Beneath Broken (Imperfect Heroes #2)

by C. J. Pinard

  At the end of my shift, I was relieved to see my partner had gone for the day, and I told Shelton I was also leaving early to go on a follow-up with Mathis Associates.

  Chapter 9

  Harper

  I ended the call I was on and looked up when I sensed someone standing in the doorway to my office. I had to tell myself to stand and not be rude. “Detective Oliver, this is a surprise.”

  He smiled, and it made my insides feel a little mushy. He looked smoking hot in a lime-green dress shirt, dark olive tie, and black slacks. I always got the feeling that he felt uncomfortable in the dress clothes, and that made me smile a little.

  Mason gestured toward the chair across from my desk. “May I sit?”

  I nodded. “Of course.”

  As he sat, I sat in my desk chair. “What can I do for you?”

  His hazel eyes pierced mine, and I held my breath. “I’m just here on a follow-up.”

  I shook my head. “Well, I’m sorry I don’t have anything else to tell you about the break-in. Do you have any leads?”

  A sexy smirk lit up his face, his whole face looking flirtatious. My insides went mushy again and I had to tell myself, yet again, to get a frickin’ grip. “No, not really. We do know that a man who had visited another victim shortly before a break-in was in their company asking questions about their nonprofit tax status.”

  I flinched at his comment as a memory came flooding back into my brain. I looked down and then moved my gaze up to stare at him in the eye. “Ya know what, we also had a visitor come in about two weeks ago asking about the same thing.”

  This seemed to pique his interest, and he cocked a dark eyebrow. He pulled out a small notepad from the pocket of his green shirt, along with a pen, and perched it above the pad, ready to scrawl. He fixed me with a commanding stare. “Tell me more.”

  I kicked myself internally for getting slightly turned on at his demanding demeanor, and cleared my throat. “Uh, well, from what Bryan, my receptionist told me, he was young, with dark hair, and wore a shirt and tie, but his clothes weren’t very well taken care of. I had been out that day, unfortunately. He gave Bryan a hard time, asked him all sorts of questions about how we maintain our nonprofit tax exempt status and all that. Poor Bryan was quite upset. He’s a 21-year-old college student, just working here while he goes to school. He’s clueless on that stuff.” I forced a smile.

  Detective Oliver furiously scribbled as I spoke, and I watched his long, tanned fingers as they gripped the pen with authority, like he had control over the pen and it was submitting to his will.

  Mason cleared his throat. “Ms. Mathis, is there anything else?”

  I swallowed thickly and lifted my eyes to his hazel gaze, which seemed to be burning a hole in me. “Uh, no, but you’re more than welcome to speak to Bryan. He’s at the front desk, right as you come through the new glass doors outside the elevator.” I gestured toward the front of the office.

  Mason nodded and reached across the desk, gesturing for a handshake. I looked at his hand, which looked strong and protective, and shook it. As I did, an instant rush of tingles shot through me at his touch, and I gasped under my breath. I saw him smile at my reaction, and cursed myself for being so transparent.

  His eyes raked me from head to toe, and he said, “Thank you, Ms. Mathis.”

  “Please, call me Harper. No need to be so formal.” I threw him a wink.

  Oh, my God, did I just wink-flirt?

  A very large, genuine smile lit up his beautiful face. “If you insist. And please, call me Mace.”

  A smile twitched on my lips. “That’s right, the cop named Mace.”

  He shook his head and looked down. “Yes, and I’ll never hear the end of it now.”

  I smiled at him. He was so charming, and he was gonna be the death of me. I slid my eyes to his left hand and noticed it was bare, not even a suntan line of a ring.

  As I looked back into his perfect face, I saw amusement dancing in his eyes. He tucked his notepad back into his shirt pocket and stared at me some more.

  “Uh, you okay, Detective?” I asked as he continued to stare as if he was debating something.

  He looked at his watch. With his eyes drifting back up to mine, he asked, “What time do you get off?”

