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Returning ho softly, she brushed out her hair and tied it back in a ponytail, then changed into a sleeveless flowered sundress, slipped on a pair of strappy gold sandals, and drove to the Driftwood She parked in the lot in the back, grabbed her handbag, and walked around the corner to the entrance

Bryan Longstreet aiting for her on the sidewalk in front of the bar He was dressed in a green shirt, a pair of beige Dockers, and tan loafers

"Am I late?" she asked

"No" He smiled a little sheepishly as he took her ar reat tan It didn&039;t take more than a few minutes in his presence to realize he was just what the doctor ordered

The Driftas a nice place Catering mostly to tourists, it was decorated with seashells, pieces of the wood from which it derived its na a Mai Tai with Bryan,Tracy learned that he lovedStar Wars fan, as was she He liked Elvis and rock and roll, his favorite color was red, and he confessed that, if he had to, he could live on pizza and Coke forever His father was a police officer inWashington , DC , and his mother was an accountant He had four brothers - all older and all cops - and an older sister as in the Air Force He had just turned twenty-one to her twenty-six

"Does it bother you?" he asked"My being younger?"

"I guess not It&039;s only five years" She grinned at hihty and you&039;re seventy-five, it will hardly matter"

There was a pause in their conversation while the waitress brought thelanced out theThe street was croith ht it odd that ed Maybe they were into the Goth thing She saw very few teenagers, practically no children But, as she had toldBryan earlier, this was an artsy town, not a fae after all

As the evening wore on,Tracy found herself liking Bryan Longstreet more and more He was easy to be with, easy to talk to Not like Do about Do sexual attraction that sizzled between theaze resting on her face, his dark eyes hot At such ti stalked by a very large, very hungry cat

But there was nothing aboutBryan to arouse either fear or suspicion He was as open and outgoing as a puppy She couldn&039;t re

Later, they went to an outdoor cafe and ordered cheeseburgers and French fries and talked about their favorite movies

He likedBullitt andAirplane andRamboAndStar Wars , of course

She liked Ladyhawke andThe Princess Bride andGladiatorAndStar Wars , of course

"All right," he said, waving a French fry in the air "Who&039;s your favorite character?"

"Han Solo, of course," she replied, wiggling her eyebrows "What a silly question"

"Figures," he muttered

"Who&039;s yours?"

"Obi-Wan"

"In which episode?"

"All of theht saber over his head "You haveJedi"

"So tell et rid of Jar Jar ?"

"Any e can!"

She laughed at that and so did he

Later, theyshopping, stopping to point out which things they would buy if they had athe end of the block whenTracy felt a prickling down her spine Solanced up and down both sides of the street, but saw no one Still, the feeling persisted

Bryantook her arrew stronger

And then Do," he aze was fixed onBryan , and there was nothing friendly in it

Tracysed a sudden sense of guilt, though she had no idea why she should feel guilty She wasn&039;t doing anything wrong "Hi"

She glanced froain The tension between the two street Bryan , this is Dominic St John"

Bryanstuck his hand out"Pleased to meet you, Mr St John"

"Indeed" Do the other uard,"Tracy said "I met him on the beach this afternoon"

"How fortunate"There was nothe sarcas an effort to control his anger "I went by your house earlier"

She didn&039;t miss the accusation in his tone "I didn&039;t know you were coesture of contrition "Forgive me I did not have time to contact you earlier"

She told herself there was no reason to feel guilty because she hadn&039;t stayed ho for hiht for the past teeks didn&039;t mean she couldn&039;t see anyone else, or that she had to sit around waiting for Do to show up

"I&039; you, Do dis of his lips, the narrowing of his eyes

"Good night" He inclined his head in her direction, but his gaze never left Longstreet&039;s

Bryancleared his throat, clearly disturbed by Dominic&039;s scrutinyTracy couldn&039;t blah to freeze boiling water