by Jill Sanders
“That was…” she said, trying to return the mood to its previous lighthearted tone.
“Something,” he said as he ran his eyes up and down her. The look in his eyes told her that he wasn’t in a light mood any longer.
“Aiden,” she started to say only to have someone knock on her door.
Groaning, she wondered which family member had seen the kiss and was now purposely interrupting them.
She moved towards the door. “It’s probably—”
“One of the Jordans,” he finished for her. “I can take a hint.” He held up his hands as she opened the door. Her brother stepped in from the rain.
“Hey, sis,” he said easily and shook off his coat. “I saw your light on and—” Her brother stopped when he noticed Aiden standing in front of the windows. “Oh.”
Matt frowned. If he was faking that he hadn’t seen them kissing moments before, he was good at hiding it.
“I didn’t mean to…” Her brother’s frown grew. “To interrupt.”
“You are,” Aiden replied with a slight smile.
“Yeah, I can see that.” Matt moved further into the room as Suzie rolled her eyes.
“We ran into each other downstairs,” she told her brother. “Aiden was just leaving.” She nodded towards the door.
Aiden moved towards the door only to come up short next to her brother. The two men were only a few months apart in age and had been friends their entire lives. Only now, they looked at each other as if they were sizing each other up for the first time.
“We aren’t going to have a problem, are we?” her brother asked in a low tone.
“No,” Aiden said with a sigh.
Then they surprised her by laughing and punching each other lightly on the shoulder before giving each other that stupid man-hug that men do.
“I’d heard you were back in town.” Her brother moved further into her apartment.
“Yeah,” Aiden followed him.
Suzie watched as they sat on her sofa and chatted about Aiden’s father and Blake’s pregnancy. She sat in the oversized chair in the corner and listened to the two friends catch up. It was hard not to see the differences in the men. Even though Aiden and her brother were both tall, Aiden was built like a linebacker, full of bulging muscles, while her brother was built more like a quarterback.
Her brother had their father’s darker hair where she and her sister had their mother’s lighter locks. Aiden took after his father as well, while his sister had their mother’s amber locks.
“Well,” she said when the subject turned to the latest game. Standing, she glanced between the two men. “As much fun as it is watching the two of you catch up, I have an early morning.” She nodded towards the doorway.
“Right.” Aiden stood up and gripped Matt’s hand again. “I’m officially on duty tomorrow. Swing by the office sometime.”
“We can do better than that. Why don’t you and Suzie come out for dinner this Friday? That way you can hang with Blake a little longer than you could at our wedding.”
“I couldn’t ask your pregnant wife to cook for me,” Aiden said smoothly.
Matt chuckled. “You won’t be. I’ll grill out.”
“Sounds good.” Aiden glanced at her. “If it’s okay with Suzie?”
She shrugged. “Sure, why not?”
“Great.” Her brother headed towards the door with Aiden. “I came in town for some ice cream for Blake.” He glanced down at his watch and hissed. “She’s going to kill me for taking so long.”
Aiden and her brother headed out the door as they continued to chat. Standing at the top of the stairs, she waited until they were at the base of the stairs before shutting her door.
“Gee, thanks for the kiss, Suzie.” She mimicked Aiden’s broody tone and started to walk towards her bedroom. She stopped when there was another light knock on her door.
Thinking that her brother had forgotten something, she opened it quickly.
Aiden stepped in, wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her up on her toes for another kiss. This one shook her to her very core.
“Sorry,” he said with a sigh when he came up for air. “I didn’t think your brother wanted to witness…” He shook his head. “Goodnight,” he said softly with a smile, then kissed her softly again.
This time as she watched him descend her stairs, she held onto the door frame for balance. Then she leaned against the closed door until she could feel her legs. When she was a little steadier, she made her way into her bedroom and changed into her thick pajamas before crawling into bed.
Her mind ran over all the times she’d been kissed. She had to admit, none of her previous encounters had come close to what she’d experienced with Aiden.
It took forever for her mind to settle down and when she finally drifted off to sleep, her dreams were filled with Aiden.
When she woke, she was in a better mood than she’d been in the past few days. Stepping out of her place to the sunshine, she smiled up at the sky as she took several deep breaths. She’d added a few small potted plants on the small deck by her door and took a moment to make sure they hadn’t gotten too soaked last night during the rain.
She waved to Patty as she walked past the store, then glanced around the small town and smiled. Since there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, she decided to walk to work instead of driving. It was only about half a mile to her store and she’d left early enough to stop by Sara’s Nook for a cup of coffee and a pastry.
She was enjoying her breakfast when the door opened, and Aiden stepped in wearing a Pride PD uniform. Her mouth went completely dry at the sight of him. She’d thought he’d been hot before but seeing him in the short-sleeved black uniform that strained over his bulging biceps had her brain melting.
“Morning,” he said easily and moved over to her table.
Instead of answering, she heard something close to a giggle come out of her mouth.
Covering it, she took several deep breaths as she tried to get her mind back under control.
