Perfect Fit (Serendipity's Finest 1)

“Thanks. Are you staying for dinner?” Lindsay asked.

Cara shook her head. Now that Daniella had company, Cara decided it was the perfect time to leave. “I can’t tonight, but I’ll see you soon.”

“Thanks, Cara. I mean it,” Daniella said.

“And I meant what I said. You’re amazing. Remember that.” She hugged Daniella and then Lindsay, who vibrated with excitement over her upcoming interview.

She’d make a quick stop at her place to change clothes and head on over to Joe’s. After being with Daniella, Cara was in the dumps and needed something to change her mood. Maybe some good old-fashioned dancing and a couple of drinks would do the trick.

Déjà vu was a potent aphrodisiac, Mike thought as he entered Joe’s Bar. The music, something he still wasn’t used to, vibrated around him, the dance floor already full. Normally he’d be meeting up with his brother, but with Sam out of commission, Mike was here alone. He could have called up an old friend or two with whom he’d reconnected since his return, but he wasn’t in the mood for idle talk.

He was in a mood, and it wasn’t a good one. He hadn’t wanted to go upstairs to the tiny apartment and stare at the four walls or the TV while he was still mulling over all he’d learned from Sam and Cara about the mayor’s investigation. Until he knew what they’d find out about Rex or Simon, he couldn’t begin to wrap his mind around the possible implications. No matter what, he and Cara would have to proceed with caution and keep things low-key. Something he’d have to discuss with her. But for tonight, he needed downtime.

So here he was, at Joe’s Bar, where instead of peace he found himself remembering a hot night with a beautiful woman he couldn’t have again.

Swell.

He headed straight for the bar, figuring if nothing else he could shoot the shit with Joe. As he approached, he was surprised to find Cara sitting alone, staring into her almost-empty cocktail glass, probably waiting for friends.

Every instinct inside him screamed at him to turn around and head on upstairs and away from temptation. Ever the risk taker, Mike continued toward her only to realize the guy to her left was making a play, something that seemed to happen to Cara regularly, and Mike didn’t want to examine the feeling gnawing at him too closely.

He’d placed an arm behind her chair and sidled up close. Mike’s stomach twisted with what he would have liked to think was hunger. He knew better and didn’t like the possessive feeling one bit. The knowledge that she could get to him on any level filled him with frustration.

The guy leaned in and whispered in Cara’s ear.

She immediately stiffened and pushed her chair back to get away from him. “What part of get lost don’t you understand?” she asked the man Mike didn’t recognize.

The rejection was all Mike needed to see in order to ease the painful cramping in his gut.

“I just want to buy you a drink, sweet thing.” The other man smiled, more than a hint of arrogance in his grin.

Cara cocked her head to one side. “I already said no thank you twice. Get lost or I’ll show you I’m nobody’s sweet thing.”

Mike stifled a laugh. She hadn’t realized he was watching, and he wasn’t ready to call attention to himself just yet. Cara was a handful on a good day. She could more than take care of herself, something he definitely admired about her.

She was off duty, but like him, he’d lay odds she carried a piece somewhere on her. The night they’d spent together, they’d each had to unstrap their guns before things got going.

The persistent guy still looked at Cara as if trying to determine whether she was serious or playing hard to get. Given the swing of her leg, encased in steel-toed cowboy boots, the man really ought to take a hint.

Before she could kick him in the nuts, Mike decided to step in. “The lady is with me. Take a hike.” Mike came up beside Cara on her free side, deliberately looming large and close.

She glanced up at him in surprise.

“I’m not poaching on your woman, Chief,” the man said, obviously recognizing Mike. “She didn’t say she was taken.”

“But she did say no,” Cara muttered. With a scowl, the other man left. “Idiot.”

“You can say that again. Waiting for friends?” Mike asked.

She shook her head. That she was alone surprised him. Unlike Mike, Cara was a people person.

“Alexa had an emergency and I wasn’t in the mood for small talk.” She gestured to a table where a group of people from the station were hanging out. “What about you?” she asked, as she finished her drink.

“Same. Sam’s out of commission and I wasn’t in the mood for people either.” He hooked his leg around a suddenly free bar stool and settled in beside her. “What are you drinking?”

“A Manhattan.”

He cocked an eyebrow. Strong with a hint of sweetness, just like her, though he opted not to point that out. Instead he gestured to Joe to refill Cara’s drink and give him his usual. “So what’s got you needing a strong drink?”