I feel like this is what it’s like when guys complain about picking a spot to eat with their women.
Raylynn: Open your front door. We can discuss this face to face.
In my haste to get up and put pants on, I nearly fall off the bed and hit my dresser. Shit. I grab the first pair of shorts that are on the floor and slip them on and run to the door.
Raylynn gives me a once over then bursts into laughter.
I look down to see what’s so funny and nearly lose it. Son of a bitch. There’s a huge white spot on the crotch of my shorts. It doesn’t help that I’m hard as a rock too, because of what she’s wearing.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt. You could have said you were busy.”
“Funny. Get the hell in here so I can get these off,” I grunt.
She steps inside my apartment and looks around. “Nice place.”
“Thanks. I’ll be right back.” I dart toward the bedroom. “It’s paint by the way,” I call over my shoulder before shutting the door.
Last goddamn time I go paintballing with Jameson and Liam too.
“That’s what they all say,” she yells back.
When I come out, I’m dressed in a nice pair of jeans and a polo shirt. Raylynn gives me a whistle and motions for me to spin around.
“Forget it. You’re not objectifying me.” I grin. “And that paint. Ask Jameson what happened.”
She holds up her hands and snickers. “I’ll pass, but thanks.”
“You good to walk in those?” I point to her shoes. “We’ll need to take the subway.”
“These old things?” Raylynn lifts a foot. “I could run laps in these.”
“We’re not running laps, but I’ll take your word for it.”
She reaches for my shoulders and starts massaging the muscles. “Aww, you’re tense. Are you in a mood?”
I’m tense because she’s standing in my apartment looking like a whole damn snack, and I know nothing is going to happen besides a few drinks.
“Sweetheart, the only mood I’m in is the mood to get out of this apartment for a while,” I lie.
“Well then, let’s get the fuck out of here!” she cheers. “Ooo. Wait a minute. Harley Wagner, are you wearing a gun or are you happy to see me?”
“Christ, I’m tense, and you’re in a really good mood.”
“Seriously, are you wearing your gun?”
I sigh and slip my keys into my front pocket. “Yes, Raylynn. I’m packing heat.”
“Well, that I knew.”
“And with that, we’re getting the fuck out of here.”
On impulse, I tuck Raylynn into my side once we’re out onto the street and headed to the subway. We’re about two minutes from the 51 Street Station when I feel her tense and look around.
“You okay?”
She says she’s good, but I’m not buying it. I look around and don’t find anything out of the ordinary, so I chalk it up to her being new to the city.
“Alright, the 6 train to Grand Central Station, then we’ll take the 4 train to Wall Street,” I tell her once we’re at the ticket kiosk. With both our tickets in hand, I guide her through the gate to the platform.
She wrinkles her nose and giggles. “The Tube in London sure as hell doesn’t smell like this.”
“Ah, come on. It’s the authentic New York experience.”
Chapter 24
Raylynn
“Okay, you did NOT tell me this was a cop bar!” I yell over the noise.
Harley gives me a smirk and smug shrug of his shoulders. “You didn’t ask.”
“Yeah, well, the temperature went up to about a hundred and three with all these good-looking gentlemen hanging around.”
When I feel the vibration of his growl, I know I’ve hit my mark. That may have been a little bit of a bitch move on my part. I friend-zoned the guy, and he brings me to the mecca of hotness with all these first responders. He should know by now that booze makes me horny. Okay, maybe that’s a lie. It’s just him. He has that effect on me, not that I’m about to admit that tonight.
Doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the hell out of that little display of protectiveness.
“Be sure you tell one of the firefighters to hose you off,” he says in my ear.
Oh yeah, he’s in alpha mode. Shit.
“Now, now. Don’t be jealous,” I tell him, as we push our way to the bar.
I lean in to get the bartender’s attention only to have Harley pull me back against him with a grunt.
