“Right. Because that’s exactly your style,” Brock joked.
“I’m not gonna lie, we were burning up the sheets last night. This woman is sexy as fuck. But she’s sweet, too, so I have to ease off a little. Make her want it.”
“Hell yeah, make her beg for it,” Brock agreed.
Colton glared at him. “I don’t want to spook her. She seemed a little reluctant sharing details of her life with me. And I get it; she doesn’t know me from Adam. I just don’t want to come on too strong is all.”
“Where’d you meet her?” Brock asked, raising his eyebrows.
“I’ll tell you later.”
“Yes!” Brock shouted, pumping his first in the air as the Mets pulled in a double. They were pounding the Nationals tonight.
Since Lily was off with some friends of hers for the evening, the guys had their choice of what to watch on Brock and Lily’s giant flatscreen.
“That should clinch it for us,” Colton said appreciatively.
“Thanks again for helping me out earlier. I’m glad we got the Jeep running again.”
“And now you know how to change spark plugs,” Colton said with a chuckle.
“How the hell would I know that was what’s wrong? I’m not a car guy—I’d much rather focus my attention on the ladies,” Brock said, waggling his eyebrows.
“Just one lady now,” Colton quipped.
“Don’t I know it. Her parents are still pissed as hell that we’re engaged, but I’m growing on them. Guess they finally accepted the fact that I’m the one fucking their daughter.”
“Classy as hell.”
“I don’t hear Lily complaining.”
“Guess not if she’s marrying you.” Colton scrubbed a hand over his jaw, briefly wondering what Morgan was doing tonight. Had she gone out with friends? Was she still working on her teacher stuff, sorting through all those books?
The idea of her bar-hopping around New York tonight didn’t sit well with him, but hell. Morgan wasn’t his. He wasn’t exactly looking to get tied down in a relationship right now, so he should be cool with her doing her thing.
Who was he kidding though?
The idea of even the chance of her flirting with another man tonight had him seeing red. Not that she seemed like the type to sleep with him and then hop right into bed with someone else.
He’d longed to go for another round with the hotter-than-hell teacher while he knew she was alone in the house this weekend, without Jake’s prying eyes, but he wasn’t about to ignore his prior commitments, painful as though it was to leave her. Literally. He’d been rock hard as he’d driven away.
He was sure that Morgan wouldn’t appreciate a late-night booty call, so he’d just have to take a helluva lot of cold showers in the meantime until he saw her next weekend.
“I’m trying to convince her we should just elope. I know her parents won’t go for that—they’re willing to foot the bill for a huge ass wedding with all their 5th Avenue friends.”
“Just your style,” Colton joked.
Brock shook his head, taking a pull of his beer. “My brother lives down in Virginia Beach. I told her we should just have a beach wedding down there.”
“He’s a Navy SEAL, right?”
“Yep,” Brock said. “Brent and his SEAL team are the best. I’m not sure they’re into planning weddings though. Hell, I know they aren’t.”
“Lily doesn’t seem like a beach wedding kind of girl anyway,” Colton said. “She’s the type who never has a hair out of place.
“Don’t I know it,” Brock said with a chuckle. “I’d love to drag her down to city hall though just to piss off her parents.”
“Now that I could see her going for—strictly for that reason alone.”
“Me too. We’re not in a hurry,” he said with a shrug. “But I have a feeling one day she’ll wake up and want to make it official. Either we’ll be calling the damn wedding planner or rushing off to get a marriage license.”
“Well damn. Jake and I will have to take you out for drinks. Give me a little warning.”
“I could go for a strip club,” Brock agreed, grinning wickedly.
“Who the hell said anything about strippers?”
“On my last night as a single man? I definitely need strippers.”
Colton shook his head, taking a long pull of his beer. “I’m too old for this shit.”
Chapter 10
Morgan heard Jake’s dog running in through the door as her brother walked in carrying his gear. “How was training?” she called out, coming down the hallway. “Don’t worry, it’s all sorted,” she said, catching him eyeing the stack of boxes.
