Boone exhaled deeply, forcing himself not to get his back up. Rhett was right—the case moved where it moved, and Boone needed to let it. “She’s hiding a few things, but I doubt they involve this case.” Hell, he understood hiding one’s past. He’d been an expert at refusing to talk about his life in New York City. “She’s a brokenhearted widow. Her secrets lie there.”
Rhett cocked his head, eyes turning inquisitive. “You’re sure about that?”
“Pretty sure, but my feelings toward her might blur things.” Which was precisely why Boone wasn’t lead on this case.
Rhett nodded. “I’ll go have a chat with her later today.”
Boone sighed and pushed off the windowsill, coming back to the table, where he put the case files back into the box. “Do what you gotta do,” he said, knowing Peyton needed a look into, even if he didn’t like it. “I’m going to grab lunch and hope that the reports are in once I’m back.”
“Lunch, huh?” Rhett asked with a smile. “Does this lunch involve a pretty blond down the road?”
“It involves me getting food,” Boone said.
Rhett rose. “Good; you won’t mind if I come along, then?”
Boone glanced over his shoulder. “Sit down. Shut up. I’ll be back in an hour.” He moved toward the door.
“Yeah, right, buddy,” Rhett called, laughter in his voice. “Seven minutes, top.”
Boone shook his head, snorting a laugh, hurrying out of the station before anyone grabbed him. Three blocks down, he approached Snappy Lobster, a food truck that sat in the corner of one of the public parking lots in town. He joined in the lineup of eight people, which wasn’t out of the ordinary.
“Boone.” Zoey, a girl from Kinsley’s graduating class, smiled from inside the truck when he finally made it to the front of the line. “How are things?”
“Good.” Boone smiled.
She hung out of the window a little. “I heard about the murder yesterday. So awful.”
He was well aware of the listening ears around him, so he gave the most professional answer. “We’re diligently working the case. You’re safe. We’ll catch who did this.”
Zoey’s bright pink lips turned up into a sweet smile. “And we’re glad for it. The usual?”
“Give me two today.”
Zoey’s green eyes all but sparkled. “Paying a visit to the new shop owner?”
Boone snorted. “News spreads fast.”
Zoey barked a laugh. “I think Kinsley was spreading the word to make sure no one else snatched her up.”
Of course Kinsley had. Everyone went into her bar, and his sister was as protective as he was. She also apparently wanted them together. Truth was, so did he. Now he only needed to convince Peyton of that too.
“Let me grab your order,” Zoey said, turning away.
Boone glanced next to him, finding the crowd watching him. Small-town living had flaws. Nosy people was one of them. But he oddly missed that when he and Chelsea left their hometown for New York City. His ex-wife obviously hadn’t. She stayed in New York City after the divorce. He’d immediately come home.
Five minutes later, Boone was walking back down the road with a brown bag full of food that was making him hungrier as the seconds went by. The smell of freshly squeezed lemon, lobster right out of the ocean, and spices infused the air when he entered Peyton’s shop. Looking delicately pretty today, she had just handed someone his receipt, and not just anyone.
Remy’s boyfriend, Damon Lane.
Peyton sent a relieved smile Boone’s way. “Hi.”
He’d have liked to think she was happy to see him, but he suspected she appreciated the interruption. He smiled in return. “Hey.” To Damon, he added, “How are things?”
“Been great.” Damon grinned, showing off his pearly whites.
The man was pretty, Boone would give him that. But there wouldn’t be a day where Boone would ever spend that much time on his hair. Not a strand of Damon’s brown locks was out of place, and even his eyebrows atop his dark brown eyes appeared to be waxed to perfection.
“Heard about the murder yesterday,” Damon said. “Terrible thing to happen to that girl.”
“Yup,” was all Boone would say on the matter.
No one liked Damon. Most of all Kinsley, but Damon always rubbed him wrong too. There wasn’t a genuine bone in the man’s body. Everything seemed like a show.
