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.
Peyton stood at the white countertop cutting vegetables, a salad bowl set next to her. Boone took in her modest dress, which he knew by now was a damn tease. On the outside, Peyton wore skirts and blouses that were stylish and proper. She wore dresses that were meant for Sunday dinners with the family. Though Boone knew that beneath those clothes was sexy lingerie and an even hotter woman. Blood and heat rushed to his groin, hardening him enough to fight back a groan. And their lunchtime quickie filled his mind, making him desperate for a repeat.
Pulled by this damn thing he couldn’t control, he stepped into the kitchen, watching as she dropped the knife on his approach. He smiled and drew closer.
Only a step away, she turned around with a smile. “Hi.”
“Hey.” He dropped a kiss on her cheek. “How was the rest of your afternoon?”
“Good.” Her cheeks were flushed, eyes a little hotter than before as she nibbled her lip. “I know we said we’d be casual. So I guess you’re surprised I’m here.”
“It’s a good surprise.” He grabbed a carrot off the cutting board and threw it into his mouth.
She stared at his lips longer than necessary. “Kinsley wanted to make you dinner, and since I’m going to be staying with her, she insisted I come too.” Her teeth bit down on her lower lip, calling him forward. It didn’t surprise him when she blinked and turned away, getting back to work on cutting the vegetables.
“Only Kinsley wanted to make me dinner?” he murmured, letting his gaze roam over the sweet curves of her body, tempting him.
“No, I did too.” Her voice was husky, soft, and eager. “I also wanted to see if I could help any more with the case.”
Knowing all she’d been through lately, he softened his voice. “Is that the only reason?” He shoved his hands into his pockets so he wouldn’t grab her and kiss her until she was melting beneath his hands.
Slowly, she glanced over her shoulder. Their gazes held. The air between them heated, rich with all the things she wanted and all the things he wanted to give her. “What if I say no?” she asked playfully, her eyes hooded now.
“I’d say let’s skip the dinner and go straight for dessert instead.”
She gave him a sexy smile, then went back to her cutting. “Kinsley’s outside grilling the steaks.”
“Of course she is.” He stayed put, not trusting himself to get any closer. “Did everything in the shop go well?” he asked, wisely changing the subject.
Peyton nodded. “Better than I thought it’d be. It’s just weird, you know, trying to get the image of that poor woman lying there out of my head.”
Sometimes images never left, no matter how hard you tried to scrub them away. “It’ll take a while to forget.” He spotted Kinsley now through the window as she stood at his grill. “But life goes on, and that’s the way of it.” He sidled up next to her. “Anything I can help with?”
“Wanna break up the lettuce?”
“Sure.”
He washed his hands, then settled in next to her right as she said, “I guess you’re kinda used to that kind of thing, huh?”
“You never get used to death.” He ripped the lettuce into smaller pieces, placing them in the salad bowl. “Every single victim is right there in your mind. Of course, some stay with you longer than others, but you never forget them. Just like you’ll never forget Lauren Francis.”
“I sent her family flowers today,” Peyton said.
He glanced sideways at her. “Did you?”
She nodded and gave a little shrug. “I mean, I don’t even know her, so I feel weird going to the funeral, but I”—she smiled softly—“I felt like I had to do something.”
“You’re a kind woman, Peyton, and I’m sure they appreciated them.” It occurred to him that, from the time he met Peyton, she’d always seemed inherently good. And her soft manner warmed parts in his chest he’d thought long dead.
Once he finished up with the lettuce, Peyton added in the veggies she’d been cutting. “I haven’t stalked your house or anything, but what I’ve seen of it is really beautiful.”
“I’m glad you think so.” He smiled, liking being next to her. He felt…comfortable. “Most of the work I did myself, but Rhett and Asher helped with the big renovations.”
“Really?” She glanced around, reassessing. “How did you know how to do this? I can barely hang a picture up straight.”
He chuckled, catching the strands of hair that fell from behind her ear and tucking them back again. “My grandfather loved carpentry and building things in general. When I was growing up, he taught me what he knew.”