She bent down to pet Shadow, her brother’s German Shepherd, who then quickly bounded off. Morgan popped the can of Diet Coke she was holding and took a sip.
“That’s a hell of a lot of books,” Jake said with a chuckle as he dropped his gear.
“It was from Lily’s fundraiser. I picked everything up Friday afternoon and went through it all this weekend.”
Jake nodded, sauntering down the hallway. “I figured—leave it to Lily to have the book drive to end all other book drives. Her motto might as well be ‘go big or go home’.”
“Something like that,” she agreed, glancing around as she followed Jake into the kitchen. Colton had left yesterday afternoon, but she quickly scanned the area making sure nothing was in amiss. Nothing like Jake spotting something of Colton’s and then questioning her—there was no way she’d be able to talk about him without blushing.
“Man, I’m wiped. I’ll haul the boxes out to your car for you later on,” he said, walking into the kitchen and grabbing a beer. “And to answer your question, training was good—long but necessary.”
She nodded.
“We did a bunch of bomb detection scenarios. Shadow caught every single one.”
“Do the other guys ever train with you?”
“Who?” he asked, raising an eyebrow as he took a pull of his beer.
“The guys who dismantle the bombs. Bomb techs.”
“Sometimes, but this wasn’t live ammunition. It was just for the K-9 teams—the dogs and their handlers. We did awesome, didn’t we Shadow?” he said as the dog came running into the kitchen. Jake grabbed a dog treat and tossed it in the air, watching as Shadow lept up.
Morgan shuddered. “I still can’t believe you detect bombs for a living.”
“Believe it, sis. I can’t believe you’re with a roomful of kids all day. Sounds like a nightmare,” he said.
“You love kids,” she protested.
“Sure, to play with for a little while. But to be responsible for all day and then listen to their parents complain? No thanks.”
“You get summers off,” she teased.
“And a teacher’s salary to boot—no offense.”
She shrugged. “I’m not in it for the money.”
“I know. Let’s get that stuff out to your car, and then I plan to relax the rest of the evening”
“Do you have off tomorrow?” she asked as they went back into the front hallway.
“Nope. I’m back on shift tomorrow evening like always.”
“That’s a bummer.”
He shrugged, bending down to lift up a box. “It’s life. Get the door for me.”
She hurried forward to open the front door, feeling a weird sense of déjà vu. Of course her brother helping her wasn’t exactly exciting like Colton. He went back inside and grabbed some more stuff. “You just got home—you don’t have to put everything in there now.”
He shook his head. “And leave it for you to do all yourself tomorrow morning? Hell no.”
Morgan waved at a woman walking her dog in front of the house. “I think she likes you,” she whispered to Jake.
He took a brief glance at her ass as she walked away and then shook his head. “Nah. Not my type.”
“I haven’t seen her walk this way all weekend—the second you’re home, she suddenly showed up. That woman down th
e street likes you, too—single mom with two kids?”
He slammed the trunk shut and dusted off his hands. “Nah. I don’t need a woman with a couple of rug rats.”
“Oh good grief,” she said, walking toward the house. “You love kids.”
“Sure, but I never pictured myself dating a woman with kids. Hell, maybe someday I’ll get married and have some of my own, but now?”
“Famous last words,” she teased as they went back inside.
“How long are you staying again?” he joked.
“Ha. You know you love having me around—I cook dinner, do laundry….”
“Don’t pay rent,” Jake joked.
“I offered to pay you rent!” she protested, grabbing her soda from where she’d left it earlier.
“Nah. Save up for a security deposit. You’ll probably have to pay the first and last month’s rent when you get an apartment.”
“You’re right,” she said, blowing out a sigh. “It’s kind of crazy that I thought I was headed toward getting married and ended up living back with my brother.”
“It’ll work out,” Jake said. “I’m not worried.”