But Remy was not his sister. He tried not to worry about her too much, knowing she didn’t want him to interfere with her life.
Damon held up the bag. “Well, thanks again for helping pick this out for Remy.”
“No problem.” Peyton smiled.
He strode by Boone. “Later.”
Boone nodded his goodbye.
When the door shut tight, Boone glanced at Peyton and approached the counter, holding up the bag. “Lunch.”
She side-eyed him. “This is not a date.”
He chuckled. “Just two people eating food.”
She laughed softly, then said, “Thanks for bringing that. It’s been so busy, I haven’t been able to get out.”
“Thought it might be.” He closed the distance. “I really hope you’re not allergic to shellfish. If you are, you’ll have to be happy with a tangy lemon salad.”
“I’m not allergic.” She licked her lips. “And it smells amazing.”
He felt his shoulders relax that she didn’t seem standoffish that he brought her lunch, considering how she left him earlier, but not only had he wanted to see her again, he also needed answers.
Boone handed her the to-go container, then dug into his lobster roll that was the best in any state, he’d bet on it. When she took the stool behind the counter and began eating, he asked, “You have anything like these out in Seattle?”
“Not that taste this good.” She moaned and chewed for a moment, then cocked her head, eyes inquisitive. “Okay, I know this is so none of my business, but what is going on with Damon, and with Remy and Asher?”
“Kinsley’s never told you about Remy and Asher?”
Peyton shrugged. “I’ve never asked because no one talked about it. But why does everyone seem to hate Damon, including you?”
“Asher and Remy dated back in the day,” he explained.
“Oh,” Peyton said, obviously surprised.
Boone understood—Remy and Asher barely spoke anymore or even acknowledged the other’s existence unless necessary. Heartbreak tended to do that.
Peyton pondered a moment longer, then asked, “Things didn’t end well, I take it?”
“Things were good between them until Asher had big FBI dreams. He left her to move to Washington, and they never recovered.”
“Okay, I guess that explains all that.” Peyton stabbed her salad with her fork. “Tell me, though, what do you think about Damon?”
“He’s a creep.”
Peyton let out a loud breath and laughed softly. “Oh, thank God, I thought I was the only one who thought so. He just has a weird vibe, doesn’t he?”
Boone nodded. “Kinsley’s told her. I’ve told her. There’s something off about him.”
Peyton suddenly froze, eyes wide.
“What?” Boone asked.
She leaned in and said quietly, “Like he’s capable of killing a cleaning lady in a lingerie shop?”
Boone paused and then realized he shouldn’t have. “Can’t answer that. I believe anyone can kill in the right circumstance.”
Peyton eyed him with suspicion. “You think I could be capable of killing someone?”
“Yes.” He chuckled when she looked aghast. He nudged her arm, getting her to ease up, and explained himself. “What if you had a child, and someone wanted to kill that child, and you were face-to-face with a killer with a gun in your hand. If it was his life or your child’s, would you pull the trigger?”
She watched him closely before shaking her head and sighing deeply. “I’d like to think I wouldn’t, but I guess I wouldn’t know until I’m in that situation.”
Boone inclined his head. “People can do terrible things in the right circumstances. That’s just the way life is.”
“A dark way to look at it, though.”
Once Boone had been a naïve kid who tried to see only the good in people. But that kid was long gone. “Sadly,” he told Peyton, “darkness is always there.”
She gave him a warm smile. “But in the darkness, there is also always light.”
He wondered if she even knew she was comforting him. Maybe that was the nurse in her. Maybe that was something more.
He nodded, ate a big bite of the lobster roll, then got curious himself. “Can I ask you a question now?”
“Sure.”
“Who was the guy that came into your shop this morning?” He arched an eyebrow. “Anyone to worry about?”
“I guess Kinsley told you?”
Boone nodded. His sister had called him after she left Uptown Girl. “She was just concerned.”
