Rescue Me(3)
Turning his attention to the giggly blonde beside him he realized he wasn't interested. She was sexy, but in a too-obvious way. All it would take was a slight indication of attraction on his part and she'd be his for the night. That may have been what he'd gone for in the past—hell, even a week ago—but since he'd arrived at his friend's resort to disconnect and just focus on the water, he'd decided to take it easy and give his playboy reputation a much-needed rest.
That had been working fine for him right up until he'd seen the legs on the raven-haired bombshell as she'd swiveled on her barstool. Now he couldn't think of anything else but what he'd find at the top of those legs. Cole shook his head, disgusted at himself. Could he not spend a couple nights without someone new in his bed? It seemed the answer was no based on his current train of thought. Brandon would say it was his way of not facing his own inner demons, but Cole never let himself go down that particular rabbit hole.
You aren't here for that. He was there to help Brandon out for a few weeks before getting his new Coast Guard assignment, most likely somewhere further up the Florida Gulf.
"Come on, let's dance," the blonde pouted, pulling on his hand.
"Sorry," he declined, shaking his head and trying his best to sound sincere. Despite his reputation, he wasn't actually a jerk. He'd let her know he wasn't interested and five minutes later he was certain he'd see her with her next target. He knew the game. He was the best at the game. But he was damned tired of it.
"Your loss," she shrugged, strutting off toward the dance floor. Cole chuckled. He'd be just fine.
He let his gaze wander back to the bar but sat up with a start when he noticed that the woman was gone, an empty shot glass sitting where she'd been only moments before. Down, boy. Had he really been about to jump out of his seat? It wasn't like him to get unhinged by a woman, but she'd grabbed his attention the minute he'd seen her and now she was gone.
He leaned back again, scanning the crowded dance floor, but it was pointless. There were too many people and it was too dark to make anyone out. Normally he'd just wait and see who else came his way. Tonight he should just enjoy the music and not worry about any of it. That had been his intention on coming to the club. Have a drink, observe and take it easy.
Which was why he was surprised to find himself walking up to the bar to get another drink, hoping he'd have a better vantage point of the dance floor. He ordered and knocked back what was left of his beer while he waited on the next one.
He really should just forget about her. While he wasn't technically an employee of the resort, he was helping out in that capacity and was pretty sure fraternizing with the guests was frowned upon. He was here as a favor to Brandon, and he wasn't going to cause problems with anyone.
The bartender handed Cole his beer and he took a large swig of it and leaned his back against the bar.
A flash of red caught his eye and he saw dark curls swing around as the woman suddenly reappeared on the dance floor not twenty feet from him. His jaw clenched involuntarily as she tossed her hair, throwing her head back and laughing. Her body moved with a fluidity that mesmerized him. Holy hell, she was sexy. It was all he could do to keep himself from joining her on the dance floor and make her forget about anyone but him. He followed her gaze to the man she was dancing with.
Seriously?
The guy looked like he could grace the cover of Trust Fund Weekly. Cole scoffed out loud. He didn't think he'd have to try too hard to make her forget about him. What was she doing with him anyway? He didn't think the guy would know what to do with someone like her. He drained the rest of his beer and slammed it down on the bar, gesturing at the bartender that he was ready to pay his tab. Time to get the hell out of the place.
This woman was making him crazy and all he'd done was make eye contact for a split second. He didn't have time for this. Simple, quick, easy. That was his idea of a good time. He had no interest in a woman who made things complicated and caused him to forget everything but her. While he may be trying to take a break from his habits with women, he'd be damned if he did a complete one eighty and got roped in by one.
Tearing his eyes away from her, Cole shouldered his way through the crowd toward the open beach exit. He was easily one of the bigger men in the room thanks to a body strengthened by years of working on ships growing up, and later as part of his Coast Guard training. He had to be in top shape to command rescue missions. It came in handy now, the crowd parting for him as he rounded the other side of the dance floor.
Against his better judgment, he turned for one last glance at the woman in red and stopped in his tracks.
Her smile had been replaced by a grimace, and her eyebrows were knitted together as she tried to pull away from her dance partner. He wrapped his sleazy hands tighter around her waist, gripping her back with his fingertips and crushing her against him. Cole clenched his fists but held himself in place. He shouldn't get involved.
The guy leaned down in an attempt to place a sloppy kiss on her lips, but she turned her head and he got a mouthful of hair. Cole grinned, but it vanished half a second later. Dude did not look like he was going to take the hint. The woman placed her palms firmly on his chest and pushed, and the guy's face twisted in anger. Cole couldn't make out his words over the driving bass of the music, but he could take a wild guess what they might be by the looks nearby revelers were giving him.