by Kishan Paul
Like in his dream, Lauren stood on the other side. Only this time she was fully clothed. The organ between his legs pointed at the door, ready to welcome her. She tapped a second time, while he threw on a shirt to cover his very obvious problem.
He looked at the faded tee and muttered under his breath. The woman was blind. How the hell would she even know he had a hard-on?
Unless she wrapped her hand around it and…
His dick pulsed.
What the fuck is wrong with me?
By the third knock, he had managed to get his brain working and opened the door. His mouth went dry as he took her in. She stood barefoot in an oversized University of Denver sweatshirt and boxers. His fingers itched to twist themselves around her ponytail and tug her mouth to his.
She flashed a guilty smile. “Hi.”
Images of the things those lips did to him in his dreams ran through his head.
“Sorry if I woke you.”
Gabe grinned, if she only knew. He shook away the X-rated thoughts and tried to remember how to speak. “Everything okay?”
“Well, it’s Jack. He won’t let me sleep. He keeps whining and dragging me to the backdoor.”
God bless that dog.
The beast stood beside her and tilted its head, staring directly at Gabe’s tented boxers. When it tried to take a sniff, he pushed its nose away and positioned his hips behind the door.
“When I finally let him out, he dragged me here. I think he wants to be with Evan. Would you mind?”
“Nope.” As long as you’re part of the slumber party…
She patted the German shepherd’s head. “Free Jack.”
The dog licked her hand and squeezed through, making his way up the stairs.
“Want to come in too?”
And sit naked on my counter?
She took a step back. “Sorry, can’t.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Can’t? As in you’re not allowed to?”
“Yup. As in I have direct orders to not be alone with you.”
Jealousy crawled up this throat. “Officer Dawson telling you what to do?”
She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “Please. I only take orders from Sunny. The last time I didn’t listen to her she unscrewed my toilet paper holder from the wall and put it in a different spot without telling me.”
Gabe chuckled. “That’s plain wrong.”
“I know. She’s ruthless.” Lauren tipped her head toward her house. “I should go.”
“Do you want me to walk you back?”
She laughed. He loved the sound.
“Well, it is a closed yard with a seven foot fence. Not to mention the arduous and dangerous ten-foot trek to my door.” She wrinkled her nose and flashed a crooked grin. “But somehow, I think I’ll manage.”
He was speechless, until she started across the yard. Every part of him missed every part of her. Her smart ass comments, the way her eyes crinkled when she made said comments, and her laugh…
“Lauren?”
“Yeah?” She turned to him.
“You aren’t scared to be around me, are you?” For some reason, hers was the only opinion he cared about.
Her face softened. “No. I wouldn’t leave my dog with you if I was. I do think you’re an asshole, a liar and a cheater, but not a killer.”
He nodded. He could deal with that.
She was almost at her door and he couldn’t think of a damn reason to bring her back.
“You and Officer Joe Cool back together?”
“Goodnight, Gabe.”
His chest tightened as her door slammed. It was a stupid question. Why’d he even ask? Especially since it didn’t make a difference.
Did it?
Gabe shut his door and stared at the blinds. For the first time in a long time, he felt alone and didn’t like it.
Chapter Eighteen
Setting Boundaries
The sounds of a dog’s incessant barks carried from outside into Lauren’s bedroom.
She rolled over and pressed the pillow over her head.
Make it stop.
But it didn’t. Instead, a child’s laughter joined the melee. She reached for her clock and pressed the button.
“The time is six forty-five AM,” the automated woman’s voice said.
The feather pillow wasn’t enough to block the noise. So she pulled the comforter over her head and mumbled about how much she hated summer and kids and dogs and life.
“Jack, catch!”
Her eyes flew open.
Wait.
Jack? That means the kid’s…Evan.
She sat up and listened to the two and grinned. Yup. That’s my Jack.
The dog was amazing. He had a knack for seeking out people who were hurting and giving them exactly what they needed.
And Evan needed a lot. Yesterday when she met him, he was breathing heavy and his voice sounded strained. He had all the signs of a panic attack.
Jack would never be able to make all of Evan’s pain go away. No one could. But maybe for a little while, they could help the boy remember how to be a kid. Her chest tightened.
Nope. Don’t even think about it.
She dragged herself out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. No matter how sad or how much pain the little guy was in, Evan was not her problem and neither was his lying, cheating father.
Filling her mouth with toothpaste, she began her morning routine.
What was it about the cowboy that kept pulling at her? Did it matter? Alligators had a way of pulling people in too—with their teeth. Really big sharp ones. Gabe knew how to hide his.
Hmm, maybe he was a vampire. It would explain all the mystery around him. Speaking of which, some of the mystery appeared to be solved.
She brushed her teeth hard as she considered her own stupidity. An FBI agent? That’s what she thought he was? Ha. No, he was a married man with a kid. Those were his deep dark secrets and the reason he didn’t want anything more with her than a summer of noncommittal sex.