“You’re never worried,” she said with a laugh.
He shrugged, grabbing his beer and sinking down onto the sofa. Shadow ran over and sat down beside him. “I’ve got enough to worry about at work. Everything else in life will fall into place.”
“Easy for you to say,” Morgan grumbled. “The women around here are practically lining up to meet you—you’ve got a house, a great job.”
“Don’t sell yourself short. I’m a few years older than you—you’ll get there.”
“Maybe.”
***
Morgan pulled into her school parking lot the next morning, feeling wide awake and alert. She took a sip of coffee from her travel mug, humming to herself. She hadn’t heard from Colton yet, which was a touch disappointing.
Not that she planned to keep seeing him after next weekend anyway.
He’d gotten her number and asked to take her out to dinner—maybe she’d been worried about nothing. He could’ve just been saying that or already met someone else over the weekend for all that she knew. It’s not like they were dating. They’d hooked up—that was it.
Why did it sound so damn depressing then?
Naturally she’d clicked—physically and otherwise—with a guy she couldn’t date.
Blowing out a sigh, she shut off the engine. Her phone buzzed with a text, and she was surprised to see it was from Jake.
You were right. The chick with a dog just asked me out.
Despite herself, Morgan burst out laughing. Her brother could be so clueless sometimes. Only he would fail to notice that the woman always showed up when he was outside. For a police officer that was supposedly attuned to his surroundings, he didn’t seem to get women at all.
She thumbed a quick response before getting out of her car.
Only you could get a date at 7 a.m. on a Monday morning.
Her phone buzzed with his response.
Had to turn her down.
Shaking her head, Morgan tucked her phone back into her purse. Her brother could get a date without even trying—women had always flocked to him. And he wanted nothing to do with them. He’d be up for a good time, maybe, but he wasn’t looking for a serious relationship. Jake was still chasing after the young, college-aged girls. Women who were fine with a weekend in bed with an NYPD cop. Meanwhile, she couldn’t seem to find a guy who wanted to commit. Or hold down a steady job, for that matter.
Colton had a good job, but he didn’t count. Obviously.
Because she totally wasn’t dating him.
“Hi Morgan!” her friend Anna called out, waving as she came toward her, dark hair swinging in the breeze.
“Hey girl!” Morgan said, shutting the door of her Honda. “How was your weekend?”
“Rick and I went to a baseball game on Saturday, and then he met my family yesterday! It was a big picnic at the park, and my mom and grandma cooked a ton of food. Things are getting serious! I’m supposed to meet his parents in a few weeks.”
“Who-hoo!” Morgan said. “I’m so happy for you guys—you totally deserve it.”
“I definitely dated my fair share of losers before ending up with him,” Anna admitted. “What’s all that?” Anna asked as Morgan popped the trunk.
“Book drive.”
“Damn. You weren’t joking, chica.”
“Nope. Maybe I can grab a hand truck to bring all this inside. I divided it up by grade level. The teachers can figure it out amongst themselves as to what classes get what.”
“The custodians might be able to help you bring it in.”
“Hopefully so,” Morgan said, closing the trunk back up. They walked toward the front doors as some of the earliest arrivals started coming. The kids didn’t start school until eight thirty a.m., but some students had breakfast in the cafeteria beforehand.
Morgan watched as a dark SUV pulled up at the edge of the parking lot, idling. A little blonde girl hopped out of another car by the front doors and walked toward the building. When the car she was in started to pull away, the dark SUV took off.
“That was weird,” she muttered.
“What?”
“That SUV. I don’t think they dropped anyone off,” she said, watching as it drove down the street. “They just sat there for a moment and left. I should’ve gotten the plates.”
“License plates?” Anna asked. “You’ve been watching too much TV.”
Morgan nodded. “I’m serious.”
“Maybe they were just lost or something. I haven’t seen them around here before.” She shrugged. “Cars drive up and down the street all the time. It’s not that unusual to pull in for a moment and stop.”
