Ethan really wished Steele would shut the fuck up and go home. Or just go home. He was right in what he’d said, but he didn’t know Anna’s history and reminding her that their job could be dangerous wasn’t exactly going to help the situation. He dreaded Anna’s reaction. He was more than relieved when she absorbed the information and didn’t freak out. She was smart, beautiful and everything he never dreamed he’d find in a woman, but he also knew how skittish she was about getting hurt in love again. This was all so new, he didn’t want to send her running.
Nodding as she stood up to clear away the dinner dishes, she was quiet at first. “I know, and up until now, we’ve had a kind of unspoken understanding that we didn’t bring work home. But I guess that’s all about to change. Actually, I guess it already has.” Then without another word or waiting for one of them to respond she turned and went inside.
“Mother fucker. You just couldn’t keep your big mouth shut, could you?”
“Fuck, bro. I know better, you know I do. But she’s good. I wasn’t expecting it.”
“You interrogate people all the time, how the hell didn’t you see what she was doing? She pegged you dead-on, it’s like she had a handbook or something.”
“Maybe she watches a lot of cop shows?”
Ethan rolled his eyes, but that was better than punching Steele. He didn’t even realize he was opening and closing his fist until he looked down, and that wasn’t a good sign. “You just made this a thousand times harder for her. You do realize that, right?”
“Yeah, I’m starting to.”
“Adria is her best friend, maybe her only friend. All she does is work. Besides Tag, his girlfriend, Mac, and his wife, Adria is it. And you just made it, so she’s going to have trouble looking her in the face.”
“Well, she’s got you too. But I get it. So why didn’t you stop me?”
“Would it have done any good? Other than me telling you to shut the fuck up, which would have made it even worse, what the hell was I supposed to do. Deck you?”
“You didn’t look too upset at the time.”
“True, I was enjoying it—maybe too much. But of all things, Mr. King of Interrogation, you just walked into a big ass sink hole. Amateur, dude.”
Steele ran his hand through his hair making it stand on end, a sure sign he was as agitated as Ethan. “What if you lie and tell her we can’t get the warrant?”
“Lie to me? Are you serious? And I was starting to like you.” Anna stood in the open doorway and looked like she was about to explode. The storm clouds in her eyes caught Steele by surprise. Damn, he was getting the full Anna, but he had no one to blame but himself.
“He didn’t mean it, baby. Besides, I wouldn’t lie to you. You should know me better.” His words seemed to defuse some of her irritation, but if looks could kill, Steele would be in need of an ambulance right about then.
“I’m sorry, Anna. It was only a suggestion to make it easier. But you’re right it was stupid. On that note, I think I’m going to go home before I make things any worse. Thank you for dinner and the company. I had a great time until I stuck my size thirteens in my mouth.”
“Probably a good idea. I’ll see you at the station in the morning.”
“I really am sorry, Anna.”
To her credit, she didn’t throw anything at Steele. “It’s okay. I’m on edge too. I probably shouldn’t have worked you so hard for information I didn’t want or need to know. I’ll take half the blame.”
Steele smiled in relief and bravely gave her a hug as he made his way into the house. “Next time will be better, I promise.”
“I’m sure it will. No work next time at all.”
“Deal.”
“I’ll walk you out.” Ethan grabbed her hand and squeezed it as he followed Steele into the house, and she gave him a half smile.
Chapter Six
After Steele left, Ethan helped her clean the kitchen and put everything away. He was dropping hints like little land mines hoping she’d invite him to stay the night again. But she was going to disappoint him. Anna’s Sundays were spent preparing for the work week. That meant updating her schedule and planner, sorting through bills, checking all the latest listings from the weekend to share at the morning meeting. Her day always ended with yoga and a shower.
Instead, she’d spent her Sunday helping Willow Haven’s sexiest detective and his partner, and making herself crazy with worry. It wasn’t until Steele left that she remembered the possible stalker creepy guy who might have been following her on Saturday. Considering how freaked out it had her at the time, she couldn’t believe she’d forgotten about it until then.
She should probably tell Ethan now that she knew about the robberies. He had been hanging around the house, the same one that had the breakin. Anna didn’t believe in coincidences, and this was just too odd to ignore. Seeing the open wine bottle, she was tempted to pour another glass, but it probably wasn’t the best idea. Not with work tomorrow and so much going on.
“Do you want some coffee?”
“Always. I’ll make it,” Ethan said as he grabbed the teapot and filled it with water. While he did that, she ground the beans and put them in the French press. Once the water was near boiling, they added it to the pot and carried everything out to the patio. The sun was just setting, and it was the perfect summer evening, even if her insides were in turmoil.
Passing Ethan his black coffee, she added sugar and half-and-half to hers before reclining in one of the chaise lounges. It was so peaceful. She sighed with pleasure that she wished she could hold on to just a little longer before she had to open the can of worms.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart? I don’t know if you realize it, but whatever is going on in that head of yours is broadcast all over your beautiful face. Don’t bother trying to say it’s nothing.”
The immature Anna wanted to stick out her tongue and say, “bite me.” But she had to be an adult, and that meant coming clean. “Something weird happened after the open house on Saturday.” Yup, that got his attention.
