“You’re wrong about the part that I didn’t know anyone in Sugar Falls. I was stationed at Camp Lejeune with Cooper, and when he said he was building up a new department out here it seemed like a good time to change course. But there is one thing you’re right about. You’re not a trained interrogator.”
She’d felt the need to change course. He’d keep that little nugget of information stored for future use.
“So train me,” he said, moving next to her so he could help her load cases of soda. They were going to need a forklift soon. “If you wanted to know all about someone’s past, how would you go about asking them?”
“Well, I wouldn’t do it in the beverage aisle of Costco.” Her controlled smile was appealing and gave a hint of sauciness. But Luke wasn’t satisfied yet.
“Should I have asked once we got to the checkout line?” he asked, deciding to banter with her while he bided his time.
“Nah. If it were me, I’d wait until my subject was frustrated with the impossible task of cramming all these groceries into the trunk of the Nanamobile and then spring my questions on them when they were too overwhelmed and distracted to gauge their answers.”
“Fine,” he said, taking a cup of green juice from the next sampling station and handing it to her. “I’ll hold all my personal questions until then. I knew there was a good reason for bringing my car.”
There went her pretty blush again. And, despite the shot of organic kale smoothie he’d just swallowed, his mouth went dry.
“Hmm,” she said, and smirked. “Maybe the question you should be asking is how many ice chests are you going to need to borrow to hold all these drinks? We haven’t even gotten to the beer section yet.”
He laughed, not so much at her attempt to scare him back into birthday-party-planning action, but at her feeble attempt to thwart his curiosity. Her refusal to talk about this only made him more determined to breach her heavily guarded walls.
Apparently Officer Delgado didn’t realize that once a SEAL took on a mission, he didn’t give up until he got the job done.
* * *
Sure enough, the blasted man took Carmen’s tongue-in-cheek advice to heart and decided that the best time to bring up her family history was while she was trying to figure out how to shove the hot dog buns into his trunk without risking the bag of potatoes crushing against them the moment he made the turn onto the highway back toward Sugar Falls.
“Luke, I wasn’t serious about you interrogating me out here in the parking lot.”
“Hey, if you’re going to be calling me Luke all the time, I’m making the executive decision that it’s only fair if I call you Carmen.”
She didn’t want to point out that he’d already called her that before, and that when he did her heart expanded and her resistance began slipping. So, instead, she blew a stray curl out of her eyes and tried to be as nonchalant as possible. “I don’t care what you call me.”
There. That sounded believable.
“I think some of this stuff is going to have to be squished up front with us,” he said when it became obvious there was nowhere else to put the huge bags of chips and the new plastic oars she’d decided to buy the boys. After all, they’d recovered the canoe, but their paddles had been washed away when they’d lost control of their craft in the river behind her house about a month ago.
But the extra stuff in front was just fine with her. Maybe the additional barrier between them would prevent him from asking any more questions.
Nope, she realized as soon as they turned onto the highway and he said, “Okay, we have an hour back to Sugar Falls. That should be plenty of time to tell me about why things are awkward in your family.”
“Oh, come on, Luke. You don’t really want to know all this, do you? Hey, listen.” She turned up Blake Shelton’s voice on the radio. “This is one of my favorite songs.”
“No way, Carmen.” He reached over and switched the knob into the off position. Maybe they should’ve stuck to using last names. “I need to know what kind of person is going to be making the potato salad for my party tomorrow.”
“The kind of person who can pass multiple departmental background checks, as well the person who you entrust your children to every Tuesday afternoon for the Sugar Falls Elementary mentorship program.”
“Background checks and fingerprints are all fine and good, but I take my side dishes seriously. So spill it.”
“Fine.” She leaned her head against the velvet upholstered headrest and looked at the sun sinking lower, just like her resolve. “What do you want to know?”
“Why did you leave Vegas PD?”
“I wanted a change of pace.”
“That’s a vague answer.”
“It’s the only one I’m willing to give.”
“So then when’s the last time you saw your family?”
“About nine months ago. My dad and brothers helped me move into the cottage where I live now.”
“So you haven’t been back to visit since you relocated to Sugar Falls?”
“No.” But before he could fire off another question, she said, “My turn to ask something.”
“Shoot,” he said. “My life’s an open book.” She took that as an implication that hers wasn’t.
“When I saw the scar on your rib cage, you said that the tattoo was the date you became a father. But it’s different than the date the twins were born.”
“Is there a question in there somewhere?” he asked, throwing her own line back at her.
“What’s the significance of that?” she continued.
“The significance is that after the boys’ mom died, I spent a lot of time running from my responsibilities. Hell, Samantha would say that I was running from them way before she died. But, like I said earlier today, I thought the twins were better off without me as their primary caregiver.”
“Why would they be better off without you?”
