“You’re not too tired?”
“I’ve slept more today than I can remember.” She held up a hand. “I ate a lot, too. Would you…like to stay for a bit?”
He wasn’t sure what she was asking. He wasn’t sure what he wanted.
But he did know he wanted more Shawn. “A beer sounds good.”
And then, when they were standing in the kitchen, after he’d downed half a bottle of beer, after staring at her lips and thinking she’d never looked prettier, he quit fighting.
Eddie reached for her. Slowly. Gave her time to tell him no. To step aside. To do anything at all to make sure he knew that kissing him was not what she wanted.
But instead of ducking away, she reached for his neck and pulled him to her. His arms went around her. He widened his stance. She stepped closer.
He bent his head, she raised her chin. And finally he kissed her.
Eddie had every intention of being gentle. Every intention of keeping things low-key. Just keeping a memory alive.
But Shawn hadn’t gotten that memo. Immediately she parted her lips and invited him to do the same. Her taste was like he remembered. Sweet. Fresh. Like Shawn. Familiar.
There went her hips, pressing against his, just like always. Before he thought better of it, his hand cupped her breast. The other splayed against her backside and held her close.
And still that kiss went on and on.
Desire hit him hard. Made his knees feel like mush and his hands want to roam and explore.
They needed to stop. They really needed to stop. But she felt so good. Her skin was still as soft as ever. Her responses as pure and honest as ever. And he liked how her body felt when it was filled with baby.
Something primal always burned inside him when he felt her curves, her new shape. He wanted to explore and kiss and see her naked.
Somehow reason flew out the window. Or maybe all reason fell into place. After all, what could happen? She was already pregnant again.
She pulled off his polo shirt. He fell in love all over again with those elastic pants and how easily they slid down her hips.
Suddenly awareness of their situation returned, and with effort Eddie pulled back, breathing hard.
She closed her eyes as she visibly tried to gain control. He tried to pretend he hadn’t just pushed her pants down in the middle of the kitchen.
Then, to his amazement, she smiled. “What do you want to do?”
He didn’t care how it sounded. Fact was, his body couldn’t be any more obvious if he tried. “Take you to bed.”
She inhaled, whether from surprise or from desire, he didn’t know. “Think we’re going to regret this?”
“I hope not.” He couldn’t resist touching her. Running his hands down her hips. Knowing that nothing but a worn T-shirt and a bit of patience were keeping them apart. “What do you want?”
In reply, she linked one hand with his and smiled. “What do you think, Ed? It’s been a while.”
“Yes, it has,” he murmured, taking her hand. Pulling her into her bedroom. Their old bedroom. But still the only place that felt familiar. And then there was little to do but make love to her. He did his best to be patient. He did his best to be gentle. But he also was happy to get reacquainted with her body. To slowly recall all the places where she was most sensitive.
“Oh, Ed,” she moaned. “I missed this.”
Kissing her a little lower, he smiled. “Me, too, honey.”
But as usual, she wasn’t shy. Shawn never had been the type to fear she was unattractive all filled with baby.
Maybe because she knew from him that she’d never looked more beautiful. Or felt better. Or been more responsive. He’d never been shy about telling her.
And then finally when he was dressed again and she was cocooned in her thick white robe, he didn’t dare tell her he was sorry. Because he wasn’t. At all.
Holding her in his arms one last time, he kissed the top of her head. “I think I’d better go,” he murmured.
She nodded as they separated. “That’s probably a good idea. I’ll walk you out.”
“Do you need anything?”
She smiled. “No. I’m fine.”
When they got to the garage and night surrounded them, he knew he had to say something. “Tonight was nice, Shawn. Special.”
Only the faint glow from the lit front porch across the way let him see her expression. She looked…happy. “It was.”
He smoothed some hair away from her cheeks. “No regrets?”
“Not even one. I still have feelings for you, Eddie. And frankly, just this minute I’m a little tired of making sense of them.”
After one more sweet kiss, he pulled away. Relieved. Happy. “I’ll see you tomorrow or the next day.” Then, after giving her one last wave, he got in his car and pulled away.
And realized that things between him and Jayne definitely needed to end. He still had strong feelings for Shawn. Too strong to ignore.
AS SOON AS Eddie disappeared down the street, Shawn went right to sleep.
In the morning she woke up early, pleased to realize Elsie had slept through the night and was likely doing much better. She could go to work.
That was good. But in the meantime, she had things to do. Toys to pick up. Dishes to wash, laundry to fold.
But all she could think about was making love to Eddie the night before. The way he’d been so exquisitely gentle but just as demanding and passionate as he’d always been. Her body hummed from his attentions.
Number Four was most likely in shock from everything they’d been doing.
But somewhere inside her, Shawn knew her body was reveling in what had just happened. After all, they’d always made love a lot during her other pregnancies. Eddie had always been so loving. He’d brought her coffee in bed. When she’d been pregnant with Elsie, he’d taken over bath time so she could put her feet up.
Oh, foot rubs! Every night after her bath, he’d rub the cramps out of her feet. She’d looked forward to that so much. And then, well, he’d used that massage oil for all kinds of things. Just recalling the scent made her body go all limp and languid.