“And you’re just telling me now?”
“With everything going on it kind of slipped my mind. I got home and smelled your amazing dinner, and all I could think about was food.”
“Umm, sure. Nope, not buying it. What weird thing happened?”
“Well…” She hesitated and took another sip of coffee as she searched for the right words. The last thing she wanted was for him to freak out and decide she wasn’t safe. “I’m sure it was nothing.”
“If it worried you then it’s probably something. Gut instincts are usually right.”
He was right, it had freaked her out and just because she didn’t want it to be true didn’t mean it wasn’t. “When I closed up the open house on Saturday, there was a guy leaning against a rusted green pickup truck and smoking. I don’t remember ever seeing him before, and he kind of gave me the creeps.”
“Can you describe him?”
“Probably, it wasn’t dark yet. He was wearing sunglasses, but I got a pretty good look at his face.”
“Good. Anything else?”
“Yeah. Umm…” He was going to be pissed, so pissed. Why hadn’t she realized it before? Because you’re too stubborn for your own good, that’s why. He put his coffee cup on the table and crossed his arms like he knew he wasn’t going to like what was coming next.
“Outside the open house wasn’t the only time I saw him.”
“What? Dammit. After everything we’ve been talking about today, you’re making me drag this out of you now? You really need to work on your trust issues, sweetheart.”
“I know. But when I got home and didn’t see him following me, I figured it was all in my imagination.”
“Even if it was, you should have told me. If not right away, then definitely after you heard about the robberies.”
He was right, and she had no excuse other than she’d honestly forgotten until then. With everything else going on, it had been the furthest thing from her mind. “It was s
tupid, yes, I realize that now, but I really did forget.”
“Well, there’s nothing we can do about it now. For all we know, he’s the one planning the robberies. Or maybe he’s stalking you. Either way, we need to take care of it as soon as possible. Please promise me you won’t hold back any more information whether you think it’s pertinent or not.”
“I promise.”
“Good.” He softened his tone now that she’d agreed to do what he wanted, but she didn’t care. In this instance, he was right, and she was wrong. She was woman enough to admit it. “Where else did you see him?”
“At the office. Not at first but the truck was there when I was leaving to come home. At least, I think it was the same truck. I couldn’t see the guy, just the glow of his cigarette through the tinted window. At first, I didn’t think anyone was in there until I tried to drive by to get the license plate. I only got the first two letters before he took off in a hurry.”
“Good instincts but dangerous, especially because we don’t know why he’s following you.”
“We don’t really know that he is following me either. He might have been there for some other reason.
The look he gave her was classic and would have made her parents proud. It was the typical ‘are you shitting me, do you need to be punished’ look, and he wore it well. She struggled to keep the grin off her face. He wouldn’t have taken that well.
Ethan pulled out his phone and tapped a text to someone, she was sure it was to Steele. “What were the two letters you saw?”
“An S and an R. It was the regular sunshine state plate too.”
“Okay. Did you recognize the make or model of the truck?”
“No, sorry. Just that it was green, old, rusty and looked like it was on its last leg, except for the tinted windows. Now that I think about it, that’s kind of weird.”
“Very. I know you’re always too busy for much of anything, but do you think you could come by the station at some point tomorrow and work with a sketch artist?”
“No promises, but I’ll try. It might be late; you know like after work.”
“That’s fine, but I really would like to get that sketch circulated as soon as possible.” He typed some more and then slid the phone back into his pocket. Apparently, it was police business, and it wasn’t going to be shared.
“Maybe I’ll be able to stop by before I go in. I’ll have to see how much I get done tonight.”
“What do you have to do tonight?”
“My usual prep for the week, schedules, plans, new listing information, bills, the usual stuff. Then I usually do some yoga, shower, and go to bed.”
Shaking his head, he had a weird expression on his face. “Do you ever just have down time where you don’t do a damn thing? You know, be spontaneous?”
“Well yeah of course I do.” Did she? Now that she thought about it, maybe she didn’t. Her schedule had worked for her, until now anyway. Kept her busy and focused on the end game. But now all of that had changed once she’d let Ethan into her life. If she hadn’t had blinders on, she would have realized it a whole lot sooner.
“So, is this your way of saying you want me to go home so you can get your stuff done?”
Did she want that? Just a bit ago she was ready to show him the door, but now after telling him about Mr. Creepy Pants, she would rather he stayed.
***
He had to fight the urge to strangle her, not really. But dammit, why hadn’t she told him? He wanted to go off on a rant, but he knew better. She would have closed up like a night-blooming jasmine in the morning, and that would have been that. But he’d kept his cool. Fuck. He deserved a freaking Oscar for that performance. Now he was just waiting to see if she wanted him to stay or not. With all of her “excuses,” he figured any minute she was going to ask him to go home. Not that he could blame her either, she’d had a hell of a weekend, and he still didn’t have any clothes or toiletries. On the other hand, he didn’t want to leave her alone in this house, alarm or not. She carried his heart, and he would give up his life to protect her, whether she fully realized it or not.
