Loch and Key by Shelli Stevens Read Free Book Online Page B

his course and helped his pregnant wife to her feet, planting a tender kiss on Sarah’s lips.
    Feeling a bit intrusive on the tender moment, she turned her attention away and sought out her niece to let her know it was time to come to dinner.
     
     
    “What are you having next, Chief? This one’s on me.”
    Brett grimaced and set down his now empty pint. If he had a next one he’d be getting a little too close to being buzzed. Something he prided himself on was always being sober around his sailors. Even if a good amount of them were considered friends, he still had an image to uphold.
    Tonight was just going to have to be another missed opportunity to get their chief drunk.
    “I’m good. Thanks, Roberts.”
    “But it’s your birthday, and you don’t turn thirty-five every day, Chief,” one of the guys across the table pointed out. “Come on, one of us can make sure you get home okay.”
    Thirty-five. Hell, how had he gotten so old? Only three years until retirement. It sounded unbelievably close, and yet felt like dozens of years away.
    Even if he’d preferred to hang out at his apartment and catch the baseball game alone, he couldn’t turn down his overeager sailors, most of whom he considered friends, who’d insisted on buying him dinner and beers. Well, two beers. He was cutting himself off.
    “I’m switching to water. Thanks, though.”
    The table of men grumbled good-naturedly but didn’t slow their drinking. Which was another reason Brett kept his ass sober. Someone needed to keep an eye on these guys and make sure the designated didn’t drink.
    Since they were in a restaurant brewery type place, the designated was the poor nineteen-year-old who was old enough to die for his country but not old enough to have a beer.
    But the boy took it in stride, keeping up with the conversation and seeming to enjoy every moment of the evening. Besides, Brett didn’t doubt for one moment the young sailor found ways to drink outside of the bar situation.
    “Holy shit. It’s Petersburg,” one of the guys muttered.
    “Petersburg?” Brett searched his memory, and came up with the sailor who’d discharged honorably out of the Navy last year.
    A quick glance behind him showed the familiar guy standing at the hostess area of the crowded restaurant. Same features, except he’d grown his hair out long.
    “He’ll be waiting a while for a table with that other party over there taking up half the restaurant,” Roberts pointed out. “We got room here since a couple of our guys took off. You all cool if I invite him to chill with us?”
    “No problem at all,” Brett drawled and pushed his beer aside to reach for the water. It’d be nice if their food arrived soon.
    “Shit, Petersburg isn’t alone. Do you see who his date it? It’s her. That totally hot chick.”
    “Dude, yeah, isn’t she that hot waitress?”
    Ignoring his sailors’ discussion about Petersburg’s apparently hot date, Brett just shook his head.
    “Yeah, the one from McLaughlin’s Pub.”
    Wait, what? That caught his attention. Swiveling in his chair he slid his narrowed gaze beyond Petersburg. He hadn’t seen her at first because she’d been standing directly behind him, but now that the former sailor was heading their way, she was following and in no way hidden anymore.
    Fuck . It was Kenzie.
    “I’d nail that ass so hard.”
    Without looking away from Kenzie he couldn’t tell which of his sailors said it, but Brett slapped the table in the nonverbal command to shut it.
    God, he couldn’t argue with the statement, though. Kenzie looked sexy as all hell.
    She wore a black dress that somehow managed to be sexy and modest as it hugged her every luscious curve. Her hair was down, looking extra shiny, and she was wearing makeup. There was no doubt in Brett’s mind that the two were on a date.
    Especially from the you’ve got to be shitting me look on her face as she followed Petersburg to a table full of men.
    Several emotions slammed