by Regan Black
Leo mentioning bed set her nerves humming. Her bed was a short walk away and she had visions of him and her forgetting all about the winter storm rolling in. She’d be in bed right now—alone—if he hadn’t dragged her to the grocery store for nonperishable foods and fresh flashlight batteries.
“What is this, Leo? I don’t need your charity and really I shouldn’t accept it.” If anyone found out, she’d likely get another reprimand or, at the very least, another note in her file about inappropriate fraternization. “Just tell me what I owe you.”
“Why can’t you accept a nice gesture?” He folded his coat over his arms. The coat she’d wrapped around her knees like a blanket during the car ride.
“It just isn’t right. You’re a civilian and I’m...I’m not.”
“You can only accept a nice gesture from a fellow PPD officer?”
“No.” Why was he making this such a challenge? “It’s just crossing lines.” Oh, she didn’t want to air all her dirty laundry. Not after a lovely evening. “I appreciate the concern, and this is a thoughtful gesture,” she said, trying again. Who would find out, or care, that he’d picked up the tab on a couple bags of groceries?
If she expected IA to move past her mistakes, she should blaze that trail with confidence. “The chauffeur is probably wanting to get home.”
Leo had insisted the driver come in with them and stock up for the storm, as well, though he hadn’t picked up the man’s bill. Leo Butler was a considerate, generous man. A man she wanted to spend more time with, regardless of the status of his missing sister. She wanted to know him. Intimately.
“True.” He smiled and warmth flowed through her body, pooling in places best forgotten for tonight. “I’ll get going. Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow while you’re out there, nudging people along.”
Of course he’d go out and search shelters for Lara. She couldn’t fault his devotion. “No chance I can convince you to leave it to the PPD?”
“Afraid not.” He pulled on his coat, but he didn’t move toward the door. “I promise I won’t harass anyone and I won’t get in the way.”
She almost snorted. Who wouldn’t be distracted by his handsome face and compelling reasons for checking around? She moved toward the door, since he didn’t seem inclined to make an exit. If he stayed here much longer, she’d be suggesting he send the driver home and call a cab later. As in, morning-after later.
Timing was important, she reminded herself, and this wasn’t the time to jump Leo and drag him to bed. “Thanks again for a great apology dinner.”
“Did it work? You accept my apology?” he asked, his hand covering hers on the doorknob.
Heat sizzled along her skin. “Yes. It was a very effective strategy.”
His lips curled upward and she was pretty sure she’d never be cold again. “Good night, Leo.”
“Good night.” He brushed a kiss to her cheek. The lightest touch, airy. She told herself she was imagining the sparks. So why were her hands suddenly gripping the open panels of his coat? Why was she pulling herself into the heat of his body, closer to the intriguing scent that made her crave more of him?
She didn’t want another near-miss. She was past ready for the real thing. “Can I kiss you?” Her lips were a whisper from his. Please say yes. The thought pounded through her head loudly enough she was sure he could hear it, too.
He pulled her in tight, up on her toes. Without her grip on his coat, without his hand at her back, she’d fall. Then at last her lips met his and she might as well have been floating. Everything she knew fell away, fell right out of her head and her world, all her focus on that sweet, supple contact.
At last.
Her body melted with a new ease, a new awareness, she couldn’t have put into words. Thank goodness he wasn’t asking. He explored, the shape of her mouth, teasing and tugging on her lower lip. His arms wrapped her up, firm and secure as she opened to the touch of his tongue. The burst of heat and the velvet slide stole her breath. She didn’t care, simply held on, each new wave of sensation dwarfing the last.
He eased back and she discovered she could feel grounded and floaty at the same time. Her feet were rooted to the floor, and she leaned into him, making every breath a sensual adventure. His thumb glided along her jaw, up over the curve of her ear and she nuzzled her cheek into his hand. Dragging her gaze up from his mouth to his eyes, the raw desire in his gaze startled her. Rocked her. Matched the need burning inside her.
“Leo.” Her voice cracked.
He kissed her, swallowing whatever else she’d meant to say. He turned her, pressing her back against the door. She appreciated the additional support, used it to let her hands roam over his shoulders, up into his hair.
She caught herself as she started to push away his coat. He couldn’t stay. Shouldn’t. There were logical, valid reasons he should go. The only one she could recall was the driver waiting downstairs.
His lips feathered down her throat, better than anything she’d imagined. “Leo,” she said, trembling.
“Mmm?” His teeth grazed her earlobe.
She let the shiver come and go. “You should go. The driver...”
The tantalizing exploration stopped and he lifted his head just far enough to let her know he’d heard her. “You’re right.” His gaze roamed her face and his lips found hers for one final, brief kiss. “Can I be honest?” he asked.
“Please.”
“I hope we’re not done.”
She closed her eyes, knowing it wasn’t nearly enough to hide her desire for him. Every cell in her body was stating a case for throwing caution, rules and everything else out the window. “That makes two of us,” she confessed.
He grinned as if she’d handed him a winning lottery ticket.
“Good night.” He touched his lips to hers one last time and then he was gone.
