Command Indecision (Lexi Graves Mysteries) by Camilla Chafer Read Free Book Online Page A

shoulder . He was average height and wiry, with neatly cropped, sandy brown hair, a nd a goatee. A silver bar ran through the top of one ear.
    "What can I get you?" he asked, pausing in his mission to have the shiniest bar in the state and tossing the towel back over his shoulder.
    "White wine and a beer please."
    "Any particular kind s? Separate glasses?" he joked, his mouth breaking into an easy smile.
    "Chardonnay if you've got it. Um, hold the beer," I added as an afterthought, looking across the taps to the bottles in the illuminated coolers. I figured Solomon would probably want to order whatever brand he preferred. "I'm not sure what... he'll probably want to order his own," I finished lamely.
    "Coming up." The barman grabbed a glass from the shelf and a wine bottle from the refrigerator, bringing both to me, and pouring me a large glass of wine. "You're new," he said, pushing the glass forwards and taking the payment.
    "That obvious?"
    "Yeah. Just transferred here?" he asked, glancing up from the register with a smile. He handed me my change and deposited the bottle back in the refrigerator before returning to rest his forearms on the bar.
    "No. Well, not exactly. My husband— " I tried not to choke on the word. It was going to take some getting used to "— got a job working as gym instructor here. The last instructor is apparently... uh, indisposed." I waited, hoping the barman would pick up on that and run with it . A murder on base had to be the hot topic.
    The barman nodded, clearly knowing exactly what I implied. "That was some bad business," he told me. "But I assure you, it's not a regular thing." He held a hand out. "Welcome to Fort Charles. I'm Kevin Zabriskie , everyone's favorite bartender."
    "Pleased to meet you, Kevin." I shook his hand, finding his grip dry and warm. "I'm Lexi."
    I turned, dropping Kevin's hand, as I saw in my peripheral vision a body taking the stool to my left. I smiled, expecting Solomon, and faltered when I saw the muscle-bound jock in front of me. With his blond crew-cut and white smile, he could have been a poster child for healthy living.
    One side of his mouth slid up in a confident grin. "How much does a polar bear weigh?" he asked.
    I frowned, startled, and then jumped as Solomon leaned around me, his hand resting proprietarily on the small of my back. "Enough to break the ice," Solomon said, his voice low and frosty. Then he kissed my cheek, sending a rush of warm blood to the spot where the feel of his lips tingled, even after he pulled away. The hand traveled up my back to rest between my shoulder blades, then back down again. I concentrated on not falling off the stool.
    "Whoops. Sorry, man. Didn't realize the lady was here with someone." The blond held up his hands in defeat. "No offense, okay?"
    "None taken," I said with a smile , breaking the ice before the polar bear could. I nudged Solomon in the ribs, very carefully, with the point of my elbow, reminding him we were here to make friends.
    Behind the bar, Kevin laughed and rubbed the bar a little harder, waving a hand from the blond to me. "Derrick, meet Lexi and her husband, our new gym instructor."
    "Solomon," said Solomon, leaning over to shake Kevin's hand, then the chancer's. "You've obviously already met my wife."
    "I wasn't hitting on her, I was trying to be nice," Derrick continued to backpedal as he sized up Solomon, who was taller, broader and probably played dirtier.
    "Don't worry about it. If we weren't married, I'd hit on her too," Solomon said and the tension dissipated.
    Good to know I wasn't losing my touch.
    Derrick didn't seem too worried about his little faux pas, and hung around while he ordered another drink and paid for Solomon's beer too, both appearing swiftly in front of them.
    "What do you think of Fort Charles so far?" Kevin asked, reaching for a bottle of water and uncapping it. He tipped his head back and took a long drink.
    "Quiet," I said. "Not what I was expecting."
    "It'll get livelier