The Wages of Cin (Cin Fin-Lathen Mysteries Book 4) by Alexie Aaron Page A

sighed in relief as his attention was diverted from us.
    “Let’s leave,” Sidney said, pulling me closer.
    “Yes.”
    It took a few minutes to extract ourselves from the throng, but when we hit the hall, Sidney grabbed my hand, and we ran down the hall and didn’t stop until we hit the exit doors.
    He patted himself down.  “Keys, check.  Wallet, check.  Hot redhead, check and double check.”
    I laughed and reached up, drawing him in for a kiss.  He wrapped his arms around me, and his hands slowly moved on my back while we kissed.
    He pulled away and held my face a moment and said, “I want to finish this somewhere more private. Is that alright?”
    “Yes.”
    “Cool.  Do you want to follow me?”
    “No, I gave my keys to Harry.”
    He looked surprised but pleased.  He angled his head and asked, “This is real, isn’t it?  Not just a concert hookup.”
    The butterflies returned.  I nodded.
    He took a deep breath.  “I’m so glad.  Come on, before I lose my nerve.”
    I followed him to his van.  He opened the passenger door, leaned in and grabbed a bunch of papers, tossing them in the back before saying, “My chariot is at your disposal.”
    I got in, and he shut the door.  For the thirty seconds it took for him to get to the driver’s side, I examined my feelings.  What the hell was I doing?  I’m not an easy woman, but I wanted the night to continue.  Sidney, I felt, was the right one to break me out of my post-divorce cocoon.  He was the kind of adventure I wanted tonight.  How I would feel in the morning was another matter.  I pushed common sense into a cupboard in my mind and decided to let my emotions set sail tonight.
    “I live a little ways from here,” he said, getting in.  “It’s a small place, but it has an air-conditioned garage which is very important for my equipment.”
    He backed out, and as we passed my car, he slowed down.  “Last chance to bail.”
    “I’m not going anywhere.”
    “Thank God.  Cin, you’ve turned me inside out.  Is it just me or is there chemistry here?”
    “It’s not just you.”
    “This isn’t a mercy date, is it?” he asked, not looking at me.
    “Not on my part.  Is it on yours?” I asked.
    “Oh god, no.  Although, you may have been an item on my bucket list,” he admitted.
    “Bucket list?”
    “That’s a list of things you want to complete before you die.  When I was diagnosed, Vicki thought I should make one.  I started it as a lark, but as things got more and more serious, the list became a lifeline.”
    I listened to his concerns and experiences with the different doctors and other medical professionals he had to deal with.  “I had a girlfriend at the start of this, but she bailed when my hair fell out.  My head’s too knobby to be attractive without hair.”
    Before I knew it, he was pulling into the long drive of an isolated ranch house.  He pulled around back and raised the doors of a three car garage.  He pulled the van inside and looked over at me.  “This is the heart of Stoneridge LTD.  I normally empty and clean up the console after an outdoor concert.”
    “Go ahead, I’m not going anywhere.”
    “Good.  I’ll only be a few minutes.  Let me let you into the house, and you can check out my medicine cabinet and drawers while I’m working.”
    I laughed.  “Any particular drawers?”
    “All of them,” he suggested.  “There are some mixers in the fridge and liquor on the counter.  Make yourself at home.”
    He walked me over to the house, and after he disarmed the alarm, he flipped on a few lights, kissed me quickly and left.
    I found myself in a small galley kitchen.  True to his word, there was a counter full of booze.  It looked like he must have bought them recently as none of the seals were broken.  I looked in the refrigerator and found soda and mixers.  There were a few limes rolling around in the vegetable bin.  I took a lime and Coke and cracked some ice.  I found a large