Her lips twisted with a bitterly amused smile. That’s why they could never work. Maybe he’d apologized today, but all words came from a grain of truth.

  “Maybe we could just be there for each other,” Colin mused. “Nothing serious, because I’m not sure either of us is in the right place for it. But when there’s the, uh, need—”

  “When one of us wants to get laid?”

  He cringed. “I hate that term.”

  “Hmm. Let me try again. When one of us has the urge to fornicate like cute, fluffy bunnies?” she teased.

  “Wait, what? You may actually be getting worse.”

  “Float your boat up my river of love?”

  “You know, let’s just stick with get laid.”

  “Works for me.”

  He laughed, tracing a finger around her nipple. “Does it though? Work for you?”

  “The being there for each other sexually?”

  “Aye.”

  She thought about it for a moment, trying not to be distracted by his sensual touch as she weighed the consequences and perks.

  “I think it does, actually.” She gave a slight nod, her body already stirring with desire again. “Only, I think we should keep this between us. There’s no point in having people get the wrong idea.”

  He nodded. “Agreed. And I’ll make sure to add your number to my phone.”

  “It’s weird you don’t have it. We’ve slept together twice.”

  “I had the same thought earlier. Only at that time we only had one sexual experience under our belts.” He leaned down and drew his tongue across her nipple and her hips rose off the bed.

  “Oh. I’m hoping we’ll have three soon,” she admitted breathily. “Actually, three before we hit 3:00 p.m.”

  Colin glanced at the clock. “We’ve got a half hour.”

  “I think we can swing it.”

  “Aye, I know we can.” He reached for another condom in the drawer and deftly put it on.

  She parted her thighs, ready for him as he positioned himself. There was one question in the back of her mind, and it was going to come out like verbal vomit any moment. She could feel it. Couldn’t stop it.

  “Do you still love her?”

  He stilled, a stunned expression sweeping across his face. “Brenda?”

  She nodded.

  He didn’t move, just hovered above her, poised to enter her. Though he stared down at her, she wasn’t certain he was seeing her.

  Finally: “I’m not sure.”

  Again there was that tightening in her chest, but this time she did her best to ignore it.

  Lesson learned, Hailey. Don’t ask questions you don’t necessarily want to know the answer to.

  Wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, she urged him to take her.

  When he drove into her body, she cried out and let herself be washed away in the moment and this sea of pleasure. She did her best to ignore the knowledge that he could be making love to her right now, and had the other times, while thinking about another woman.

  Colin glanced down at his bed where Hailey was curled up on her side.

  She’d fallen asleep, and he hesitated to wake her. Though maybe there wasn’t really any need to do so. With her hands pressed together and lying beneath her cheek, she looked completely at peace.

  Angelic, almost. He thrust a hand through hair still wet from the shower, then adjusted the towel around his waist. Even though part of him was tempted to climb right back into bed and cuddle, he knew it was a bad idea.

  Plus, she might not be all too receptive. With a sigh, he turned and left her alone in the bedroom.

  Colin walked through the house, grabbed a soda from the fridge, and then took his cell phone outside.

  He made a call to his precinct and spoke to one of his coworkers, then was transferred to a different precinct in another jurisdiction. The one where Hailey’s no-contact order was filed.

  Ten minutes later, he’d ended the call and sat in a lounger on his porch. Staring out at Puget Sound, his thoughts were in about a half-dozen places at once.

  Mostly they circled back to Hailey and what had just happened between them.

  He hadn’t lied when he’d implied that he was basically Mr. Monogamous. He didn’t sleep around and preferred to be in a relationship when he was sleeping with someone. If it didn’t work out, well, then he got out of the relationship. It didn’t matter how good the sex was.

  And yet, here he was now, for all intents and purposes, having a casual, clandestine affair with Hailey. It was new territory for him. It made him a bit uneasy, truth be told, but then a part of him wondered if maybe this was exactly what he needed after Brenda.

  He conjured up the image of his ex-fiancée and took another sip of soda.

  Did he still love her? Hailey had asked at the strangest moment—right before making love again—and he hadn’t really known the answer. He hadn’t forced himself to think about it in a while.

  How did you love someone who’d left you at the altar? Who didn’t even have the decency to call or write until two weeks after?

  “You should’ve woken me up.”

  “Shite.” Jolting to attention in his chair, he turned to glance over his shoulder.

  Scrubbing a hand down a pink cheek, she looked sleepy and content, standing there in one of his T-shirts.

  Cheeky lass had raided his closet.

  “You looked far too content.” He leaned forward and pulled another chair close to him. “Have a seat.”

  She hesitated, but then gave a small nod. “I should probably leave in a little bit, though. I have to work tomorrow.”

  “Ah, right. No escaping the real world, aye?”

  “Not really.” She sat down on the lounger, stretching her long, bare legs out in front of her. “I don’t mind my job, though. Actually, I love it.”

  “Do you?”

  “I do. I vowed to go into a career where I could support myself, and where I would actually like my work.”