“Wow.” She leaned back against the counter. “Consider me even more impressed than before.”
“I’m not sure why that impresses you so much.” He took a step toward her. “I thought you already knew I’m good with my hands.”
A sexy smiled curved her mouth. He closed the distance between them, watching as her chest lifted and fell heavily. Her cheeks flushed pink, her eyes holding his intently. Compelled to get closer still, he took another step until he placed his hands on either side of her. Her chin tipped up, lips parted for his kiss. His fingers instinctively slid against her cheek, sliding into her hair, as his desperation to claim her overwhelmed him.
And then there was only his mouth on hers as he kissed her gently, teasingly, seeing how much she would offer him. She gave him everything, closing the rest of the distance, pressing all her soft curves against him. He tightened his fingers in her hair, tilted her head, and deepened the kiss, his tongue softly stroking hers in a perfect rhythm.
“Here comes barfing round two.”
Boone groaned when Peyton broke away with a gasp.
“Sorry for interrupting, kids,” his father said, standing in the doorway, obviously having followed Kinsley to the kitchen.
Boone took in Peyton’s bright red face and wide eyes before he lifted an eyebrow at his baby sister.
“What?” Kinsley smiled brightly with a little shrug. “I thought a family dinner would be good.”
Bullshit. “Sure you did.” Kinsley was setting them up so their father could meet Peyton. And apparently, if Peyton’s deepening blush said anything about it, she just realized that fact too.
“Um, hi, Mr. Knight,” Peyton finally said. “It’s nice to see you again.”
“Please, Peyton, you can call me Hank.”
“Well then, it’s nice to see you again, Hank.” She smiled, glancing between Boone and his father. Repeatedly.
“It most definitely is.” Hank smiled, a grin that often comforted and warmed anyone he set it on.
Boone couldn’t move. His cock was hard and throbbing from that kiss, and if he turned around everyone would see that. He started at Peyton, his hands still braced on either side of her on the counter. Heat and lust and things he couldn’t even understand coursed through his blood. Christ, he was nearly ready to kick his family out to have her.
When did he become this guy?
Hank finally cleared his throat, then said, “Well, come on, Peyton, let’s eat some grub and you can tell me all about Seattle.”
She nibbled her lip, looking at Boone with all the heat he felt. “Prepare yourself for a boring conversation.”
“Impossible,” Hank said, moving toward the door.
“Besides,” Kinsley added, grabbing the salad bowl off the countertop. “Anything is better than watching Boone try to eat your face.”
“Get going, Kinsley,” Hank chided before heading outside.
When the screen door slammed shut, Peyton said, “You’re going to need to move so I can.”
“I don’t want to move,” Boone told her in all seriousness. “I want to lift you onto this counter and fuck you.”
Her lips parted with her harsh breath, but right as he d
ropped his mouth to hers, she dipped under his arm.
Boone blew out a long, deep breath and dropped his head. This woman was making his erections as a teenager seem minimal in comparison. Take it easy. That’s what he needed to do with her.
Problem was, that was the very last thing he wanted to do. “Dinner it is, then.” He placed his hand on her lower back and guided her toward the door.
“It’s your fault I’m a walking pile of mush,” she said before heading outside.
“Good. I like you that way,” he called after her, not particularly caring who heard him. He adjusted his erection in a poor attempt to hide what she’d done to him and then followed her out, shutting the screen door behind him. The warm evening greeted him, a perfect night for drinking beer on his deck and listening to music. His backyard was private, full of trees, with a small grass area behind the large deck.
Kinsley and their dad were already sitting at the bar top table next to the grill. As a family, they were about as informal as Boone had ever seen, and Kinsley was already nibbling on a piece of steak before everyone sat down.
Something his dad obviously picked up on, since he said to Peyton, “Around here, the rule is to eat when the food is hot and don’t worry about waiting for everyone. Hope that’s all right with you.”
Peyton sat beside Kinsley. “That’s perfect, actually.”
Boone dropped in next to his father before reaching for the salad.