She lingered in the open doorway like a lovestruck teenager until he reached the first landing. The chilly hallway and the weight of the moment finally doused her glow-y moment with too much reality.
Retreating, she locked the door and dropped her forehead against the hard surface. What was she doing? All of the reasons not to kiss Leo reared up now while she wanted to bask in the aftermath of the hottest make-out session of her life.
He was connected to an active case. She had a softhearted reputation to change and a neighborhood to watch over. All of that should matter. Those factors should outweigh the fiery attraction, the desire for more of his kisses, more of him.
Turning around she stared at the bags on her kitchen counter. Being on the receiving end of his generous and thoughtful gesture left her gooey inside, like melted caramel. She took a moment to put away the storm supplies and then went to the bedroom.
Her skin was still sensitive as she got ready for bed. The flannel sheets were a stark disappointment after being in Leo’s arms. When she finally gave in to sleep, her dreams were happier, sexy and not at all restful.
Chapter 6
Leo woke refreshed, having slept soundly for the first time in days. His dreams of Aubrey’s tantalizing body were a restorative break from nightmares about his sister. He waited for the guilt over that to kick in as he hurried through a cold shower.
He was still waiting for his conscience to scold him while he opened the radio app on his phone, listening to a morning show while he shaved. At the break for local news, a weatherman urged people in the area to take the threat seriously and prepare appropriately.
Done shaving, Leo switched the radio for the television while he dressed in the warmest clothing he had for his search. Just as Aubrey predicted, the storm was the dominant story on every channel. A graphic flashed on the screen with a list of supplies for a storm emergency kit.
The screen split, showing the list on one side and the studio on the other. Seated in front of a fire hearth set, Councilman Keller gave information about
where people could pick up ready-made kits if they couldn’t afford them.
“Don’t be shy,” Keller said. “It’s times like this when our community shines brightest. There’s no reason anyone should go cold or hungry. We’re pulling out all the stops to make this a zero-loss storm.”
Leo grabbed his phone, taking a picture as a list of emergency shelters was announced. The picture was grainy but readable. He followed the link posted at the bottom of the screen and bookmarked the channel’s website in case more shelters were opened.
Lara wouldn’t stay out in this nasty weather and she wouldn’t let others do so, either. Unless she turned to a friend in town, she would have to be at one of these shelters. He wouldn’t hold his breath that a friend would contact him, but he had to keep believing that when his sister had a chance, she’d let him know she was safe.
He would be diligent in his search today. It helped knowing Aubrey would be looking. And Grant. Combining all of their resources, Leo believed they would find her. Find her safe and healthy. And then she could explain what she was trying to prove or accomplish.
While the in-room coffeemaker sputtered through the first cup of the day, Leo tried the visualization technique the family counselor had taught him shortly after his dad died. In that situation, he was to tap into a happy memory and reconstruct it to keep those good feelings top of mind. To maintain the connection to his father and grandfather and reframe the present, knowing he’d been well loved.
The exercise provided an essential reminder when his mother could barely stand the sight of him. Those visualizations helped him feel safe and a bit less battered by the constant sorrow and guilt his mother heaped on his head.
Today Leo brought to mind one of the happy, casual mornings he’d enjoyed with his sister during the recent winter break. They’d shared coffee, jokes and relatively aimless chatter over his kitchen table. The air carried the sweet aroma of cinnamon rolls fresh from the oven. Lara, her hair a mess from sleep, had worn her favorite college hoodie and flannel pants printed with sleepy cats, her feet covered in ridiculous, fluffy purple socks.
When he had that memory fixed in his mind, he simply altered the conversation, imagining what she’d tell him today. About her choices, her safety net and what she hoped to get out of whatever she was doing. It wasn’t a perfect exercise and being frustrated with her didn’t help, but when he opened his eyes, he felt calmer.
Dressed for the day, confident he and his sister would see each other and talk by nightfall, Leo sipped his coffee while people hustled by on the sidewalk below.
After fueling up at the breakfast buffet, Leo’s first stop was the Good Samaritan soup kitchen. The manager, Rosie, wasn’t pleased to see him, until he made it clear he was serious about helping. “I can go buy more supplies or stay here and set up cots. Whatever you need, just tell me how to help.”
Rosie had the softened look and graying hair of a grandmother, but she could organize people and issue orders with the efficiency and manner of a drill sergeant. She sized him up and put him to work unloading supplies from the delivery truck idling in the alley. Over the next two hours, Leo worked up a good sweat and was starting to understand why Lara had volunteered here. Already he had a fresh appreciation for all the things that had gone right in his life.
Leo enlisted the help of a skinny boy who might be eighteen and learned he had been on the streets since his freshman year of high school. The kid claimed his dad drank too much and no one in the building where he’d lived could remember his mother’s name. Shelters and odd jobs had kept him going after they’d been evicted.
Without Lara, it was entirely possible Leo might have run away from a mother who couldn’t bear to look at him. The sobering thought made his stomach cramp. He’d been her first charity win; they just didn’t know it until now.
When he’d worked through Rosie’s task list, he made it clear he was going to search for Lara in other emergency shelters.
