Any Day Now - Lani Lynn Vale Page 0,51

shoes, toiletries, electronics, and anything else she thought she’d need—we’d fallen exhausted into the bed.

I hadn’t even had the energy to kiss her goodnight.

And since I’d had to work the early shift the next day, I’d left quietly that next morning without waking her since she didn’t have school at all or work to get to until later this afternoon.

It was now four hours into my shift and I was starving.

I needed something to eat hours ago, but like the dumbass I was, I’d forgotten to set an alarm this morning and all I’d had time to do once I did wake up was get ready to leave and drive to work.

This particular moment was the first time I’d had a chance for a break since I’d walked in the door of the department.

Today I’d got suckered into crowd control at the fuckin’ movie scene that was being filmed in downtown Kilgore, and I couldn’t have been more annoyed with it all.

I was still very, very pissed off that Rogan was here causing trouble.

What was worse, I really needed to talk to Amelia about what I’d learned today.

Which was why I’d decided to take ten precious minutes to drive home instead of just grabbing something in town like the rest of the cops that were assigned to downtown today.

Pushing open my door, I grinned when I saw King sitting on her perch on the couch.

“Want outside?” I asked her.

She didn’t jump off and instead flopped down onto her side like the little diva she was.

As I walked past her, I gave her head a little scratch, then moved past her into the kitchen to grab a cheese stick.

Chewing on the stick with two more in my hand, I made my way into the bedroom to find the overhead light on, the lamp on, and Amelia passed out in the middle of the bed.

“What are you wearing on your head?” I asked, pulling the covers down to expose her face more fully.

Or what would’ve been her face.

I couldn’t actually see her face because it looked like she had a pair of shorts wrapped around them.

“Shorts,” she said, sounding drowsy. “I was wearing bike shorts to nap in but the sun was really, super bright. And I was too tired to get the lights. So I took them off so I could cover my eyes.”

My lips were full-blown smiling.

I pulled the shorts off of her face to reveal her eyes. “Why are you taking a nap in the middle of the day?”

She licked her lips, drawing my attention to the plump little pillows that I loved feeling against my skin.

“One doesn’t need a reason to nap, Adam.” She rolled her eyes. “See, I just wanted a nap… so I took one.”

I liked her answer. A lot.

Even more, I liked that she was taking a nap in my bed.

“Are you hungry?” I asked curiously, handing the shorts back to her.

As much as I’d like to explore her and her shortless self, I didn’t have time.

Sadly.

I was needed back at work. Everyone was already overworked, thanks to the movie being filmed, but if we weren’t there for crowd control, things would get sticky.

“I could eat.” She paused. “I worked out, ate a snack, took a shower, then decided I’d had enough adulting for today and decided to take a nap. I’ve literally only been asleep for like, thirty minutes tops.”

I rolled my eyes and tugged her to her feet, dropping my mouth down onto hers before pulling away to stare down into her eyes.

“Last day at work, right?” I asked.

She nodded. “Last day.”

“Then what?” I questioned, sliding my hand down her arm until I got to her fingers. Wrapping mine around hers, I pulled her gently toward the living room.

I lost her when we passed the couch because she saw King.

“I don’t understand why she won’t sleep with me,” she murmured as she picked King up and cuddled her close. “Why won’t she sleep with me, Adam?”

I shrugged and walked toward the kitchen.

“She’s always been like that, even when she was a puppy. Loves the cuddles. Loves the playing. Hates leaving the living room. I have no idea why,” I said as I started to open the fridge to see what I had to work with. “When we were out yesterday, I should’ve grabbed some food.”

“What about an omelet?” she asked. “I bought that new omelet maker thing yesterday. We could try it out.”

I vaguely remembered her buying something like that, but…

“I have like,