by Sherri Hayes
She smiled. “Are you hungry?”
“Famished.”
Megan reached across his lap and over the side of the bed to retrieve the wicker basket he’d noticed before. She pulled it up onto the bed, and rearranged herself so she was sitting with the basket on the mattress in front of her. One by one, she began removing the items.
Paul excused himself so that he could clean up. When he came back into her bedroom, he slipped into the bed, and got comfortable against the headboard. Every few seconds Megan would cast him a sly glance, but other than that, she focused on what she was doing. The more he watched her, the more it hit him that she truly seemed to want him, and not only in the physical sense.
“Are you all right?” Megan positioned herself beside him at the top of the bed.
“Yes.” He suddenly had an impulse to kiss her, so he did.
She smiled and handed him a container. “There’s little sandwiches, fruit, cheese, chicken—”
He cut off her list with another kiss. “It’s wonderful. Thank you.”
Megan shrugged. “I know you’ve been stressed lately with the case and . . . well . . . with us.”
Paul reached for her hand and laced their fingers together. “I’ll make you a promise, okay? I’ll try my best not to stress about what’s going on between the two of us. We have a lot to figure out in the next three weeks, but I’m willing if you are.”
Paul’s words were music to Megan’s ears. She felt as if she’d been waiting to hear him say them forever.
She tilted her head up, and placed a featherlight kiss on his lips. “That’s all I want.”
He smiled, and for the first time Megan thought everything might really work out the way she hoped. Paul felt something for her—he was willing to give a relationship between the two of them a chance.
For the next several minutes, they busied themselves eating. She was biting into a chicken wing when Paul cleared his throat. “Janey knows. About us, I mean.”
Megan swallowed. Did he not want his partner to know? “Okay.”
“She saw your text this morning. The picture.”
“Oh.” Megan didn’t know what to think. It was only a picture of her in her bra and panties. She wasn’t naked or anything. Although taking a picture like that had crossed her mind, she knew Paul wasn’t quite as adventurous as her, so she had toned it down. “Did you not want her to know, then? About us?”
He was quiet for a long minute. “I don’t know. I guess I was hoping to keep it to ourselves for a while. We don’t know if this is going to work, and once people start finding out—”
“It complicates things. I get it.” And she did. He wasn’t sure this was what he wanted. It would be easier if no one knew, in case things didn’t work out.
What she was thinking must have shown on her face, and he jumped in to correct her assumption. “No. That’s not what I mean.”
“Then what did you mean? If you’re ashamed of us, Paul, then this isn’t going to work.” The thought turned her appetite sour.
Paul made a frustrated noise, and laid the food he had on his lap off to the side before pulling her into his arms. “I’m not ashamed but, Megan, you have to understand that this is a big step for me. I want us to be sure that this is going somewhere before we announce it to the world. Does that make sense? Who knows, maybe you’ll find out something about me that repulses you?”
Megan snorted.
He kissed the top of her hair, and she wrapped her arms around his torso. “Hey, it could happen. I’m not perfect.”
She looked up at him. “I know that.”
“I mean, look at this. Clearly, I could have done a better job explaining myself.”
Megan shook her head. “That was my fault. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.”
Being with Paul was a roller coaster of sorts. They had the friendship thing down, now they had to figure out if it could be more than that. He was right. It was going to take time.
“I’ve never been in a situation like this,” Megan admitted.
She seemed to take him off guard with her comment. “What do you mean?”
“I’ve never been friends with a guy first.”
“Never?” Paul looked somewhat horrified.
“Never.”
“Well, I’ve already expressed my opinion of the guys you used to date.” He reached once more for the food, and handed her one of the little sandwiches she’d made.
She took what he offered, and thought about what he said. “Does it bother you that I’ve been with so many men?”
They’d pulled the covers up around their lower halves, but other than that they were naked. Maybe it wasn’t the right time to bring something like that up, but Megan had always been one to speak her mind, no matter the situation. Of course, it had gotten her into trouble more times than she could count.
“The truth?” he asked.
“Always.”
Paul dropped his arms from around her, and he sat up a little straighter. Megan matched his posture. He clasped his hands together in his lap and met her gaze. “I try not to think about it.”
“Because it does bother you.” She knew they had to get it all out in the open.
“A little, yes.”
Megan nodded, and bowed her head. Never before had she regretted the number of partners she’d had. “I figured it might. You’ve only been with one other person.”
He sighed and reached for her again. She went willingly, needing to feel the security of his arms. “This isn’t going to be easy, you know. We’re very different.”
“I know. I don’t expect it to be easy. I’ve tried easy, and it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.”
“How about we take it one step at a time? We have three weeks to see if we can make this work before Chloe comes home,” Paul said.
“Right.”
They went back to eating the food she’d made, but this time they kept one arm around the other. As they ate, they talked about their day. Megan had spent most of it doing laundry from her trip and going to the grocery store.