  I stiffened a little. “Whenever I want. I’m the boss.”

  He nodded. “That’s right. Well, it’s almost six. Would you like to go get some dinner?”

  My eyes must have gone wide as I reeled in shock. Holy crap. Did he just ask me out?

  “Um,” I stuttered. “I, well, I don’t know if I’m hungry.” What in the hell kind of response was that?!

  He smiled. “It’s fine, I’m hungry and didn’t feel like eating alone, so I thought I’d ask.”

  Oh, my God, I’m being an idiot. “Okay, sure, I could eat.”

  He grinned. “You sure you’re hungry?”

  I nodded, embarrassed at my last reaction. “Yes, sorry. Sure I am. I skipped lunch, actually.” TMI, Harper, TMI.

  He actually looked surprised, then smiled big. “Great. What do you like to eat?”

  “I’m easy,” I replied quickly, then cringed at the innuendo.

  He chuckled. “Okay, you like Mexican food?”

  “Sure,” I said awkwardly. “Just give me a minute to shut down my computer.”

  He pointed toward the front of the office. “I’m just going to speak with your receptionist.”

  I smiled. “Sure.”

  I logged off my computer, grabbed my purse, and resisted the urge to shoot off a text to Adria and let her know I was going on a date. Ahh! Was this a date? No, it’s just dinner, I told myself.

  It seemed I had perfect timing. Detective Oliver looked like he was wrapping up his talk with Bryan as he slid the notebook back into his shirt pocket. He pushed the elevator button for down and we waited in an awkward silence.

  Since it was Tuesday, the place wasn’t too crowded. It also seemed to be one of those chain places, and as I eyed the large chalkboard set next to the front counter, I realized it was Taco Tuesday, and smiled a bit to myself.

  I had followed Mason’s very nice, sleek black Mustang to the establishment, parking next to him. He had held the front door open for me, and gestured with a flourish for me to enter as we got in there. The whole situation was awkward, yet, I had to keep telling myself not to touch the guy.

  Even though I kinda wanted to.

  Again, I stared at the chalkboard, wondering what Taco Tuesday truly meant, and realized it was a special: two tacos, chips, and a drink for one low price. I laughed. This is exactly the type of place Keith would have loved. Casual, good, authentic. And because I loved Mexican food, I smiled a little.

  We approached the counter and I ordered my two tacos, wondering if I could actually eat them, and then listened as Mason ordered half the menu. I bit my lip and shook my head. I pulled out a five dollar bill and handed it to the cashier, who was already swiping Mason’s debit card.

  I looked at him and tried to give him the five.

  He waved me off. “No way.”

  I grinned a little and dropped it into my purse. “Thank you.”

  “We’ll bring it out to y’all,” the cashier said, handing me a drink cup.

  I took it and filled it with water, then found a large bowl of cut lemons next to the soda machine and put two in mine. Mason had ordered a beer and now carried the sweating bottle in his hand.

  I sipped my water and tried not to stare at his perfect face.

  “So, Harper, how long you owned that company?” he asked, taking a pull from the bottle.

  “About three years.” My only answer.

  “Tell me again what your company does?”

  I nodded. “We help veterans reintegrate back into the working world after getting out of the military.”

  He smiled. “That’s awesome.”

  I grinned and nodded. “I think so.”

  “So, what made you want to get into this type of busine
ss?” he asked, searching my face.

  My smile fell. I didn’t want to talk about this. “I started the company with… someone else.”

  He tilted his head to the side. “Yeah? Who?”

  I groaned internally. Did I really want to get into this?

  Right then, the same cashier who’d taken our orders delivered our food. Grateful for the reprieve, I picked up my taco and shoved it into my mouth. Holy crap, that was good. I was happy to be eating something besides ice cream. I was happy I could eat something besides ice cream.

  I looked up as I wiped my mouth on a thin paper napkin and saw Mason with juice dribbling down his chin. He quickly picked up his napkin and used it.

  I grinned. “Good taco?”

