by Jill Sanders
“Let’s go up and you can shower off as you tell me all about it. You smell of strip club and hospital.”
He groaned and jerked out of her arms, then stood up and pulled her with him, kissing her quickly before releasing her.
“You built a fire?” he asked, nodding towards the fireplace.
“I may not know how to hike, but I can build a fire.” She smiled up at him as he took her hand in his.
“God, I want you,” he groaned as he rested his forehead against hers. “Tell me you’re feeling all better.”
“I am. Whatever hit me didn’t stick around long.” She pulled off his jacket and tossed it towards the front door. “Let’s go shower together. I’ll wash your back,” she teased as they started up the stairs.
“Hot damn, this night is looking up.” He chased her up the stairs, causing her to laugh.
It wasn’t hard to stand under the hot spray and enjoy the feeling of Brian’s muscles under her fingertips. She could feel his entire body vibrate under her touch and knew that he was just as affected by their closeness as she was.
“I could stay right here all winter long,” he told her. Her back was pressed against the tile wall as water sprayed over them, hitting Brian in the middle of his back.
“You’re saying you don’t want to move at all?” she asked, running her hands over his six-pack. They headed even lower and she heard his breath catch.
“Maybe just a little.” He jerked under her touch. “Damn, okay, maybe a lot.” He slid into her, using his hand to hold her leg wrapped around his hip.
She couldn’t explain it, but when he kissed her this time, she poured everything she could into showing him exactly how she felt.
When they both slid down to sit on the long bench in the shower, panting and out of breath, she had to chuckle.
“What’s so funny?” he asked with a smile.
“Us, this.” She motioned around to the shower. “We destroyed each other.”
He laughed. “Yeah but it was sure fun.”
She chuckled. “Tell me what happened with Darla,” she said after things got quiet.
He filled her in on how Darla came out to confront him. He’d found out after the ambulance had shown up that Cam had fired her again, this time promising that, until she got herself cleaned up, no one in town would hire her again.
“That and the fight she and Nick had in front of everyone in the club probably played a huge part in her taking the drugs.”
They both wrapped towels around themselves. “So, is she awake and talking yet?”
“Not when I left.” He pulled on his sleeping shorts and a T-shirt.
She pulled on her own pajama bottoms and long-sleeved cotton shirt. She was still a little chilled.
“It can’t be us.” He turned to her. “We can’t interrogate her.” He followed her into the bedroom they were now sharing. She had no plans to kick him out of her space anytime soon. “Darla is many things, but someone who keeps secrets isn’t one of them.”
“Right.” She sighed.
“Tom’s already agreed to let us know what they find out.” He helped her turn the bed down and crawled in with her. The normal domestic moves had her questioning if she’d lost her mind.
She’d never lived with anyone before. Shortly after graduating school, she’d shipped off to the academy. She’d never allowed anyone to stay over at her place either. Intimacy was something she had avoided at all costs.
Now, as Brian wrapped his arms around her, she fought the urge to pull away and run.
“It’s hard giving up control,” he said, causing her to tense. She thought he’d read her mind for a moment before she realized he was talking about questioning Darla.
“Yeah,” she sighed. “Tom seems like a capable man.”
“True. I plan on us visiting Darla tomorrow… You know, concerned citizen and all that…” He was playing with her hair and she was finding it hard to think clearly.
“Okay.” She yawned.
“Go to sleep. We’ll chat more about it in the morning.”
As she drifted off, her mind kept replaying scenes of her life, only twisted, heightened by her emotional state in her dreams. When the sunlight woke her the following morning, she was wishing for more sleep and covered her head with the blankets.
Hearing Brian’s sexy chuckle had her groaning.
“How about we head into the Dancing Moose and have breakfast. I’d like to hear some of that local gossip that’s floating around.” His hands were nudging her closer to his body. Not that they weren’t already practically on top of one another. She had enjoyed his warmth during the night.
“Ten more minutes,” she begged.
“I’ll head downstairs. I didn’t get to file a report last night.” He lifted the covers as she groaned, then kissed her. “Half an hour,” he warned.
“Fine.” She covered her head again and mentally set her internal sleep clock for half an hour.
She heard him leave the room and easily drifted off in a dreamless sleep.
Her phone woke her twenty-two minutes later.
Seeing her mother’s phone number on the screen had her groaning again. Damn. Couldn’t she get a break?
“Hello?” She rolled over and looked at the ceiling.
“Mia, it’s your mother.” Her mother couldn’t ever fake being anything other than what she was. A cop, through and through.
“Yes.” She rolled her eyes.
“I was hoping you had decided about Christmas.” Straight to the point.
“I’m going to be stuck working,” she said. It wasn’t a full lie, since there was a possibility that she would still be in Haven for the holidays.
“Where?” her mother asked. “We can come to you.”
We? Mia sat up; her mind suddenly fully awake.
“We?” she asked.
“It’s… what I was hoping to say to you in person.”
“Okay.” She wrapped the blanket around her further, suddenly feeling chilled again. “I’m listening.”
“Well, I’ve met someone.”
