“Yeah, well, I don’t get to the house as often as I should. I made it home about three months ago, but I was called back to work about a half hour after I got there.” He glanced at his watch. “And I have a command performance this Sunday. My old man wants me there because my mom is probably pushing his buttons. Don’t let me forget, yeah?”
She tipped her electronic watch toward her mouth. “Set a reminder.” The watch asked for the specifics. He provided them and she echoed them. “I’d lose my ever-loving mind if I didn’t have this thing. It tells me what to do and when to do it.”
He smiled and found himself staring at Kallie. Tall and athletic, she was strikingly beautiful. Her full lips and high cheekbones were accentuated by her soulful chocolate brown eyes. Top that off with the fact she was a cop who understood what being a cop meant. She was the perfect woman for someone like him. Hell, for any cop. That thought sent a shot of possessiveness through him. He was so screwed.
The cat wandered into the kitchen and meowed, breaking their connection. “Right, well I better go. I’ll be back here at 8:00 a.m.” He scooped up Fester and got him into his crate. He grabbed his jacket and shoved his arms into it. Getting gone before he did something stupid was an absolute priority.
She opened the door for him. “I’ll be ready for you.”
He blinked at her choice of words. A blush bloomed over her cheeks. He nodded and left, heading down her hall. As he reached the end of the hall, he glanced over his shoulder and damned if he didn’t catch her watching him. She waved and popped back into the apartment. He raised the crate and looked at Fester. “You know, dude, this case might not royally suck after all.”
8
Kallie shut the door and dropped her forehead against the thick wood. “Don’t. Just. Don’t. You know better.” Her rueful burst of laughter echoed around her and confirmed that she did know better, but damned if she wasn’t smack dab in the middle of a conundrum. Brock wasn’t her permanent partner. Good thing. Going by the way the man was acting, the attraction between them was mutual. Damn good thing. The case wouldn’t be affected by whatever was building between them. Fucking perfect thing. But… she’d been down this road before. Bad, bad thing. Her piece of shit, murdering ex-husband was released from prison and looking for her, which would put anyone spending time with her in danger. Fucking worst thing. Then again… Brock was a cop and a damn good one. Yep, very good thing.
She straightened away from the door and made quick work of rinsing the dishes and arranging them in the dishwasher. Not a bad first shift. She’d met her temporary partner, submerged elbows deep in a case, and determined her partner was a complex mix of contradictions and sex appeal, aaannnddd the Commissioner’s son, no less. As she turned off the light and checked the locks one more time, she tried to recall what his father looked like. Lord, she hadn’t even thought to connect those dots. Of course, she’d seen pictures of the Commissioner on the Hope City Police Department’s website. She vaguely remembered a page full of shoulder-mounted stars, blue uniforms, and bios that were impressive as hell.
Peeling off her clothes, she folded them and placed them on her dresser before she slipped between her silk sheets. The cool fabric was a splurge and an impulse buy when she left Atlanta. The soft, pale blue material warmed quickly against her skin. She propped her head up with a second pillow and stared at the darkened ceiling. Images of her new partner streamed across her thoughts. The jeans he’d worn hugged his thighs and that incredible tight, muscled ass. His long sleeve Henley had stretched over his shoulders and biceps, but had hung loose over the badge he’d carried on his belt. He’d hiked the hem up behind his service weapon. And those eyes. God, those eyes were intense blue with a darker ring edging the iris. His dark brown hair was long enough to curl at his neck. All in all, he was everything she’d used to look for in a man and then some.
Kallie groaned, flopped over onto her stomach and punched her pillow. Finding someone like Brock should