by Reus, Katie
“I meant what I said,” his father said as the guard started unlocking the door again. “I will make things right. I will locate the problem if it’s the last thing I do.”
The problem. That was a good word for her. A problem.
One that needed to be stomped out of existence like the cockroach she was.
Chapter 5
Autumn stepped into Tailwaggers Grooming, a pet grooming place owned by her friends Serenity and Adeline.
Adeline was working the register when she stepped in. Wearing a purple T-shirt with an image of a tapdancing pug on the front and a sparkly purple headband, she looked completely on brand, making Autumn grin.
“Hey, surprised to see you out front. And I’m digging the headband.” It was Saturday and no surprise, they were bustling.
Two women were over at the stand that sold locally made dog treats, and every DIY grooming stall was full with people who didn’t have enough space at their own homes, washing their dogs here.
Autumn had more than enough room, but this was one of her luxuries—she got Shadow groomed fairly regularly. She could wash Shadow herself but her sweet pooch hated getting a bath and hated getting her hair cut, and Autumn didn’t like dealing with it. So this way she was never the bad guy with her sweet girl.
“One of the girls called in sick so I’m pulling double duty. And thanks, I got them in every color of the rainbow.” Grinning, Adeline patted her dark curls. “Shadow should be ready, if you give me just a second,” she said as she looked at the computer and typed something.
At the sound of the bell jingling overhead, Autumn glanced over her shoulder, then froze.
Lincoln.
She hadn’t seen him in nearly two weeks, and she wasn’t sure if he was actually avoiding her or if it was just dumb luck. She’d been busy with the start of the new school year and he always worked long hours, so it wasn’t really a surprise that she hadn’t seen him around the neighborhood.
What she was surprised about was that she missed seeing him so much. Okay, she couldn’t even lie to herself. Occasionally, she peeked out her window when she heard him come home. And she might sometimes watch him and his fine ass walk to the mailbox every afternoon. His uniform was made of the ugliest polyester on the planet but he made it look good. In fact, it was ridiculous how much so.
“Lincoln, hey,” she said. Why did her voice have to come out all breathy? Oh God, she could feel her cheeks flushing as she turned to face him fully.
“Hey,” he said, quickly closing the distance between them. “How are you?”
“Good. How are you?” she asked awkwardly, even as she internally cursed herself. She sounded like a moron.
“Good.” A long silence stretched between them. He glanced at her mouth once, the heat flaring in his gaze a surprise, but he quickly recovered and cleared his throat. “Are you picking up Shadow?”
“Yeah. What are you doing here? Did you finally get a dog?” He’d mentioned that he’d been thinking about getting a rescue.
“No. I’m picking Daisy up for Lucas, since he’s working late. Serenity said she was ready.”
She nodded once and stood there, basically clasping her fingers together in front of herself. She forced herself to drop her hands as she scraped the recesses of her brain for something, anything, to say. “So… I haven’t seen you around lately.” Way to state the obvious, dumbass, she cursed herself again.
“Yeah, I’ve been working crazy hours.” His jaw ticked, and he looked as awkward as she felt.
So at least there was that. Ugh. They never should have slept together. Because now she knew exactly how he sounded when he climaxed—exactly what kind of things he said in bed. And she very distinctly remembered the feel of him holding tightly onto her hips as he’d pounded into her from behind—the third time. And then that fourth time when he’d given her multiple orgasms with his mouth, then his cock. Gah. She inwardly screamed at herself. She had to stop thinking about him naked.
As they stood there staring at each other, she tried to think of something to say. They’d been so damn mature before, but after not seeing him for weeks, she was feeling beyond awkward. Clearly so was he. Think of something normal to say!
She was vaguely aware of the back door opening, and thankfully Serenity strode out with Daisy on a leash. The shepherd mix with gorgeous brown eyes pranced toward them, her tail wagging happily to see Lincoln.
And more than a bit of relief slid through her when he took the dog, saving them from more awkward standing around.
“Thank you so much for this!” Serenity said. “Sorry to run, but I’m slammed in the back.” She gave Autumn a quick smile too before hurrying to the back again.
“Well, I’ll see you around,” he said before heading out.
She managed to force a smile and stepped back as the two women who’d been shopping stepped up and paid for their purchases. Once they were gone, she found Adeline watching her expectantly.
“Oh, right. Let me pay for Shadow before you get her. It’ll make things easier.” She pulled out cash, but Adeline still stood there.
Her friend glanced over her shoulder, but no one was paying attention to them and the place was loud with barks and water running. “I’ll grab your girl in a second,” Adeline said. “But first… What’s up with you and the sexy sheriff?”
Autumn could feel her cheeks warming up and cursed how reactive she was. “What are you talking about? We’re neighbors.”
“I would say that you guys are definitely more than neighbors. You’ve been wanting to hit that forever.”
She let out a startled burst of laughter. “I’ve literally never used those words.”
Adeline raised an eyebrow. “Maybe not, but I know you.”
No, you don’t. No one does.
“So what’s up with you two? That was the most painful, awkward interaction I’ve ever seen in my life. I literally had secondhand embarrassment watching that.”