Boundaries. She needed to set up lots of them. The fifty-foot high fences with electric currents running through them kind. He’d think twice before ever coming near her again.
Jeez. His wife was barely dead and he’d already asked about her and Ben. Seriously messed up.
And she needed to stop listening to all those paranormal books on tape. Vampires? Seriously?
She cleaned out Jack’s food bowl and poured in a fresh scoop of dog food. By the time the metal basin was back in its spot, her disloyal hairy friend was scratching on the back door.
Lauren let him in and narrowed her eyes down at Jack. “You’re like all those teenage kids out there, aren’t you? Only want me for food, shelter, money.”
When he whimpered, she squatted down and grabbed his head. “I’m talking to you, mister.”
His wet tongue covered every inch of her face. She hugged his neck. “For the record, I’m okay with being used, you big, stinky dog.”
Pleased with being forgiven, Jack ran past her and seconds later, he was crunching his breakfast. A few feet away, in the yard, she noticed a white blob of color. Evan.
Not my problem. Build a big, ugly fence. Remember?
The blob didn’t move but the fear growing in him was painfully clear.
Okay, just this one time.
Still squatting at the wide open entrance, Lauren put her finger on her chin as if in deep thought. “You know, Jack. Your hair needs to be combed. I wish I could find the darn brush. But, because I’m blind, who knows how long it’ll take me? If only there was someone to help.”
The little guy didn’t take the bait.
Lauren pulled herself up, wandered around the threshold with her hands outstretched, and purposefully walked into the wall. “Oops, there’s the
door.”
The white blob inched closer as she continued trying to look helpless.
“I’ll help you,” a small voice offered.
She turned away before he caught sight of her grin. “Evan? Is that you? Are you sure?”
The blob now stood right in front of her. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it,” Lauren said.
Evan grabbed her hand and walked her into the kitchen. A few seconds later, the missing brush was discovered, under the sink, in the bucket, with the rest of Jack’s grooming supplies.
“You are amazing,” she said as she poured him a glass of milk.
“Anything else you need?” For the first time the little guy’s voice showed a spark of confidence. It warmed her.
“Actually, yes, there is. Would you mind combing his hair? I’m not good at it since I can’t see what I’m doing.”
“Can I, Gabe?”
She froze. How’d she miss hearing him?
“Sure, Sprout. But first, why don’t you go eat your cereal?” he said from the back door.
“Okay!” Evan ran outside and seconds later the door to his house slammed shut.
Lauren bit her lip and busied herself with making coffee.
Time to neutralize the power he had over her.
“Good morning,” Gabe said.
She grabbed a cup and filled it with water. “Morning.”
“That was nice of you.”
She shrugged and poured the liquid into the machine. “Jack needs his hair combed.”
“I’m sure he does.”
She didn’t respond. Maybe if she ignored him, he’d go away.
“Evan likes you, I can tell.”
She put a pod into the filter and pressed brew. Yeah, like ignoring people ever worked for her. “I have one question for you.”
“Only one?” There was amusement in his voice.
Lauren rested her elbows on the counter and gazed at his fuzzy silhouette against the door. “Trust me, there are over a hundred of ’em. But I figure no answer you give justifies the fact you lied to me. So yeah, only one.”
She felt the intensity of his stare and bit her lip.
“What’s the question?”
“Why does he call you Gabe?”
The doorjamb creaked when he shifted his weight. “What should he call me?”
“I don’t know Pop, Pappa, Padre, Dad, Daddy, Father. So many things other than your first name come to mind.”
He cleared his throat. “I haven’t been in his life. Didn’t think it was fair to expect him to call me anything else.”
Her fists clenched. Regardless of whether her hunch about Gabe’s past was true or not, the little boy growing up without a father was unacceptable. “Make that a hundred and one questions.”
“You can ask me the rest. I’ll answer.”
“Actually, I’d rather give you some unsolicited advice.”
“What’s that?”
“Stop running.” Lauren poured herself a cup of coffee and tried to ignore the tension in the room.
“Come again?”
“At eighteen you ran right to the Marines. Your brother dies, off you go again. You get married and have a kid, and where you are? Things are going to get hard with Evan. If you run, he’ll never recover.”
“I’ll keep your advice in mind.” There was a coldness to his tone.
The wheels of the garage door creaked as it rolled open. Sunny had arrived.
“It’s time for me to go. I’d hate for you to go without toilet paper on account of me.” The blinds hit the glass panes of the door when Gabe grabbed the handle. “Thanks again for what you did for Evan.”
Lauren jumped when it slammed shut. She had done it. Built the boundary between herself and the neighbor so high and painful, he’d never try to climb over. Now she needed to make herself feel good about it.
During her lunch break, Lauren found herself outside, walking up to the silver blob she knew to be Ben’s car. It was time to set boundaries with the other problem in her life.
When the door opened, she climbed in and held out her peace offering. “Figured you’d like a sandwich.”