His dark eyebrows rose slightly as he looked down at her, as if he were trying to figure out if she needed medical attention.
Reaching for her coffee, she took a sip and, feeling a little more under control, she smiled up at him. “Morning,” she finally got out.
“I didn’t think you really had an early morning.”
“I’ve got an early shipment coming in.” She tried to avoid looking at him, since she couldn’t think about anything expect getting him out of that uniform.
“Mind if I join you?” he asked, nodding to the spot across her.
“Sure.”
“I’ll just head up and get a coffee.” He glanced over at the counter. “Be back.”
She nodded and, while he ordered a coffee and a blueberry muffin, she practiced deep breathing to get her heart rate back under control. Which would have totally worked, had she not noticed how great his butt looked in the uniform.
She felt a little more herself when he sat across from her and dug into his muffin and coffee.
“So,” he said after a few sips, “like the uniform?” He smiled.
She’d just taken a sip of her coffee and almost choked.
She recovered and said, “Yeah,” with a slight shrug. “It’s okay.”
He chuckled. “Swallow your tongue?”
She rolled her eyes. “There is nothing as unattractive as a man who knows he’s hot.”
“Oh?” He leaned closer. “I don’t know, a woman who knows she’s hot is...” His eyes ran over her slowly. She’d worn a cream-colored top that buttoned in the front and another pair of black slacks that hugged her body. She’d left a few buttons undone in the front to showcase the cleavage she’d finally gained in the eighth grade. “Sexy as hell,” he finished in a low gone.
She smiled as she leaned forward, happily watching his eyes move to that cleavage as she did so.
“The fact is… even Simon and Tom look good in that uniform. So, I’d surmise it’s the uniform
, not the man.”
He laughed and took another sip of his coffee. “So, you’re not one to give compliments.” His eyebrows shot up. “You look amazing today, by the way. I just love button-up shirts on women. It reminds me how easy they are to… unbutton.”
She felt her entire body melt again and silently cursed him. Would he always be able to cause her to respond that way?
Chapter 6
Aiden’s first day filling in for his father had been nothing like he’d expected. Sure, he’d gone to work with his dad plenty of times over the years. But by the time he finally had a minute to grab some coffee and a muffin, he’d been out on more than a dozen calls.
How could his little hometown have this much going on? Most of the calls were small issues like locked keys in a car or a flat tire that he needed to help someone change. But there had been two break-ins on the outskirts of town last night, which had him wondering if his father hadn’t been lying when he’d said he would be busy.
He had to admit, getting off his feet for a few minutes and spending some time with Suzie was extremely appealing.
Then he’d seen the way she looked at him, and he couldn’t help but tease her. That was after he’d recovered from the hot sultry looks that she was giving him. Thankfully, waiting for his coffee and muffin had helped.
Today, he’d been thankful it was Sara Masters behind the counter instead of her daughter Brook. He had himself back under control when he sat across from Suzie, or so he’d thought.
Then she’d run her eyes over him, and he couldn’t help but admire the cleavage spilling from her blouse. He wondered how he was ever going to go back to work after sitting across from her.
“How’s it going today?” she asked after his compliment caused her cheeks to turn a pretty shade of pink.
“It’s going.” He took a sip of his coffee and wished he’d ordered an iced coffee instead of a hot one. “I didn’t believe my dad when he told me how busy it was around here. I don’t know how he and the other guys handle it all. I mean, there’s only four of them working the district, if you don’t count the three full-time office employees and the dispatchers.”
Suzie frowned slightly. “You could always talk to my aunt about the budget. If you think there needs to be a few more bodies, I mean.”
He thought about it and nodded. “I might. I know my dad and Lacey talk a lot. I can’t imagine that he hasn’t asked at least once over the years.”
“Pride isn’t a big city, but we have been on a steady climb. The sheriff force has to grow with our numbers.”
“True.” He thought about all the cops in Portland and how he’d been the rookie and the lowest on the ladder. Hell, he was looking at playing file clerk for a few years before a position opened up for him to become detective. Not that he minded. He liked learning as much as he could, but it was sure nice being top dog, even if it was for a few weeks. “I might ask, but I’m only going to be around for a few weeks.” He shrugged. “I’d hate to request something that my dad doesn’t need. Not that I’m not as qualified to do the job as he is.”
“Right.” She chuckled.
“Besides, I’m sure that I can have things running more smoothly by the time my dad returns to work in a few weeks.”
“Don’t let the job go to your head,” she said dryly.
“Who? Me?” he asked with a smile.
“Don’t you remember when you were made captain of beach volleyball one summer?” She leaned her elbows on the table and his eyes moved to watch her breasts.
Realizing it, he jerked his eyes up to hers and tried to ignore what the sight was doing to his pants.
“No,” he answered. “What happened?”
She smiled. “You got a little power drunk.”
“I did not.” He thought about it and then laughed. “Just because I called you out doesn’t mean I was power hungry.”
“You called every shot out. At least all of the ones that Terra Wilkins missed.”
“That’s right.” He smiled, remembering the girl. “She was a really good volleyball player.”