She groaned and lay her head on the glass countertop. “I don’t want to tell you.”
“Oh my God, did you guys finally sleep together? Was it horrible? I’ve never heard anyone talk about him dating. I guess I just assumed that since he was so hot, he knew what he was doing in the bedroom.”
She lifted her head and glared at her friend. “It wasn’t bad. It was incredible. We sort of…got together after the bank robbery. I was feeling really out of sorts that night and…then I jumped him. And we had a whole lot of sex.” So. Much. Sex.
“And?”
“That’s it. I’ve barely seen him since.”
Adeline blinked in surprise. “He just ghosted you? What a dick.”
“No! He… He said he wouldn’t mind taking me out on a date. In fact, he sort of insinuated he wanted to date me, but I’m just not looking for a relationship. I told him I wanted to be friends.”
“Friends?” Adeline arched an eyebrow. “Sounds suuuppper fun.”
“All right, that’s enough out of you, smartass. So what time are we meeting up tonight?”
“I can pick you up at six thirty if that’s still good for you?”
“Definitely. And speaking of sex or dating or whatever, when are you going to tell who you’ve been sneaking around with?”
To her surprise, a faint sheen of pink flushed Adeline’s light brown skin. “I’m not sneaking around with anyone.”
“Really? You’ve been so covert lately.”
Adeline lifted a shoulder. “I’m…interested in someone but it doesn’t matter. He doesn’t know I exist.” She glanced over her shoulder then turned back around. “Let me go grab Shadow. We really are crazy,” she said just as three people walked in, presumably to pick up their pets.
“Okay, but you’re going to give me all the details tonight,” she said as she pulled out her wallet to pay.
Ten minutes later as she headed down Main Street with Shadow in the backseat, happily wagging her tail as she looked out the window, Autumn had the strangest sensation well
up in her belly.
Almost like…she was being watched.
She knew she was just being paranoid, letting old fears swell up and choke her. Rand Coventry was still in jail, and after the robbery a couple weeks ago, her handler had subtly made sure that any mention of her or any picture of her was squashed. She wasn’t sure how the marshals had done it, but Autumn was grateful.
Still, the last two weeks, there’d been a weird sensation pressing on her.
Dread. That was it.
As if she was simply waiting for the other shoe to drop at some point.
Some part of her felt like Verona Bay was too good, that this whole setup—her living situation, her job that actually gave her fulfillment, her friends—it was all too good to be true. Which was another reason she was keeping Lincoln at arm’s length. In her experience, if you got everything you wanted, or hoped too much for a better future, it was all yanked away.
It was why she regretted her decision to not give Lincoln a chance, why she kept thinking about the what-ifs. What if they got together and she told him the truth? And then what if it didn’t work out? She’d very likely have to move again. Or what if they got together and she never told him? There would always be a lie hanging between them. She hated the thought of that too. No successful relationship could be based on a lie. And yes, her “lie” would be literally keeping her alive, but it’s still felt wrong somehow to keep a huge part of herself from Lincoln.
Of course, she was getting ahead of herself, because it wasn’t like they had an actual relationship, but… Something told her that if she opened up her heart to Lincoln Jordan, she was never getting it back. Like ever.
Sighing, she shelved all thoughts of sexy Lincoln and dismissed the weird sensation of dread. She was simply getting caught up in her head. If she didn’t stop now, she would fall down another rabbit hole and spiral.
She was going out with her friends tonight and she was going to enjoy herself. The first couple weeks of school had been fun and incredibly busy, as always. The kids were on their best behavior, excited to see their friends again and everybody loved her class. In art, they could express themselves, have fun. She knew they all thought of her classes as their “easy class” but every year she got a couple kids who she knew would enjoy art for the rest of their lives.
That made it all worth it. So even though she’d given up on her dream of making a living by being an artist, at least she knew she was making a difference in her community.
As she pulled into her driveway, Autumn saw something on her front porch. She had security cameras and a security system, but her phone had been tucked into her purse and she hadn’t heard an alert from the camera.
Not bothering to check the video, she parked in her garage then hurried to the front porch to find a little bag. It had a Tailwaggers sticker on it. When she opened it and saw some treats for Shadow, plus a note, her heart skipped a beat as she read it. Got these for Shadow. —Lincoln
It was a simple message with nothing superfluous at all, but the gesture itself, the small gift warmed her from the inside out.
Lincoln had stayed true to his word and hadn’t pressured her for anything more. No dates, nothing. She found herself simultaneously relieved and disappointed.
After the raw, hot sex they’d shared—and enough orgasms to fry her brain cells—she was craving him. Just another taste wouldn’t hurt. And as she heard her own stupid thoughts, she realized she sounded like an addict. Ugh. It wasn’t too far from the truth. Now that she knew what Lincoln was capable of, it was hard not to obsess about him.
She mentally shook herself and hurried back to the garage to shut it before going inside. She’d heard Lincoln’s car coming in at random hours over the last two weeks and knew he was working seriously long days and nights. Autumn had also heard talk that he was working with the FBI in regards to the two bank robbers.
