Strip Search (Tap That)

“I’ll work on it.” Though she didn’t really want to “bring it” with Axl. She just wanted to be herself.

He smiled. “Just be yourself.”

Damn. He was good.

Leighton was flustered. But she looked out the window to distract herself. It was a beautiful classic small town, with clapboard buildings and plenty of evidence of an outdoor adventure economy. There was a bait shop, a kayak shop, bike rental places, and several seafood restaurants. The boutiques all appeared to be catering to tourists as opposed to residents, with kitschy lamps and life preserver flotation devices repurposed as wall décor in the shop windows.

Axl had a truck and he was driving the speed limit. It was driving Leighton just a little crazy. Who drove the speed limit? No one she knew. Huh. Maybe she had been speeding when he’d pulled her over. Determined not to fixate on how she might be falling for him, she gave him a tight smile. They were weaving slowly through the center of town. Like, really slowly.

Maybe he was driving so slow because he was a police officer who was already in trouble. He needed to toe the line. Maybe in a small town there was no rush to get anywhere.

Leighton enjoyed Axl’s company but she really wanted to reach over and push his foot down harder on the gas pedal. Maybe she had a little more of the city girl in her than she realized. Years of frustrated driving on the freeway in LA, not moving. Going slow when you had the option to go fast was maddening.

“Hmm?” she said because he had said something she hadn’t heard, too busy losing her mind.

“I said that you’re beautiful.”

That made her glance over at him, skeptical. “No, you didn’t.”

“You’ll never know because you weren’t listening to me.”

Damn it. He was right. “I’m scouring venue locations.”

“You’re a terrible liar. Don’t quit your day job for a career in poker.”

“My mother always believes me.”

“Then your mother is a much better liar than you.”

Leighton laughed. “I don’t believe you.” She didn’t. Her mother was disappointed in her in a lot of ways but she did believe that Leighton was honest. Which she was, for the most part. “This is a beautiful town. That is the truth.”

“It is. It’s cold as fuck in the winter but even that has its own sort of beauty. Do you like snow mobiles? Ice fishing?”

Leighton wanted to laugh again, riotously this time, but she held it in. “I haven’t had a lot of experience with those, but I’m sure they’re delightful.” She would never find out

though, because she was not going to be here in winter, nor would she be seeing him after the weekend.

Axl pulled into the hotel and parked his truck in the circular drive by the front doors. “Too bad I can’t show you the charms of sitting inside a heated shed with a rod in a hole.”

She wasn’t sure if he meant that to sound dirty or not, but it sure in the hell did. “Did you hear what you just said? I’m not the only one who needs to work on my flirtation skills.” She opened the door and shot him a smile over her shoulder.

The door slid open automatically but she was walking too fast. Her shoulder hit the glance and she bounced backwards. “Ow, shit.”

Axl had already been out of his truck and walking around the front to say goodbye to her, but now he hustled over to her. “Are you okay?”

“Yes.” She rubbed her shoulder. It didn’t hurt as much as her ego. She could hear her mother scolding her as a toddler. You’re so clumsy, Leighton, Jesus.

“These doors don’t open very fast.”

“Apparently not.” She stepped back out onto the path in front of the doors so she didn’t get slammed by it again. “Goodnight, Axl. Have fun at poker night.”

“Thanks. You have a good night too.” He looked like he wanted to say something, lingering there in front of her.

But then he just kissed her forehead. “Talk to you tomorrow.”

Ew. She did not want a forehead kiss. She wanted a kiss full of passion and promise. An urgent kiss, like the ones he’d given her before. Was he already bored with her? She hoped not.

But it was in her nature to fret and she went up to her room and did just that. She went through the research list for Winnie’s wedding to see if she could use any of the same vendors for her own event on Saturday. Nothing excited her or felt right. Axl wanted a boat or water and the restaurants she looked up online by the water didn’t seem special enough.