“Damn it,” I mutter. “When you want to hate someone…”
“So, she’s not all that bad. I’d love to open a dance studio.”
“A dance studio?”
“I’m a dancer. It’s my real passion. I’ve studied for years while getting my master’s in business. To pay Lynn back, I had to take two part-time jobs while looking for my dream one. Sadly, dancing has gotten me nowhere, but I’d like to help a little girl achieve that dream if I can.”
Licking my lips, I smile. “I like that.” Her eyes light up. They captivate me even more in the late afternoon sun. She giggles, and I ask, “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing.”
I grin because, why not? Talia makes me smile again. I haven’t had that in a long time. “How about, every day, you tell me something I don’t know about you, and I’ll do the same?”
Her smile feeds mine. “Why would I do that?”
I laugh. “Why wouldn’t you?”
Her brown eyes nearly knock me over, and she fights a grin. “Uh, okay. Sure.”
“Should we do a pinky swear or something like that?”
“I’m not there yet.”
I can’t help smiling more, and she freezes again, her eyes drop from mine to my firearm. Does she honestly believe I parade it around? I haven’t yet.
Natalia shakes her head and then turns to walk, and I follow her to the entrance, where Taggart summons her over, probably with EPO info. Not wanting to end our breakthrough conversation on a lame note, I say, “See you around, Talia.” Nat. It doesn’t fit.
Spinning around, her mouth opens, but she doesn’t respond other than that.
I think I just made a new friend and pissed off my FTO.
Damn. It’s been a good day.
As soon as I see her on the screen, I laugh. “Jay!” It’s been six months since I’ve seen Jordan because there’s never time to chat for an extended period. I need to change that because I miss the fuck out of her.
With her colorful hair twisted on top of her head, she clasps her hands over her mouth, and behind them squeals, “Dylan!” Dropping her hands, Jordan shrieks, “Holy fuck! Look at you, my man! You’re…You’re…”
“Tired as hell.”
“Hot as hell!”
I laugh again, glancing over at Tristan, across the room, who makes a face as he pauses from tapping on his laptop. He arches a denigrating eyebrow before returning to his computer.
“What in the fuck are you doing out there? California has changed you!”
“Not really. California never left me, living in Virginia. I just work out a shitload more now.”
“Don’t give me that hooey! I do a treadmill and weight-training every other damn day! I don’t look like that! Do you have a six-pack?”
Tristan mumbles at that comment, but I ignore him as I lean back on the couch, taking Jordan with me on my phone. “No.”
“Shut the fuck up. You’re lying. I want to see it. Pull up your shirt.”
I roll my eyes, grinning, just happy to see her. “Uh, no. What have you been up to in Richmond?”
“Who in the fuck cares what I’ve been doing, dude? I’ve missed your ass, which is probably jacked too. Tell me more about the new Dylan McGrath. You getting laid every night, looking like an underwear model?”
“That’s a lie. I’m here at night, talking to you, so no.”
From the table, Tristan laughs, and I frown at him. Like he has room to judge. He doesn’t get laid either. He’s pickier than me and a snooty fuck.
“Come on. You can’t waste your hard work. Find a woman who will appreciate it!”
“It seems you’re doing all that for me.”
I laugh, and from the table, Tristan says, “And that’s all you’ll ever get, Rook.”
I flip him off as he gathers up his laptop and goes to his room. We get along most days. He was one of the first people who talked to me outside of the academy and offered his help. He’s thirty and has been a police officer for seven years. He coaches me, though we often agree to disagree. I’d been staying with Grant and Emerson for a month when Tristan mentioned he needed a roommate—I jumped at the opportunity. It wasn’t even about Emerson and Gwen, their preschool-age daughter, who is a cool kid. Grant casts a mighty shadow anywhere he goes. It’s hard to escape it to see the sun, even in places called Sunnyville and Joy Springs.
“You’ve been there for over a fucking year.” Jordan’s mouth scoops air, and her eyes bug out. “Oh, my fuck! You haven’t gotten laid in a damn year?”
