Mike wanted to reach across the table and snap his scrawny neck like a dry twig. “So, your common interest in horses led to a… relationship?” The word tasted sour on his tongue and Mike had the urge to spit it out, like a rancid piece of cheese.
“Yeah, we dated for a couple of months. She’s a really cool chick.”
“How so?” He gripped his pen so hard as he scribbled his notes he was surprised the piece of plastic didn’t snap in two.
“You’d think she’d be all stuck up, ya know, since she’s so famous and all. But she’s not. She loves horses, grew up on a ranch not too far from my old man’s spread.”
“She ever take you to her parents’ ranch?” If he said yes, Mike didn’t trust himself to maintain his tenuous grip on his restraint.
“Nah, I kept hopin’ it would get more serious, but it never did.” The guy frowned suddenly as he pointed at Mike. “Hey, that tattoo… you’re not the guy, are you?”
“If you don’t mind, I’ll ask the questions.” He’d love nothing more than to tell him yes, that his was the name inked on Tori’s sweet body from now through eternity, but he couldn’t reveal too much. If this was his guy, he didn’t want to risk setting him off. “So, when was the last time you talked to Tori?”
“Jeez, it’s gotta be a year, maybe more.”
“Did she end the relationship, or did you?” Like he didn’t know the answer to that question. A guy like this would be willing to kiss the ground at Tori’s feet if it meant five more seconds in her presence.
“She said she just wasn’t feelin’ it.” He shrugged. “What’re ya gonna do, right?”
“Did that make you angry?”
“I’m not gonna lie, I was really into her. Sure, I was hopin’ for more, but ya can’t force it. If the girl’s not into ya, time to move on to the next one, right?”
Mike was an expert at reading people, and he knew this guy wasn’t the one he was looking for. “Listen, thanks for comin’ in today,” he said, getting to his feet. “I’ll call you if I have any more questions for you.”
“Sure, no problem. Hey, do me a favor? Tell Tori I said hi. Let her know things are lookin’ real good for Blue Thunder this year, if she wants to come out to the track and check it out.”
Mike clenched his jaw. “Yeah, I’ll be sure to tell her that.” Just as soon as she falls asleep in my arms.
Tori was grilling steaks on the barbeque when she heard the front door slam.
“What the hell are you doin’ here?” Mike asked, glaring at her.
“Uh, I live here.”
“Don’t be a smart ass. I told my old man not to leave you alone. Why the hell did you come back here by yourself?”
“I don’t need a babysitter, Lieutenant.”
“Are you crazy?” He set his hands on his hips and scowled at her. “You’re out here by yourself, the front door is unlocked. Do you have a goddamn death wish, or what?”
Tori grew up in a house where the doors were never locked, neighbors were always welcome, and friends were constantly dropping by with a bottle of moonshine or a hot apple pie. She couldn’t get used to the idea of looking over her shoulder every time she turned around. “I’m not gonna let this asshole take over my life.”
Mike grabbed her arm and turned her around to face him. “Listen to me, I’m not gonna let anything happen to you. If I have to stick to you like glue every minute of every day to keep you safe, that’s what I’m gonna do. I don’t care if you like it or not.”
His breathing was labored and she could tell she’d scared the hell out of him by discounting his demands. She pressed her palm against his chest and she could feel his heart racing. “Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you.”
“If I’d walked in here and found you laid out on the floor…” He drew a deep breath as he thrust his hands into her hair. “You have no idea what that would’ve done to me.”
In the face of his fear, her heart thawed just a little more. How could it not when he seemed so concerned about her well-being? “Fine, we’ll play it your way… for now.”
“Baby, I’m serious. You don’t know what was goin’ through my head when I found the front door unlocked.” His hand gripped the back of her neck as he tilted her face up to his. “I’ve worked some crazy cases in my career, hostage situations, a manhunt for a serial killer, kidnappings, but nothin’, and I mean nothin’, set my heart to racin’ like you did just now.”
God help her, she was falling deeper in the abyss with every sweet word he spoke. Soon, there’d be no way for her to climb out. “I said I’m sorry, can we just leave it at that?”
Instead of responding, he captured her mouth in a possessive kiss that outlasted her reservations. When he finally withdrew, she pressed her fingertips to her swollen lips and tried to make light of the fact she’d never felt so unbalanced. “You kiss all your friends that way, Coop?”
“Don’t,” he warned, pulling her hand away from her mouth. “Don’t try to be funny. I’m not in the mood.”
“Fine.” She turned back to the meat on the grill, disappointed to see it was well past the medium-rare stage she usually preferred. Not that his kiss hadn’t made it worth the sacrifice. “Since you ruined our dinner, can you at least open the wine?”
For the first time since he walked in the door, he rewarded her with a sexy grin, and she couldn’t help but respond in kind. She wasn’t supposed to like him, but she found the more time they spent together, the harder it was to remember why she’d disliked him for so long. Right… he’d referred to her as a mistake. She just had to keep reminding herself of that every time she saw that flash of white teeth peek out from amidst that irresistibly dark stubble painting his square jaw.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea? You remember what happened the last time we had a few too many, don’t you?”