“I’ll handle this.” He raises a hand, and sure as shit one of the bartenders walks over. A female one, who flashes Harley the biggest smile, like they’re old friends.
I see exactly what he’s up to.
“Hey, Lisa. How’s it going?”
“Good to see you Wags, what can I get you?”
“I’ll have a Coors Light and whatever she’s having.” He nods to me.
I’m relieved when she makes eye contact with me and doesn’t seem like she’s judging me in any way. “And for you, sweetheart?”
“I’ll have a Tequila Sunrise, please.”
“Coming right up.” She gives me the same smile before gathering our drink order.
She works fast and delivers our drinks in a few short minutes. I attempt to pay for mine, but Harley beats me to it and tells Lisa that my money is no good in this place.
“You heard the man. If I can get you anything else, let me know.” Lisa gives me a wink and gets back to work.
“Yo! Wags!” Someone yells behind us. I catch the reflection of the guy in the mirrored wall behind the bar and refuse to turn around, determined to do my best to pretend I’m not interested in meeting any of Harley’s friends.
“Liam. Boss let you go home?”
“Fuck off, I put in my 60 hours this week too, man.”
Harley taps me on the shoulder, and I spin around. The blurred reflection from the mirror doesn’t do this guy justice. Hell, I’m beginning to wonder if it’s a theme or a requirement for the job. Are all cops supposed to be this hot?
“Liam, this is my neighbor, Raylynn. Raylynn, this is Liam. Occasionally I get partnered up with his ass at work.”
Liam gives me a flirty smile and shakes my hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m sorry you have to live next door to this guy.”
Liam is a stark contrast to Harley. Blonde hair, blue eyes and a smile that says he’s a player. He’s a little younger and buffer too but I’d never admit that to Harley.
Harley gives him a shove and flips him off. “Keep your hands to yourself, too,” he warns.
“Ohhh, I see how it is. She’s that kind of neighbor.”
“Liam, I will not hesitate to lay you flat on your ass in the middle of this bar. Watch. Your. Mouth.”
Liam takes a step back. “Sorry. Raylynn, I apologize.”
“Good grief.” I look to Harley. “Are you going to pee on my leg next?”
Harley’s jaw drops, and Liam cracks up.
“Ohhh damn. You have met your match.” Liam slaps Harley on the back. “If you’re feeling social, we’ve got a table in the back corner. We can pull up a chair for Raylynn, you can stand,” he says as Lisa slides a beer across the counter to him.
“Up to you. Do you want to meet the rest of the fuckers I work with?” Harley asks.
“Depends, who’s single?”
Liam coughs and shakes his head.
Harley rolls his eyes and wraps an arm around my waist. “Come on. And Liam’s the only one, but the same warning goes for you. Hands off.”
“Ha! You’re not the boss of me, Wags.”
“Damnit,” he grunts. “Don’t fucking call me that.”
Harley guides me through the bar to where his coworkers are and introduces me. The guys all nod and shake my hand while Liam finds an empty barstool somewhere. I start to offer it to Harley, but before I can even open my mouth, he picks me up like I’m nothing and sits my ass on the seat.
Leaning in, he whispers in my ear, “I need to ta
ke a piss. Don’t move.”
While he’s gone, that familiar nagging feeling comes back. I scan the room and find nothing out.
It’s all in my head, I try to convince myself.
“Raylynn?” Liam says my name again.
“Oh. Huh?”
“You okay?” he asks.
Four sets of concerned eyes are staring back at me.
“What? Yeah, I’m fine,” I answer before taking a sip of my drink.
“You looked like you saw a ghost, you sure you’re okay?”
“Totally fine.” I shake my head.
“What’s totally fine?” Harley’s voice and his hand on my back startle me.
“Living next to you,” Liam answers quickly.
I send him a silent thank you that they all seem to understand.
I should feel safe here. I’m surrounded by heroes. Harley’s armed and I’m willing to bet that every off-duty cop in here very well could be too. I am safe here. I keep telling myself over and over again.
