Close Enough to Touch. Victoria Dahl

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      The worst part was, she’d be in the exact same place right now if she’d left him on her own terms. She’d have nothing and no one, just as she did now. But she’d also have her pride. And everything she’d ever believed about herself.

      She’d have that.

      Now she had less than nothing. Now she didn’t even know who she was. She certainly wasn’t the tough, kick-ass girl who wouldn’t take shit from anyone. She’d taken plenty of shit from Scott. She’d put her head down and kept her mouth shut, and she’d taken it. And on top of everything, she’d been reduced to living on the edge again. Just like when she’d been sixteen.

      One stupid mistake on top of all those others, and ten years of progress had vanished in a snap.

      Fuck.

      Her beer wasn’t quite finished, but Grace was. She stood, meaning to rush out, but as she turned, her head swam as though the floor was tilting beneath her. “Oh,” she breathed, reaching toward the large shoulder that entered her blurry vision.

      “Careful, darlin’,” a deep voice said.

      “Sorry. I…” She blinked and her vision cleared. And there was Cole, smiling at her, his eyes shaded by an honest-to-goodness cowboy hat. Or maybe all cowboys looked alike.

      “Grace? You okay?”

      Yeah, it was definitely him. She jerked her hand away and stood straight. “I’m fine.”

      “More than fine, I’d say.”

      “I’m not drunk! I only had one beer.” And a tequila shot.

      “It’s the altitude. You’ve got to be careful.”

      “I’m fine,” she protested, even though she wasn’t sure. She did feel awfully tipsy. Maybe it was the altitude. Or maybe it was that she hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast. Or had a drink in weeks.

      Damn. She was drunk.

      “You look great,” Cole said, his eyes traveling quickly down her body.

      She was suddenly glad she was wearing her heeled boots. They gave her four extra inches of leg. But what did that matter? She wasn’t trying to impress this man.

      Then she had a sudden flashback to that morning. To looking at herself in the mirror and seeing the mascara under her eyes and her hair standing up in clumps. Oh, my God. “This morning,” she stammered. “I didn’t realize…”

      A man cleared his throat from somewhere close by. “This morning, huh?” he said.

      She shot a glare at the man who now stood at Cole’s shoulder. His mouth was serious, but his eyes tilted up a little in subtle amusement. She was opening her mouth to tell him to fuck off, when Cole interrupted.

      “Grace, this is Shane. He lives upstairs. Shane, this is Grace. Our new neighbor.”

      “Oh!” His brown eyes widened. “Pleased to meet you. I heard there was a woman amongst us. Welcome.”

      “Thank you,” she said stiffly, still prepared not to like him.

      Cole elbowed his friend. Hard. “Apologize. You pissed her off with your stupid attempt to be funny.”

      “Sorry,” Shane said, touching the brim of his hat. “I’m an idiot.”

      He grimaced so sincerely that Grace almost laughed. Almost. But she didn’t want him to think he was off the hook.

      “So what were you saying about this morning?” Cole continued. “Something about how the breakfast was spectacular, but the company far surpassed it?”

      “No, I…” She looked from him to his friend and narrowed her eyes.

      Shane put up his hands. “All right, I know when I’m not wanted. I’ll be over here. Out of firing range.”

      She watched him walk away, and suddenly Cole’s voice was in her ear. “I think he’s scared of you.”

      She turned and felt his chin brush her hair before he drew back. “He should be scared of me. So should you.”

      “Yeah? How come? The purple hair?” He carefully reached up and rubbed a lock of her hair between his thumb and finger, then withdrew before she could knock his hand away.

      “No.”

      “The black suede pants?”

      “They’re not suede, they’re just brushed to look… No. Not that either.”

      He leaned closer again, and she felt very alone with him beneath the shadow of his hat. “Is it the way you look like you could punch me and enjoy it? Or the way your dark eyes get even darker when you’re really mad?”

      Grace inhaled sharply at the husky appreciation in his words. She thought she might have swayed closer and hoped it was only the beer affecting her vision. “No, I…I just meant that if you weren’t nice I’d come by and hang out in the morning again.”

      “And why would I be scared of that, Miss Grace?”

      Yeah, his voice was definitely husky. And she was definitely swaying. Damn those drinks. She cleared her throat and stood as straight as she could. “You should be scared because of how I looked this morning.”

      “You looked fine. Cute.”

      “Cute? You’ve got to be fu—”

      “Cole!” Jenny’s voice called from behind her. “You look tired. Want the usual, babe?”

      “Thanks, Jenny,” he said, his smile widening when he looked past Grace’s shoulder. It was just the moment she needed to escape the pull of his low voice and warm smile. And the intimacy of looking up at him under the shadow of his hat. Secret cowboy trick, probably.

      Had she actually been succumbing to the flirtations of a cowboy? Wow. Altitude, indeed.

      She steeled her spine. “Anyway, I’ll see you around, all right?”

      “Hey, where are you going? I was about to buy you a drink.”

      “After you just warned me to take it easy?”

      A moment of male confusion flashed over his face, but he recovered quickly. “A soda then. Or just some water. It’s important to drink lots of water here or you’ll get headaches.”

      “Thanks, but I was going to buy myself a glass of water back at my apartment. Maybe see if I get lucky. Afternoon, cowboy.” She touched a hand to an imaginary hat, mimicking the movement she’d found so amusing yesterday.

      As she walked away, she was aware of his eyes on her. She knew he was watching. She knew it because he’d noticed her boots and the soft fabric of her black jeans within moments of saying hello. What she didn’t know, what she couldn’t even begin to comprehend, was why the knowledge of his eyes on her filled her chest with such a hot burn of satisfaction.

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