pushed them away. “I not sure, but I’ll keep you posted. It was good seeing you again, Mar.”
“You too. I’m glad you stopped in.”
As Nadya got into the car, she scanned the street to see if J.T. was around. There were a few old duffers sitting on a bench under a tree and a woman pushing a baby in a stroller, but no signs of a police car. It was probably better that way. The day had been emotionally exhausting, and she still had to drive an hour back to the hotel.
As Dale faded in her rearview mirror, she was surprised to feel a pang of wistfulness. Who’d have thought she’d missed this place after all?
Chapter Four
J.T. watched Nadya climb out of the pool as he drank his beer at the poolside tiki bar. He wasn’t the only one watching her, either. The tiny scrap of a bikini she wore on her luscious body pretty much ensured she had the attention of every man with a pulse in the vicinity.
Water streamed from her long hair and dripped down her back as she crossed to a lounge chair and grabbed a towel. He was glad to see she hadn’t cut the wild curls. With the way she’d had it all pinned up nice and neat earlier, he hadn’t been able to tell.
He took a long gulp of beer, hoping it would cool off the fire burning through him. He’d been on the edge of arousal ever since she’d stepped out of the car. Seeing her in her bathing suit was doing nothing to help his condition. For God’s sake, he was thirty years old. He shouldn’t be sporting a woody just from seeing an attractive woman climb out of the pool.
Just the same, he needed to calm himself down before he called himself to her attention. Watching her bend over and dry her hair wasn’t helping.
Come on, man, pull yourself together.
Nadya slipped a loose dress over her head and stepped into her sandals. If he was going to make his move, it’d better be now. J.T. leaned back casually against the teak bar and waited for her to come closer. She had her phone in her hand and wasn’t paying attention to the trail of drooling men she left in her wake.
“Nice form. Did you join the swim team in college?”
Her head snapped up and zeroed in on him like she had radar. A smile crossed her face as she skirted two little boys in water wings and joined him at the bar. “Well, Officer McBride, are you working undercover? I didn’t think you had jurisdiction in Canton.”
“Nope, I’m off duty for the next three days, and I thought I’d come down to the big city and get myself a drink. I’ve got a powerful thirst.” With her hair curling as it dried and no makeup on, she looked younger, more vulnerable than she had in her business clothes.
“They don’t sell Budweiser in Dale? I’m pretty sure I saw some at the store.”
“That wasn’t the only thing I was thirsty for.” He took a long pull on the bottle and let his gaze run up and down her body.
She raised an eyebrow and fixed him with a look that would freeze a weaker man in his tracks. “I’m glad you got your beer. You may have to content yourself with that.”
J.T. laughed out loud. “Damn, but you always were quick. Really, I came to see if you wanted to go out to dinner. We never did go out on a real date.”
“You mean getting ice cream at the Tasty Treat and then making out in your daddy’s Buick didn’t count as a date?”
“Not that that wasn’t fun, but I was thinking something more along the lines of a nice Italian restaurant and maybe some dancing.”
“I am not line dancing.”
“Why don’t we start with dinner and see where it leads?”
She seemed to consider the idea, her face carefully blank. “What the hell? It might be nice to take a trip down memory lane.”
“I was thinking more along the lines of making new memories, but whatever works.”
Her face softened. “J.T., I’m not going to be here long. I’m just in Georgia to wrap up some loose ends after Mama’s death. I’ll be headed back to New York when I’ve finished my business.”
“I figured as much. I was just looking to enjoy the time you were here.”