Forever Betrayed: Forever Bluegrass #3 by Kathleen Brooks

around Mila, and Abby alternately giggling and hiccupping.
    “I guess this means no dinner? Come on, Abs. I’ll give you a ride home on my bike.”
    Poppy looked nervous. “She’s pretty drunk. I don’t think she can hold on to you on a motorcycle.”
    Dylan sent Poppy a wink and she tittered. “I’ll make sure she doesn’t fall off.”
    Abby stood up and swayed. “Next time I need to interrogate someone, I’m bringing you with me,” she said to Mila before hiccupping again. Dylan wrapped his muscled arm around her waist and helped her from the café.
    Father Ben managed to get Layne to her feet. With a grim smile and a shake of his head, he helped her outside. Zain turned to Mila and looked down at her face covered in a goofy grin. “Ready?”
    “Sure am. I’ll have you know, I’m only tipsy.”
    Zain walked out of the café with his arm around her. He didn’t care if she was or wasn’t drunk. He just wanted to feel her pressed to his side. “How much did you have?”
    Mila started counting on her fingers and when she reached seven, she shrugged. “I lost count. But it was fun. I don’t normally have a night out with other girls. I’m usually too busy traveling or going to boring dinners for work.”
    “Do you think this week is going to be boring?” Zain asked as they stopped to cross the street.
    “Nothing you do is boring,” Mila whispered before slapping her hand over her mouth. “Did I say that out loud?”
    Zain turned his face into a blank slate and looked down at her as if he hadn’t heard her. “Say what?”
    A slurred voice interrupted from behind. “Sophie was right. You really are hot. Isn’t that just tempting women to sin?”
    Mila and Zain turned to see Father Ben trying to get Layne into his car, but Layne had other ideas, such as rubbing her hands down his arms.
    “Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned,” Layne tried to say seductively. “Eww. I’m sorry, I can’t do that. I just got a vision of my dad looking all serious-like when I say that. Do you know my dad? Ex-Special Forces. Scary glare going on. Do you know he’s the reason I haven’t had sex in seven months? He keeps scaring off my dates. I think he has my phone bugged.”
    Mila hiccupped. Zain covered his laugh with a cough, and Ben calmly helped Layne into the car. “Tell me all about it,” he said kindly before shutting the door.
    “He’s nice,” Mila said as Zain helped her cross the street.
    “He is. He’s not what you'd expect. Everyone seems to just open up to him. And he seems to care about the people here.”
    “You know what I care about?” Mila asked as they walked up the hill toward the bed and breakfast.
    “Hmm?”
    “The fact that you aren’t dating Abby,” Mila said with a hint of shyness to her voice.
    Zain looked down at her as they walked. Mila rested her head on his shoulder but didn’t look up at him. Pride filled him along with something else that was currently making his jeans tight. “I’m not dating anyone. I’d never have kissed you if I was.”
    He didn’t say anything more as they made their way to the bed and breakfast. Instead, he just enjoyed the feel of her against him. Lights were on in the windows, but it seemed as if they were the only two people in the world when they stopped on the front porch.
    Mila finally looked up at him. Her gray eyes were shadowed in the darkness of the night, but Zain felt them on him. “If I hadn’t pulled away earlier, what would have happened?”
    Zain tightened his grip on her hips and pulled her to his chest. He looked down at her and saw desire in her face mixed with nervousness. He raised his hand and ran it along her cheek. He moved his hand to her neck until his fingers curved along the back of her head and brought her lips close to his. “This,” he whispered against her lips. He moved slowly, giving her time to change her mind. But when his lips found hers, he hoped she wouldn’t.
    Mila tasted of bourbon and chocolate as