“We’ll call if she comes in here,” Rosie promised. Her gaze dropped to his gloves. “You should raid our stash for something warmer for your hands. The temperature is only going to drop as the storm comes in.”
“I’ll be fine,” he said, touched by her concern. “Keep the good stuff for the people who really need it. If I run across anyone out there, I’ll give them a nudge this way,” he added, borrowing Aubrey’s phrase.
Rosie squinted at him. “You’re a good boy,” she stated. “A heart as big as your sister’s.”
He resisted the compliment. “No, but it’s something to aspire to.”
Leo walked down the street under a bank of clouds already dropping a mix of icy rain and light snow. He saw a patrol car roll by and thought of Aubrey, walking her beat with Calvin, making sure everyone was safe. He marveled at how well people were heeding the warnings. Fewer cars were on the streets and businesses were already putting up closure signs.
The next nearest emergency shelter was being set up in a school gymnasium. Leo walked in and helped set up cots and a hot beverage station while keeping an eye out for Lara. Other than the volunteers, no one had come in yet. He showed Lara’s picture around, but no one recognized her. When he heard a team of volunteers was headed to a known homeless encampment to give folks a ride in, he tagged along with them. It wasn’t yet noon and he had plenty of time to visit other shelters in the vicinity before the weather drove him into his hotel room for the night.
When they reached their destination, he didn’t bother showing Lara’s picture. Instead, he focused on serving coffee from the thermoses the team had brought along, encouraging people to come in from the cold. He hadn’t anticipated it would be such a hard sell. Several people didn’t believe the weather reports and others feared they’d be trapped or lose a coveted spot.
The van was at capacity and Leo decided he’d walk back if it made room for one more person to have a safe place to ride out the storm. “It’s too cold to stay out here,” he told an older woman who waved off the coffee, claiming the brew was a curse. “They’ll have hot tea,” he added. “I set up that station myself.” That was apparently all she needed to hear and to his relief, she let him help her into the van.
Leo walked around the camp, giving a wide berth to the people who had refused any assistance. He did a quick head count and sent Aubrey a text message letting her know how many people had gone to the school shelter and how many remained in this particular area. She replied almost immediately, assuring him that officers and more volunteers would come through before the storm hit in full force.
Back in the soup kitchen Leo had felt an affinity with Lara’s mile-wide compassionate streak. Out here with the weather worsening, the connection was deeper still. These people had it rough, enduring circumstances that stemmed from bad choices or bad luck. There was no one-size-fits-all solution.
He walked out of the camp, grateful that he had options and means. Of course he hadn’t previously given much thought to homelessness or any other societal issues unless it intersected with his work or neighborhood. Typically, he left the relief efforts to those organizations with experience and resources and manpower. Lara was the bighearted person in the family, the one who saw a need and set about meeting it. He’d always found her charitable nature admirable and beautiful. Inspiring, too. But he didn’t want her in over her head; couldn’t bear the idea that she’d be hurt while trying to help others.
His sister wasn’t dumb. Although it hurt him deeply that she’d left him out of the loop about her plans to withdraw for the semester, he had to entertain the idea that she knew what she was doing.
Leo’s hands and feet were screaming for better gear by the time he reached the college campus. He trudged along, tucking his chin into the upturned collar of his coat and wishing for a scarf. He noticed news vans parked along the street, framing the corner of the park across from the stately administration building. Cameramen and their reporters were jamm
ed up close to the speaker. Probably for shared warmth as much as to catch a quote.
Walking closer, he saw Councilman Keller was addressing the group. He wore jeans and heavy boots under a down coat. His thick gloves drew the eye when he gestured to the building behind him.
Leo pressed in, listening along with everyone else.
“If you know of anyone in the area in need, send them here. Thanks to Professor Whitten, the school has graciously opened this building to the community and donors have pitched in, so the facility is equipped with plenty of supplies.”
Leo’s gaze snapped to the professor standing just behind the councilman. Whitten looked cold and uncomfortable and not at all delighted by the praise.
“My aides continue to work with the power companies in an effort to keep the heat on, regardless of account status,” Keller continued. “If you have a problem, give us a call or come on down and my team will do whatever we can to help.”
Leo studied the closest buildings. Philly architecture had fascinated him from his first visit with Lara. This area boasted an eclectic mix of buildings old and new, restored or razed, with pockets of wealth amid areas where people were clearly struggling to get by. In other parts of the city, neighborhoods might be more uniform, but that wasn’t the case here where Lara had spent the better part of the past three years.
Her time at this particular college and neighborhood had changed her in ways no one could’ve anticipated. If he was going to find her before the storm rolled in, he had to get a handle on why she’d left school to live on the street. Uncomfortable as it was to admit, the professor understood this new side of his sister better than he did.
The clouds overhead opened up and snow fell faster, in wet, heavy flakes, and to everyone’s relief, the councilman wrapped things up quickly. In the midst of people rushing out of the weather he lost Whitten, but he overheard a few people who seemed to be part of the councilman’s staff discussing a recent foray into another homeless camp.