Free Dark Blue (South Island PD Book 1) by Ranae Rose

whenever he’d had the chance, as much for the view of her as the view of the ocean. Now, he studied the curves of her shoulders as she stood facing the sea, her dress bright against waves that were darkening as the sun set.
    An ocean breeze carried the smell of salt off the water and it combined with a light floral scent, like something tropical – her perfume.
    He breathed deeply, and almost reached out to touch her.
    “It’s been a while since I’ve been to Moreno’s.” She turned to face him again, and he stilled his hand at his side. “I never get tired of the view, though. Do you think they’ll have any tables open on the upper story?”
    “I made a reservation. Asked for a table on the second story, by the window.”
    Her smile sparkled brighter than her earrings. “Nice.”
    His satisfaction was quickly tinged by a sense of wariness. She couldn’t really be so easy to please, could she?
    She’d been easy to please years ago, but then, she hadn’t asked for much: just for him to make her his for a night. Making it as pleasurable as possible had been his own mission, a task he’d embraced with a pounding heart and watering mouth – especially after he’d realized she’d been a virgin.
    She hadn’t been his first, and he’d been glad of that – he’d known his way around a woman’s body well enough to show her what it meant to writhe with pleasure before he’d given her any pain. Before he’d indulged in the intense bliss of burying his cock inside her, he’d done a dozen other things he’d fantasized about.
    He’d never fully understood why she’d been so eager for him to be her first, though. The fact that she’d been a virgin at twenty-one showed that she was anything but casual with her relationships. After holding out for so long she’d enthusiastically spent a night with him, knowing full well she’d be leaving the next day.
    Maybe she’d wanted to get her first time out of the way so she’d have a little experience – an idea of what to expect – when she found someone she genuinely wanted to be with in that way. And although he hadn’t been that person for her, she’d trusted him enough to grant him access to her body for a night.
    It made sense, in a way. He couldn’t blame her. But for some reason, thinking about it felt a lot like being kicked in the gut.
    “Is something the matter?” she asked when they were seated at a table for two by the huge panoramic window. The Atlantic rushed and ebbed against the beach below, darkening as night began to descend.
    “No.”
    “You look tense.”
    Her eyes searched his.
    “I have a hard time keeping my mind off work sometimes. Sorry.” It was only half a lie – although his mind had been drifting much further into the past, the situation with Sanders and his wife had been a thorn in his side for days now.
    Her expression turned sympathetic, her gracefully arched eyebrows knitting together. “They say being a police officer is one of the most stressful jobs out there.”
    “It can be, at times.”
    She leaned toward him, her menu forgotten. “Did something happen lately at work? That crash, maybe?”
    He mustered up a smile. “I don’t bother to let myself worry about the possibility of being mowed over by a bad driver. I figure it’s a risk I signed up for, policing in the Lowcountry.”
    “I have to admit: after living out of state, I can see that we have a distinct driving culture here.”
    “That’s one way to put it. But no, I’m not bothered about the wreck. I barely know the officer, and he should be okay. Just needed a few stitches.”
    She looked at him as if she was waiting for him to continue, and he found himself telling her about the domestic situation at Sanders’ house and the clusterfuck it’d turned into. By the time he was done explaining, they had drinks and had paused to place their orders.
    “Wow,” she said, “what a mess to be dragged into – having to make an enemy out of someone who’s