Even though she told herself that she didn’t need to reciprocate his gift—and she knew he wouldn’t expect a thing—she still wanted to do something for him as well.
As a friendly neighbor only.
“Yeah right,” she muttered to herself, earning a glance from Shadow, who was devouring the treat she’d given her.
So after a quick check of her cupboards, she made him a small batch of her special chocolate buttercream cupcakes. She also made an extra one for herself and left it out, because if she was going to all the trouble of making cupcakes, she was going to certainly enjoy one herself.
She would just leave them on his doorstep. He should be home soon, given the late hour, so they should be all right for now.
As she crossed her front yard to take them to him, he pulled into the driveway. Dammit. It was too late to turn around and run now. She would look like a total weirdo. Besides, they needed to move past the awkwardness and he’d taken the first step with the thoughtful dog treats.
He parked in the driveway instead of his garage and jumped out, immediately heading toward her in long, powerful strides. “Hey, everything okay?”
The sun was setting, and would be down in about twenty minutes, but there was still enough light to see him perfectly clearly. Seriously, polyester never looked so good. His broad shoulders strained against the tan-colored button-down shirt, and she knew for a fact that he looked even better without that shirt.
“Everything’s good. I wanted to say thank you for the dog treats and was just dropping this off for you.” She held up the cupcake carrier. “Are you off for the night?”
“Just for a few hours. It’s been a weird couple weeks,” he said, his gaze falling to the little carrier. She had them in multiple sizes and different colors, a white elephant gift from the teachers’ party last Christmas season. She held out the plastic container with the blue handle. “What is that?”
“Chocolate buttercream cupcakes.”
He let out a groan of appreciation, one that sounded very similar to the way he’d groaned as he’d buried his face against her neck. “Thank you. That’s really thoughtful.”
“Well, the dog treats were really sweet.”
His brow furrowed even as he took the gift. “You didn’t have to return the gift.”
“I wanted to. You’ve been working crazy hours and besides, we’re neighbors, friends,” she added.
His eyes went all molten for a moment and she wondered if they could ever be truly friends after what they’d shared together. Then he cleared his throat and gave her a half smile she felt all the way to her core. “Thank you. It’s been a hell of a day and it’s nice to come home to this.”
Butterflies went wild in her stomach as she returned his smile. In that moment, she wished that he came home to her every night. After losing everything, she could admit that she craved a real family, a sense of stability and belonging. But wanting something too much—and did she ever want Lincoln—was a recipe for disaster. “Well, I hope your night gets better.”
He simply nodded and gave her another heated look. She wondered if he was even aware of the way he watched her. Because he didn’t do it with anyone else that she’d seen. He was usually so good at wearing a neutral mask, but sometimes there was a…longing in his gaze.
One she felt mirrored inside her. She wanted…
Well, it didn’t matter what she wanted, did it?
She cleared her throat. “I’m meeting up with some girlfriends to go see a movie tonight.” She shouldn’t be telling him anything, shouldn’t be inviting him further into her life, and she told the voice in her head to shut the hell up. “So I may be getting in late.”
“I’ll keep an eye on your house.”
“Thanks.” She took a step backward, needing distance for her own sanity. “Enjoy the cupcakes.”
“I will.”
She finally made it back inside her house, and as she leaned against the closed front door, Shadow jumped up on her thighs, furiously shaking her head, begging for pets.
Crouching down, she buried her face against Shadow’s neck. “I’m such
a fool,” she murmured to her dog. Such a stupid fool.
Shadow attacked her face, licking and kissing her as if she hadn’t just seen her five minutes ago. It was impossible not to smile under such affection, so for now, Autumn shelved her wayward thoughts about Lincoln and headed to her room to get ready.
This might not be the life she’d wanted, but she had to make the best of the hand she’d been dealt.
Chapter 6
Six weeks later
Autumn glanced through the peephole of her front door instead of checking the video camera on her phone at the sudden knock. No one randomly stopped by her house. For a moment she thought it might be Lincoln. The last six weeks they’d seen more of each other and things had been friendly—if still occasionally awkward because of the simmering attraction between them. The attraction she was continuing to ignore.
Or trying to. Desperately.
When she saw Derek Ryman on the other side of her door, however, ice coated her entire body, crawling up her arms, gripping her around the neck as she tried to drag in a breath.
No.
There was another knock. “Autumn?” he called out. He rubbed a hand over his dark buzz cut as he glanced around.
She couldn’t ignore him, even if she wanted to. Taking a deep breath, she tugged the door open. “What’s wrong?” There weren’t many reasons for a US Marshal to show up on her doorstep unannounced. And of the actual reasons, none of them were good. He was Erica’s partner, but Derek wasn’t Autumn’s handler, so she was surprised he was here without Erica.
He casually glanced around before pinning her with his dark eyes. He had a five o’clock shadow and looked exhausted, slight circles under his eyes. “Can we talk inside?”
Wordlessly, Autumn stepped back and allowed him into her home. He’d only been here once, over a year ago. He was big, like Lincoln, and took up a lot of space.