Hot Cop Next Door: A Second Chance Romance

by Brooke Noelle

  Once I dropped Lily off with them, I drove home and headed straight over to Savannah’s house.

  I could hear music blaring and shook my head. The woman was going to blow her ears out.

  I knocked on the door several times. When she didn’t answer, I turned the handle and opened the door a few inches.

  “Savannah!” I yelled.

  “Cameron?” she said a split second before the music came to a dead stop.

  I pushed the door open and saw her come out of the kitchen.

  “I knocked, but you didn’t answer.”

  She gave me a sheepish smile. “Are you here to give me that noise pollution ticket we talked about?”

  I grinned. “No. I’m here to see if Emma is coming up for the weekend.”

  She shook her head. “Nope. She has to work.”

  “Do you want to go out with me? I know a bar that has a live band tonight,” I said, hoping I didn’t sound too eager.

  She smiled. “I would love that! Anything to get me out of the house. I’m starting to go a little stir-crazy.”

  “All right. Get ready and I’ll be back to pick you up in a couple hours.”

  She was still grinning, looking as gorgeous as ever. “I’ll be ready.”

  I turned and left her, reminding her to keep the music down so she could hear the door.

  When I returned exactly two hours later, she answered the door wearing a pair of tight jeans that hugged her curves and black boots. Her sweater fell to the side, leaving one shoulder exposed.

  “I’m going to be the envy of every man in that bar,” I told her, placing my hands on her hips and kissing her.

  I knew the stolen kisses here and there were above and beyond the fake engagement lie, but I couldn’t stop myself from touching her. I loved looking at her body and had to fight hard to keep my hands to myself whenever she was around.

  “Thank you. You’re looking rather dashing yourself. You better not ditch me for another woman,” she said with a wink.

  “Not in a million years,” I vowed.

  When we arrived at the bar, it was filling fast. I managed to secure us a small table in the back of the room. We would be able to see and hear the band and still be able to talk to each other. We ordered hot wings and cold beer as we waited for the band to take the stage.

  “Is this twangy country stuff?” she asked, looking around at the cowboys milling about.

  I shrugged a shoulder. “There’s definitely a little country, but I think it’s more rock. Think along the lines of Florida Georgia Line,” I told her.

  Her eyes lit up. “I can’t wait.”

  When the band took the stage, the energy in the room transformed. People were shouting and dancing and having a good time in general.

  “Let’s dance!” I shouted over the music.

  She nodded and took my hand. I led her to the dance floor, where we bumped and grinded and let ourselves get lost in the music. I stared into her eyes, feeling completely in tune with her, and blocked out the rowdy crowd around us.

  I heard cat whistles and snapped my attention back to the present. People had spread out around us, leaving us alone on the dance floor, our bodies moving in time to a ballad the band was belting out.

  “People are watching,” Savannah whispered.

  I nodded. “Yes, they are.”

  I turned to look around the area and saw the singer point his finger at us while he belted out his lyrics about finding love after the rain. We finished the song and headed toward our table, Savannah leading the way with me close behind her, when a man wearing a baseball hat stepped directly in front of her.

  She tensed up and I immediately knew something was wrong.

  “Asher?” Savannah breathed out, barely loud enough for me to hear.

  I immediately stepped beside her, crowding out the smaller man and pushing him out of her personal space.

  “Is this him?” Asher said with an ugly scowl. “This is the guy you’ve been cheating on me with?”

  I could feel people watching us and made a move to step around the angry ex. He stepped in my direct path.

  I peered down at him. “Move.”

  He sneered. “Really, Savannah? You couldn’t find a bigger guy? Have you fallen for the old bigger-is-better theory?”

  “Asher, please, don’t do this. We’re here to have a good time. You’re drunk. Just leave us alone.” Savannah’s voice was far too reasonable and controlled for the situation.

