Danny had left his phone number and they never connected, fine—maybe she wasn’t interested, though fuck, that stung—but at least she had enough respect to make the rejection a private affair. However, once again, the sun-kissed strawberry-blonde shocked the shit out of him by throwing out venom instead of bullshit. The second she accused him of giving her the brush-off, the hands on the clock stopped moving, making time stand still. What the ever-loving fuck does that mean? He could have dealt with being disposed of—okay, clearly he hadn’t handled that well—but seeing confusion and disappointment on her face? Hell no.

Could he have been a bit smoother with the redheaded trouble-maker? Probably. But the chick hadn’t just messed with him, she’d messed with his girl. His girl? No, that was wrong. Yet everything about it felt right, from his thoughts straight down to the tip of his cock.

Shit, he needed to talk with Julie, and he wasn’t leaving until they did. Sparing another quick glance around the crowded bar, he walked out to the deck, laid enough bills on the table to cover the drinks and a generous tip, and informed his buddies that he’d find his own way home. Their catcalls and whistles faded as he stalked to a recently vacated stool in front of a sweaty, sexy Julie Bell.

A grin spread across Julie’s lush mouth as she untied her apron and sauntered to his side at two in the morning. “I see you decided to stick around.”

Unable to pull his stare from her lips, Danny shrugged. “Said I would.”

Chester’s had closed its doors an hour earlier, sending the staff into frenzied clean-up mode. When Julie had explained the lengthy process to Danny, he simply crossed his arms and said he’d wait. Her arched brow told him she didn’t believe him, but she didn’t need to. Danny was a man of his word, another lesson drilled into him by his father. Rich or poor, son, he’d say, the only thing of value that you ever truly have is your word—live and die by it. And Danny did.

After cleanup, Chester summoned the staff into his office for an impromptu meeting. It was quick, only about ten minutes by Danny’s count, but when the door opened and the staff ambled out, an energized buzz floated around them. They dispersed into the night, leaving only Danny, Julie, and Chester in the quiet bar.

“Sergeant,” Chester’s thick voice called.

“Yes, sir?”

“Sorry about what happened with Bertha. While it’d be easy to place all of the blame on the woman, no good man should ever have let that happen. Her actions were revolting, but I let them continue in my establishment for far too long. My fault.” The guy actually looked ashamed. “Julie there”—Chester nodded in her direction—“is a smart girl. In the short time I’ve personally known her, I’ve seen her work damn hard. She’s trustworthy and loyal, qualities that sure as shit ain’t easy to come by. Whole lot more than the pretty exterior men seem so keen to focus on. Although from where I stand, looks like I don’t need to sell her to you.” In two long strides, Chester closed the distance between them. The affection in the older man’s eyes was replaced with a hard glare. “You, on the other hand, have somethin’ to prove.”

His words were a gut punch, no doubt. The thing was, Danny had already seen past Julie’s surface. She’d already ensnared him with her wit and gentle charm. Wasn’t that why he’d come looking for her…twice?

The bar owner continued, “Respect, Sergeant. That’s all I’m saying. You respect her, and you and I will be just fine.”

Danny inclined his head. “Of course, sir.”

Chester nodded, first to Danny, then to Julie. “Take tomorrow off, girl. You haven’t had one of those since you started.”

Julie’s body stiffened. “Chester, I’m perfectly fine. I’ll—”

“That’s an order, Ms. Bell.” Chester scoffed over his shoulder before heading into his office. The click of the door effectively ended the discussion.

“So much for respect…I was supposed to work a double tomorrow,” Julie huffed as they walked out the door into the humid night air and strolled toward the well-lit parking lot behind Chester’s. She looked at Danny, and a glimmer sparked in her gray eyes as if his presence had somehow sunk in. “How did you get here tonight, Sergeant Marcus?”

“Buddies.”

Julie looked around the empty street. “And those buddies just left you behind?”

Danny’s brow lifted. “They’d never ‘just leave’ me anywhere. I told them I’d be fine, and they knew I would be.”

“So are you…fine?”

Between the husky tone of her question and the way she bit her bottom lip, Danny’s heart punched his chest. Looping his arm around her waist, he pulled her toward him and lowered his lips into her hair. The scent was reminiscent of its shade, strawberry and honey, sweet and sweat, feminine and strong, just like the woman in his arms.

“I am now,” he murmured and dropped another kiss on the crown of her head.

Slowly, Julie backed away from his embrace. The inches between them, while few, felt far and wide. Though she was the one who’d created the separation, the longing on her face hinted that maybe the distance was a defense and not a rejection. “Pretty sure of yourself, huh, Sergeant?”

He heard the tease in her question, but there was no hiding the uncertainty in her pretty gray eyes. “Ms. Bell, when it comes to you, the only thing I’m sure of is how much I missed you this week.” He reached for her hand and interlaced their fingers while extending his other arm to her chin and tilting her head back until their eyes met. “I want you. I won’t bullshit about that. Hell, I still have no clue if I’ve already had you, and it’s screwing with my goddamn head. But I promise—I give you my word—I only want to talk to you. Get to know you better. And I had no intentions of walking away from you tonight until we made that happen.” He felt his lips begin to lift as his eyes traveled from her curious eyes to her parted lips.

Skepticism was written all over her raised brows. “Are you drunk?”

“Not in the slightest.”

“Okay. How about this time, we go to my place? And just so you know, the only screwing that happened between us is what’s going on in your head.”

Her admission stunned him, but that was followed immediately by relief. While there was no way to change the past, knowing their first time together wouldn’t be when he was a drunken fool filled him with an inexplicable sense of joy.

“Wait.” The backs of his knuckles inched slowly down the soft skin of her jaw. “I remember going down on you.” The image of her face as she flew apart under his ministrations was branded into his eyelids. Her sweet moans and tangy taste were the only reminders he’d needed as he stroked himself off in the shower both morning and night. “If memory serves me right, you were quite eager to reward me for the mind-blowing orgasm I gave you.”

Julie swatted his arm. “I’ll give you that—it was pretty freaking mind blowing. And I was prepared to do some blowing of my own, but some super sergeant I know passed out before I got his pants unbuttoned. And regardless of the fact that I went home with a virtual stranger, there was no way in hell I was performing any sort of lewd acts on an unconscious man.” She tightened the hair in her ponytail holder and bee-lined to her car.

“Umm, Jul? Just for future reference, you know, since we’re no longer strangers and all…” Danny quickened his pace to meet her at the driver’s side door of the Datsun. “Feel free to perform any lewd acts you want on me while I’m sleeping or unconscious. I promise…I’ll love them.”

The drive was pleasant but not as talkative as he’d hoped. Danny found himself chuckling as Julie sang, albeit slightly off key, to Prince, Bon Jovi, and Robert Palmer. She didn’t live far from Chester’s Bar, only about fifteen minutes or so, but the short distance may as well have led them to an entirely different state. They’d gone from the flat dry land where the barracks and bar resided to the plush grassy neighborhoods where driveways were filled with station wagons and yards with swing sets. When she pulled her red Datsun into the driveway of a modest but beautiful two-story home, questions began to overload Danny’s brain.