Most of the food she’d placed in the basket was gone, but neither of them seemed to have any desire to move from the bed. Megan rested her head on Paul’s chest while he ran his fingers up and down her spine.
“Have you thought any more about where you’d like to go Friday night?”
Megan glanced up, and then went back to playing with the curly hairs at the base of his stomach. “Do you like to dance?”
He chuckled. “I haven’t danced in years. Not since high school.”
“So is that a no?” she asked.
“No. It isn’t a no. It’s an I have no idea. Do you?”
“I love to dance.” Megan smiled.
“Do you want me to see if some of the guys at work can suggest something? I’m sure there’s a club in Indianapolis where we could go.”
She loved that he was willing to do something out of his comfort zone for her, but Paul wouldn’t know what he was looking for. “I have a better suggestion. Why don’t you let me take care of it? I’ve got time during the day with Chloe gone anyway, and I don’t want to take time away from your case. I know it’s important to you.”
Paul kissed her forehead and eased them further under the covers. “I think I’m showing my age. It feels wrong for you to plan our date when I’m the one who asked you out.”
Megan turned over on her belly so that her face was only inches from his. “Do you know how sweet it sounds to me that you actually care about that?”
He pushed the hair back from her face. “That’s me. Sweet.”
She smiled. “You are. Sweet, and sexy, and . . .”
“And?”
“And . . .” Megan trailed her palm down his chest, and wrapped her hand around his length.
“Megan? Maybe we should finish talking about this first. I mean, it’s still early, we can—”
Megan cut off his protest with a bone-searing kiss. When she removed her lips
from his, she went to work on his neck. She loved the way his body felt under her lips and hands. She loved his reactions. Everything about Paul was honest. He didn’t pretend to be something he wasn’t. No, he wasn’t perfect, but she would take his imperfections over lies any day.
As Megan continued to lick and suck on the skin around his neck and shoulder, Paul threaded his fingers through her hair. She wasn’t sure if he was trying to encourage her or stop her. Either way, Megan was loving it. “Go ahead. I’m listening.”
He laughed, but there was no humor in it. “I can’t think with you touching me like this.”
She smiled against his neck, and took a section of his skin between her teeth, worrying it. “Sure you can.”
Paul groaned. “What were we even talking about?”
Megan laughed and pushed herself up so that her forehead was touching his. “You were disagreeing with me finding you sweet and sexy.”
“Was I?”
She nodded. “Uh-huh.”
They stared at each other for several beats before Paul brought her face down to his. Megan always enjoyed kissing—mainly because it almost always led to other things. While she couldn’t wait to make love to him again, she could also go on kissing him all night. It wouldn’t be the same, but there was also something about it that felt as if they were connecting on a different level. Not only the kissing, but the touching—the caressing. The way he held her made her feel like she was precious to him.
Eventually, the kissing built to the point where they both needed more. Paul dug one of the condoms she kept in her bedside table out of the drawer, and they were soon connected in the most intimate way. They had a long way to go, and a lot of things to figure out, but she would take it. Paul was special. All she had to do was get him to see it, too.
Chapter 21
Megan stood on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around Paul’s neck to kiss him goodbye on Friday morning. The last three days had been good. Really good. They were beginning to settle in to being a couple.
“Unless something comes up, I’ll be home a little after five.” Paul held her close, showing no sign of wanting to let her go.
“I’ll probably be upstairs getting ready.”
He kissed her again, trailing one hand down her spine until he was cupping her backside.
She giggled. “You know you’re going to be late if you don’t leave soon.”
Paul groaned and reluctantly released her. “I’ll see you tonight.”
Megan waved goodbye as he left. Tonight was their date, and she was beyond excited.
Once Paul was out of sight, she headed upstairs to finish getting ready for the day. She had a lot of things to do. Not to get ready for the date, but to keep herself busy so the day wouldn’t feel as if it were dragging on forever.
Grabbing her purse, she locked up the house and made her way to her car. Her first stop was to the nail salon. Megan wanted to look her best for their date, so she was treating herself to a manicure and pedicure. She’d also bought a new dress for the occasion.
On her way out of the salon, Megan spotted Paul and Detective Davis across the street. She debated whether or not to make her presence known, but the decision was made for her when Paul noticed her. He looked confused. She hadn’t told him she was coming down to campus, but it wasn’t like she normally cleared her day with him ahead of time.
She waited as Paul said something to his partner and then crossed the street. “Hey. I didn’t know you’d be here.”
“I didn’t know you’d be here either.”
Megan had to press her hands against her sides to keep from reaching for him. He was working. It wouldn’t be appropriate if she threw herself at him, would it?
Paul glanced over his shoulder and nodded in his partner’s direction. “We’re here working a case.”
Megan smiled and held up one of her hands. She’d picked vixen red as her color to match the dress she’d chosen for that night. “Getting my nails done.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Interesting color choice.”