Peyton nibbled a piece of lettuce from her salad. “He’s a friend from Seattle. Not someone to worry about. I’ve known him since college.”
“What’s his name?”
“Justin Blake.”
Although she thought he was good, that wouldn’t stop Boone from looking into him later today. “He’s just visiting, then?”
She glanced his way, her brows furrowing over her curious eyes. “Why are you asking? For the investigation?”
He nodded. Partly. But he was sure she didn’t want to hear that other part, so he said, “A man unexpectedly shows up from your past and comes into your shop the day after we find a murder victim in your store. Everyone is a suspect, until they’re ruled out.”
“Believe me, Justin is one of the good ones.” She gave Boone a quick look and shrugged. “He brought me flowers to congratulate me on opening the shop.”
That made Boone’s eyebrow lift. “This guy flew all the way from Seattle to bring you flowers?”
She glanced away, her shoulders dropping. “And I had some papers to sign.”
Papers that had to do with her deceased husband. Boone got that in the way she curled around herself. He also understood why she didn’t want to share that information. If he knew anything, he got the need to have a redo in life. “Justin’s gone now, then?”
She nodded. “Flew back pretty much after he landed.”
Seeing the tension in her shoulders, and not particularly liking that, he changed the subject. He gestured around the shop full of flowers and platters of sweets. “I see the town stopped in to see you.”
“I’d laugh,” she said, glancing around her shop, “but I actually think you’re right. Everyone and their grandmother came in today to give the shop and me some love.”
“It’s the Stoney Creek way.”
He dug in, taking a larger bit than her little nibbles. She stayed quiet, not really looking at him. Damn. Had he pushed too hard, too soon? “All right?” he asked.
“Yeah, Justin coming by today…just brings up stuff,” she said, glancing up at him through her thick lashes. “Adam died in a car accident, did I tell you that?”
Boone shook his head, staying silent, just letting her talk.
“I think being here helps me forget, you know.” She used her fork to move around her food. “But then I remember and that sucks.”
Deep pain lay in the depth of those sad eyes. They did strange things to him, making him want to remove that sadness any way he could. “I imagine it would.” He finished the final bite of his food and wiped his hands on his napkin, noting she’d stopped eating. “All done?” he asked.
“Yeah.” She closed the lid, her meal half eaten, no doubt despair being the cause. “Why?”
“Good, because you’re in luck.” He crooked his finger at her.
She stayed put. “In luck, how?”
“I’m really good at taking your mind off things you don’t want to be thinking about.”
She hesitated for only a moment and then gave him a cute smile before stepping around the counter. He waited until she pressed her sweet, warm body against his to slide his fingers across her back, pulling her in nice and close. He took his time, letting her feel the anticipation. Her lips parted and eyes darkened as he threaded his fingers into her hair, taking control, intent to distract her with a kiss. But then she leaned over to seal her mouth across his, and when she did, any control he thought he had vanished with her soft moan.
He had every intention of stepping back and leaving, but her hands came to his shirt, grabbing on tight and pulling him closer. Every moan she gave, the shivers he felt beneath his hands and mouth, all had him opening his eyes before grabbing her legs and helping her wrap herself around him. But he never stopped kissing her, not wanting the intensity to fade.
In a few long strides, he had her in a changing room. He reached for the curtain, shutting it behind them, crossing his damn everything that no one interrupted them. Peyton was practically climbing up his body to get closer, until she reached for the button on his jeans, opening them. He gathered her skirt and shoved her panties down, until she was stepping out of them.
“Condom?” she gasped against his mouth, once she had his cock free.
He broke away to grab his wallet and take out a condom, right as she shoved his jeans, as well as his boxer briefs, down to his ankles. She moaned when he kissed her neck while he applied the condom, and he felt the desire roll through him to make those moans loader. When he brought his mouth back to hers, she wiggled herself out of her panties. Desperation to have her fast and hard, wanting to claim every inch of her, overwhelmed him. He held her skirt up at her hips and spun her around so she pressed her hands against the long changing room mirror. Staring into her dark and lust-filled eyes in the mirror, he entered her from behind. He shifted his hips slowly at first, allowing her to become accustomed to him, while he unbuttoned her blouse, exposing her red lace bra beneath. Jesus, every piece of lingerie she wore seemed to get sexier and sexier. The perk of sleeping with a lingerie shop owner.