  “Smart thinking.” And, really, she was quite smart to have pulled herself out of that shite-hole of a life she’d grown up in. “Whatever happened to your brother?”

  “Nick joined the army right after high school. He’s been enlisted ever since.”

  “Impressive. You must be proud.”

  “I am.” A sad smile flickered across her face. “Though I miss him.”

  “Do you see him much?”

  “Not that often. Maybe once a year. The occasional holiday.”

  “Do you spend holidays with your mother?”

  “I’ve seen my mother...” she hesitated and gave a harsh laugh “...let’s just say I can count on one hand the amount of times I’ve seen her since I left home.”

  Stunned by that revelation, Colin shook his head. “You’ve not kept a relationship with your mother?”

  “We share blood. So there will always be a biological relationship.” She folded her hands over her stomach and kept staring straight at the water. “The few times we had contact was either a fluke encounter or her calling to borrow money.”

  “Do you give her some?”

  “I did once or twice,” she admitted softly. “When I first became a nurse and had steady checks coming in. I felt guilty. Felt maybe I could still help her.”

  “And then you realized...”

  “That she’s a slave to the drugs. A slave to alcohol, and that’s where all my money would always go.”

  “So you stopped.”

  “I stopped.”

  Respect for her slid through him and he caught her hand, lacing their fingers together, and squeezed.

  “Good on you, sweetheart. That can’t have been easy.”

  She didn’t pull away, but neither did she curl her fingers around his. They were somewhat stiff in his grasp, as if she was mentally fighting his touch, but he didn’t retreat.

  “It wasn’t, but it became easy. Soon I was ignoring her calls and eventually I changed my number.”

  “When was the last time you saw her?”

  She paused, thinking about it. “I think three years ago.”

  He nodded and followed her gaze out to the water. A white ferry could be seen through the trees, making its way to the dock in Clinton.

  “I called Skagit County PD while you were asleep.”

  Her hand jerked, and suddenly he could feel her gaze on him.

  “You did?”

  “Aye.”

  “You told them about Curt?”

  “I’ve a friend or two who work there. I gave them your name and mentioned you’d be coming in to file a report.” He turned his head to look at her again and found her uneasy gaze on him. “You really should, Hailey.”

  “I know.” It was almost a whisper.

  “But will you do it?”

  She hesitated, biting down on her lip, and finally giving a short nod.

  “Good girl.”

  In a moment she was on her feet, pulling her hand from his as she strode back into the house.

  He jumped up from the chaise and followed after her.

  “I need to go.” She made her way back to his room.

  When he caught up with her she was already stripping off his T-shirt and pulling on her own clothes again.

  “Does Sarah know about Curt and me?”

  “I don’t believe so.”

  “So then she wouldn’t know about the protection order.” She pulled on her skirt and then the tank top.

  “No.” Christ, every time she mentioned that order, or he thought about it, his concern for her safety jumped up a notch.

  “Maybe you should stay here, Hailey.”

  The look she cast him was nothing but incredulous. “Why on earth would I do that?”

  “Because I’m worried about you.”

  “I’ll be fine. Besides, you live on the south end of Whidbey and I live in Mount Vernon. That’s like an hour-and-a-half drive to work.”

  “I’ll help with gas.”

  “It’s completely illogical.” She gave an exasperated laugh. “Colin, really. I know your job is to protect people and keep the island safe, but I’m not your problem.”

  She leaned over to pull on her sandals, causing her skirt to tighten over her arse.

  “You wouldn’t be a problem.” The idea of having Hailey around at night sounded quite appealing.

  “Forget it. Not going to happen.” She turned, cupped his face and pressed a kiss to his lips. “But I do appreciate the offer. Really.”

  Swarmed by an unfamiliar feeling of helplessness, he asked, “Do you have a gun?”

  She snorted. “No. And I sure as hell don’t want one, either. I have a baseball bat, though, if that makes you feel any better.”

  “Depends what type of weapon Curt is carrying when he tries to break into your house next time.”

  “If there is a next time.” She shook her head. “Like I said, I’ll drop by the police department and let them know what happened. I don’t know what’ll happen exactly, but I guess we’ll see.”

  She tried to move away, but he caught her around the waist and pulled her back into his arms. Delving his fingers into her hair, he tugged slightly to tilt her head back, and then claimed her mouth with his.

  For a moment she froze, but finally she sighed and leaned in to him. She joined the slow kiss with unhurried strokes of her tongue against his.

  The hands she slid up his back stroked over him and up to his shoulder blades.

  Finally, when it grew difficult to breathe and he felt arousal surfacing again, he pulled away.

  “Be careful, sweetheart.” Rubbing his thumb over her swollen lips, he murmured, “And you call me if you need anything.”

  Her lips quirked, right before she bit his thumb lightly. “Like your penis?”

  “Aye, well, that too.”

  “Deal.” She pulled away and grabbed her purse off the floor. “See you soon, Deputy.”

  “I hope so. I’ll be waiting for any update on that Curt situation, you realize.”

  “I know you will.” Her doe eyes sparkled with a mix of respect and sadness. “Because you really are one of the good guys.”