She knew she probably shouldn’t, but Megan couldn’t resist. Taking a step forward, she got close enough to whisper so only he could hear. “I thought it would look good later tonight as I’m running my hands all over your body.”
Paul sucked in a breath and averted his gaze. “Tease.”
Megan laughed.
“Are you on your way home, then?” He tried to discreetly adjust himself and divert her attention.
This only made her smile wider. “Not yet. I’m taking a summer class, and I need to stop by the bookstore to pick up a couple of textbooks.”
He furrowed his brow. “Be careful, okay?”
“All right. Is there something going on?” she asked.
Paul hesitated, and she knew he was debating how much to tell her. She also realized that because he was choosing his words carefully, the answer to her question was yes.
“It’s okay. I get it. You can’t talk about it. I’ll be extra careful. Promise.”
He took a deep breath and released it. “Thank you.”
Megan smiled, trying to ease the tension the subject matter had created. “I’ll let you get back to work.”
Paul seemed reluctant to leave, but then he nodded. “I’ll see you at home.”
She watched as Paul jogged back across the street to rejoin his partner. He waved to her and Megan waved back before she walked the short distance to her car. Slipping inside, she started the engine, and pulled away from the curb.
A few minutes later, Megan pulled into the small parking lot outside the campus bookstore and library. The two buildings were connected, which she loved. It meant that she could pick up her textbooks and any research materials she needed, all in the same stop. A win-win in her opinion.
On her way inside, Megan spotted Jay—the patrol officer Paul had tried to set her up with. He wasn’t in his uniform, so she had to assume he was off duty. “Jay!”
He smiled when he saw her. “Megan.”
Now that he wasn’t being thrown at her as a possible suitor, Megan was genuinely happy to see him. “How have you been?”
“Good. You?”
Megan smiled. “I’m good.”
Jay looked behind him at the library, and then back at her. “So are you a student here?”
“Yeah. I’ve been taking some classes online. I still prefer textbooks to the online manuals. There’s something about being able to flip through the pages and highlight what I’m needing.” Considering how much she loved technology, using electronic textbooks had never appealed to her. She had tried it with her first online class, but had ended up breaking down and buying the book anyway. This time, she decided she wasn’t even going to bother with the online version.
“Ah. A woman after my own heart.”
They both laughed.
“So what about you? Are you a student here, too?” Megan asked.
To her surprise, Jay blushed. “Yeah. I’m taking some classes in criminal psychology.”
“That’s great.” Megan was truly happy for him.
“Do me a favor, though, will you?”
She was thrown for a minute by the change in his demeanor.
“Don’t tell anyone that you saw me here, all right? I-I don’t want anyone at the station finding out.”
Megan didn’t understand why he wouldn’t want anyone to know he was taking classes, but she figured that was his business. “Sure. I won’t say anything.”
He smiled. “Great. Thanks. Well, I’ll let you get back to whatever. It was great seeing you again, Megan.”
“You, too.”
Jay breezed past her, and she resumed her way into the bookstore.
Inside the building, Megan located the classic art section, and began browsing through the textbooks. She knew what she was looking for, so it was only a matter of finding it.
A man wearing a red apron with the school logo on it approached her. “May I help you?”
She s
miled and handed him the list of books she needed.
“Ah, yes. We’ve got those right over here.” He walked farther down the aisle and stopped in front of a large display. One by one, he plucked the books she needed off the shelf.
“Thanks.”
He smiled back at her. “That’s everything except for the one on Da Vinci. It’s in our library section. Would you like me to show you?”
The man’s help was saving her a lot of time, so she nodded. “That would be great.”
Megan followed him into the connecting building and up a flight of stairs. She was learning that most places tucked their arts sections into a corner, and the campus library was no different. She followed the man across the room to the back corner. It was a place Megan imagined she’d be spending a lot of time in over the next few years if she hoped to finish her degree.
It took a few minutes, but the man was able to locate the book on Da Vinci Megan was seeking.
“Thank you, so much. You just saved me an hour of searching.”
“No problem. It’s my job.”
She smiled as she flipped through the book.
When she closed it and looked up, she’d expected the man to be gone. Most employees disappeared quickly once they were no longer needed—off to help someone else or get back to their regular work. He remained standing roughly three feet away from her, shifting his weight from side to side.
He noticed her staring at him, and cleared his throat. “Um. I . . .”
The man cleared his throat again. He appeared nervous. “I was wondering if . . . if maybe you’d . . . you’d like to . . . go out sometime.”
Megan was completely caught off guard. “You’re asking me out?”
He nodded.
Although the man was cute in a nerdish sort of way, her heart already belonged to another. “I’m sorry. I can’t. I’m seeing someone.”
He sagged his shoulders in defeat. “Oh. I understand.”
Before she could utter another word, he was striding away from her. Megan was left feeling as though she’d done something wrong, when of course she hadn’t. He’d asked her out, and she’d said no. So why did she feel so bad about it?