  I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and steered her past Asher, making our way back to our table. I hoped once we were away from the dance floor, Asher would back off. I could tell he was the kind of guy that got off on making a scene. He wanted people to think he was a tough guy. If they only knew what kind of man he really was, their opinions would change.

  I waved the waitress over and ordered two beers.

  “I can’t believe he’s here,” Savannah said, her entire demeanor stiff and tense.

  “Ignore him. He’s drunk.”

  We didn’t get the chance to ignore him. The insolent man grabbed a chair from a nearby table and sat down next to Savannah.

  “Back off, buddy,” I warned him, not hiding the threat in my voice.

  “She’s my girlfriend,” Asher spat out, spittle flying as he spoke.

  “We’re not together,” Savannah said firmly.

  “She wants you to leave her alone. In fact, I believe you have been warned several times already, haven’t you?” I growled.

  Asher grinned. “That was all a misunderstanding. Savannah and I have history together. We love each other. We had a little fight and she ran away. She’ll come back to me—she always does.”

  Savannah shook her head. “That wasn’t a fight, Asher. You tried to attack me with a baseball bat. What if I hadn’t been in the car?” she said.

  My brows shot up, and I could feel the blood boiling in my veins. “You hit her with a bat?” I fumed.

  Asher rolled his eyes. “I didn’t hit her with a bat. I hit the windows.”

  “With me inside the car, asshole,” Savannah said.

  I leaned forward a few inches and looked the man dead in the eye. “You need to get the fuck out of here before you really piss me off. I don’t want you calling her again. I don’t want you talking to her or going anywhere near her. Do you understand?”

  I knew I could be menacing when I tried. My size alone put most people on guard. Asher wasn’t most people. He leaned toward me, our noses a couple inches apart.

  “She’s mine. She’ll always be mine,” he said in a low, monotone voice that told me all I needed to know.

  The man was not right in the head. I would go so far as to say he was a sociopath. That wasn’t something I wanted to mess with without knowing more.

  “We’re going now,” I said to Savannah.

  She nodded. I could see the fear in her eyes and immediately felt bad for her. Her terror that first night she had called the police hadn’t been for nothing. She truly feared for her life, and I knew why now. I feared for her life as well.

  I grabbed Savannah’s hand, and we headed for the door.

  “This isn’t over!” Asher shouted from behind us. “This isn’t over, Savannah!”

  “Keep walking,” I told her. “We don’t need to give him the response he wants.”

  I stopped at the door and told the doorman there was a man causing problems. He radioed his fellow security personnel to inform him.

  I helped Savannah inside my truck, and we sat there for several minutes, each taking a few deep breaths and composing ourselves.

  “I don’t think it’s safe for you to go home,” I said.

  She nodded. “I don’t think so either. How did he find us? Do you think he followed us?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “He had to have followed us, which means he’s been watching me,” she squeaked out.

  I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. If Asher had been watching Savannah, he had seen
me. He would have seen Lily as well. Shit just got real. I drove home, my eyes going to my rearview mirror every few minutes. I didn’t notice a car following us, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t show up later.

  When we got back to my house, I took her keys and checked her house while she stayed at mine. It didn’t look like Asher had broken in. When I got back to my house, Savannah was pacing.

  “I’m so sorry,” she repeated over and over. “I should have known. I’m sorry. I did exactly what you told me you didn’t want to happen. I dragged you into my mess.”

  “Let’s go to bed. We’ll worry about everything tomorrow,” I told her, leading her to my bedroom.

  “Thank you. Thank you for being there and letting me stay here.”

  “It’s no problem. There’s no way I’d let you stay home alone with that creep in town.”

  She stripped down to her underwear and crawled between the sheets. I didn’t make a move to touch her. This wasn’t the time for that. She needed comfort and security. I lay beside her, hoping to sleep, but my eyes refused to close.

  “You asleep?” I whispered.