  “Oh yeah, they have the best tacos. Have you visited the salsa bar?” He lifted his chin toward the back of the establishment. “Fresh as it comes.”

  I looked in the direction and saw a small bar with multiple pumps of what I assumed was salsa, with small signs on each one, and a stack of small, white cups next to the bar for sampling.

  “No, I guess I haven’t.”

  He grinned before biting into his soft taco again. “You need to.”

  I shook my head at his boyish charm. That damned 5 o’clock shadow was going to end me, and I found myself wanting to lick it.

  I looked at my crispy tacos and wondered how I’d managed to eat one. My appetite had suddenly vanished, and I felt a little ill watching Mason devour his. I sipped my lemon water and left my second taco untouched.

  He swallowed and said, “So, you never answered my question. Who did you start the company with?”

  I stiffened at his question. After staring too long with a blank stare, I replied, “Uh, my husband… at the time.”

  He seemed stunned into silence, and it was beyond awkward.

  Not fond of the heavy blanket of silence, I asked, “So what made you become a cop?”

  He wiped his mouth with a paper napkin as he swallowed. “I was a military policeman when I was in the Army.”

  Shock bolted through me, and I frowned. No wonder I was so damned attracted to the guy. Another thrill-seeking military man.

  “What?” he asked.

  I must have looked mortified, so I quickly replaced the look with something more professional and pleasant. “So, how long were you in the Army?”

  “About six years.”

  I stared at his now-empty plate and then back into his tortuous hazel depths. “Why did you get out?”

  He let out a laugh I didn’t think was really sincere, and replied. “Oh, that is a very long story.”

  I turned my head to the side. “You’ll have to tell me about it some time.”

  Did I just insinuate that I wanted to see him again?

  I saw his eyes travel down to my mouth as he took a pull from his beer, then back into my eyes. It made me both uncomfortable and sort of turned on at the same time. I resisted the urge to squirm in my seat.

  “I’d love to tell you about it sometime,” he finally said after taking his time swallowing.

  What in the heck was wrong with me? By the way he was looking at me, I was suddenly wondering if he carried handcuffs in his pocket, and how good he was with them.

  I cleared my throat. “Well, I’d like that.”

  He looked at my plate. “Is that all you’re gonna eat?”

  I must have looked embarrassed as I nodded.

  “Well, you should eat more.”

  I wasn’t about to tell him that grief had done a number on my stomach. He definitely didn’t need any of my baggage, and I wasn’t about to let him be the bellhop to carry around the suitcases.

  He threw a few dollars on the table and we left the small restaurant. The sun was still out, and it was hot and humid outside as we stood by my car. Once we reached it, we just kind of stood there for a few seconds in a strange silence. He looked at me, and while he was standing in my space, the uncomfortableness I was feeling wasn’t necessarily something bad. My guts went mushy again and I suddenly felt like I wanted him to follow me home.

  The truth was, I had been feeling pretty alone lately. Grief and loneliness do not make good bedmates, and I knew that I should just get into my car and drive off, but the vibe and heat he was giving off was something that rivaled electricity. I wanted his hands on me. I found that my hand involuntarily reached up and traced the stubble on his cheek. It was then I noticed bruising along his jawline.

  The look of shock on his face from my touch was priceless, and I smiled.

  Chapter 10

  Mason

  Well, damn. What in the fuck was this woman doing to me? Here she was, all sorts of closed off and shy during dinner. Being the gentleman I was, I walked her to her car. I was going to make sure she got in it okay, then leave. And yes, if the opportunity presented itself, I was going to kiss her, or at least touch her in some way. It was like she was unknowingly begging me to put my hands on some part of her. She probably didn’t even know she was putting out that type of vibe. Even though the professional side of me knew I shouldn’t be anywhere near her in a social setting, being that she was involved in one of our active open cases.

  Then we had this awkward moment at her car. I couldn’t believe she reached up and touched my face. I wish I’d shaved today, but I hadn’t… and she didn’t seem to mind, so I just rolled with it.