When she finally got out of bed and walked to the kitchen, she wondered how she’d ever been able to forget about all of that.
And now that those memories were so fresh in her mind, she wondered just how she was going to manage to forget it all once again.
Chapter Fifteen
One week later Eddie had just finished typing up a report when Sal entered the squad room. “There’s a lady locked out of her house and freaking out big time, Wagner. Freaking out enough that I’m thinking there’s something else going on. I know you’re not officially clocked in yet, but will you take Link and go on out and deal with her?”
“Sure, Sal.” After jotting down the name and address, he stood up and gestured for his new partner, Cameron Link, to do the same. John had recently been promoted to detective. “Ready?”
“Sure,” he replied, but didn’t look too thrilled with the assignment. Cameron was a rookie from Oklahoma and was still green enough to imagine that every day was going to bring adventure and a dozen feel-good heroic moments. Helping old ladies didn’t quite fit that description.
But serving the community most certainly did. Eddie considered it his job to make sure this kid—who had all the makings of becoming a good cop—understood that their role in Destin was not to drive around streets with guns cocked and attitudes blazing. “Saddle up, Link. We’ve got a house to unlock and a situation to investigate.”
The rookie’s dark eyebrows bunched together in irritation. “How many more of these damn cowboy sayings do I have to put up with?”
Sal answered that one. Slapping the kid on the shoulder, he quipped, “You’ll put up with them until we can’t come up with any more.”
“Which may be a while,” Eddie added.
As Cameron continued to scowl, Sal grinned at Eddie. “Good luck with locks.”
“Thanks, Lieutenant
,” Eddie answered before Cameron spouted off something he couldn’t take back. Honestly, the kid needed to learn when to keep his mouth shut.
After inspecting the cruiser, Eddie let Cameron drive. He still looked highly irritated. After turning a corner a little too aggressively, then glaring at a pair of elderly jaywalkers, Eddie decided something needed to be said. “Better get a new attitude before we face this woman.”
“I will. I’m getting pretty tired of being teased all the time, though. This isn’t high school.”
“This is nothing.”
“It is when it’s constant. Berkoff calls me a hick every chance he gets.”
Thinking of life in the Army, Eddie chuckled. “Believe me, there are worse things to be called. In the service, hazing new recruits is an art form.” He braced a hand on the dashboard as the kid merged into traffic with a little too much gumption. “Watch it. Most of the folks out here are on their lunch break. No need to glower at everyone.”
“That’s another thing that’s tearing me up. We’ve been doing the dumbest stuff lately. Yesterday some gal thought her wedding ring was stolen—only to find it an hour later. And today we’re unlocking houses. Why in the world doesn’t anyone call a locksmith?”
“Some people just assume we’ll do it without a problem, so there’s no reason to.”
“It’s a waste of time.”
“Not necessarily. Lieutenant’s thinking there might be more to her story.”
“And if there’s not?”
“Then we’re doing what we’re supposed to do. To protect and serve the community. Who knows, maybe one day down the way, she’s going to really need some help and remember that we’re the good guys.”
“She should already know that.”
“What’s up with you?” Even for Cameron, the attitude seemed especially raw. “You having second thoughts about joining the force?”
“Nah, it’s nothing like that. My girlfriend’s giving me grief. She wants to leave Tulsa and move in with me. You know, get a place together.”
“She misses you that bad?”
“Yeah, but I think it’s more like she’s got marriage on her mind. I’m not ready. I keep telling her to wait a little while. I’m putting in a lot of hours, and when I’m off, all I want to do is sleep and watch football. Shoot, I’m only twenty-three.”
Eddie knew that. Keeping his voice easy, he said, “Nothing wrong with waiting. This job is tough. Marriage is no piece of cake, either.”
“That’s what I keep telling her. But she don’t want to listen. Women.” He gave the top of the steering wheel a good slap to punctuate his point.
“You got that right.”
“Hey, you’re divorced, right?”
All of a sudden, a knot formed in his throat. “I am.”
“You glad for the freedom again?”
Oh, to be twenty-three again! “I’ve got three kids with her. There is no freedom.”
“You know what I mean. At least now you don’t have to answer to her all the time. Sylvia nags me somethin’ awful if I forget to call her, too. I’m so stressed about her wanting to take a hold of my life, I think I’m fixin’ to lose my hair. One day I won’t have any left.”
Cameron, with his head full of curls, looked to have enough hair for two men. “I think you’ll be okay. Anyway, if you don’t want to give up some part of yourself and all that ‘freedom,’ you better not get married anytime soon.”
“Or live together,” the rookie added.
“Right. Live together.” Seeing that they were approaching the address Sal had given them, Eddie got back to business. “Well, let’s go see what’s going on. Hopefully we’ll get her in the house, nothing will be wrong, and we’ll be on our way in record time.”
Cameron rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right. Nothing we ever get into happens faster than we think it will.”
“Hey, you sound almost like you’ve been a cop for a while. Good job.” Eddie fought to keep his expression stern. “But still…let’s keep our eyes open.”