  When she didn’t answer, I knew she was. I got up, pulled on my jeans, and did a quick walk around outside with my 9 mm in hand. Everything had changed. I really liked Savannah, and the idea of spending more time with her and getting to know her better appealed to me, but I couldn’t put Lily at risk.

  Asher needed to be dealt with. I wasn’t sure how to do that. The guy was not stable. I had no idea what he was capable of, but after hearing about the baseball bat, I was definitely concerned for Savannah as well as Lily. This wasn’t my mess. I could walk away. I should walk away in the best interest of my daughter.

  I went back inside, locked up tight, and headed back to my bedroom. I stood in the doorway and watched Savannah sleep. She looked so small in my large bed, so weak.

  “What am I going to do with you?” I whispered into the dark.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Savannah

  I could feel the sun on me and knew it was late. I opened my eyes and blinked several times. Cameron was lying next to me, his back to me. I missed waking up to his arms wrapped around me, holding me tight against him. I had tried to snuggle close to him several times throughout the early-morning hours, but he had gently pushed me away.

  I wiped my eyes, knowing the makeup from the night before was probably smeared. I likely resembled something from The Walking Dead. I sat up and carefully extricated myself from the blankets and padded on bare feet into the adjoining bathroom. I splashed cold water on my face and smeared a little toothpaste on my finger and rubbed it over my teeth. It wasn’t exactly a toothbrush, but it would get rid of the morning breath.

  When I opened the door to his room, he was just waking up. I instinctively put an arm across my naked breasts before finding my clothes from the night before and quickly dressing.

  “Good morning,” he said in a voice rough with sleep.

  “Good morning. I’ll go make us some coffee,” I told him, quickly leaving the bedroom again.

  I remembered where everything was and had fresh coffee waiting by the time he came out of the bedroom.

  “Did you get any sleep at all?” I asked, taking in his bloodshot eyes and his black hair sticking up at the back of his head.

  He rubbed a hand over his bare chest. “Not much. How about you?”

  I felt a little guilty. “I slept pretty good, actually. You make me feel safe.”

  He nodded but didn’t bother responding to my compliment. He walked around me, grabbed a cup from the cupboard, and poured himself a cup of coffee. I leaned my butt against the counter, waiting for him to kiss me good morning or touch me in general.

  He didn’t even try. In fact, it was just the opposite. He was going out of his way to keep his distance from me. I could feel the difference between two days ago and now. The man was pulling back and shutting me down.

  I cleared my throat. “I should probably get going.”

  “Where are you going?” he asked in a gruff voice.

  “Home.”

  “I’ll make some breakfast.”

  “That’s okay. I don’t expect you to feed me. I’ll grab something at home,” I said, trying to sound casual.

  He reached out and wrapped his fingers around my wrist. “Stay. Have breakfast, or I guess it would technically be lunch. There’s no need for you to rush out the door.”

  I nodded, wanting to stay. I didn’t want to go home. I didn’t want to be alone.

  “Thank you. I can help,” I said.

  “I got it. Have a seat.”

  The warmness I had felt from him earlier in the week was gone. He was trying to be nice and go through the motions, but he was different. I silently cursed Asher. The man was going to be a dark shadow hanging over me the rest of my life if I didn’t do something to make him stop. I just had to figure out what that something was.

  When Cameron brought the eggs, toast, and bacon to the table, he seemed a little more relaxed.

  “Are we going to talk about last night?” I asked.

  “Do we need to?”

  “Yes. You’re angry. I can see it and feel it,” I said, trying not to sound as hurt as I felt.

  “I’m not mad at you,” he said on an exhaled breath. “I’m mad at the situation. I’m mad this guy has the ability to ruin a perfectly good night.”

  I scoffed. “You and me both. I think I’m stuck with him. I don’t know how to get rid of him.”

  “Neither do I, but it’s clear he isn’t stable. He’s a real threat. I’ll talk to my boss at work and see if he knows a way around the red tape.”