“Okay,” she said again. “And? You want us all to spend Christmas together like one big happy family?” The sarcasm rolled off the end of Mia’s tongue.
“Well, no.” Her mother’s tone turned sharper. “I was at least hoping to introduce you two.”
“Why?” She flung her legs over the bed and started pacing. She could no longer stay sedentary.
“Because you’re my daughter and Steve is… well, just tell me where you are. We’ll come to you.” Her mother sounded even more frustrated.
“Did you marry the guy?” she asked. Her chest felt tight.
“No, not yet. We were hoping to…”
“Haven, Montana. I’m deep undercover and if either of you blows it…”
“We won’t. Steve understands the job, he’s… well, in the industry, so to speak,” her mother added.
“Fine.” Mia thought about her mother and her new boyfriend staying in the crappy hotel she and Brian had been stuck in a few nights ago and smiled.
“See you when you get here,” she said, hanging up without saying goodbye.
“Is everything alright?” Brian said from the bedroom door.
“My mother and her new… boyfriend are coming to visit.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Like we need another distraction.” She turned on her heels and started dressing, unaware that Brian was watching her closely until she turned back around, fully dressed.
“Is that what this is?” He waved between them. “A distraction?”
“Yes,” she threw back, her sour mood spilling into her voice. “We’re here to do a job.”
“Right,” he agreed, “and I thought we were doing an outstanding job of it so far.”
Her eyes narrowed. “If you hadn’t been sleeping with me, you would have taken me with you last night.”
“No.” He shook his head. “Even if we hadn’t slept together, I wouldn’t have allowed you to
tag along. You were sick. I’m not a complete monster.” He crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned against the doorjamb.
“Right,” she said, still throwing sarcasm around the room. “Billings.” She smiled when his eyes turned hot.
“You said you were fine,” he answered in a faint voice.
“Anyone who looked at me could tell I wasn’t. You left me at Walmart for over an hour.”
“While I chased down the perp myself. I ran over two miles until I caught that son of a…” He stopped, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. “Was this a mistake?” he asked when his eyes met hers again.
She was still bubbling with anger, but she saw the look in his eyes and kept her mouth shut until she was back under control.
“No.” She sighed. “I’m just…” She closed her eyes. “Shit. I fuck everything good like this up.”
She hadn’t heard him move, but when his hands took her shoulders, she tensed slightly, afraid that it was already too late and that he was going to run like all the others in her life had.
“Mia, I’m not going anywhere. People fight.” He nudged her chin up with his thumb until she looked into his eyes. “Trust me. My mother and I had a few doozies. Most of them my fault.” He smiled. “Okay, all of them, but still, we worked through our problems. Even though it took years… Okay, terrible example.” She chuckled, causing him to smile. He leaned down and kissed her quickly. “You’re upset. That’s obvious, so let’s chalk this up to that.”
She nodded. “Thanks.”
“So, you’re dressed. How about we get some breakfast and talk about our next move?”
“Sounds like a plan.” She relaxed.
“Are your mom and her new boyfriend…” he started.
“Steve,” she supplied.
“Are your mother and Steve really coming to Haven?”
“Sounds like it.” She followed him down the stairs and sat to pull on her boots and thick winter coat.
“Do you have a day they’ll be here?” he asked, zipping up his own jacket.
“Nope. Let’s just assume they’re not coming and do our job and enjoy playing with each other.” She smiled as he opened the door. A blast of cold air flooded the mudroom. She held back a shiver as they stepped outside.
“Good?” he asked.
He must have taken some time to clear the pathway to the car, since the sidewalk was freshly shoveled.
“Yes.” She smiled as she pulled her jacket closer. “Next assignment, how about we hit Florida instead?”
He laughed as he opened her car door. “One can only hope,” he said as she slid into the cold car.
When they parked at the Dancing Moose, the inside of the car had just warmed up.
They rushed from the car to the front door of the diner as the wind kicked up and blew fresh white powder in their faces.
“What a mess.” A pretty sandy blonde woman greeted them. “Find yourselves a seat.” She motioned to the dining area as she passed by them and delivered a tray of hot drinks.
They found a table in the middle of the room, she assumed so Brian could hear everything around them.
When the waitress stopped by their table, she ordered a hot coffee and was thankful the woman already had the pot in her hands and poured her some.
“I’d heard you were back in town, Brian.” The woman turned to him with a smile. “You sure have changed.” The woman’s eyes danced over Brian and Mia could see the attraction behind them.
“Thanks, Kristy. This is Mia, my girlfriend.” He motioned towards her.
“Lucky lady,” Kristy said easily. “Brian and I were in the same English class.” She nudged his shoulder with her hip. “I’ll be back to take your orders,” she said, glancing up as the bell above the door chimed again. “Soon,” she sighed and rushed to greet the newcomers.
“Kristy was one of the few girls who was nice to me,” Brian said after leaning closer.
“You mean you weren’t the most popular guy in school?”
He laughed. “Far from it. You saw the pictures my mom had. I was overweight, I was a bully, I was…” He glanced around the crowded diner. “An ass.”