“The kids tell me you were a nurse back in Seattle,” Hank said, cutting into his steak.
Peyton stilled, exhaled slowly, and nodded. “A trauma nurse, actually.”
“And here I thought I would have the best stories around.” Hank chuckled softly. “You must have hundreds of good ones from working there.”
“No way,” Kinsley said, and turned to Boone, her eyes dancing. “You’ve got the best story ever. Tell Peyton about your wife, Lanny.”
Peyton’s brows lifted. “Your wife, Lanny?”
Boone finished chewing the salad in his mouth and then explained, “Lanny’s a heavy drinker who lives on the outskirts of town. She believes I’m her long-lost love and that twenty years ago we married.”
Kinsley laughed. “She believes Boone is her soul mate.”
“How old is she?” Peyton asked before putting a forkful of salad in between those incredible lips.
Boone zeroed in on that mouth, catching the darkening of her eyes, then reminded himself they were with his family. “She’s a young eighty-two.”
“That’s right,” Kinsley said, still laughing. “You better scoop Boone up, Peyton. She’s a real threat.”
Boone glared at his sister. Whatever she was trying to do, it annoyed him.
“What?” Kinsley asked, fluttering her lashes.
Hank shook his head at the exchange and put the conversation back onto Peyton. “Tell us a story, Peyton. I’d love to hear one.”
“Well, um…” She glanced down at her plate.
Boone glared at his father now. Nosy fucking family. He never would have arranged this dinner—particularly after defining their relationship as casual last night—and he certainly didn’t want Peyton feeling uncomfortable.
To his surprise, Peyton lifted her head again. “I have one really good one.” Her eyes glossed over, obviously lost in a happy memory. “A guy came in one night—he was a usual who always seemed to find his way into the ER—and he was totally filthy. The ER was crazy busy that night. We didn’t have clothes on hand, so I put him in a hazard suit just to get him in something clean.”
“A nice thing to do,” Hank commented.
Peyton’s smile warmed her eyes. “You’d think so, but when he saw himself in the mirror, it’s like his mind snapped. He became convinced he was an astronaut from outer space and that he needed to get back to his ship. Before anyone could stop him, he busted out of the hospital and took off down the road, sending three nurses, a doctor, and a security guard chasing after him.”
Boone laughed, as did his father.
“The cops ended up coming out and it took quite a bit of drugs to settle him down.” Peyton paused, glanced down at her plate, then smiled at the memory. “But I remember that night we all needed that laugh. It’d been a tough one.” She glanced up at Hank and shrugged. “Funny how things come around like that when you need them.”
Boone couldn’t take his eyes off Peyton right then. She loved being a nurse, that much was obvious. The sparkle was there in her eyes. The love for the job was there. Nursing had so clearly given her purpose. And all of that only made him wonder why she gave up a career that she appeared to love. He took a quick look at his dad, finding him watching Peyton closely. Yeah, his dad didn’t miss much either.
“You guys have the weirdest jobs ever,” Kinsley muttered, breaking into the silence. “I would have been horrified at that, but you all like it.”
“You gotta find the humor in things,” Hank said, smiling at Peyton. “The light in the dark is a necessary requirement, isn’t it?”
“Very much so.” She smiled, though this time the smile didn’t reach her eyes.
Boone nudged her foot with his under the table. She lifted her eyes, ran her foot against his, and then warmth spread across her face.
Yeah, the light in the dark was beautiful.
* * *
After the dishes were done and the kitchen was clean, Peyton left Boone’s house with a heaviness in her chest that hadn’t been there when she had arrived. Boone had gone back to the station, but before Kinsley and Peyton called it a night, Kinsley had to go check in at the bar, so Peyton tagged along. The trees and houses were a blur outside Peyton’s window as she sat in the passenger seat of Kinsley’s black Jeep, until Kinsley turned onto Main Street and slowed down. Though dinner was nice, she missed her family. Deeply. Back in Seattle, Sunday night dinners with her parents had been a tradition for as long as she could remember. And she’d had dinner with Adam’s family every couple weeks. Earlier, with the Knights, Peyton found herself enjoying the laughs, the talks, and the stories that she’d had with her family. She’d learned how Kinsley was a difficult child—not much of a surprise there—and how Boone loved being a Boy Scout—also not a surprise. But all the sharing made her want to share too. And she had, little tidbits of her childhood about taking dance as a kid until she finally told her parents she hated it.