Tongue in cheek, she said, “If I wanted to seduce you, I wouldn’t waste time with a merlot. I’d be pullin’ out the Jack Daniels and linin’ up the shot glasses.”
He threw his head back and laughed as he patted her behind. “The night’s still young, sweetheart.”
Chapter Six
Mike couldn’t remember the last time he’d actually had fun getting to know someone. She was a riot, charming him with stories about what it was like growing up with big brothers who were determined to ensure she remain a virgin until she was thirty.
“So, what does your family think of your success?” He leaned back in his chair and brought his wineglass to his lips. The sun had long since set, but he wasn’t ready to call it a night.
“They don’t treat me any differently. My parents made sure I knew from the get-go that a good singin’ voice was a blessin’ I ought to be grateful for. Hell, I know I didn’t have anything to do with it.”
“No, but you’ve worked hard and made the most of it. Some people waste talent like yours, ’cause they’re lazy and unmotivated.”
She laughed. “Believe me, bein’ lazy was never an option in my family. Daddy had us up at five every mornin’ rain or shine to help him with the chores before school.”
He grinned as he imagined his sexy little country crooner slopping hogs or mucking stalls. “What about in the summer time, what’d y’all do for fun?”
“Oh, that’s when me and my girlfriends would get a little crazy. Bush parties, tailgaitin’, you name it and we got into it.”
Mike had no trouble believing she’d gotten into more than her fair share of trouble growing up. Tori wasn’t afraid to step outside of her comfort zone and test the boundaries. That fearless attitude was bound to get you into trouble sooner or later. A lesson he’d learned the hard way. “Tell me the worst thing you ever did when you were a teenager.” He refilled her wineglass, surprised to note they’d already polished off two bottles in the hours since they’d started dinner.
“I don’t know if I should tell you. Is there a statute of limitations on joy ridin’ in a stolen car?”
He threw his head back
and laughed. “You did not!”
“We sure did.” She laughed. “I was about sixteen, and my brother had just gotten a new Silverado. I loved that truck, but he wouldn’t let me drive it.” She pouted as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Said he didn’t trust me not to wrap it around a tree. Hell, I’d been driving tractors since I was twelve, and he was worried about me drivin’ a little ol’ pick-up truck. Can you believe that?”
Mike smirked. It sounds like a stunt he or his brother might have pulled back in the day. “So, what’d your brother do when he found out?”
“He was madder than hell. Gave me the silent treatment for a week.” She took a deep swallow of her wine. “He just did it ’cause he knows how much I hate the silent treatment.”
“Is that why you wouldn’t talk to me? You thought you were punishin’ me?”
Tori looked at him and laughed. “Seriously? Uh no, I kept my mouth shut ’cause I didn’t trust myself. If I started in on you, the whole damn world would’ve known our business.”
“Would that have been so bad?” At the time he may have thought so, but knowing what he knew now, he’d consider it a privilege to be romantically linked to this lady.
“Hell, given how close I am with your family, and extended family, it would’ve been a disaster.” She laughed. “Could you just imagine your mama if she found out?”
Mike’s mother, Ashley, loved Tori. “She’d have been plannin’ a weddin’ for sure.”
She pushed her chair back from the table and stood up. “Yeah, I guess we dodged that bullet, huh?”
No, Mike felt the bullet hit him square in the chest. “I was wrong about you,” he said quietly, trying to gauge her reaction.
“What do you mean?”
“I thought you were just this carefree little diva who lived for the next party.”
She smiled. “I pretty much am.”
“No, you’re not. That’s just what you want people to believe.” He reached for her hand. “There’s a hell of a lot more to you than that. You’re passionate about your music, you love your family, and you anonymously donate hundreds of thousands of dollars to a literacy group every year.”
She scowled as she withdrew her hand. “How the hell did you know about that?”
“It’s my job to know everything, Tori. Why literacy?”
Her blue eyes clouded over. “My granddad was the strongest man I’d ever known, but he was too proud to admit he needed help readin’ and writin’. He went to his grave not bein’ able to read a word. I know he was embarrassed about it. If I can prevent even one person from feelin’ the way he did, it’ll have been money well spent.”
Mike knew he was in deep trouble. He just wanted to pull her into his lap, bury his face in her silky hair, and tell her she was the most incredible woman he’d ever known. He wanted to spend every night just like this, talking, laughing, falling more in love with her.
“I guess I should get to bed. I’ve got another big day tomorrow.” She closed the lid on her deluxe grill and replaced the cover. “I hope you don’t mind bein’ on your own for dinner tomorrow night?”
“Why? You expectin’ rehearsals to run late?”
“No, I’ve got to attend a charity fundraiser for the literacy foundation tomorrow.”
“You need a date?” He tried to sound nonchalant, but he knew he wasn’t fooling her.
“Thanks, but I’ve already invited someone.”
The news she was dating someone else hit him hard. “You know it’s not a good idea to be datin’ until we find this guy who’s been stalkin’ you.” Even once they found him, Mike thought the notion of her dating someone else was just about the worst idea he’d ever heard.
“It’s okay, your dad checked this guy out personally and he gave me the green light.”
