Butterface

It took a couple of deep breaths, but she got the anxiety under control so much faster than she had in the past. Three cheers for growing up.

“As fascinating as I’m sure the offer is, I’m gonna have to pass.” She tilted her chin back toward the closed ballroom doors, where the pumping bass for the stragglers going late after the newly married couple retired was still going strong. “That wedding tuckered me out.”

“Sure, sure,” Johnnie said, tapping a hotel key against his meaty palm. “It’s just that Ford Hartigan asked me to keep a watch out for you. You know our boy Ford, right? He was the guy you kissed tonight.”

Her cheeks flamed. “Why would he want someone to be on the lookout for me?”

“I couldn’t say for sure,” Johnnie said and then looked over both shoulders before taking a step closer and dropping his voice to a low whisper. “But he asked me to watch out for the hot chick from the Kiss Cam. I think he’s interested, if you know what I mean.”

Gina stiffened. In her entire life, no one had called her “the hot chick.” Absolutely no one. She wasn’t pretty, let alone hot, and denying that fact wasn’t ever going to do her any favors.

Keeping her chin high and her breathing steady—thank you, hours of yoga training—she put on her neutral smile and took a step toward the door. “I gotta go.”

He held up the hotel key card. “Room two-oh-five.”

That stopped her. “What are you talking about?”

“It’s his room number,” he said. “Ford wanted to see you, but he’s stuck in his room waiting for a report to get delivered.”

“Why does he want to see me?” Her natural cynicism warred with the hope for something different this time. He had offered to buy her a drink. She’d been the one to spurn him. And that kiss… Maybe he was hoping for another chance? Could that be possible?

The detective continued, “Look, you’re a smart woman. You know the Kiss Cam was a setup. Ford had been watching you all night, and you may not believe it, but he’s kinda shy and didn’t know how to approach you. The guy’s married to his job. I mean he never dates. I was just trying to do a friend a solid.”

“Really?” She didn’t bother to keep the yeah-sure look off her face even as the quiet voices urging her to believe got louder and louder.

“I know, he’s not the most, shall we say, emotive guy out there, but he’s interested in you, ya know?” Johnnie shrugged. “But if you don’t feel the same, I can pass that message along. He’d just hoped…”

The cop shrugged and let the rest of what he was going to say fade away.

None of this sounded right, but a helium balloon of hope filled her chest anyway. “No offense,” she said. “But why should I believe any of this from you?”

He smacked his hand against his chest over his heart. “Right in the ticker.” Then he held out the key. “Look, you don’t know me from Adam, but I swear I have my buddy’s best interests at heart here, and you seem like a nice lady.” He held up his free hand to stop her from interrupting. “I hate that I put you on the spot with that Kiss Cam thing. Ford feels like shit about it, even though he had no idea what I was up to. He wants to make it up to you. Wanted to at least apologize in person. No one’s forcing an independent, smart woman like you to do anything. Take the key and go talk to Ford or don’t, it’s your choice.”

Gina stared at that key card. Maybe this was a sign that life for her was about to change. That’s what her grandfather would have said.

He would have told her to take this opportunity and seize adventure whenever she could. Spending the night—because they were all grown-ups here, and even though no one was saying it, they all knew that’s what they were talking about—in an overpriced hotel room with a seriously sexy man? That wasn’t something offered to someone like her every day, not even every five years. Who knew if the opportunity would ever come again? And what kind of giant chicken would she be if she walked away from this chance—especially when she wanted him as much as he seemed to want her?