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Meyers—but if it weren’t for them coaxing her to go out, or Babs Kincaide’s twice-monthly dinner invites, she’d be at work or home alone most nights.
    Cole had moved on to the sides of the cabin now, and every time he raised his arms, the muscles in his back flexed. She wanted to run her fingers over every delicious ridge. A dull flame had taken up residence right in her core. Suddenly uncomfortable, she shifted, more than conscious of her clothing dragging across all her sensitive bits. Now Cole had grabbed a bottle of water, twisted open the cap, and was tossing it back. A little water spilled on his chest, and his pecs tightened as he brushed it away. She would have licked it right off. Julie clenched her thighs together.
    Swallowing back the dryness in her throat, she stayed and watched him for a few more moments before backing away, turning around, and heading right back to the one thing she knew she could count on: her office, where the safety of work awaited.

CHAPTER 5
    Julie was watching him.
    Not only could he practically feel her gaze searing his flesh, but he kept seeing flashes of her hair in the sunlight. The woman might be book smart, but it was pretty obvious she had no street smarts to speak of. Anyone with street smarts knew that if you were spying on someone, you’d keep out of sight.
    He thought long and hard about going over there and kissing her senseless when, all of a sudden, she disappeared. Good thing, too, because it would have been the wrong time and the wrong move. But he’d confirmed one thing: brainy, beautiful Julia Kensington was interested. And there was no question he was interested right back.
    In high school she’d been all wide eyes and shy gaze. Her body, once coltish, had matured into slim elegance. But her cool, professional veneer couldn’t hide the fire underneath.
    For the first time in a long time, he was actually looking forward to being with a woman again. To unfurling her needs, her desires, slowly until she lay naked, unashamed before him. This woman wouldn’t give him everything in a heated rush—he knew that. She’d be slow to warm. Slow, but sure.
    But it was obvious she was overthinking things. He’d wait as long as it took. Because there was something special about her. Olivia hadn’t been like that. They’d been hot and heavy right out of the gate, and while he wasn’t opposed to a fast-moving relationship—for the most part, it meant that it would be over quicker—his relationship with Olivia had taken too long to run its course. He should have seen the signs. There was no fighting—at least not on his part. He had simply been indifferent—to her, to their relationship, and to their life together. He’d known she wouldn’t be able to handle his PTSD, so he’d escaped to his own apartment every night before falling asleep, no matter how late it was. Thankfully, by the time Olivia started pressuring him to move in, he’d found an out. He’d already applied for—and had been appointed to—the position of sheriff of Star Harbor, so he simply moved all his crap into storage, packed some clothes into a duffel bag, and joined Val on his houseboat.
    Cole sighed. Olivia . She’d been gorgeous, possessive, and seriously into dating a cop. She’d pegged him as ex-military the first night they’d met at a bar, and begged him to tell her his “war hero” stories. He’d resisted for a long time, and she’d accepted it, for the most part. He didn’t have the heart to tell her he wasn’t a hero at all—that he was damaged beyond repair and was never going to be whole again. Obliviously, she’d bragged to everyone—friends, family, co-workers—about the few accomplishments she’d pried out of him.
    By the end of their relationship, he’d begun to feel like an object rather than a man. It had been humbling, realizing that he’d treated too many women like that before. Penance for his past, once again.
    The problem was that he hadn’t quite