by Ranae Rose
He didn’t, though. That was the sort of thing you confessed after more than a few drinks, not in broad daylight. And the ordeal with the false accusations was enough headache for one lunchtime conversation, anyway.
Jackson looked up from his plate. “You’re still seeing her, right?”
“Saw her just the other day.”
It felt like it’d been much longer. When he’d rushed out on her, he hadn’t realized that he might not get to see her again.
* * * * *
Peyton lowered an overloaded takeout bag onto the breakroom table. It was so heavy that her biceps burned from carrying it just down the sidewalk.
“A gift from the Pavlises,” Peyton said. “They refused to let me pay.”
Madison shook her head. “They’ve been sending way too many ‘gifts’ since I came back to work. I feel like such a freeloader.”
“Mrs. Pavlis says she wants to make sure you keep recovering.”
“I’m not sure sure baklava is the best way to guarantee that. If anything, I’m setting myself up for more health problems.”
They both ate anyway, devouring the gyros and dessert.
“We should do something nice for the Pavlises,” Madison said.
“We should.” Peyton nodded. “But what? It’s not like we can show up with a bag full of free bras and undies.”
“Technically, we could.”
“Maybe Mrs. Pavlis would appreciate it, but poor Mr. Pavlis would be left out.”
“Not if we threw in some lacy panties. He might appreciate them even more than her.”
Peyton snorted and almost choked on a sip of water. “God, Madison – the Pavlises treat us like we’re their spoiled grandkids. I don’t want to think about either of them appreciating lacy underwear.”
Madison smirked and shrugged. “They’ve been managed to stay together for decades, despite the fact that they spend every day confined to a kitchen together. I think it’s cute.”
Peyton nodded. Sure, it was cute, but—
“Speaking of which, are you still seeing Mr. Mysterious? I’m still waiting for you to tell me about him, you know.”
Peyton swallowed a bite of baklava that’d gotten stuck in her throat. “I saw him last week.”
“So, that’s a yes.”
There was still a weird feeling in Peyton’s throat. She took a long drink of her tea in an attempt to wash it away. The shop was empty, and she and Madison were alone – now was an ideal opportunity to finally talk to her about Elijah.
Sweat started beading at her temples as she put down her drink, and she forced herself to sit up straight and look her sister in the eye. “Actually, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about him.”
Madison smiled. “Things are going well, huh? When do I get to meet him?”
“That’s up to you. I’m not sure if you’ll want to.”
Madison arched a brow. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“Well, he’s a cop.”
Anxiety spiked through her, its charge tingling in every last vein. She studied Madison’s face, but it seemed to have frozen in place.
A small eternity passed, and Peyton could feel her cotton shirt getting damp beneath her arms.
“You’re dating a cop?”
“Yes. I hadn’t mentioned it until now because frankly, I was dreading telling you.”
“Wait a minute…” Madison’s expression clouded. “Is it the cop that stopped by here the other day? He said he just wanted to see if you needed anything, and I thought that was kind of weird.”
Peyton nodded.
“Wow. I had no idea.”
The silence was deafening, like the white noise created by a breaking wave – the sound of something coming apart, nothing and everything at the same time.
“I probably should’ve told you sooner. I’m sorry.”
Madison’s gaze locked with Peyton’s. Her blue eyes – as good as identical to Peyton’s – were wide. “Is it serious?”
“I don’t know. I think it could be, but I didn’t want things to go any further without talking to you first.”
“Talking to me?” Madison looked taken aback.
“I knew you wouldn’t be happy to hear I’m dating a police officer.”
“Of course I’m not.” Madison shifted her gaze to her half-finished baklava. “I don’t want to see my baby sister take that kind of risk. What kind of sister would I be if I did?”
For once, Peyton let the baby sister comment slide. She didn’t tell Madison not to worry, because she knew she couldn’t help it.
“I know, and I’m sorry, but believe me when I say I wouldn’t give him the time of day if he wasn’t different. He’s – well, he’s not like any other cop I’ve ever met.”
Madison raised her gaze again, and she didn’t have to say a word to convey her doubt.
“It’s hard to believe what he does for a living, actually,” Peyton said. “I didn’t want anything to do with him at first, but he went out of his way to help me. He’s a genuinely caring person.”
“Peyton, lots of guys would go out of their way to help an attractive woman like you. It doesn’t necessarily mean he’s a saint. His motivations may be entirely selfish.”
Peyton’s mind buzzed, and she was left at a frustrating loss for words. She hadn’t expected Madison to approve or understand, but damn it, it grated that she couldn’t convey what an exceptional guy Elijah was.
In order to understand, Madison would just have to get to know him – which was probably the last thing she wanted to do.
“I know it sounds lame when I say he’s not like that, but he’s not.”
“Are you sure there’s nothing clouding your judgment?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve met him, Peyton. He looks like a male model. It’d be easy for any woman to look at a man like that through rose colored glasses.”
Peyton’s face started to get warm. “Yes, he’s good looking. But since when have you known me to fall for a guy for such a shallow reason?”