  With a small nod of her head, she disappeared out of his room and, a moment later, out of his home.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “So you visited the police station?”

  Hailey cradled her cell phone with one hand as she finished unloading her dishwasher with another.

  She probably should’ve just let the call go to voice mail, but once she’d seen Colin’s newly added number pop up on her screen she’d picked up.

  Going several days without seeing him—let alone speaking to him—had made her miss him on a level she didn’t really like. Which just made her more determined not to text him or call.

  “Yes, I did. Reluctantly. And was that a question or a statement?”

  “A statement. I called and checked to make sure you’d followed up.”

  She laughed and went to work rinsing off dishes. “Of course you did, my sexy stalker lover.”

  “Mmm. No. I’m not a thing like Curt MacGregor—who’s getting a little too stalkerish for my comfort. I’m concerned for you, Hailey.”

  “I know you are,” she said softly. “I was teasing. And I appreciate your concern—I do.”

  Actually, it was kind of nice to know someone out there cared. It had been a long time since anyone had looked out for her safety. It was somewhat of a novelty.

  “What did they tell you at the station?”

  “You didn’t get the scoop on that too?”

  Though he didn’t reply, she could envision his disapproving scowl, so she cut him some slack.

  “He said that the first encounter, where Curt came to my house, was definitely grounds for them to take action. But because I didn’t take immediate action—I waited over a week—there wasn’t a lot they could do on that one.”

  “Well shite. I guess that makes sense. What about the one at the restaurant?”

  “That one, while suspicious, they said could be harder to prove was deliberate. Especially seeing as he drove off without speaking to me.”

  “So he’s still out there.”

  “Even if they did bring him in or question him, there’s no guarantee they’d arrest him. Depending on the severity of the crime, he could just be fined.”

  “Aye, and good luck getting any money out of the bastard.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Be vigilant, Hailey. I don’t trust him in the slightest.”

  “Me neither, and I’m being alert. I swear.”

  “You realize I’m also concerned that I’ve not heard from you in several days.”

  “I know. I’m sorry. I just...needed some space. But now I’m glad you called. I’ve missed you.”

  “I’ve missed you too. Can you get a dog?”

  She smiled at how quickly he jumped back to her safety. “No. I’m renting this house. No pets.”

  His grunt showed he didn’t approve.

  “What are you up to?” she asked while rinsing the handful of dishes in the sink.

  “Having a beer and lying outside watching the sunset.”

  “Lucky.” She stared out her kitchen window and just saw the dark green wood of the house next to her. “Your view beats mine.”

  “You should come over.”

  It was ridiculous how tempted she was. “I work in the morning.”

  “As do I.”

  “It’s after eight thirty at night and it’d take over an hour to get there.”

  He sighed. “You can’t blame me for trying.”

  So why didn’t you try three hours ago? She might’ve been swayed then.

  “You went radio silent after Thursday.”

  Yes, she had. After she’d gone to his house and they’d made love twice. After she’d promised to call and hadn’t.

  “I know.” Guilt coiled in her stomach. “I’m sorry. I was just a little physically and emotionally exhausted after that day. Especially after stopping at the police station.”

  “No need for apology. It wasn’t my intent to make you feel bad. It’s in my nature to worry. To be concerned about those...” he trailed off and seemed to be choosing his words carefully “...who are in my life.”

  Had he been about to say something else?

  “No matter, though. I just wanted to make sure you’re all right, Hailey.”

  “I am. I’m fine.” And she was. There’d been no more contact from Curt, or even a hint of him. He’d vanished. Or, well, that would be nice. But maybe he’d realized he’d gone too far this time.

  “I want to see you.”

  Her heart quickened at his soft words. “You could always come out here.”

  “Tonight?”

  “No. We both work too early. And our jobs aren’t exactly the kind you can do running on empty.” She grimaced. “Being exhausted at my job means I could potentially give someone the wrong meds or dosage. Maybe accidentally kill them. You know, that pesky stuff that’ll ruin your day.”

  “Oh aye. Death can really put a damper on things.”

  “I know, right?” She couldn’t stop a yawn as she closed her now-loaded dishwasher.

  “So then would tomorrow night work?”

  “Tomorrow is my Friday. It would absolutely be easier. But don’t you work the next day?”

  “I’ll be fine. I’ll head over after my shift—be there around 1900?”

  “Sounds good. And, you know, I love that we’re both on military time.”

  “It’s rather convenient,” he agreed. “Sleep well. Don’t think about me and get yourself all flustered or anything.”

  She laughed low, absently tracing the smooth cell phone with her fingers. “I can’t make any promises, but we’ll see.”

  “Try to hold out. It’ll make tomorrow all the more fun.”

  “Ah, so that’s what we’re doing?”

  “Mmm, likely. That and other things.”

  “All right. Have a good night, Colin.”

  “You as well.”

  When she’d ended the call and stared around the emptiness of her house, she was half-tempted to throw some clothes in a bag and drive over to his house after all.

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21