Hard Justice

“You mentioned a bar.” She bit her lip. A nice full lip, he couldn’t help but notice. “Is there one you’d recommend?”

Justice couldn’t figure her out. Was she a practiced flirt? Too naive to know how she affected him? For sure, she made him forget himself. He kept focusing on her mouth—plump lips and that shiny gloss... She waited for an answer, but he’d forgotten the topic. “One what?”

“A bar?” She grinned, putting dimples into those pink cheeks. “I’ve never been before.”

Justice took a step back. Naive then, and damn it, since when was that a turn-on? “You’ve never been to a bar?”

“No.” She leaned closer in a conspiratorial way, her face turned up to his, her tone teasing. “Is it fun?”

Could be, depending on her idea of fun. But if she’d never been before, why pick now, tonight, with him of all people?

Suspicion got the better of him. “What are you hoping to do at this bar?”

“Drink a little.” Her nose wrinkled again. “That’d be a first, too.”

Justice folded his arms over his chest. “You’ve never had a drink?”

“Wine a few times at galas, but that was long ago.” Though she still smiled, shadows suddenly saddened her expression.

Justice had the awful urge to comfort her. He resisted with stoic effort. “How can it have been long ago when you’re so young?”

“Twenty-four isn’t that young, and if you want me to be specific, I’ll say that I haven’t had wine since the night I turned nineteen. Besides, it isn’t wine I want to try.” The impish grin returned. “I want a beer.”

“Beer?” She made beer sound scandalous. Every girl he knew occasionally had a beer, even if she didn’t particularly like it.

“Yes.”

Justice rubbed the back of his neck. “Okay, well, you can do that at every bar everywhere.”

She laughed. “Let’s see. I’d also like to dance. Maybe chat with new people. And I want to have fun.”

How the hell did she figure to do any of that when her daddy didn’t want anyone within spitting distance of her? A raindrop fell, then a few more...and Justice knew the skies would open up soon. He took her arm and tried to urge her into the backseat of the SUV.

She resisted. “I’ll ride up front.”

Taken by surprise, he did his parrot act and repeated, “Up front?” Clients never rode up front. Definitely not young female clients.

She stared at him with those big soul-sucking eyes. “Unless that’s a problem for you.”

The only problem, so far, was his reaction to her. But hell, as the client, she got to call the shots, so... “Suit yourself.” He switched direction, closing the back door and opening the front.

The raindrops began pelting the ground in earnest, so she hurriedly seated herself.

Jogging around the hood, Justice narrowly avoided the sudden deluge. He checked that Fallon had on her seat belt, then, instead of driving, he returned to her earlier question. “There are a bunch of bars in the area. I don’t know much about them, though.”

“Really? I thought most guys...that is...” Her cheeks pinked. “You don’t drink?”

“Sure. But usually I head back to Warfield to Rowdy’s when I want to drink and relax with friends.”

“Rowdy’s?”

“A bar that’s gotten popular with fighters.”

“Fighters who are your friends?” she asked with interest.

He eyed her warily. “Yeah.”

“I’d love to go there sometime.”

A hint? Was she another groupie hoping to hook up with a fighter? God knew they came from all age ranges, backgrounds and interests. “It’s a no-go for tonight.” Hopefully Ms. Fancy-pants wouldn’t insist. “I’d need to ensure first that things aren’t too chaotic before I take you there. The bar has some rambunctious parties.”

She sighed. “Yes, I suppose tonight we should stick closer to home.”

“As to that, I should have been told your plans in advance so I could scope out any place you wanted to go.”

Brows coming together, she said, “I’ve never heard that rule.”

She sounded a bit stiff, and Justice bit back his smile. “Yeah, well, now you know.”

The frown intensified. “Going forward, I’ll plan accordingly.”

“Good.” Rain made the windows opaque and insulated them from everything outside the car. He could practically hear his own heartbeat, could definitely hear her soft breathing. The sense of intimacy made him uneasy. “So what are we doing now?”

“I’ll settle for a more local bar. Anyway, it’s probably a good idea that we don’t travel too far, just in case.”

“In case what?”

“In case we don’t suit.” She gave him a quick, firm glance. “If all goes well tonight, well then, there’s a lot more I’d like to schedule.”

He’d already been told that when he took the assignment, but still he repeated, “More?”

She ducked her face and pressed her hands over her skirt, smoothing an imaginary crease. “More...like every night? Did no one tell you this could be a month-long detail?”

“Yeah, I knew it.” Why was she being so shy now? “I was told we’d be getting acquainted, but I thought most of that would be at your house with your mom and dad.”

She laughed. “Nooo.”

Yeah, it’d probably be impossible with those two hawks overhead. “So here’s how it usually works. You tell me where you want to go, I find the best route to get there, then scope out the place in advance to ensure I know the different exits, if it’s secure, stuff like that.”

She flapped a hand. “That’s not necessary. Honest. I mean, I suppose that makes sense for most people who need protection. But overall, my parents just wanted to ensure I could explore safely. There will be plenty of other people at the bar, right? Lots of people who visit daily?”

“Sure.” Long as he didn’t take her to a dive, it shouldn’t be a problem.

“Why don’t you pick one, and we’ll give it a shot?” She grinned. “What could go wrong?”

Justice didn’t bother answering. If the alarm bells going off in his head were any indication, he figured they’d both find out soon enough.

* * *