Madison tipped her head to the side. “Remember Nathan?”
Peyton rolled her eyes. Okay, so she’d dated a handsome guy with nothing but tumbleweeds between his ears. Once. In high school.
“I was a teenager. That doesn’t count.”
“Nobody’s perfect, Peyton. Not even at the ripe old age of twenty-nine. Looks aside, is this guy really attractive enough to risk so much for?”
Peyton wanted to ask what risk, but bit her tongue. She wasn’t enough of an ass to ask that when Madison’s husband had died because of an officer’s mistake.
“He’s not the risk you think he is.”
Madison shot Peyton a long-suffering look.
“I don’t expect you to believe me. Not yet. But he’s not. And yes, I really want to keep seeing him.”
She was gripped by the sudden urge to reach out and touch her sister – as if squeezing her hand could possibly ease the sting of her confession.
After a moment’s hesitation, she did so.
Madison didn’t squeeze back, but she didn’t pull away, either.
“I can’t tell you what to do,” Madison said. “All I can do is try to look out for you. Besides Jace, there’s nobody I care about more than you.”
Peyton squeezed tighter. “I know.”
“Think about what you’re doing, Peyton. Please.”
* * * * *
Elijah crashed onto the couch as soon as he’d locked his apartment door. It was nine o’clock, and the silence seemed to roar after the noise of the Due South bar.
He’d had a burger, fries and a draft beer. Just one. The only reason he hadn’t had more to drink was because he’d had to drive home.
He flipped on the TV just for background noise and looked up at the ceiling. He wanted to put the false accusations out of his mind, but how could he?
Just the thought made him sweat. This was so wrong, and yet, it was a risk he’d taken when he’d sworn in.
Th
ere were shitty people out there. He knew that. Jackson had told him a hundred times that he was too soft, but he wasn’t – it was just that the assholes he encountered didn’t make him hate humanity in general.
Maybe he was missing out on something. Right now, he couldn’t imagine giving anyone the benefit of the doubt. This mess would either turn him into the sort of jaded hardass he was mocked for not being, or it’d pull his law enforcement career right out from under him.
Given the choice between the two, being a cynical bastard didn’t seem so bad. Maybe everyone else was right – maybe that was what it took to last as a cop.
His phone vibrated in his pocket, and he pulled it out so fast he almost dropped it.
Peyton. His heart hammered at his ribs as he swiped the screen, answering. His night was either about to get a lot better or a lot shittier.
“Hey, Peyton.”
“Hey.”
“I’ve been looking forward to hearing from you.”
“And I’ve been looking forward to saying what I’m about to say: I finally talked to my sister.”
“How’d that go?”
“It could’ve gone better, but I didn’t expect it to. It could’ve gone worse, too. I guess the important thing is that my conscience is clear; I’m not hiding anything anymore.”
“I’m glad.”
“Me too. So, can I cash in my raincheck on that dinner you mentioned?”
“Absolutely.” His spirits buoyed despite the bullshit they were mired in. “When are you free?”
The idea of an evening with Peyton appealed to him like a gallon of ice water would’ve appealed to a man lost in the desert. His senses sharpened, and he almost could’ve sworn he felt the heat of her body against his fingertips.
It’d been way too damn long since he’d seen her, spoken to her – made love to her.
He had a hard-on just thinking about it, and the sound of her voice made it throb.
“I could meet you any evening this week after work. Madison’s doing so much better that it should be fine for me to go out for a few hours, although I don’t feel comfortable staying out all night yet.”
All night. Jesus. His balls tightened.
He’d gladly take a few hours with her, although the memory of their single night together was still burning red-hot in his mind.
“How about tomorrow?” Forget waiting any longer. He’d have taken her out that night, had it not already been so late.
“Sure. Do you want to meet me at Charmed, say at six-thirty?”
“I can do that, but I’m warning you: get too close to me and you’ll have no doubt that I sweated in Kevlar all day.”
She laughed. “I can handle it. But if you’d rather not come straight from work, we can figure something else out.”
“I’ll come after work.” He’d throw some body wipes in his bag, scrub down after his shift and layer on the deodorant. “Can’t wait to see you.”
“It does feel like it’s been a long time, even if we had lunch just last week. Where do you want to go for dinner?”
“How about Moreno’s again? We’ll have a table to ourselves this time, and we can walk on the beach afterward.”
“Sounds great.”
“I’ll make us a reservation.”
By the time he ended the call, he felt like his chest was full of helium. It kept expanding, and his heart pulled at the tether that weighed it down, rising.
There was no doubt in his mind that tomorrow would be better than today. There was only one problem: eventually, he’d have to tell Peyton about the nightmare at work.
There were lots of things he wanted to share with her, but the accusations of violence that’d been levied against him weren’t among them.
It hadn’t been that long ago that she’d believed he was the sort of cop who’d do what he’d been accused of. Despite how her opinions had changed, he didn’t want to remind her that it was even possible – that someone was trying to lump him in with the officer who’d caused her brother in law’s death.