Mike would have to have a little chat with his old man tomorrow about minding his own damned business where Tori was concerned.
“I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but would you mind makin’ yourself scarce tomorrow night?”
“You’ve gotta be kiddin’ me?” All of the alcohol Mike had consumed in the past several hours suddenly went to his head. “You’re not seriously thinkin’ about bringin’ this guy back here, are you?”
“Why the hell not? It’s my house. I can do what I want.”
“I thought you said you’d never brought anyone back here before?”
“I haven’t, but there’s gotta be a first time.”
Mike knew he was the first, and he wanted to be the last.
She sighed. “We’ve been seein’ each on and off for the past few months. He’s from out of town…” She looked uneasy when she said, “This may be the last time we hook up before I go out on the road.”
Mike jumped out of the iron chair so fast he upended it. “Oh, hell, no! You’re not gonna sleep with that asshole tomorrow night, if that’s what you’re thinkin’.”
“Like you could stop me.” She moved to the door, but he beat her to it, blocking the only entrance to the house.
“Don’t do this. Please.” Mike had never pleaded with a woman before in his life, but if he had to get down on his knees to make her think twice about sleeping with some other guy, he would.
“You don’t get to set the rules, Lieutenant. This is my playground. I get to decide who I invite over.”
His hands bracketed her hips and he pulled her toward him. “Don’t even try pretendin’ you don’t feel something for me.”
“You really think I’m stupid enough to give you another chance after the way you treated me last time?”
He raked his hand through his hair, feeling helpless, desperate, like the clock was ticking and he was running out of time to plead his case. “I already said I was sorry about that. I tried to make you understand—”
She pressed her fingertips against his lips as she shook her head. “Fool me once, shame on you,” she whispered. “Fool me twice, shame on me.”
Tori had already left the house by the time Mike went looking for her the following morning. That woman was a loose cannon. She couldn’t follow the simplest instructions.
“What’s with you?” Josh asked when his son marched into the studio, barely sparing him a glance.
Mike scowled at Tori, who was dominating center stage as she performed the upbeat party anthem from her latest album. “I don’t know how the hell I let you talk me into this.”
Josh laughed as he poured strong coffee into a disposable cup and handed it to Mike. “Looks like someone hasn’t had his shot of caffeine this mornin’.”
“I’ll need somethin’ a hell of lot stronger than coffee if I’ve got a prayer of gettin’ through the day.” Or more specifically, the night. He had no doubt he’d be making himself crazy wondering what Tori was up to with her date. “By the way, I’ve got a bone to pick with you.”
Josh rolled his eyes. “What’d I do this time?”
“You told Tori she could go out with this…” Mike didn’t even know his name or anything about him. Within the hour, he intended to have a full report on this dude, and if he had so much as an unpaid parking violation, Mike would find a way to prevent her from going out with him.
“Bryan Tate? Yeah, what’s wrong with that? She’s been out with him lots of times.”
“Yeah, she’s probably been out with her stalker lots of times, too. How the hell do you know they’re not one in the same?”
“Come on, I checked this guy out myself. He’s clean.”
It wasn’t often Mike went toe-to-toe with his father, or had reason to, but he wasn’t backing down this time. “You guys hired me to do a job, and you need to stay the hell out of my way so I can do it.”
Josh raised his hands, obviously trying to wipe the smile off his face. “I’m not tryin’ to do your job, kid. I checked him out before you were even hired.”
Mike sighed. He knew this wasn’t his dad’s fault. If he’d had a sleepless night thinking about Tori taking another man to bed, he had only himsel
f to blame. He had two longs years to make things right with her, and he’d squandered every opportunity. “Look, I’m sorry, Dad. I didn’t mean to come down on you. This is just so damn frustratin’.”
“I thought you were gonna be able to keep your personal feelings out of this. If you can’t… ”
There was no way Mike was handing this investigation off to someone else. At least now he was living in Tori’s house where he could keep her safe. None of his colleagues would be willing to make that kind of sacrifice, not that he intended to give them the chance. “Don’t you think I know I’m breakin’ every damn rule in the book by letting my personal feelings affect my judgement?”
“About what?” Trey asked, coming up behind them.
“Nothin’, forget about it,” Mike said, wishing he’d kept his big mouth shut. Before long, everyone in their inner circle would know that he and Tori had slept together.
“Come on, I’ve known you since you were a kid,” Trey said, nudging him in the ribs. “You can tell me what’s got you so worked up.”
Any other time he wouldn’t have thought twice about confiding in Trey. He’d been like an uncle to him most of his life, but he couldn’t talk about his relationship with Tori until he knew where they stood.
“It’s not what… it’s who,” Josh said, chuckling.
Mike glared at his father. “Did anyone ask you?”
Josh laughed. “Has that ever stopped me before?”
Trey followed Mike’s eyes to the stage. “Ah, I shoulda known. Man, if you expect to tame that little lady, you’ve got your work cut out for you.”
“Don’t I know it. I tell her I don’t want her goin’ anywhere alone and she takes off while I’m in the shower. I tell her to make sure the house is secure at all times, and she leaves the front door wide open. I tell her to keep a low profile, and she has a date for a charity event tonight.”
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