“Uh-uh, Officer. My turn. Why haven’t you been to Las Vegas since you moved here? You said you come from a large family and you’re used to large parties. I find it hard to believe that they haven’t had some sort of big celebration since you left. And your hometown isn’t all that far. So why haven’t you been back?”
“Because the last big family celebration was my cousin Maria Rosa’s wedding and I didn’t feel like going. Why would the twins be better off without you?”
“Actually, this back-and-forth questioning is too confusing,” Luke said. “I’ll make you a deal. Five questions at a time. Let me get to the bottom of this one thing, and then you can ask me whatever else you want.”
Carmen didn’t think that was particularly fair, but the man had a point. It was getting tricky to keep track of whose personal story they were following and she wanted him focused if she hoped to get real answers out of him about his relationship with his kids. And, if she were honest with herself, about his late wife. “All right. Go ahead.”
“Why wouldn’t you want to go to your own cousin’s wedding?”
She stole a glance at Luke over the five-pound bag of Ruffles, but he was keeping his eyes on the highway. Everyone in her family knew, but nobody actually brought it up to her—probably to protect her feelings. This would be the first time she’d said it out loud or talked about it to anyone, so at least he wasn’t looking at her.
She took a calm breath and then forced the words out. “Because she was marrying my ex-boyfriend.”
Carmen had to give Luke credit for not completely skidding off the road when she’d made that announcement. Instead, he’d only swerved a little and then overcorrected his steering, causing the rear tires to fishtail briefly before straightening out.
“Did you just say that your cousin married your ex-boyfriend?”
“Yep.”
“Did she know he was your ex?”
“Did this jerk know she was your cousin?”
“Mark isn’t really a jerk,” she admitted. Just a man who wanted what Carmen couldn’t give him.
“How can you defend him?”
“Well, I didn’t say I was happy about the wedding. I just said he wasn’t a jerk. I was the one who broke things off with him.” More like she’d been the one to let him off the hook and he’d eagerly jumped at the chance. Either way, Carmen was the one responsible for it all. Putting herself at risk was one of the downfalls to having a dangerous job.
“But still,” he said. She couldn’t see his expression, but his tone was incredulous. “Your own cousin? There wasn’t anyone else he could’ve married?”
“My Tia Lupe offered, but she’s seventy-eight, so my cousin was probably the better match.”
“You seem so calm and unaffected by the whole situation,” he said.
Unaffected? Hardly. Yet, what could she do but try to remain calm? And try to justify her reality as something completely ordinary.
“You know how I mentioned that my big family loves to get together for dinners?” she asked, but didn’t wait for his response. “Well, Mark attended plenty of those dinners and got to know all of them pretty well.”
“But you’d think that once you broke up with the jerk—I mean the guy, and I use that term loosely—their loyalty would stick with you.”
“Well, now their loyalty is with Maria Rosa. Besides, my family all understood why we broke up and nobody could really blame Mark.”
“So they blamed you? I don’t get it. What’d you do that was so bad you deserved to have your ex run off and marry your cousin?”
Carmen shook her head, not wanting to admit to him or anyone the responsibility she felt for her injury—for her wounds that would never heal. But, with the sun sinking behind the mountain, she doubted he could see her in the darkened interior of the car. Plus, if he didn’t keep his eyes on the road, he would miss the turn for his cabin. But he skillfully maneuvered the bulky Oldsmobile over the ruts along his dirt driveway while curiously glancing her way, which meant that she needed to get herself in check right now. She ran a hand through her curly hair, wishing she could reach a ponytail holder in her purse and pull it under control, pull herself under control.
“Unfortunately, your five questions are up, Captain Gregson.” She tried to make her voice sound cheery. “And we need to get this car unloaded before the ice cream melts all over the cheese tray.”
Chapter Eight
Luckily for her, Luke couldn’t do much talking as they carried in load after load of party supplies and groceries.
“We should’ve picked up something to eat on the way home,” he said after Carmen finished transferring several items to her own car so she could prepare some of the side dishes at home. “That salad didn’t last long and I’m starved.”
“Luke, you have so much food in your fridge, we could barely get it closed. I’m sure you can find something.”
“Yeah, but the only thing already made is the hummus and the veggie tray.” He looked at his watch. “Hey, maybe if we hurry, we can make it to Cooper and Maxine’s before they put dinner away.”
Not a chance. There was no way Carmen was going to show up at his friend’s house with him for a family meal. That was just way too...couple-like.
“You go on ahead,” she said. “I’m going to take some of this stuff to my house and get a head start on the cooking tonight.”
“Hmm, maybe I should just come over to your house and test out the menu before I serve it to my guests.”
“Your guests? You mean the hundred and fifty or so people you had no idea were coming tomorrow?”
“Yeah.” He revealed that dimple and the butterfly wings inside her started flapping again. “Those.”
“It’ll take too long. I think you may have better luck at Cooper and Maxine’s. Besides, the kids are probably waiting for you.”