“It’s been great having you here, but I do think I need some time to myself to wrap my head around everything. I know you think I’m not safe, but I am. I will set the alarm as soon as you walk out the door, you can even double check all the doors and windows before you leave.”
She was trying to placate him, but it wasn’t working. Until he knew more about the dirt bag who’d been following her, he wanted her under his protection. “Are you sure you won’t feel safer if I stay? And there’s the added bonus nookie-time.”
“I know what you’re doing, honey, I do. But I really think I need some time to myself before I have to take off running for another week. I promise I’ll come by the station at some point tomorrow to work with the sketch artist, I’ll keep the phone by the bed with your number primed for the call. I’ll be safe and careful.”
She was stubborn but so was he, and this was one time he wasn’t backing down. He was not leaving his woman alone even if it meant he’d be sleeping in his car on her driveway. “I don’t doubt that you believe that. But I’m not going to give in on this. Until we know more about this guy, I don’t want you to be alone.”
“But…”
“Nope. If I have to, I’ll stay in my car, but I’m not leaving the grounds.” She crossed her arms, and the storm clouds were back in her eyes, but he didn’t care. He was waiting for the explosion, but instead, the storm passed.
“You’d really do that for me? Sleep in your car?”
“Of course. How many different ways do I need to show you how much I love you before you start to believe it? Has no one in your life ever put your well-being first?” He expected a quick retort, but tears welled in her eyes, hovered on her lower lids and threatened to fall.
The tears were his undoing. Before she could say another word, he was on his knees next to her chair and pulling her into his arms. She didn’t make a sound just tucked her head under his chin. He wouldn’t even have known she was crying except his t-shirt got wet from her tears. He rocked her and let her cry, and he wondered how long she’d held it in.
Chapter Seven
Monday morning arrived way too early. Usually, Anna woke refreshed and ready to tackle the new week, this morning not so much. For the first time in forever, she hadn’t done her prep work for the week. Instead, she cried herself a river in Ethan’s arms before he led her to the bedroom and made love to her most of the night. She’d never felt so loved and cherished in her entire life. But she was paying the price this morning. There wasn’t going to be enough coffee on the planet to make her perky.
“We’re agreed, right? You’re going to be hyper-vigilant until we catch this guy. Any sign of him or the truck and you’re going to call me. Or Steele if you can’t reach me. Which won’t happen. Oh, and I programmed Steele’s number into your phone.”
“Yes, boss,” she answered with a yawn. Two cups of coffee down and they’d had no effect whatsoever. Ethan smacked her on the butt as he grabbed an apple and then dropped a kiss on her lips.
“I mean it, baby. No risks is your motto. Got it?”
“Yeah, yeah. And what about your motto? You take more risks than I ever have.”
“I’m a man. I’m equipped.” That was ballsy, but she knew he was trying to lighten the mood, and it worked. She laughed and tossed a banana at his head.
“Hey, that’s gonna leave a bruise.”
“Awww, did I hurt the big bad police detective?” She knew she was in trouble before the sound of her words dissipated. Ethan grabbed her by the waist and swung her around so fast she thought her coffee was going make a speedy return.
“If we had more time, I’d show you just how big and bad I am. Although, after last night, I am surprised you need a reminder.” The mischief in his eyes should have warned her, but she was either too slow or too tired, and next thing she knew she was laying on the kitchen island, and he’d lifted her shirt and
blew raspberries on her stomach. Then he stood her on the floor, kissed her soundly and was gone.
“Holy crap. That man is full of surprises.”
“I heard that, and don’t you forget it,” he called from the front room before she heard the click of the door closing. Then the alarm dinged when the door was reopened. “And don’t forget to set the alarm. Later, my sex goddess.”
After he was gone, the house was way too quiet. It seemed like every time he left, whether he was there for ten minutes or in this case almost thirty-six hours, he took all the happiness with him. Was her life really that dull? Had she let all the happiness drain away to keep herself insulated from hurt? It sure seemed like it, and she was more than ready to live again. Exhaustion be damned, today was the first day of the rest of her life, even if it meant lots of stress and worry, it was okay. She felt alive, really alive for the first time in years.
It didn’t look like she’d have time to stop by the police station before work, Ethan would just have to get over it. She’d see if she could make it at lunch or after work it would have to be. Monday’s were usually her busiest days, and she’d be swimming upstream all day.
Instead of being the first one in, she was the last one in to work. Greeting everyone as she headed into her office she smiled at the look of surprise on their faces. She had a half hour before the Monday morning staff meeting, and a shitload of listings to go through, or not. Maybe it was time to start delegating. It’s not like it was complicated. That decided, she opened their in-house program, and she checked the status of everyone’s listings. Two sales on Saturday, excellent. Noting the information to discuss at the meeting, she still needed to figure out what if anything she was going to say about the rash of breakins. Chances were if she’d seen it on the news so had at least a few of her employees.
A knock at her door distracted her train of thought. “Morning, Anna. You looked like you could use this,” Jenny said as she put a steaming mug of coffee on her desk.
“Oh yeah. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. How’d the open house go?”
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