Taking his fill of her beauty, he grabbed her hips and pumped his to get them both to satisfaction. He didn’t need to be caught in her shop screwing like a teenager and he was sure she didn’t either. But fuck if he wasn’t going to have her. Her moans. This intense draw to her. The crazy need flowed through him with each hard smack against her perfect ass. He was a full-fledged goner, and he knew it. With every thrust forward and low moan, he stared at her and she watched him right back in the mirror. Her mouth fell open a little, her eyes glossy and filled with pleasure, her moans a constant fuel, pushing him faster and harder, until his eyes shut.
Her inner muscles squeezed him tight, holding him close, until she broke apart, shuddering and gasping against him. He followed her, bucking hard and fast, emptying himself with a deep grunt.
“Okay, that was…wow.” She laughed softly a moment later, looking a wild mess in the mirror, a pinkish hue across her cheeks.
“You are wow.”
Breathless, and full of masculine pride, he pressed his lips against her neck, right as the front door chimed open. In an instant, he was promptly slammed to the side, his shoulder hitting the wall when Peyton all but dove for her panties, sliding into them in a split second and buttoning up her shirt.
Her eyes were huge as she mouthed, “Oh, my God.” Amusement and something undeniably beautiful lived in her eyes right then.
Ah, hell. He liked seeing her happy.
He gestured her out, but before she could vanish around the curtain, he grabbed her for one last kiss. Sweet, tender, and something he hoped tempted her for more.
Then she was gone.
“Hi,” Peyton said to whoever had come into the store. “How can I help you?”
“Oh, I’m just looking around,” a soft feminine voice said. “I was thinking about getting some new pajamas.”
“I can certainly help you with that,” Peyton said with obvious relief, as clearly that section wasn’t near where Boone needed to exit
. “Pajamas are right over here.”
He waited for their voices to soften, indicating they weren’t in front of the changing room, before he slipped past the curtain and moved quickly to the door. There, he opened the door and set himself up like he’d just walked in.
Both women turned to him. “Ah, wrong store.” He smiled.
Looking both flushed from her orgasm and from nearly getting caught, he was sure, Peyton smiled. “Not a problem. Have a great day.”
Boone winked at her.
“Holy cow, these are so soft and beautiful,” the woman said, drawing Peyton’s attention away from him.
Boone shut the door behind him, thinking the clothing in the shop was sexy, but the woman who owned the shop was far more beautiful.
Chapter 6
Later that evening, just before six o’clock, and getting nowhere on the case, Boone hopped on his Harley-Davidson motorcycle in the back parking lot and left the station to cook himself dinner before heading back to work late. Especially considering that, as of now, they were at a standstill on the case.
The loud roar of his motorcycle quieted as he turned down the street lined with mature trees. His plan for a quick dinner before returning to the station was slightly thwarted when he pulled into the driveway of his two-story yellow brick house and found a surprise. He parked his motorcycle next to Kinsley’s Jeep and waved at his neighbor cutting the grass before he entered through the black front double doors. At one time, this house had been run-down, which had been why he’d gotten it for such a steal when he moved back from New York City. He’d lived with Kinsley for the first year while he did the reno, and moved into his new pad last year, finishing up the minor stuff while he lived here. Silence had been his enemy back then, making him stay too much in his head after the divorce. He’d gutted the house to its studs, and with the help of Asher and Rhett, over the last two years they’d gotten the job finished.
With neutral-colored walls, large, dark furniture, and a wide-screen TV, the two-bedroom house suited him just fine. But what he liked most of all right now was the sight that greeted him in his small kitchen.
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