When Cameron parked the car, they saw a somewhat disheveled woman with messed-up hair and a wild expression waiting by the door. His sixth sense went on alert. After calling in their location to the dispatcher, Eddie checked his gun and opened his door. “Get ready, Link. I have a feeling this is one of those times.”
“THANKS FOR MEETING ME for lunch, Mel,” Shawn said on Friday. After dropping off the girls at day care, she’d made plans to share a quick lunch with her sister-in-law before going into work. Lately Melanie had been acting distant and Shawn knew the reason. Her feelings were hurt because Shawn hadn’t told her about the baby right away.
Shawn could see her former sister-in-law’s point of view, but also knew that she’d been dealing with things the best she could.
After the usual greetings, Melanie looked a bit shamefaced. “Sorry I haven’t called you. Eddie told me about the baby right after he told our parents. I didn’t know what to say.”
“Congratulations?” Shawn hoped she didn’t sound too snippy, but a part of her felt let down. She’d begun to really rely on Melanie for support. Her silence on the baby news was hurtful.
“Can I be honest?”
“Of course.”
“I wasn’t ready to do that right away. I just got used to the two of you divorced. And Jayne.”
“I understand,” Shawn said, though to be truthful, she kind of didn’t. She and Melanie had progressed pretty far from the sister-in-law stage to good friends. Shawn had expected disappointment and confusion from his parents—not from her. “You know, things aren’t all that different.”
“There’s just a baby on the way.” While Shawn stared at her in surprise—it was really not like Melanie to be so sarcastic—Mel held her hand up. “Oh, I can’t believe I just said that. Listen, I am happy for you. For the baby. It’s just…” Her voice drifted off with a shrug.
“Is something else bothering you?”
“Yeah. I was asked out yesterday.”
“By who?”
“John Nelson.”
This was wonderful news. “What did you say? Are you finally going to give him a chance?”
Melanie ducked her head. “I think so. We’ve been talking on the phone for a while. I can’t believe it, but when he did ask me out, I was excited. I haven’t felt that way in a long time.”
“You deserve all those good feelings. What are you going to do?”
“I’m not sure. Dinner? Maybe a movie? I told him I’d think about it and let him know this afternoon.”
“I’m proud of you.”
She worried her bottom lip. “I hope it’s the right thing to do.”
“It is. John knows you. He likes you, and it’s time you trusted someone.”
“I suppose.”
“Working from home, transcribing doctor’s notes, is a pretty difficult way to meet available men.” Or anyone, she wanted to say but didn’t. After Melanie’s attack, her sister-in-law had slowly withdrawn from most everyone around her.
“I’m worried that he only asked me out as a favor to Eddie.”
“I doubt that. You’re a pretty woman, Melanie. And one of the nicest people I know.”
“Thanks, but I still think my brother had something to do with this.”
“Did you ask him?”
“I did. He said I was crazy. But why else would John wait so long to ask me? It’s not like we see each other all the time.”
“Maybe you should ask John that question.”
“I wanted to, but then I chickened out.” She slumped. “I’m nervous. I don’t want to be. I like John, but I don’t know if I’m ready for a relationship.”
“So he sounds like a perfect way to dip your toe into the dating waters.” Knowing how little she trusted men, Shawn said, “Are you concerned about him behaving like a gentleman? Is that what’s got you worried?”
Melanie paused to consider that. “No, the funny thing is, I think I do trust him. But…what if I freeze
up if he tries to hug me or kiss me? I get freaked out now about the dumbest stuff.”
“I have to say that knowing Eddie was a cop always made me feel safe. Maybe you’ll feel that way, too. And if you do something wrong, he’ll get over it.”
“You make that sound so easy.”
“Maybe it is. Take it from me, Melanie. Learn to embrace Murphy’s Law. Then do the best you can with what you have. It’s all any of us can do.”
“Is that what you’ve been doing with the baby?”
Shawn thought about that one. “Truthfully? It’s what I wish I’d been doing from the very start.”
Chapter Sixteen
“Ma’am? Did you call for assistance?”
Before he could finish the question, the woman was running toward them, the frayed edges of her tattered peach housecoat flapping. “Thank God you’re here!” she cried, reaching for Cameron. “It’s taken forever.”
Eddie was proud of the way Cameron slowly held out his arms to contain her, to give them each some space. “Ma’am, what seems to be the problem?”
For a second she looked almost guilty. “I told the dispatcher that I’d locked myself out of the house, but that isn’t exactly why I called.” She bit her lip, then continued, “See, I’m real worried about my husband.”
Cameron’s posture changed, becoming significantly more alert.
After giving his partner a glance that said to be ready for anything, Eddie pulled out a notebook as he stepped forward. “Ma’am, what is the problem? Is something wrong with your husband?”
“You could say that. He’s unconscious on the kitchen floor.”
The warning bells in his head turned to loud alarms. “Any idea how he came to be in that condition?”
“I sure do. I hit him good and hard with my Good Housekeeping cookbook after he grabbed me tight around my shoulder.” She pulled open the collar of her housecoat, revealing a set of red marks that looked sure to change into fingertip bruises.
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