by Morgan Rayne
“Is everything okay?” she whispered. Kyle wrapped the arm not holding the phone around her shoulder and pulled her into him. After shaking his head yes, he went back to the conversation with his dad.
“So what now?”
“The department banquet is next Saturday. They will make the announcement then and swear you in.” His dad paused. “I’m very proud of you, Kyle.” He told himself he would not cry, but his dad saying he was proud of him almost had him doing just that.
“Thank you. Does mom know?”
“Yes, she cried like a baby. I would suspect you’ll be getting a call from her shortly.”
“Thanks for the heads up about mom, and for calling. Will you be at the station when I come in later?” His dad worked all the time, so it was kind of a dumb question.
“I’ll be here and we can go over everything then. You get back to whoever I heard a minute ago and I’ll see you then.” Kyle chuckled as he glanced down to Lindsay at his side. She cocked her head to the side and mouthed “what?”
“You’ll meet her Saturday. I’ll see you in a little while. Bye dad.” He hung up the phone and threw it back on the side table.
“Who am I meeting Saturday?”
“My parents” Lindsay flew off the bed and put her hands on her hips like she always did when she got mad.
“Did you even think to ask me first before just saying I would? What if I have plans, or I don’t want to meet your parents?” He really didn’t see what the big deal was, but if it made her feel better he would explain.
“That was my dad. I got the Lieutenant promotion. They are having a banquet Saturday and I will be sworn in then. My parents will be there, and I was hoping you would be my date.” Lindsay jumped into his arms and it knocked them back onto the bed.
“Congratulations, I’m so happy for you. Of course I’ll go, that is if you still want me to after how I just acted.”
“I wouldn’t miss the chance to show you off. I will be the envy of the squad.” She gave him a playful slap and sat up.
“You’re just full of compliments today.” He sat up too and linked their hands together.
“They are well deserved.” He kissed her hand and stood. “Now, I am ready to celebrate with my beautiful girlfriend so let’s get dressed and get some food.”
“Girlfriend?” Every cell in Kyle’s body froze.
“Oh, I guess I just assumed after last night and this morning…” Lindsay walked toward the door and winked at him over her shoulder.
“Kyle, I was kidding. I just wanted to make you sweat for a minute.” She took off running down the hall and he went after her. He caught her just as she tried to round the recliner.
“That was a cruel joke.”
“But it was funny; you should have seen the look on your face.” Kyle walked towards the wall and Lindsay wrapped her legs around his waist. When her back was resting against the wall, he held her there and stared into her eyes.
“All kidding aside, I do want you with me next Saturday; and I want you there as my girlfriend. There hasn’t been anyone else in months, and I don’t want there to be anyone else; just you.”
She lifted her hand and traced it down his cheek. “I would be honored to go with you. There is no one else for me either, but I think you already know that.”
Kyle exhaled and pinned Lindsay against the wall with his body. “Good.”
No more was said as they lost themselves in the passion of the moment. Breakfast was forgotten, and they even missed lunch. When Kyle walked into the fire house hours later he was hungry and tired, but happier than he had ever been in his life.
****
Chapter 15
“So what exactly are you looking for, a dress?” Lindsay scanned the area behind her again, but saw no one that stuck out or that had been there before. She realized Vicki had asked her something, so she turned back around.
“What?”
“Are you okay? You’ve been checking over your shoulder a lot.” She didn’t know how to explain it, she just felt like someone was watching her.
“It’s nothing; probably just my nerves about meeting Kyle’s parent’s tomorrow night making me paranoid.” Vicki didn’t look convinced.
“Are you sure? We can go home if you want, and I can have my assistant pick something up and bring it to you.”
“No, we are already down here. Really, I’m just not used to being in such a crowded place.” When she called Vicki to help her pick out something to wear, Vicki insisted they head downtown to Michigan Avenue. It was six o’clock on a Friday night, and the sidewalks were filled with people.
“Alright, but if you still feel like this in an hour we are leaving.” Lindsay agreed and started looking in the different windows.
“Let’s go into this shop over here. They have some cute cocktail dresses in the window.” Vicki wound her arm with Lindsay’s as they made their way through the crowd. They entered the small boutique and were greeted by a larger than life sales woman.
“Welcome to Sophie’s! I’m Kiki, how can I help you?”
“I need a dress for tomorrow night; nothing too fancy.” Kyle told her it was a fundraising banquet that the department did every few years. He said it was kind of formal, but not over the top.
“We have everything from ball gowns to cocktail dresses. Look around and let me know when you find something you want to try, and we will start a dressing room for you.” She thanked Kiki and walked further into the shop. Lindsay was on her third rack of dresses when Vicki held one up.
“This is the perfect dress for you.” In Vicki’s hand was a simple black dress; it had tiny straps and would probably hit Lindsay about two inches above the knee. The sash around the middle was tied into a bow in the back and Lindsay fell in love.
“That is gorgeous. Let’s find Kiki so I can try it on and make sure it’s not too short. Do they have shoes too?” Vicki pointed to a spot in the back, and she could see a small area with a variety of heels.