“Shit, Jordan. Why don’t you yell it from the James Monroe Building?”
“No offers? What the hell is wrong with California girls? Those songs are fucking frauds.”
“I haven’t met many. I’ve been so busy.”
“Many? You’re not interested in anyone?” I smirk, and she shrieks. “You are! What is she like?”
“I didn’t say there was someone.”
She sucks in a loud and large amount of air, dramatic as usual, and points at me. “Aww! You’re a damn liar, Dylan Stuart McGrath! I’ve known you since we were four-fucking-teen! Just like the six-pack! You lie like a rug! Call the fire department because your damn pants are on fire! Do you kiss your mother with that lying mouth?”
Grinning at her overreaction, I say, “Chill out. There’s not much to tell.”
“How about the damn truth?” She widens her eyes, tapping her fire-engine red fingernails on her cheek, and I laugh. “I’m waiting.”
“She’s a waitress at a diner where I eat lunch with my field training officer.” I hear a door close in the hallway as I relax against the couch.
“The new mega-bitch you told me about?”
“The one and only.”
“Well, is this waitress an aspiring model?”
“Not everyone in California is a model.”
She rolls her eyes with a put-upon maudlin expression. “Okay. Fine. Is she pretty?”
I nod. “Very.”
“Oh, my God. What’s her name?”
“She doesn’t have one.” Her homicidal glare reminds me of Taggart’s, and I laugh.
“Have you asked out No Name?”
“No. Look how long it took me to ask…” I look away from the phone, not wanting to fall down that rabbit hole of thinking about Audrey. Too late.
“Oh. Right. Forget that dumpster fire. You’re a new man, Dylan! Not that you weren’t good-looking because shit, you were, but fuck me. Seriously. Fuck me. I’ve tried dick before. It’s an acquired taste, but I bet yours tastes great.” She winks at me and then giggles until tears flood her eyes.
Scratching the start of my after-work scruff, I laugh, nearly dropping my phone. “Fuck off, Robinson. You think you’re so funny. She might not want to go out with me.”
“Bull fucking shit. Women love men in uniform. Okay, not all uniforms and not all women, but if she doesn’t get hot and bothered seeing you in your cop blues, she’s married, gay, or a lunatic who needs to be locked away. Hell, most married women would do you in a heartbeat.”
“Whatever.”
“I mean it, Dylan. Don’t waste away there.”
“I eat and exercise.”
“That’s not what I mean. You have so much to offer a woman. A fucking ton. Don’t let someone miss out on you by waiting too long to act. She could be your perfect match, but she’s doing the same thing you’re doing right now. Nothing. If not a date, just hook up with her, for Christ’s sake!”
I sit up as that idea bounces around in my head. “I don’t think she’d do that.” Neither would I. I think. Maybe. I don’t know.
“Son of a bitch, you’re a pain in the ass! I don’t get you sometimes. You have no problem rejecting rules or running your mouth, and you’re confident in most things, but women are your stumbling block. You clam up around a pretty girl.”
“That’s an exaggeration.”
“Barely. The dumpster fire refused to sleep with you until you were nineteen. I mean,
you didn’t even argue about it. Shit, you didn’t even tell her how you felt and that you needed to fuck.”
“It wasn’t like that.” It was.
“I don’t lie. Okay. Then ask this mystery woman to go to dinner or something.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Right. Then I guess you’re forever jerking off in the shower.”
Frowning at her giggles, I ask, “Have you seen her around?”
Her giggles suddenly cease. “No, but if I do, she’ll get an earful.”
“Don’t do that. Just let it go.”
“I’m not stalking her, but if I see her, then no way. She did you dirty, and I don’t mean blowing you after a workout. So far, I’ve avoided her or the other way around. You haven’t talked to her, have you?” She glares at me, and I shake my head. “Good. You’re better off without her.” She grins and licks her lips. “So, let’s again talk about that ripped six-pack you’re hiding.”
“Night, Jay. Love you. Sometimes.”
“Love you too, Dyl. Ask her out or fuck her in your patrol car. Or both. I want results.”