“My brother’s a cop,” Morgan said. “I just tend to be careful—he taught me to always be aware of my surroundings.”
“I get it. If you see them around here again, I’d definitely be concerned. Oh, there’s one of the custodians! Let’s see if they can help unload the boxes before school starts.” Anna called out to one of the men, talking rapidly in Spanish as Morgan trailed behind her.
“Good idea,” Morgan said, glancing one last time at the street.
Anna had already hurried off toward the men, and Morgan paused for a moment. There were hardly any kids around here yet anyway—she’d be more concerned if they were sitting there when the school buses arrived and carloads of kids were getting out.
Putting the SUV in the back of her mind, she hurried toward her friend. She had lots to do before the school day started.
Chapter 11
Colton flipped on the flashing lights of his police cruiser, navigating through the busy stretch of downtown Manhattan. His hands tightened on the steering wheel as he pulled around several idling vehicles, stuck in the middle of the chaos. Up ahead, past the traffic jam, he saw flashing lights from the swarm of police cars and emergency vehicles that had convened on the busy block. Bomb-sniffing dogs were already searching the area, police were cordoning off the sidewalk from pedestrian traffic, and several cop cars were blocking the New York City streets.
He nodded as one of the officers directing traffic waved him through the Monday morning chaos.
Colton parked and slammed his car door shut after he exited his vehicle, walking toward the scene. His gear was still in his cruiser, and the rest of the bomb squad was on their way. Cars honked in the distance as a lone siren wailed, and his buddy and fellow officer Derek sauntered over.
“A woman opening her store for the day found a beat-up package outside and called it in. It’s probably a false alarm.”
“Plenty of those lately,” Colton said. “Can’t say I blame people to be concerned though.”
His gaze swept the area. An older woman was conferring with two officers in front of a store, and twenty feet away a brown box was on the ground, cordoned off by police tape. Colton gestured for the officers to move the woman further away,
and they walked her down the block as they continued to take her statement.
Jake probably wasn’t on scene since he’d been in training all weekend and was currently on the night shift. Colton recognized two other K-9 officers though as they searched the storefront. Others were approaching the mailboxes and trashcans along the city block, ensuring nothing else was out of order. One officer and dog stood by the box, but nothing appeared to be amiss.
“Did the dogs detect any explosive materials?” he asked.
“Negative,” Derek said. “The box probably just fell off a truck or something. It was right by the road when the storeowner found it.”
Colton nodded. “I was on my way down to the precinct when I got the call—made a U-turn and swung back this way.”
“Nice way to start a Monday morning,” his buddy joked. “Can’t even make it in for a cup of joe first. How was your weekend?”
“She was fucking spectacular,” Colton said with a smirk.
His friend howled in approval. “God damn. I need to spend my weekend nights carousing with you and Brock. He’s got a hot chick for a girlfriend, scratch that, the motherfucker’s engaged. Brock—engaged! I never thought I’d see the day. You evidently got laid this weekend, judging from the shit-eating grin on your face. I crashed and burned. Wined and dined the lady I was seeing, but she kindly showed me to the door before the night was over.”
“Ouch,” Colton said. “Been there, done that. It happens to the best of us.”
Derek chuckled. “Too damn often for me lately,” he said. “So where’d you meet your woman?”
“She’s Jake’s new roommate,” Colton said with a laugh. “I haven’t mentioned it to Jake yet. He was in training all weekend, and when I stopped by his place, boom. There she was.”
“Jake—as in Jake Madsden? Holy hell. I’m surprised he’s not chasing after her himself if she’s that spectacular.”
“Jake? Nah. He wouldn’t date a woman he’s renting a room to.”
“Who said anything about dating?” Derek joked. “Only kidding. He’s definitely too much of a boy scout for that, though. You’re right. Well, if your new lady friend has any hot girlfriends, let me know. I could go for a set up.”
Be Mine Tonight (Line of Duty Book 2) Page 6