He cleared his throat. “Will it kill me?”
She laughed. “No, I didn’t poison it. Promise.”
As he took a bite, she tried to figure out how to start the conversation.
“Where’s Jack?” he asked.
Her muscles tightened. Of all the stupid questions.
“He’s playing in the backyard with the little boy from next door.”
Ben gasped his disapproval. “You mean the murder suspect’s son?”
Instead of telling him to go to hell, she flashed her best smile and corrected him. “His name is Evan.”
“Jack’s a guide dog. His job is to walk you to places safely, not play in the backyard. You walked out here alone and got into a strange vehicle, what if I’d been some psychopath?”
“Good point. Let me take care of that right now,” she said in her cheeriest voice, grabbed the plate of food from him, and got out of the car.
Lauren muttered under her breath as she walked to her house. “The man would tell a tree how to grow if he thought it would listen.”
The car door slammed. His shoes thudded against the concrete. “Lauren, hold up.”
She gripped the doorknob and faced him.
“I’m sorry.”
Lauren arched her brows. “For?”
“Telling you what to do. You’re obviously fine, and have been without me sharing my opinions. I know, I tend to get a little overprotective where you’re concerned.”
“A little?”
He huffed. “Fine. A lot. But I’m working on it.”
“Apology accepted.” She grinned and patted his shoulder. “That wasn’t hard was it?”
Ben chuckled. “Can I have the sandwich now?”
Lauren handed him the plate. “You can eat it inside on a real table, as long as you don’t tell me how to spread the mayo or cut the cheese.”
As soon as she realized what she’d said, her face flushed. The sound of Ben’s deep laugh softened her embarrassment. It brought back memories of younger, crazier, happier times.
“You should do that more often,” she said.
“Yeah, it’s been a long time.” When his knuckles rubbed against her still warm cheek, she backed away. A month ago, everything was clear. Gabe was just the guy next door and Ben was the asshole ex-husband who broke her heart. Now, hearing the sadness in his voice was making it hard to hate him as much as she needed to.
“Ben, that’s not a good idea,” she whispered.
“I know.” He pulled his hand away. “So the favor you wanted?”
Lauren waved her palm. “I changed my mind.” Technically it wasn’t a lie. Sunny was already working on finding the information. She’d just changed her mind about getting Ben’s help.
“You sure?”
“Hundred percent.”
“Good.”
Lauren turned to the door again and considered her words. “I thought about what you said the other day. It’s not my fault you cheated. But you do have a point. I went a little nuts back then, and I’m sorry. It wasn’t fair to you.”
He inched closer. His breath warmed her neck. “I wish we could go back in time.”
“We can’t. But you are welcome to stay in the house.”
“Why?”
“Although, I don’t agree with it, I do understand why you’re doing this. Even if I don’t call the police, one of the neighbors might. And you need your sleep. If something happened to you while you’re on night patrol because you’re sleep deprived, I’d never forgive myself.”
She opened the door and walked in. “The guest bedroom upstairs is yours and you
’re welcome to help yourself to whatever’s in the kitchen.”
Ben shut the front door and locked it behind them.
“Good morning, Benjamin,” Sunny called from the kitchen.
“Hey, Sunny. How are you?”
Lauren sat on the sofa as the two made small talk.
“Fabulous,” Sunny said. “The weather’s perfect, my book’s going great, a murder suspect lives next door, and, as of a week ago, I’m single. What more could a girl ask for?”
As Sunny rambled about her now ex-boyfriend, Lauren considered her situation. Neither of these two men were stellar options. Both had lied to her and cheated on their wives. In one case, she was the wife and in the other, the mistress. Yet they both pulled at her. She shook her head. This was pitiful.
“So nothing’s changed?” Ben asked Sunny.
“Abso-freakingly nothing. You look good in your uniform, by the way. Been working out I see.”
Lauren waved in Sunny’s direction. The woman needed to leave before she started commenting on the shape of his ass. “Don’t you have notes to transcribe or a chapter to write or something?”
Her best friend snickered. “That’s my cue to get out. I’ll leave you two alone. Keep lifting the weights, Ben. It looks good on you.”
As soon as the office door shut, she heard Ben walking around the living room. The blinds on the window facing the backyard rustled.
“Are you snooping on the neighbor?”
“Yup.”
“And?”
Ben sat at the kitchen table and started on his lunch. “I don’t like Jack being with him.”
Before Lauren got a chance to tell him to mind his own business, he continued. “But it’s none of my business.”
She took a seat across from him and smiled. He really is trying. Once upon a time, they used to be inseparable, knew everything about the other. Now he was a stranger, with a life she knew very little about. “So tell me about your daughter.”
He cleared his throat and slid out of his chair. “What do you want to know?”
While he grabbed a glass from her cabinet and poured himself a drink, she fiddled with the napkin on the table. “She’s four by now, right? What’s her name? What’s she like?”