Page 17 of Wilde Flame

He smiled. “I can promise you, I’m not one of them.”

“A creepy cop would say that very thing. And your friends?” I asked, jerking my head in the direction everyone had just gone.

“Not creeps either.” He held his arm out for me to lead the way. “That drink?”

I smiled, feeling giddy for the first time in ages. Before I turned to walk into the bar, I held out my hand to shake his. “Nice to meet you, Mike Nelson. I’m Lilibeth Asher.”

He shook my hand. “That’s a beautiful name.”

My cheeks heated. “Thank you.”

When I turned to start for the door, Mike put his hand on my lower back and gently guided me in. I had to admit that the feel of a man’s hand on my body felt insanely good. Not as good as Caden’s single stupid finger, which made my entire body tingle, but I refused to give him a second thought. Tonight was about me.

Once we got inside, I felt the high energy and my mood was lifted even more.

“Lilibeth!”

I turned to see Moreen pointing to a table.

“Looks like they found a table,” Mike said. “What can I get you to drink?”

“I appreciate the offer, but I have a rule that I get my own drinks when I’m out.”

He nodded at me and smiled. “I can respect that. How about you come with me to the bar and order your drink, but let me pay?”

“That I can do.”

After we each got our drinks, we made our way to the table that Moreen had secured. The bar was packed with people. It was twice the size of Billy’s Honky-Tonk back in River Falls.

Almost as soon as we were sitting, Moreen was being led out onto the dance floor by Jack. Ensley was in a conversation with the guy she’d walked in with.

He paused to introduce himself. “Steve Nelson.”

Looking between Steve and Mike, I asked, “Brothers?”

“Cousins,” Mike replied, as he took the seat next to mine.

Steve and Mike told us a little bit about Granby and how long each had been a police officer. Once they learned Ensley was a farrier, they began asking her a million-and-one questions. But before long, Mike must have noticed I looked bored, because he stood.

“Dance with me?”

Smiling, I placed my hand in his. “I would love to.”

“Can you two-step?”

I laughed. “Yes, I can manage.”

Mike drew in close, and we started dancing to the slow song that was playing.

“You can more than manage a two-step.”

“Thank you. I started dance lessons when I was three. You’re not a bad dancer yourself.”

He smiled, and I wished like hell it made my body react the way it did when a certain grumpy cowboy looked at me. If Caden ever smiled at me the way Mike was, I was pretty sure I’d expire on the spot.

After a few trips around the dance floor, the song changed to a faster one. It was fun dancing with Mike, and he was easy to talk to. When the song ended, we turned to head off the dance floor—and I came to an abrupt halt.

My eyes had landed on a couple, and I couldn’t pull them away.