I do my best to relax as the night goes on, thankfully the drinks help. And as the crowd thins out, I feel less anxious.
Harley’s friends have all left for the night, and we’ve moved to a smaller table so that another group could have ours. I’m sipping on my drink when Harley clears his throat.
“So, tell me about this job. Where’s it at?”
“Oh! That’s the whole reason we came out, right?”
“It is.”
“I accepted an offer from King Cosmetics. My interview was two days ago, but Levi King told me to look things over and think on it. I would be pretty damn stupid not to take it.”
“Congratulations.” He raises his glass of water and taps mine.
“Thanks! I start next week. Their HR person is retiring, and I’ll be taking over. I’ll train under her for the next twelve weeks.”
“Levi King’s a good guy. I think you’ll like working there.”
I let out a yawn and reply “Me too. I’m really looking forward to it.”
“You ready to get out of here? We’ve still got to catch the subway and walk a little bit too. Or I can get us a cab if you’d rather.”
“We should hail a cab. I didn’t consider getting home when I ordered that last drink,” I confess.
He stands and takes my arm. “I would get you home safe, either way.”
In my tipsy haze, I pat his cheek. “I know you would.”
Chapter 25
Harley
Outside the bar, I hail us a cab. We haven’t made it a block before Raylynn’s head is on my shoulder, and soft snores are coming from her.
The cabbie, Paul, and I make small talk as he navigates us through the still insane city traffic.
Almost thirty minutes later, he stops outside of 425 Madison. Charlie, the new nightshift doorman, greets us and opens my door. I pay Paul and gently nudge Raylynn.
“Time to wake up, Sleeping Beauty.”
She startles and snorts before wiping drool from her mouth. I try not to laugh.
“Come on, let’s get you inside.”
Charlie shuts the cab door behind us and pushes the button for the revolving door to turn on. Raylynn and I step inside together and enter the lobby, aimed for the elevators.
“Well, that was fun. Tell me I didn’t talk in my sleep.” She lets out a yawn.
“You didn’t talk in your sleep.”
“Oh, good.”
I help her off the elevator on our floor and walk her to her door.
“Thanks for going out with me tonight, Harley.”
“Anytime, friend.” I wink.
She rolls her eyes and digs in her tiny handbag for her key. I wait until she’s unlocked the door and inside. I hear Olivia’s voice before the door shuts, and the lock slides back into place.
I take the ten steps back to my own apartment and head to bed. Alone.
The next morning, I wake up with my cock in my hand and Raylynn’s name tumbling from my lips as I climax all over my stomach. Memories of Hawaii play in my head with each pulse.
I cannot remember the last time that’s happened.
What I was dreaming, it was so real. Like she was here.
Fuck. I’ve got it bad.
Getting up out of bed, I flip on the shower and grab a clean washcloth to clean up the mess I’ve managed to make. When I’m done, the sheets go in the washer, and I shuffle to the kitchen for breakfast.
I’m about to pour a bowl of cereal when there is a knock on the door. If it’s Jameson this early in the morning, I’m going to kill him.
Raylynn’s tiny frame is standing on the other side, and she’s got a box and a tray of drinks in her hands. My cock jumps and I scold myself for being such a guy. With one hand on the door, I quickly adjust myself and open up.
“Morning.”
“Hey.” She holds out the tray first for me to take. “Sorry, that was getting kinda awkward to hold. I thought I’d bring you donuts and coffee. You know, for putting up with me last night.”
I hold the door open further. “Come in?”
“Yeah, sure.”
Raylynn sets the box on the kitchen counter and takes the drink carrier back from me. “I tried to remember how you like your coffee, then I was afraid I would screw it up, so…” she reaches in her pocket and pulls out a brown paper bag. “I brought sugar, sugar substitute, and creamer.”