“You’re right,” he said, the divot in his cheek disappearing. Was he disappointed she wasn’t inviting him over for uncooked potato salad?
“Oh, before I forget,” he said, the dimple returning. “I have something for you.”
He ran into his bedroom and she tried not to let her imagination run right back there with him. Luckily, he returned a second later and she no longer had to force herself to not contemplate following him.
“Here.” He threw a wadded-up ball of blue fabric at her.
“What’s this?” She held it up.
“I figured I owed you a T-shirt since I ripped yours the other week.”
She looked at the white vinyl USN logo and the words below that read Tough Girls Wear Anchors and then burst into laughter.
“I like seeing you laugh, Carmen.” If he liked that, then he’d probably love seeing the way her heart danced around inside her chest whenever he smiled at her.
“Thanks for giving me a reason to.” She’d needed it. Especially after such an unlaughable conversation in the car. “And don’t forget to wrap those presents before you pick up the twins. You know they’re going to be a couple of live wires tonight and all kinds of excited for their party tomorrow.”
“They’re a couple of live wires even when they don’t have a birthday party to look forward to.”
She smiled again, finding the urge more natural the longer she stood in front of him.
“And thanks for all your help shopping,” he said. Was it her imagination or was he closer? “You really didn’t have to do all that.”
“Really, Luke, it was no problem. I was off anyway today and I can be here first thing tomorrow to help with the rest of the setup.”
Yep, he was definitely moving in closer to her. Maybe he was just in a hurry to get out the door and was trying to maneuver her into leaving.
She made a move to grab her purse off the small entry table just as he was reaching for his keys. At least, she thought he’d been reaching for his keys. But the moment their fingers brushed, it felt so natural, as though it was what they’d both been intending all along.
His hand clamped down over hers, leaving her purse and all her good judgment out of reach. His grip was firm but not forceful. She was a martial arts expert and could break his hold if she really wanted to. But at this exact second, she didn’t.
“I have just one more question, Carmen.” Her name on his lips was its own sentence. Its own question.
And her answer was yes. Hell, yes. But she couldn’t let him see that. So she held herself perfectly still, her eyes under strict orders from her brain to not meet his. If her pupils went AWOL, then she was in big trouble.
“Since you broke up with that Mark guy who isn’t a jerk, do you have any current jerk boyfriends that I should know about?”
Her heartbeat was throbbing so loudly in her ears she wondered if she’d misheard the question. When she didn’t answer, Luke used his free hand to lift her chin up so her traitorous eyes were forced to look directly into his. “What do you mean?”
“I was asking if you currently have a boyfriend.”
“No.” She barely managed to breathe out the word.
“Good. Then nobody will mind when I do this.” Luke kept his grip on her hand as he wrapped his arm around her waist, using her own limb as a willing accomplice in anchoring her body to his. The tilt of his head left no question as to what he was going to do next.
* * *
After securing her against his body, Luke lowered his lips to hers. He’d already been waiting too damn long to kiss her. And oh, man, were her full, sweet lips worth the wait.
Carmen’s fingers twined with his and squeezed his hand. But judging by the fervent pressure of her mouth, she had no intention of backing away.
He angled her jaw so that he could deepen th
e kiss, but as soon as he opened his lips to begin his assault, her tongue made the first move. She delved deeply inside his mouth, exploring him before he could do the same to her.
He felt her free arm sweep against his shoulder before curving along the back of his neck as she rose up on her toes to meet him. Her cool fingers dipped below the cotton neckline of his shirt and he returned the gesture by skimming his own hand along the waistband of her jeans. He released her other arm and she quickly brought it up and wrapped herself around him, the movement lifting the edge of her sweater and allowing him a strip of access to the smooth, warm skin below.
She made a little mewling sound, which allowed him the chance to overpower her tongue and gain entrance to plunder her depths, to make the same explorations she’d already made. His hands splayed wider, resting just under her rib cage, and he wished he could touch all of her at once.
He wanted to move his hands toward her breasts, to feel the taut nipples that had teased him so badly that day at her house. But her body was pressed up so close against his own he couldn’t bring himself to move away from her long enough to do so.
Instead, he slid his hands lower, cupping her bottom as he pulled her against his erection. Her hips moved slightly, as though she was seeking to fit herself over him, and he groaned, moving his lips along her jawline and down her neck.
He wanted to taste more of her. But before he could make it to her collarbone, he heard a musical-like wailing sound in the distance. Carmen took a step back and, though she seemed to be panting just as deeply as he was, she moved to open the door.
“It’s just another ice-cream truck,” he said, reaching for her waist to pull her back.
“No.” She shook her head, as though she could shake off the passion they’d just shared. “That’s a police siren. Luke, I’ve got to go.”
“I thought you were off duty today.”
“I’m never off duty,” she said, grabbing her purse and jogging toward her SUV, still parked in the driveway. Her cell phone was at her ear before she’d even started the engine.
The Matchmaking Twins Page 11