* * * * *
Peyton rarely wore heels to work, but she’d broken her own rule today. Her wedge espadrilles were only three inches high, but they were still enough of an anomaly to earn a raised eyebrow from Madison.
“I’m going out to dinner tonight,” she confessed that morning. “I’ll only be gone for a few hours.”
“Promise to keep in touch. Text me every hour?”
The note of urgency in Madison’s voice gave Peyton pause.
“Just so I know you’re okay.”
“Okay, if you insist.” Peyton flashed her best attempt at a teasing smile.
It was a little ridiculous, but if it would put Madison at ease, she’d do it.
Madison’s expression lightened just a little. “So … where are you going to dinner?”
There was no telling whether she was asking to try to ease the tension, or as part of an effort to keep tabs on Peyton.
Probably a little bit of both.
“Moreno’s. We went there once before, for a party. That was our first date, actually.”
Madison nodded. “I remember that. An engagement party, right?”
“Yeah. For one of his coworkers.”
Madison’s expression clouded. “And you felt safe there, surrounded by so many cops?”
“The guests weren’t all cops; there were plenty of regular people too. But yes, the officers I met were nothing but nice to me.”
“That’s good.” Madison didn’t look so sure.
“It’s just me and him tonight,” Peyton said. “I’ll be fine, and I’ll text you so you don’t have to worry.”
Despite the creases between Madison’s eyes, Peyton felt lighter than usual – almost weightless.
Knowing she’d be seeing Elijah that evening made her feel like she was walking on air instead of wedge heels, as cheesy as that was. Her fingertips tingled as she set up a new merchandise display and outfitted the store mannequin in something lacy and daring.
As she imagined herself wearing the same thing for Elijah, her heart pounded.
God, she’d missed him over the past week. What did it say about her that she was so emotionally invested in something they’d just started?
At the moment, she couldn’t bring herself to care.
CHAPTER 20
Sitting down to dinner with Peyton at Moreno’s wasn’t like last time. They were seated by the second story window, with the Atlantic Ocean rolling endlessly beyond the glass while a small candle burnt in the center of the table.
The glitz and sparkle of the engagement party decorations was gone, but the room didn’t need it. The ocean view was enough, although Elijah couldn’t fully appreciate it – he was too busy staring at Peyton.
She wore a blue and grey top that brought out her eyes so well that he couldn’t look away from them. Back at Charmed, he’d taken a few moments to appreciate the view of her legs that her skirt granted him.
“I can’t decide between the seared tuna and the shrimp and grits,” she said.
“Get both.”
She arched a brow. “There’s no way I’d be able to eat it all. It’d be a waste.”
“Why don’t we order both and share them?”
“Are you sure? I don’t want you to have to settle for something you don’t want just to make me happy.”
“I’m sure, and it’s no sacrifice. Can’t beat fresh tuna, and you’d have to be out of your mind not to like shrimp and grits.”
“Great.” She grinned.
As innocent as it was, the sight of that smile made him hot under the collar of the shirt he’d changed into after the end of his shift.
He’d done a pretty decent job of scrubbing down with the body wipes he’d picked up at a drug store, and had splashed on some cologne. Which was good, because there was no way he’d be able to keep his hands off Peyton if the night went the way it had last time they’d had dinner together.
And Jesus, he hoped it did. Another
whole night with her was off the table, but he’d gladly make the most of an hour or two.
* * * * *
The moon had waned and was just beginning to wax again. The beach wasn’t the silver moonlit wonderland it’d been during their first walk there, but the darkness just made it seem more intimate. A few kids ran through the sand, chasing ghost crabs with a flashlight, and then Peyton and Elijah were alone again.
They walked slowly, hand in hand, in the direction of the pier. It wasn’t their destination, exactly – just a point in the distance that she forced herself to focus on when the temptation of having Elijah so close became too much.
It was ridiculous, because they were at a public beach, but she wanted him. Bad.
Maybe it was that the dinner had triggered a sense of nostalgia for their original date at Moreno’s. Although they’d had plenty of fun in the storage room at Charmed, it was their first time together that she couldn’t stop thinking about.
Her heart raced and she tingled all over whenever she remembered how it’d felt to be caught between his hot body and cool bed sheets.
And she knew he was thinking about it too. It was evident in the way he kept staring at her instead of the gorgeous view surrounding them, like he didn’t even hear the waves crashing on the shore or see the sliver of moon peeking from behind a hazy cloud.
“Hey,” she said when they were only halfway to the pier, “would you like to turn around? I don’t mean to rush this, but I don’t want to be out past midnight, and as nice as this is, I’d like some time alone with you.”
Her heart skipped a beat as a wave surged further than the rest and cold, foamy water sprayed her ankles and calves.
She wasn’t anxious over his answer – she knew what it’d be – she was just anxious to get started.
* * * * *
“This definitely beats the storage room,” Peyton said, sitting in the center of Elijah’s bed with her legs folded beneath her.