by Ted Begnoche
"Nice party," she said.
"Yeah. Nice people."
"So?" She plucked a strawberry from her cup and bit it in half.
"So, maybe after the nice party, you could come back to my place." I squeezed my eyes shut and waited. When I popped them open, Heather was still there, her blue eyes gazing directly into mine.
"Maybe," she said. "Did you have something in mind?"
"As a matter of fact."
"Stu, please." She cradled the cup of fruit between her two hands and stared solemnly into the contents. "I just..."
"What?" I asked, clasping my hands around hers.
"I don't want to be hurt. I can't take that again."
"I never meant to hurt you."
"I know. But that's the way it ended up." She wiggled free from my hands and turned her head away.
I pinched her chin and swung her head back in my direction. Tears were welled up in the corners of her eyes. A drop broke free and sluiced its way along her jaw.
"Let's go slowly," I said. I bent my head and kissed her on the lips, lingering for a few seconds. I tasted strawberries and beer, and the ocean.
"There," I said when we pulled apart. "That didn't hurt, did it?"
"No," she said. "Actually, that was quite nice."
I pulled her close to me and held her, felt her warm body, her heart pounding strong and brave in her chest.
I didn't let go for a long time.
THE END
Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this Stuart McCann novel, please consider leaving a review. Reviews are the most powerful tool a writer has to understand what readers love.
I have a great bunch of committed readers and I love them all. If you can spare a few minutes, please visit the link below to leave an honest review. It really does make a difference.
Thank you!
P.S. Want to see exactly what drove Stuart from the Fairshore Police force and into the swashbuckling life of a private investigator? You can get an exclusive look by signing up for my email list. This short story gives great insight into what makes Stuart tick, and isn’t available anywhere else!
Don’t worry about spam or being bombarded with emails – you’ll only get the occasional newsletter from me, and advance notice when I realize subsequent Stuart McCann mysteries. Oh, and did I mention steep discounts on all my books?
You can sign up here: https://tedbegnoche.com/talp
Of course, I realize you may have found me and Stuart McCann this way already, and if so, thanks! I appreciate you being a member of my email readers.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing from the publisher, nor to be otherwise circulated I any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published without a similar condition, including this condition, being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