They found Kiki and were led to a room with three dressing areas, and a full length mirror off to the side. Kiki placed her dress in one of the rooms and left them alone.
“While you change, I’m going to see what heels I can find for you.”
“The higher the better; Kyle is a foot taller than me, after all. I feel like we are a side show at the circus sometimes.”
“You guys are adorable together, but I promise to get the skyscraper kind of heels.” Lindsay laughed and headed into the dressing room. She removed her clothes and slipped into the soft satin dress. With her shorter hair, Lindsay was a lot more aware of her chest and shoulders.
Before she could hide herself with her long hair, but now there was no hiding. She turned from side to side, but the small mirror in the dressing room wasn’t giving her a good idea of how it looked.
“Do you have it on?” Vicki yelled from the other side of the door.
“Yes, did you find shoes?”
“Oh my God, yes. I’m glad we wear the same size because I will be borrowing these if you get them. If not, I’m buying them anyway.” Vicki’s obsession with shoes was known by all. It was probably a good thing she made such a good living because her shoe budget had to be outrageous. Lindsay stepped out of the dressing room and headed to the large full length mirror.
“You look so cute, and these are going to make it all pop.” Vicki handed her a pair of dark teal high heels that were at least four inches tall.
“I really like that color.” She put the shoes on the floor and put stepped into them. Standing in front of the mirror, Lindsay stared at her reflection. The dress and heels were simple, yet she had never felt more elegant. She turned in a circle, looking at herself from all angles.
“I don’t know why, but the bow in the back is my favorite.”
“It’s very you, and Kyle will probably like where it’s placed.” Vicki wiggled her eyebrows. The bow rested on the small of her back, just above her butt.
“Speaking of K
yle, how did your talk go the other night? Did you end up telling him?” Lindsay looked around to make sure they couldn’t be overheard. When she was sure they were alone, she told Vicki about everything that had happened.
“Let me get this straight, the same person that used to sleep his way through half of Chicago turned down sex.” Kyle’s past conquests were not something Lindsay wanted to think about right now.
“Don’t remind me. Don’t get me wrong everything we did was unbelievable, but I thought I would be the one to put the brakes on things; not the other way around.”
Vicki came up behind her and lifted her arms out to the side. “Well if you are sure you’re ready for more, this outfit should do the trick. And if he tries to be the hero, tie him to the bed and have your way with him.”
Lindsay dropped her arms and burst out laughing. “Only you would suggest something like that.”
“That’s what I’m here for.” Lindsay was shaking her head as she went back into dressing room to change. When she hung the dress back on the hanger, it was the first time she saw the price tag. Blinking a couple times to make sure she read it right, Lindsay wanted to stomp in frustration.
“Vicki.”
“What?”
“How much are the shoes?”
“I don’t know I forgot to check. Why?” Lindsay couldn’t afford the dress, so she didn’t know why she wanted to know how much the shoes were.
“The dress is eight hundred dollars, there’s no way I can buy it. So it looks like the shoes are yours because they are probably way outside my budget too.”
Vicki didn’t answer her, but she could hear her whispering to someone on the other side of the door. Lindsay finished changing and walked out holding the dress and shoes. She was going to put them back when Kiki came and took them both from her.
“Thank you, but I think we need to keep shopping.” Kiki shared a look with Vicki and exited the room. “Where do you think we should go next?”
Vicki nodded toward the front of the store. “The check-out counter.”
“For what?”
“So I can buy your outfit.” Lindsay started to argue, but Vicki was Vicki and cut her off. “Don’t get all worked up, I want to do it and I can. You were practically glowing standing in front of that mirror and it will make me feel good to buy it.”
“I’m paying you back.”
“Have sex the night you wear it and that will be payment enough. Someone other than Stella should be having hot and steamy sex.” They got to the counter and Vicki handed her credit card to Kiki.
“You are stunning, Victoria. There are tons of guys that would be glad to take you out. Nowhere is it written that you have to be in a relationship to have sex.” Vicki scoffed like that was absurd.
“My last date checked out every woman that passed our table. Are you suggesting I should have slept with him?” Kiki slid a receipt in front of Victoria and she signed it. Lindsay picked up the bags, said thank you and they walked outside.
“No I’m not suggesting you sleep with someone like that. I’m saying if you meet someone that you’re attracted, but isn’t relationship material, just have a fling.” They were walking back to Vicki’s car, and that uneasy feeling was creeping up Lindsay’s spine again. She didn’t want to alarm her friend, so she tried to shrug it off.
Lindsay opened the back door of the car and put her bags in, and then got in the passenger seat; Vicki started the car and pulled into traffic.
“Do you really think it’s that simple?”
“What, a fling?” she nodded and Lindsay thought about it.
“As long as both people go into it knowing that that’s all it will be, I don’t see why not.” Vicki didn’t say anything more on the ride back to Spring Towers, and Lindsay was too busy thinking about what she had felt while they were shopping to care.
After thanking Victoria once again and grabbing her bags, Lindsay went straight to her apartment and locked the door. She checked all of her windows and the alarm, but nothing was out of the ordinary.