“Hey.” She reached across the table and took his hand. When she noticed the sad look in his eyes, she said, “I wore glasses and had an imaginary friend.”
His eyes turned to her. “I highly doubt that.” He shook his head. “A sex goddess like you?” His eyes ran over her, heating her from the inside out. How could he do that to her? She shifted and shrugged.
“It’s true.” She sighed and thought back to when things had changed for her. Police academy. She’d learned to trust herself. After all, she couldn’t rely on anyone else in life. Her eyes met Brian’s. Until now…
“It sounds like we were both outcasts then.” He sipped his coffee.
“You pushed people away and people were repelled away from me.” She sipped her own coffee. “Yup, two peas in a pod.”
Chapter 12
Most of the gossip around town was that Darla had gotten the drugs from Nick, since everyone in town knew the guy was a junkie.
Still, something in his gut told him that Nick was just what he’d always been. Sure, he smoked pot, but he didn’t do pills. He didn’t do the harder stuff. Not after they had both watched Howie lose his legs
So where had Darla actually gotten them from? Most of the town walked through the doors at the Spot at one point or another. Hell, even most of the housewives occasionally went to the club on date night since The Spot was known to have one of the best steaks in town.
“What are you thinking?” Mia asked as they sat in the car after leaving the diner.
“I think we need to stop off at the store and grab some flowers and hand deliver them to Darla and see if we can subtly ask her where she got the pills ourselves.” He turned the car and drove the block to the small store.
“You think it was Nick like everyone was saying?” Mia asked along the way.
“In my gut, no, but…” He sighed. “It’s been years since I’ve seen the guy.”
“He could’ve changed.”
He chuckled. “His house is exactly the same as it was the last time that I stepped foot in there. He has the same job, the same car. Hell, something tells me the man hasn’t even changed his internet password in all this time. Why would he start doing a new drug?”
“Some people lose the thrill after doing pot for years,” she suggested.
“No, Nick doesn’t do pot for the thrill.” He shook his head. “He does it to forget, just like I used to.”
“Okay, then if not Nick, we could find our source, which could lead us to the supplier.”
“Right.” He parked and decided to leave the car running. “I’ll run in and get some flowers. You can keep the car warm.”
“Sure.” She leaned back and looked comfortable.
Stepping out, he gritted his teeth as the chilled wind blew right through him. Damn, it was cold.
Still, even in the cold, just seeing all the Christmas lights blinking around town in the fresh layer of snow had him jonesing for the holidays.
He stepped through the front doors of the grocers, made his way towards the small floral section, and picked out a vase of yellow lilies. For some reason, the pretty color and faces of the lilies reminded him of Darla. Even though she had a rough personality, he would bet that there was hidden worth under the facade.
Since he was there, he grabbed a new box of condoms. Standing in the checkout, looking down at the two items in his hands, he held in a chuckle. God, it looked like he was preparing for a good night.
“Looks like someone’s trying to get lucky,” he heard behind him and looked over to see Tyler McGowan. The man had a cart full of food, and his daughter sat in the buggy eating a banana, or trying to, anyway. The little girl was wearing most of it on her coat. “Or you need to apologize for something.” Tyler chuckled. “Which one is it?”
“Neither,” he said, trying to ignore the man.
“I heard what you did for Darla.” Tyler’s voice lowered.
“Yeah.” Brian sighed and glanced back, curious. “What’d you hear?”
“That you saved her life by calling the ambulance.” Tyler shook his head.
“Yeah.” He shrugged. “I was there.”
“Heard she got the ax again.” He shook his head. “That woman needed an intervention long ago, I just never thought it would be something like this.”
“Yeah,” he agreed.
“Then again, we never thought you’d make it as far as you have,” he admitted.
“Oh?” Brian said.
“Sure.” Tyler chuckled. “We were pretty convinced you were going to turn up on the evening news one night.”
“Really?” He sighed. “I suppose I was heading that way, before…”
“Yeah.” Tyler’s smile fell away. “I’m happy you’ve gotten your shit together.”
“Shit.” They both turned as Tyler’s daughter, Clare, laughed and started saying the word loudly.
“Damn.” Tyler groaned. “Now I’m in deep.”
Clare changed from the word shit to damn easily.
Brian chuckled. “It’s funny how out of everything we’ve said, she only picks up on the bad words.”
“She’s a curse magnet.” Tyler sighed and handed his daughter a cookie, which quieted the girl instantly.
“It suits you,” Brian said, moving up to the front of the line and handing over his items to be scanned.
“What?” Tyler asked.
“Being a father, a husband.” Brian paid the clerk.
“Yeah.” Tyler smiled. “It sure is good to see you, to have you back in town. I hope you and Mia decide to stick around.”
“Thanks.” He reached over and shook the man’s hand and wondered why he’d ever hated the guy in the first place. He’d been in a dark place back then. He supposed he was angry at the world and the McGowans had just gotten in the way.
“See you around.” He headed out of the store.
When he climbed into the car, Mia was on the phone.
“Yes, sir.” She rolled her eyes. “Thank you, sir.” She hung up.