“I have a cousin, he’s…well, he’s kind of a mess and he’s got two kids. I’m close with his kids and sometimes I need to…” I searched for a word, found it and said, “Intervene.”
“What kind of mess is he?” he asked.
“What kinds are there?” I asked back.
“Lots of kinds,” he answered.
“He’s all those,” I answered too.
He studied me. Then he muttered, “Shit.”
I took in a breath, put minor pressure on my hands at his chest and whispered carefully, “Mitch, I really need to get to the kids.”
He studied me again. Then he said, “Right.”
Finally he let me go and stepped down another step. Again I felt that crush of disappointment at the same time I felt relief.
I felt these for about half a second. Then his hand curled around mine and he tugged me down the stairs toward his SUV.
I followed because if I didn’t, the determined way he was moving, I knew he’d start dragging me.
“Um…Mitch?” I called, he lifted his other hand and I saw the lights and heard the beep of his locks opening on his SUV.
Oh boy.
“Mitch?” I called again as he led me to the passenger side.
He didn’t answer. He pulled me around the door and opened it.
“Uh…Mitch,” I said again and he used his hand in mine to maneuver me into the door.
Then he spoke.
“Climb up.”
I twisted to look up at him. “But, I –”
Mitch cut me off, “Climb up.”
“I think that I –”
Suddenly he was in my space and there wasn’t a lot of it seeing as he was a big guy and we were wedged between his truck and the door. I had to put my hands up again in an automatic effort to fend him off. But they only made it to his (rock hard, by the way) abs before his face was all I could see and my body, heart and lungs all stilled as I stared into his eyes.
“Mara, climb…the f**k…up.”
Oh boy.
I was in trouble and I was in trouble because Detective Mitch Lawson, close, pissed off and bossy was hot.
“I can take care of this on my own,” I assured him. “I’ve done it before.”
“I’m a cop,” he announced suddenly.
“I know,” I told him.
“I know you know. What you might not know is I’ve been a cop a long time. That means I know all the kinds of messes people can be. You’re not a cop,” he informed me. “So, you tellin’ me your cousin is all the kinds of messes you know means he’s probably all the kinds of messes I know and there is no f**kin’ way I’m lettin’ you get in your car and drive into a mess. Now, Mara, climb…the…fuck…up.”
“Okay,” I agreed instantly because close, pissed off, bossy Detective Mitch Lawson was also pretty freaking scary.