefighters and grabbed her purse from under the table. “Bye, guys.”

“Bye, Kira. Grace, it was good to see you again.” Jesse gave the curvy brunette a sweet smile.

“You too, Jesse,” Grace replied. “Bye, Ethan.”

Ethan waved at them as he watched the game playing on the big screen TV hanging on the far wall.

“See ya later, doll.” Daniel’s grin widened. “Thanks for watching me play tonight.”

Kira just nodded. “Bye, Daniel.”

She followed Grace outside, taking a deep breath of the cool air as Grace gave her an irritated look. “Oh my God, Daniel was being such an ass tonight.”

“He was just teasing,” Kira said. “You know how he is.”

“Yeah,” Grace replied. “He’s a real charmer.”

“Stop it, Grace,” Kira said as they walked toward Connor’s car. “Besides, I’m hoping that he’s acting weird because he’s jealous. I mean, it’s not that far-fetched to think that maybe he does secretly -”

“Kira! Hey, Kira!”

She turned, her heart beating a little faster when she saw Daniel jogging toward them. “You got a second to talk, doll?” He glanced at Grace. “In private?”

“Sure,” Kira said. “I’ll just be a minute, Grace.”

“Yeah, I’m gonna go. Night, Kira.” Grace kissed her cheek and gave Daniel another stiff smile before heading toward her car.

Her heart thrumming like a live wire, Kira followed Daniel a few feet away.