Dixon scooped up the nametag, and that seemed to be that. He and Santana didn’t stare for a second longer.

Brady placed a hand on the small of her back and pushed her gently toward the door. “Let’s get out of here.”

“And where exactly are we going?”

Brady’s voice went low again, so that only she could hear him. “Anywhere without a Robertson.”

Sloane didn’t know much about the man next to her, but she did know that that was the sexiest thing she’d heard in a hot minute.

…

Cassidy’s Place was on the outskirts of Arbor Bay and mostly hidden in the woods. There was a small community of houses in the neighboring clump of trees, but, for the most part, Cassidy’s felt isolated. Which went hand in hand with what a bar offered in the first place. An escape. A respite from the normal. A much-needed break.

At least, that’s how Brady had always felt. To him, Cassidy’s Place was like an island. It was only after you moved closer to shore and saw land in the distance that you realized there was more world out there. That life continued to go on even though you weren’t looking.

Brady had grown up around the metaphorical island of Cassidy’s Place. He knew it like the back of his hand. So, to him, it made sense when he angled Sloane to the right as soon as they went through the bar’s front door. It also made sense to him when he made sure they walked past the corner of the parking lot and right into a thicket of trees. He knew what was on the other side.

Yet, in hindsight, it made sense that Sloane freaked out.

She dug her heels into the dirt just inside the tree line and shook her head fervently.

“I’m all for getting Carol to shut up, but I’m not about to go traipsing off into the darkness with you only to be a headline story tomorrow. Silly blogger doing silly things gets what’s coming to her.”

She threw her arms across her chest in defiance, as if to further prove her point. It was a surprisingly distracting move. She was wearing a short-sleeved shirt that clung to and outlined her breasts.

It wasn’t like he hadn’t objectively noticed them before, just as he’d objectively noticed Sloane before, but now that he’d kissed her, a few things stood out a bit more.

Like how his body had reacted to the softness of her lips, the feel of her body, and the dark, albeit confused, eyes that searched his expression now. Brady also couldn’t help the curiosity that was starting to attach him to the woman.

She’d played along with his kiss and lie.

Now it was time to see if she’d keep playing.