I chuckle and impulsively kiss her forehead. We both freeze for a split second, but neither of us says a word. Instead, she takes one of the coffee cups and I take the other. Pulling the lid off, I add two creamers and two sugars before using one of the little plastic stirrers she dropped in the bag to mix it all up.
“I didn’t know what kind of donuts you liked. I grabbed an assortment, figured I couldn’t go wrong there.”
I lift the top of the donut box and grab a chocolate glazed. “You did good. Thank you.”
“It was the least I could do.”
“Raylynn, you act like it’s such a hardship hanging out with you. As I recall, I seem to enjoy having you around.”
Her face flushes as she picks up a jelly-filled donut. “Whatever.”
“Plans for today?” I ask after washing down my donut with the coffee.
“Pretty much not leaving the apartment. Relaxing. Laundry. The norm.”
“Sounds like a blast. If you’re not in a hurry, you can stay for a bit,” I offer.
Raylynn looks down at the floor then back at me. “Actually. I wanted to talk to you about something.”
I take my cup of coffee and move into the living room. “Let’s hear it.”
She sets her cup on the coffee table and kicks off her shoes before tucking her feet under her on the couch. “I...uhm...” Her fingers pick at an invisible string on her shirt. “I think I’m being followed.”
“What?”
“It sounds crazy. Maybe I am being paranoid.”
I shake my head. “First thing we always tell people is not to ignore those feelings. Don’t downplay them.” Switching seats, I leave my recliner and sit down next to her. “Tell me why you think you’re being followed.”
“I can’t explain it. When I went for my interview at King Cosmetics, I felt like someone was watching me. I kept looking around but didn’t see anything alarming so chalked it up to nerves about the interview. When I left there, I had the same feeling on the way home.”
“Is that the only time you’ve felt like that?”
“Uhm. No.”
“Shit. Last night?” I don’t even need to ask because I damn well know the answer.
“Yes.”
I’ve been to O’Hara’s plenty of times. Hang out in the same place long enough, you get to know everyone. Sure, locals or even tourists may stop in from time to time, and they stand out like a sore thumb, but they’re not so much out of place.
“Raylynn, I’m going to tell you something and I need you to not freak out.”
“Oh, God. You saw something.”
&n
bsp; I nod. “When I went to the bathroom. I excused myself because something felt off…”
Before I can finish, she punches my arm. “You thought something was off, so you left me!”
“Raylynn. I left you with four other cops. All of whom I trust with my life, every damn day.”
Her face falls. “Oh. Right. Valid point.”
“Anyway.” I shake my head. “I stepped away to check things out.”
“Someone was watching me,” she says.
“I can’t be sure. The guy disappeared out the back. Seemed like when he saw you with us, he backed off.”
This time she shakes her head ‘no.’ “I felt like that this morning when I went to get donuts.”
“Christ,” I hiss. “Why the hell didn’t you call me?”
“I thought it was all in my head! I didn’t want you to think I was nuts!”
“Next goddamn time, you call.”
“I will!” She pouts.
“Do you think it’s your ex? Do you have a picture of him that you can give me?”
“I didn’t keep any pictures, but I’m sure there is one on his company website. Do you really think he would come all the way to New York? Why go through all this trouble?”
“I don’t have answers. For now, you need to lay low and be extra vigilant. There isn’t much the department can do without some kind of proof.”
“That’s what I figured. What am I supposed to do about going to work?”
“Hold that thought.” I go back into the bedroom to grab my phone from the charger and text Jameson. Between the two of us, we can make sure she gets to and from work safely. He responds immediately telling me to consider it done and that we can go over details later. “Taken care of. Me or Jay will drive you.”
“Whoa. No,” she protests. “Harley, they’re already doing enough for me and I don’t want to be a burden.”
“Listen, we may be just friends, but when it comes to your safety, nothing is a burden. Am I clear?”
“I don’t like this.”
“You don’t have to. Deal with it.”
She flips me off. “I’m getting another donut.”
Love Under Protection (425 Madison Avenue Book 15) Page 10