I live over on Hemmingway.” The two roads ran parallel to each other two blocks apart. “You found everything you need?” So much for caveman.
She turned and put her elbow up on the back of the seat. “I’ve been here for a couple of months. I’ve gotten the lay of the land. I use the supermarket over on Halverson, and I found a gym.”
He chuckled. “Please don’t tell me you use the Golden Ticket.”
She slapped his arm. “Hell no! I found this little place around the corner–”
“Vito’s?”
“Yes! I don’t need fancy equipment. Give me a jump rope, a heavy bag and a sparring partner, and I’m good to go.”
He could see her excitement in flashes as they drove under streetlights. Fuck. He focused his attention on the road ahead of him. He needed to snip his budding attraction to his partner right now. Thou shall not ogle the woman who has your six. He was pretty sure that was a commandment. If it wasn’t before, it was now. Fuck him. The idea of this woman sparing with him sent all kinds of un-partner like thoughts to his now completely overactive imagination. Somehow, he had to shove Kallie onto that 'do not mack' list. Still, he couldn’t leave it alone. He cleared his throat. “Spar?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah, my bosses at Guardian gave a demo when I first got there. The woman, Jade DeMarco, man, she literally kicked ass. I mean, I had self-defense in the academy, and I can take down a perp, but she picked four of the biggest, baddest mothers in the group and told them to take her to the mat. The woman destroyed them. Since then, everyone in the division had mandatory training. She’s trained in a blend of martial arts, which we were taught. I fucking love taking down someone bigger and stronger than me.”
And that was probably one of the hottest things he’d ever heard. Change of topic. Change it right now. “Ahhh… I’ve always thought Jade was kinda crazy. I haven’t seen her in, damn, it’s been years.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Say what now?”
He glanced over at her. Clearing his throat again, he asked, “Did you like working at Guardian?”
“Yes. The organization is phenomenal. Integrity is really their hallmark. I’ve never experienced a total buy-in like that before, but stop diverting. How do you know Jade DeMarco?”
“Her maiden name is King.”
“Fuck me. Your sister?”
“Hell no. First cousin. Her dad and my dad were brothers.”
“Were?”
“Yeah, her dad died a long time ago. So, you left Guardian and the best of everything because you missed working twenty-three hours a day, bad food, worse coffee, and grumpy partners.”
“You’re not grumpy.”
He laughed and hit the turn indicator as he slowed for a red light. “I’m not talking about me. Grant is your official full-time partner. He’s a cranky motherfucker.” He wasn’t, but hey it was fun to poke at her.
“Yeah? Well, I’ve dealt with those types before.” She smiled at him. “Tell me, Detective, are you hungry?”
“Fuck yeah.” He glanced at the neighborhood. “Not much open right now, though.”
“Ummm…”
“Ummm?” He taunted her with her own unfinished statement.
“Okay, I don’t want to get any shit about this, so if you say anything to anyone about it, I’ll cut your balls off, but I’m a damn good cook. In the past month I’ve loaded my freezer. How does a bowl of chili and some homemade cornbread sound?”
He turned his eyes toward her and stared at the woman. Fuck him. God was testing him. Yep, or there was a hidden camera somewhere in the car. Someone had set him up. No woman was this perfect. Nope, she was a plant. Had to be. The vehicle behind them blasted its horn, startling them both. Her full-on laugh rolled through the car. She laughed with abandon, a full body release that was… enchanting.
“I didn’t ask for your first born, detective. Do you want some food or not?”
He kept his eyes on the road and nodded. “I would. Thank you.”
“Awesome. You can bring Fester up; we don’t want him to turn into a block of ice while we eat. I’m three blocks up on the left.”
He changed lanes and parked in front of a nice-looking building. It wasn’t new, but it had been kept up, and it had locks on the lobby. He followed her up the stairs and into a decent-sized apartment decorated with pictures, pillows and plants. The three ‘P’s’ that his mother insisted made a house a home.
“Take your