“You just wanted in her pants,” she said with a look that dared him to deny it.
“And it worked.” He shrugged.
“Man slut.” She finished her coffee and then moved to stand up. “I’ve got to head on to work.” She smiled brightly and he felt his heart kick in his chest. “Guess I’ll see you around.”
The casualness of her attitude had him standing up and following her out the door.
“What does that mean?” he asked with a frown.
“Hm?” She glanced over her shoulder at him as they stepped onto the sidewalk.
“You kiss me like that last night and today you casually walk away? Now who’s being the…” He swallowed his next words as her eyebrows shot up.
“You’re the one who made it clear you only do casual,” she reminded him. “Besides, you’ve mentioned more than a half dozen times just this morning that you’re only going to be in town for a few weeks.”
“Right.” He sighed as he remembered their conversation. “Well, I am.”
“Which is why I’m walking away casually now.” She turned to go.
He frowned at her back and watched her disappear around the corner. He should have gone after her, but she was talking sense. He didn’t want to stick around Pride any longer than he had to. Not that he didn’t like his hometown, but he was done living in small towns. He liked the city life. The speed of things, the people that didn’t know him and his entire life’s story.
“Are you doing okay, Aiden?” Mrs. Wilberts asked him as she reached for the bakery’s door. He rushed to open it for her and nodded.
“Doing just fine,” he replied with a smile.
“You look as handsome in that uniform as your dad did the day he started working.” She touched his cheek with her hand and then snapped it. “Don’t mess with the Jordan girls. They have spine and fire.” She chuckled. “I doubt you could handle the heat.”
He was too flabbergasted to reply to her before she stepped inside, and the door swung shut.
“See.” He motioned towards the door and mentally kicked himself for talking to himself. This was the reason it was a good idea to let Suzie go.
Taking his warm coffee to the patrol car, he climbed behind the wheel and was about to pull out of the parking lot when Alice, one of the dispatchers, got him on the radio.
“Aiden, we have a five-ninety-four at 102 Maple Street.”
He frowned and tried to remember why that address sounded familiar. “Heading over now.” He turned on his siren.
A block and a half later, he felt his pulse kick as he parked in front of Suzie’s new business. The stands in front of her building were destroyed and he parked sideways in the street and rushed towards the door.
“Are you alright?” he asked when he found her just inside the doors.
“Yes,” she answered and motioned to the door. “Someone destroyed my stands. I’ve just checked the rest of the store—”
“You should have waited for me.” He pulled her out the door and barked at her to stay put while he rushed through the building quickly. He checked every room, including a small coat closet in the back. When he stepped back out onto the sidewalk, she was waiting for him with her arms crossed over her chest.
“Are you done?” she asked as her eyebrows arched up.
“The inside looks untouched,” he answered.
“Yeah,” she said sarcastically. “As I was saying, I don’t think they got inside. The door was locked, and everything looked fine inside.”
He relaxed a little as the pair of them looked at the splintered wood.
“Who would do such a thing?” she asked as she bent to pick up a piece of wood.
He glanced around and then moved over to the edge of the street. “They hit them with a car.” He motioned to the tire marks on the curb.
She glanced over and sighed. “Yeah, I think you’re right. It could’ve just been an
accident.” She stood up and bit her bottom lip.
“Drunk driver?” He glanced up and down the road. Spotting AJ’s Bar at the end of the street, he motioned. “Someone leaving the bar?”
“Yeah. Guess Parker will have to make me a new set of these.” She frowned as she pulled out her phone.
“Maybe suggest he make them out of steel this time?”
“Yeah.” She stepped back into the building. “Good idea.”
He followed her inside and listened to her ask her brother-in-law to come help with the stands. Parker promised her that he’d be there soon to look at the possibilities.
When she hung up, he was still standing on the other side of the counter from her.
“I’m sorry to call you out here,” she started.
“Your insurance should help cover some of the cost,” he said, filling out the report. He was thankful that his father had switched out the old ticket system for a new digital one a few years back. “Here’s your report number.” He handed one of the station’s business cards to her after writing her number on the back. “Tell your insurance company you need to file a claim, and I’m sure they’ll cover most of the cost for the material.”
“Thanks.” She tucked the number in her pocket. “I bet you never thought this job was that exciting,” she said as she leaned her elbows on the counter.
“Believe it or not, this isn’t even the most exciting call I’ve had this morning.” He leaned on the counter as well.
“Oh?” she asked, but just then his radio beeped, and he answered Alice’s call. “Gotta go,” he told Suzie after disconnecting with Alice. “I might have just found out who drove through your displays. I’ll keep you posted.” He headed out.
Half an hour later, he was knocking on Bradley Rupert’s trailer door. The man’s car was parked about a quarter of a mile away in his nearest neighbors’ front yard, with a very large oak tree holding it up.
Since the front of the car had been destroyed, he’d had no luck in finding out if it had been the one to destroy Suzie’s display stands.
There had been droplets of blood on the airbag and door handle, which meant Brad had walked away. Or at least hobbled away.