  It was hot outside as usual, the humidity was stifling, but nothing I wasn’t used to. I really wanted to get into the Mustang and crank the A/C, but when I looked down into swimming blue eyes, I forgot all about the Florida heat and zeroed in on the icy depths of her eyes that were in complete contrast to the heat radiating from them.

  During dinner, my eyes had trailed down several times to her mouth. She had the most beautiful pouty mouth, nice teeth, and very smooth skin. I had noticed this the first time I’d seen her when Jenkins and I responded to the robbery, and had pushed it out of my mind. As a cop, it’s pretty much “frowned upon” to date suspects, witnesses, victims, or anyone else we meet while working. I say “frowned upon” because the Tampa Police Department knows damned good and well they can’t stop us from dating whoever the hell we want.

  I was still reeling from her soft hand on my face. I realized she was using her finger to trace the stubble on my left cheek, which I’d been told on more than one occasion was sexy to quite a few girls, and just let her do it. I felt my mouth water when she closed the distance between us, her body giving off more heat than the hot day.

  “What happened to your face?” she asked, not looking into my eyes but at the bruise Hunter had put on my jaw.

  I ignored the question because I really didn’t hear it. Her touch had literally left me no choice. I wrapped my hand around her waist and pulled her to me. Her body felt so good against mine, and as I reached up to grab the hand that was tracing my face, I felt her melt into me. I moved her hand down and threaded it with mine, using my other one to caress her cheek. With her now pushed up against her car, I leaned down and sealed my mouth over hers. She immediately accepted the kiss and then used her free hand to rake her fingernails through my hair. I groaned in the back of my throat at the sensation. It had been way too long since I’d felt a woman do that. It had been way too long since I’d felt a woman against me… period.

  She continued to kiss me, her tongue mingling with mine. I almost felt like I couldn’t breathe; she was so hot and I couldn’t believe how much I was attracted to her. I wanted to rip her clothes off and put myself inside of her right there in the parking lot. I had no doubt she could feel my arousal against her, because she was pushing herself – no, she was grinding herself – into me. The chemistry was electric and I had to keep myself from groaning again at the feel of her sensuous and silky tongue in my mouth.

  I slowly eased away from her and looked down into her eyes again. “Would you like me to drive you home?” I was slightly panting and out of breath now.

  Her blue eyes got big, and she wiped her bottom
lip with her thumb. Looking into my eyes, she shook her head no, untangled herself from my embrace, and got into her car without another word. She started it up, and I heard a click as she put the car in gear. She didn’t even look at me through the closed driver’s side window.

  I had to step away from the Honda so I didn’t get my foot run over.

  I stood in the parking lot in stunned silence as she drove off.

  What in the hell just happened?

  Hunter and I had just come back from the fourth robbery victim’s business. It seemed that they all remembered a young guy wearing a shirt and tie coming in right before the break-in. Jenkins and I were definitely onto something here; however, we had no suspect name. Until, we went to interview the fifth company – A Walk to Remember – which actually turned out to be the very first victim.

  “Hi,” I said, pulling out my I.D. and showing it to the cute blonde sitting behind a small desk.

  She looked up from her computer screen and smiled at me, sliding some platinum hair behind her ear. She removed a piece of gum from her mouth and tossed it into a trash can under her desk. Her eyes were immediately flirtatious as she locked them on Jenkins.

  “Hi, welcome to A Walk to Remember, are ya here to make a donation?” she asked.

  I looked over at Hunter and shook my head. Since we were partners, and I knew him so well, I just kept quiet, knowing he could do all the talking. He also pulled out his I.D. and flashed it at her. “Hello, ma’am, I’m Detective Jenkins, and this is Detective Oliver, and we’d like to speak to the owner.”

  She flushed a shade of pink and looked down. Gaining her composure, she looked back up at him, ignoring me, and said with a grin, “Don’t call me ma’am, it makes me feel old.”