I roll my eyes at her before I exit the screen with a sigh. That’s easier said than done
Chapter 7
I’ve flirted with Talia for a month but haven’t made much progress. I can only blame myself.
“Don’t forget to rent a tux for the awards banquet Saturday evening.”
“A what for the what?”
Taggart glares at me, and I wait for her to berate me for not knowing what the fuck she’s talking about. “Awards. Banquet. Tux. Do you need an interpreter, officer?”
“Oh. That. I’m not going.”
“Make sure you’re there at 7:00 p.m., sharp.”
“But I’m not going.”
“I think you’re sitting in the back but don’t think you’re sneaking out early. You’ll be there when I accept my service medal.”
“I’ll just catch the video.” Like that would ever happen.
“Your attendance is not optional.” Standing, she says nothing further. I watch Taggart exit the diner to make her daily call, relieved for her to be out of my damn face for five minutes. Now I have to go to some boring banquet and pretend I’m enjoying it. Fuck. Maybe I can fly Jordan out here to be my plus one. She’ll get a kick out of it and look good on my arm, at least.
Sighing, I turn to the window, watching people using the car wash. I notice all the cars there today are at least twenty years old.
“Hi, there, officer.”
I whip my attention from the window and see Talia smiling at me, holding a piece of pie. She slightly raises the plate, saying, “Peace offering.” I grin as she sets down two pieces of key lime pie. She quickly adds, “I brought Lynn one, so she doesn’t feel left out.”
“There’s no need for a peace offering, but this is a great substitute.” I nod across the table. “Have a seat.”
“I can’t. I’ll get in trouble.”
“Tell them I’m questioning you in a big case, so they’d be obstructing justice to intervene.”
Talia smiles but still is uncertain. “Just for a minute.” She and I look behind me to the door to make sure Doris isn’t around before sitting on the edge of the bench seat. “I also wanted to apologize for how I treated you when we first met. I suppose I’m on edge sometimes.”
“I don’t blame you.”
“I didn’t expect Omar to show up here. So again, thank you for helping me.”
“No more of those, either. I was happy to help.”
“I’m embarrassed I had him in my life. He was nothing but trouble.”
“We all make mistakes. That’s how we learn, right?”
“Right.” Talia nods and then hesitates before asking, “Do you like being a police officer?”
Surprised by that question, I take a bite and a sip of tea, then look her in the eye. “Aside from coming up with an excuse to get out of going to a crummy award banquet I don’t want to attend, it has its perks.” I grin, which makes her smile immediate and so pretty.
“Sounds fun.” She rolls her eyes and nods toward the counter. “I’d better get back. I have to train a new server.” Standing, she says, “You know. Perks.”
I laugh. “I’d trade places with her.”
“Maybe I can hook you up.” Realizing at the same time what we both said, we look away from each other, but I hear her quiet laugh as she heads to the kitchen. Again, I watch her ass moving in her skirt and have so many visions of bunching it up around her hips.
I focus on my pie when Taggart returns, but everything makes me think of Talia in ways that will haunt me the rest of my nights and career.
“And then I set my hair on fire.”
Her crabby voice snaps me from thinking about what Jordan had said. “Sorry, what?” I want to know Talia more, but I’m hesitant because, well, she is too.
Taggart purses her lips. “If you put the vehicle into drive, it will roll. Point A will turn into Point B, and so on and so forth. Follow that format. There’s a whole world out there, Magellan.” I frown at the windshield as I pull onto the street after one of our night checks of crime-prone areas. There aren’t many in Joy Springs. No irony necessary. “Next is The Joy Inn.”
“Why a hotel?”
She writes in her notepad as I make a left at Sandoval. “Because it’s next.”
Checking my side-view mirror, I roll my eyes and just do what I’m fucking told. There’s no use in arguing because even if I’m right, I’m not, and I will never win.
“I hear your cousin broke the Sunnyville High burglary case.”