  I took a bite of toast and nodded. “That’d be great.”

  We ate in tense silence for a while before he wiped his mouth and looked at me. I could see by the look in his eyes that I wasn’t going to like what he had to say.

  “I need to think about my daughter,” he started. “I know you have no control over what that man does, but if him thinking we’re together has escalated his violent behavior, it’s time to reconsider.”

  I sucked in a breath. He reached out and covered my hand with his.

  “I’m not saying this is your fault. I’m not going to leave you alone to handle this, but, Savannah, I think pushing the guy into a jealous rage is a bad decision. Guys like him are not rational. They don’t think like us. He isn’t going to be able to make good judgment calls when he’s freaking out. I don’t want Lily caught in the crossfire.”

  I nodded, staring down at my plate. I didn’t want him to see the tears glistening in my eyes. I didn’t want him to feel guilty. He wasn’t the one hurting me; that rested solely on Asher’s shoulders. I took a few cleansing breaths and got my emotions under control.

  “You’re right,” I said in a clear voice. “You are absolutely right, and I won’t let you be a part of this.”

  I stood up and took my half-eaten breakfast to the trash, scraping the contents into the bin. I quickly rinsed my dish and the pan he had used to make the breakfast and stuck it in the dishwasher. I could feel him watching me. I wasn’t going to look at him. I couldn’t.

  “All right, I should get going. I’m going to head up to Bonner today and probably stay the night up there.”

  “Savannah, wait. Please, I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  I offered him a faint smile. “I’m not upset. I don’t want to be in town, and it’s a good time to visit.”

  “I’ll walk you home,” he said, standing and walking toward me.

  I held up a hand, silently telling him to keep his distance.

  “No, thanks. I’ll be fine. Be careful at work tonight. I’ll see you around,” I said before skirting around him and heading out the front door.

  I quickly showered and changed, threw some things in an overnight bag, and headed for home. I called Emma on my way and asked if she could meet for an early dinner.

  “You look like you had a rough night,” she said, looking at my face de
void of makeup.

  I shrugged. “Asher showed up at the bar me and Cameron were at.”

  Her face paled and her mouth dropped open. “Oh no. Are you okay?”

  I nodded. “Yes. Except now that Cameron has seen just how unhinged Asher is, he wants nothing to do with me. I wouldn’t be surprised if he found a way to boot me out of the house I’m living in. I don’t think he wants me in the same state.”

  “What did Asher do?”

  I took a deep breath. “He was drunk and acting like his usual jackass self. He actually got in Cameron’s face.”

  Emma chuckled. “How is that even physically possible? Cameron towers over him.”

  “We were sitting at our table. Asher sat next to me, and the two of them were nose to nose. Asher isn’t the least bit intimidated by Cameron. I had hoped his size would scare him off or the fact that he was a cop. Nothing scares Asher,” I said, shaking my head as I accepted my reality.

  There was no scaring Asher off. There was no threatening him or intimidating him. Asher had the notion he was untouchable and invincible. Those were not two qualities I admired, especially in a man like him.

  “I think Cameron can handle himself,” Emma quipped. “The guy is built like The Rock.”

  “It isn’t always about the biggest muscles. Asher’s crazy. What if he tries to shoot him?”

  “Don’t think like that. Maybe Asher had to say his piece, and now that he’s seen you with another man, he’ll back off. Which reminds me, what is it with you and Cameron?” She said his name in a singsong voice.

  “Nothing. Well, we’re fake engaged, but I think that imploded sometime around three this morning.”

  She was looking at me as if she hadn’t heard me right. “You’re what? How does one get fake engaged?”

  I hadn’t wanted to tell her what I did. I felt like an idiot. It had been a stupid idea, and obviously it wasn’t working. I filled her in on the story. When I was finished, she was glaring at me.

  “Quit giving him a minute of your time!” she said a little too loudly for the restaurant.

  “I thought it would help,” I protested.