When Kinsley reached the bar, she parked at the curb. As they opened their car doors, Kinsley said, “I’ll be quick. Promise.”
“No rush.” Peyton followed her out, greeted by the warm evening. The town was quiet tonight, the sun beginning to set, creating a pinkish hue across the sky, only a few people walking the streets. Most of the town shut down at five o’clock, except for the restaurants and bars, including Kinsley’s and the classier nightclub, Merlots, four blocks away. Main Street had gone quiet, the tourists settling back in their cottage rentals or inns before heading out later for dinner. Compared to the shift work back in Seattle, this nine-to-five workday was a sweet little piece of heaven.
A foot away from the door that Kinsley had gone through, a large crow settled on the garbage can on the sidewalk. Peyton didn’t even want to think about what Remy would say to that. She’d surely think that was a bad omen.
Peyton swatted at the bird. “I’ve had enough bad things happen to last me a lifetime, bird. Shoo!”
The bird squawked and flew away, and Peyton entered the bar, only getting two steps in before she got another surprise.
Justin sat at the bar. He turned his head, caught sight of her, and smiled, holding up his beer in salute.
She hurried to him. “You’re still here?” She slid onto the stool next to him.
He nodded. “My plans changed, and I have to fly to Boston in a couple days. Instead of heading home, I decided to stay.” He paused, his eyes searching hers. “Hope that’s all right.”
“Of course that’s all right,” she said, and nudged her shoulder into his. “That means I get more time with
you.”
He laughed softly. “I planned to come by the shop tomorrow and see if we could do breakfast or something. Catch up.”
“Well, look at you not wearing a suit.” Kinsley sidled up to them, leaning her hand against the back of Peyton’s stool. She gave Justin a very thorough once-over. “Messy looks good on you.”
Justin gave her his beaming smile. “You’d look better on me.”
Peyton rolled her eyes.
“Charming,” Kinsley said dryly. She turned to Peyton. “Ready to go?”
“Yup.” To Justin, Peyton said, “Sorry I can’t stay.”
He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. It’s been a day. I’m heading back to the B and B after this beer and crashing.”
“Okay, sleep well.” She smiled, then gave Justin a tight hug. He felt like Adam. He smelled like Adam. The reminder of all that hurt. God, did it hurt, but Justin also felt familiar—like home—and that was…nice. “About that breakfast,” she said, leaning away. “How about tomorrow at eight?”
He released her to grab his beer again. “Sounds like a date. I’ll meet you at your shop.”
“See ya then.” She said her final goodbyes and turned to follow Kinsley, walking away from a person of her past and toward a person in her future.
In quick time, they got into Kinsley’s Jeep and hit the road. Back at Kinsley’s house, Peyton took a hot bath and settled into her cotton pajamas, entering the spare bedroom where she’d sleep tonight. She still felt a little silly about it all. Surely she was safe in her own bed. She also missed her lake house, the warmth of it, the quiet, and the nature. But two things occurred to her. One, what if she was wrong and the same people who robbed her shop decided to rob her house? Two, not being alone felt really, really good.
Drying the ends of her hair with a towel, she strode around the foot of the bed. Kinsley was across the hall, and Boone’s childhood bedroom was next to hers. Peyton figured maybe at one point this had been their father’s bedroom and Kinsley had redecorated when he moved out. The room was simple in design, with a dark gray fabric headboard on a double bed with a white duvet and dark gray sheets. A small round night table sat next to the bed with some fake daisies in a glass vase, a digital clock, and a cordless telephone. She hung the towel on her door to dry, then moved to close the curtains. That’s when something outside her window caught her eye. “Kinsley,” she called.
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