“Oh?” I don’t care at the moment but let her talk to avoid another verbal beat-down. I haven’t seen Grant in two months because we live in neighboring cities. So far, I haven’t found the balance Ricky had mentioned. I think it’s an unattainable myth, or he blew sunshine up my ass to bring to Sunnyville.
“And broke is a good thing for a case.”
I nod. I’d know that shit even if I were braindead. “Got it.” I wish a house would fall on one of us.
While she yammers on about my Sunnyville superstar cousin in excruciating detail, I nod and throw a one-word comment every so often, which seems to fly. My mind isn’t on Grant’s instincts or deductive-reasoning skills. I mean, good for him, but I’m not the president of his damn fan club. Most of the time, there’s a burr up his ass. Grady and I talk more often, anyway.
I turn into The Joy Inn’s parking lot, and Taggart points to an area near the entrance for me to park. Being a cop sometimes has its small benefits.
I radio dispatch our location before she hassles me, earning me a slight nod and a less severe frown. Progress.
I follow Taggart into the red brick building, checking out the potpourri-scented lobby. Its swanky chandelier, marble countertop, and plush chairs juxtapose the city’s avant-garde vibe. However, Taggart’s bristly presence tames that contrast, and they’re suddenly simpatico.
A woman exits the elevator. Seeing me, she smiles as she undresses me with her eyes. Since leaving the academy, I’ve noticed women checking me out, I guess, and I again think of what Jordan said about how I look. That’s something else I’m trying to get used to, though I’m positive it’s the gun. If only they knew I’m no crack shot, which is unfortunate for my job description.
I smile back at the redhead as she continues to eye-fuck me. The attention is not something I’ve ever craved from people, especially women, but it’s cool. I just don’t know what to do with it.
A grating voice says, “But that’s after I joined the circus and worked the trapeze in a bikini.”
I turn away from staring. “Say what?” I hope to God I didn’t hear what I think I did.
Wearing a look that would melt butter, Taggart shakes her head and looks over at the check-in desk, compelling me to do so. The woman smiles, and I immediately grin.
Her brown-eyed gaze dances as she says, “Hello, Officer McGrath.”
I walk
closer. “Miss Welch, what are you doing here?”
“Doing a song and dance. What does it look like?” Taggart answers for her, and I really want to beat her with my nightstick.
Talia looks from Taggart to me before looking down at the counter again, biting her smiling lip. Her hair is in a knot thing, and she’s wearing more makeup than at the diner. Her white blouse is open two buttons, hinting at what’s underneath it. Staring at her, I realize how much I want the damn tour.
Fingers snap in front of my face, and I flinch. Taggart barks, “Are you gawking at Natalia or getting something to eat?” Taggart grits her teeth and glares at me for breathing. What the frig did I do? Why does she have to call me out every fucking time? I glance at Talia, whose smile freezes and eyes widen. What did I do to her now?
“I wasn’t staring,” I mutter as the woman next to Talia pushes her arm with a squeal. I drag my gaze back to Taggart, asking, “Eat?”
“Get a dictionary.” She ambles down the nearby hall, leaving Talia and me to stand there. The blonde woman behind the counter giggles again, making Talia shoot her a narrow-eyed glare, and the woman to instantly stops laughing.
Talia nods toward the counter. “Um, Sadie is filling in for my dinner break.”
“Dinner? It’s,” I check my watch, “almost nine-thirty.”
“Yeah. It’s been a busy night with a medical convention here for the weekend.”
I nod. “Yeah. That’s right.”
“Are you hungry?” Talia asks as she leads me toward the long hallway. Glancing back at the check-in counter, I notice Sadie mouthing something to Talia with a grin. Talia shakes her head and then turns away from her. When Sadie sees me watching them, she yelps and returns to her paperwork. Whatever that was about.
“I guess so.”
She laughs. “You don’t know if you’re hungry?”
I shrug and glance at her face as she smiles up at me. Damn. Her lips make my mouth water more than any food. Her eyes are so much more intriguing this close, with gold flecks in the honey brown. I could get lost in them. When she blinks, I realize that’s what I’m doing, but her smile refuses to quit, which makes me smile.
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