Deciding it was all in her head; Lindsay thought a bath may help calm her frazzled nerves. She was getting ready to step into the tub when her cell phone rang. She thought about letting it go to voicemail, but seeing who it was made her answered.
“Do you have radar?”
“Um what radar?” Amusement and confusion was in Kyle’s tone.
“The ‘Lindsay is naked’ radar” He started choking on the other end of the line.
“Damn, give a guy some warning next time. Why are you naked, and why did you have to tell me? Now I’m going to have to fight off a hard on while I’m working.”
“I was just getting in the tub when you called. You might not want to be hard working around a bunch of men, unless you really want to make a few of them wonder about you.” Lindsay walked back to the bath tub and sank into the warm water.
“Very funny. By the way, I can hear the water moving around. That’s cruel on so many levels.”
“It’s a big tub, want to come join me?” Kyle growled and whispered a few choice words.
“And you say I play dirty? You may have me beat, torturing me like this when you know I can’t leave.”
“Guess we can try it out tomorrow night.” The possibilities were already running through Lindsay’s mind of all the things they could do in the shower and the bathtub.
“Are you drunk?” Lindsay threw her head back and laughed.
“No why?”
“I’ve never heard you so, I don’t know, seductive before.” She had never tried to be before, and Lindsay was glad it was working. Tomorrow night she wanted Kyle to stop treating her with kid gloves and take her like she wanted to be taken.
“You just have that effect on me.”
“I’m glad.” Kyle cleared his throat. “How did shopping go? Did you find something to wear tomorrow?” Lindsay wanted to continue their sexy banter, but went with the change of subject.
“Yeah, I found a cute black dress and teal heels. Well, actually Vicki bought them because she’s a pain in the ass that wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
“That’s what you get for taking her with you.” Kyle knew how Vicki was with her friends and family. “Did you have fun at least?”
“We did, except…” Damn it, Lindsay smacked her forehead. She hadn’t planned on telling Kyle about the feeling she got when they were out. She didn’t want him to worry or jump to conclusions; maybe he didn’t hear her?
“Except what?” Shit, might as well tell him now.
“It’s probably nothing. We were walking downtown and I got the feeling that someone was following me. It was probably because it was so crowded where we were and I wasn’t used to it.”
“Did you check all of your stuff at your apartment? Was anything moved or set off?” This is exactly why she didn’t want to tell him. Kyle sounded panicked and worked up all over a feeling.
“Yes, I wouldn’t be talking to you right now if anything was; calm down. I shouldn’t have said anything, it was a silly feeling.” She heard Kyle blow out a frustrated breath.
“I promised nothing would happen to you and I meant it. So when you tell me something like that, I can’t stay calm cool and collected.”
“I appreciate your concern, but you can’t do this to yourself all the time. Believe me, living like a paranoid mess isn’t fun.”
“I will dial it back, but you have to promise to tell me if this happens again. You could come stay with Cooper and me if it gets worse.” Lindsay wanted to scream.
“I am not moving in with you, Kyle.”
“I can come there if you feel more comfortable staying at your place.” That was the last straw. Lindsay sat up in the tub so fast water splashed over the sides.
“Listen to me, Kyle Brady. I have been dealing with all of this by myself for four years. I am not a child that needs taken care of or someone that will be told what to do. So until you can stop this overreacting bullshit, don’t call me.”
Her phone started ringing again, but she didn’t answer. Kyle could wallow in his own stupidity for a while. She found her robe on the back of her bedroom door and pulled it on.
A knock on her front door made Lindsay freeze. She wasn’t expecting anyone, and after what happened earlier Lindsay wasn’t taking any chances. She opened her top drawer and grabbed her gun. Another series of knocks and Lindsay took the safety off as she walked down the hallway.
“Lindsay, I know your home.” It was almost nine o’clock, what was Stella doing here? She engaged the safety once again, and went to open the door.
“I was in the bathroom, what’s up?” Stella’s eyes were instantly drawn to the gun still clutched in her hand.
“Sorry, let me go put this up. Come on in, I’ll be right back.” After placing the gun back in the drawer, Lindsay put on a pair of underwear under her robe. Stella was sitting in the chair when she got back to the living room.
“Why did you have a gun?” Lindsay sat down on the couch and shrugged.
“Protection”
“Do you do that every time someone knocks?”
“No…” Lindsay told Stella about earlier and even about her phone call with Kyle. “So you should probably be expecting a call too. He keeps trying to call back, but I haven’t answered.”
Stella leaned back in the chair. “I don’t plan on going home, so I won’t have to worry about it.” Lindsay raised an eyebrow.
“I can’t take it anymore. Alex has been a complete basket case since we found out I was pregnant. I swear if he tries to help me up from a chair, or refuses to have sex because he doesn’t want the baby to see his penis one more time, this will be our only child because I will cut his balls off.”
“It can’t be that bad.” Alex had been overprotective, but Lindsay thought it was sweet.
“Not that bad?” Stella practically shrieked. “He refused to let me order Chop Sticks earlier because he thought it would harm the baby.” Lindsay winced. No one should ever come between Stella and her favorite Chinese place; especially when she’s pregnant.