“Whoa!” she said, stepping back and hitting the door. Jerith looked down at her; he didn’t move back right away.
“Sorry,” he said. He looked around the hallway and back into the living room. “Nice.”
“Uh-huh,” Nicolette said, suddenly feeling her heart flutter ever so slightly. He stood so close to her, and she could smell his cologne. His strong jawline turned to the side as he looked around. She stared up at him, not sure what to say or even what to do. It had been a very long time since she’d been on a date, and especially since any man had been to her house. She hadn’t even been so close to a man for well over a year.
Jerith looked down at her, and as if suddenly noticing that he was standing so close to her, he stepped back and turned to walk back down the hall. Nicolette followed him, still trying to regain her composure.
He had stopped in her living room and was looking around. “Really nice,” he said, glancing over at her.
“Thanks,” she said, finally finding her voice again. She held up the uniform. “We’d better get going.”
“Okay,” he said, and opened the front door for her.
Nicolette was surprisingly quiet in the car, and Jerith wasn’t sure why. He didn’t know if she was mad because he had stood too close to her, or if she had just decided that she didn’t like him around. When they reached the high school Jerith saw a boy standing out front who had to be Nicolette’s son. He had her hair color, but stood as tall as Jerith.
Ryan Harris was a good-looking young man, but he was really shy when it came to girls. He was very protective of his mother, especially since her divorce three years before. He knew that if he didn’t approve of someone his mom saw, she wouldn’t see the guy again. He was absolutely stunned when his mother drove up and he saw Kid Michaels sitting in the passenger seat.
He stared openmouthed at the guitarist. His mother got out of the car and so did Kid Michaels.
“Ryan, this is—” Nicolette started to say.
“Duh, Mom!” Ryan walked around the car to Kid. “Mr. Michaels, it’s great to meet you.”
Jerith extended his hand to shake the younger man’s. “It’s good to meet you, Ryan.”
“So you took my mom to lunch?” Ryan asked, his eyes level with Jerith’s.
“Yes,” Jerith said. “She did me a pretty big favor yesterday, and I wanted to thank her.”
Ryan nodded, his eyes taking on a knowing look. Jerith could see the guarded expression and was curious about it. “That’s cool,” Ryan said, his light tone a contradiction to the look in his eyes.
“Ryan,” Nicolette said, her tone cautionary, “you need to get back to class, and we need to get going.”
Ryan turned to look at her. “Where are you going now?” He sounded almost like a jealous husband.
“I don’t have to report to you, young man,” Nicolette said.
“I know,” Ryan said, lowering his eyes. “I just…” He turned back to Jerith. “It was really great to meet you, Mr. Michaels.”
“You too, Ryan,” Jerith said, smiling.
Ryan walked over to his mother. He hugged her and thanked her for bringing him his uniform. He walked back toward the school. Jerith watched him leave, then looked over at Nicolette.
“He’s a little tense,” she said, shrugging.
“I think he loves his mom and doesn’t like some rocker trying to put the moves on her,” Jerith said seriously.
They got back into the car, and Nicolette looked over at him. “Is that what you’re doing? Putting the moves on me?”
Jerith grinned. “Couldn’t you tell?”
Nicolette laughed as she started the car and drove out of the parking lot. “It must have slipped my notice.”
“Give me more time, you’ll notice,” he said lightly, but his expression was intense.
“I will, huh?” she said, grinning.
He nodded.
They spent the next hour and a half talking about music and other trivial subjects. Nicolette was surprised by his intensity, but she liked it in a way. He was very passionate about things, but he didn’t seem to take himself or his fame too seriously at all. By the time they got to Apple Hill, she’d forgotten the tenseness that had between them after they left her house.
As they walked around the orchards, she was surprised—pleasantly so—when Jerith took her hand. She looked up at him and smiled, and he grinned almost shyly.
They sat in the small cafe and ate apple pie. Jerith felt comfortable enough with her then to ask about Ryan.
“So what happened to Ryan’s father?”
Nicolette stared down at her folded hands. “I ended up marrying him.”
“I’m confused,” he said, shaking his head.
“Well, when I got pregnant we were both in high school, and his parents promptly removed him from school and moved away, taking him with them. But after college, when I joined the police force, I met up with him. He’d become a cop too.”
“What’re the odds of that?” Jerith said, astounded.
“Tell me about it. Anyway, we ended up getting married… but he left three years ago.” Her voice was even, but he could tell that it still hurt her.
“I’m sorry,” he said, reaching out and touching her hand.
She looked up at him. “Why?”
Jerith shrugged. “I just think you deserve better than that.”
“And how would you know?” she said, a slow grin starting on her face.
He raised an eyebrow. “I know everything—didn’t I tell you?”
“Guess you left that part out.”
Jerith looked at her for a long moment. “So I’ll bet that’s why your son is so protective of you.”
Nicolette shrugged. “I guess. He’s been real watchful of me since then, and he’s real leery around the cops I know.”
“Do you date cops?”
“Oh God no,” she said, with more passion than she meant to.
“That bad, huh? So what kind of men do you date?”
“I haven’t been on a date in over a year and a half now.”
“I don’t believe it.”
“Believe it. Ryan and work are my two existences.”
“That doesn’t leave time for you,” Jerith said softly.
Nicolette shrugged. “I have my luxuries. I get my nails done, I buy clothes, that kind of stuff.”
“That’s not time, Nicky, that’s stuff,” he said, shortening her name the way he wanted to for the first time.
Nicolette picked up on it and found that she liked it when he said it. Some kids had called her that in school, and she hadn’t liked it then. But somehow, coming from someone whose nickname was Kid, it sounded kind of cool. “I know, but that’s what I do. Is that okay?”
“If we were together, it wouldn’t be,” he said simply, and then quickly moved on to other subjects. He hadn’t meant to put it that way, but it had slipped out. He didn’t like the idea that such a beautiful, fascinating woman spent her life taking care of a teenager who was obviously able to take care of himself, and doing a job that involved such violent aspects of life. Jerith found himself wanting to show her what fun life could be, how much more there could be for her. He was surprised by the emotions he already felt for a woman he’d just met, but he wasn’t one to deny his feelings for a person.
Later, on the drive home, he grinned as she pulled around yet another car. “I’ve never been in a car with a woman who drives so fast before.”
“Are you talking about those groupies you usually go out with?” Nicolette said, looking over at him.
“No, I don’t drive with them.”
Nicolette looked surprised, and then she started to laugh.
Suddenly Jerith paled. “Oh, that didn’t come out quite right,” he said, starting to laugh as well.
“I’d say not, Mr. Michaels.”
Jerith laughed harder then. “We’re back to that, are we?”
“Considering the obvious slut that you are…”
“Oh, stop!”
They had a good laugh as they headed down the hill. The radio was on and she was surprised when he held up a hand. Nodding, he reached over and turned up the volume. He looked over at her.
“Is this you?” she asked. Jerith nodded. Nicolette listened to the song. She paid particular attention to the guitar parts. Glancing over, she noted that his fingers moved in time with the chords.
He caught her glance and grinned. “Habit.”
When the song ended, she nodded. “I like it. Your friend Billy is a good singer.”
“Yeah, thanks,” Jerith said, certainly not the gushing egotistical star.
“Maybe I’ll have to get Ryan’s CD of you and listen to the whole thing.”
“Yeah, maybe that way you’ll be more educated for next time.”
“Next time?” Nicolette said, giving him a sidelong glance. “There’s going to be a next time?”
“I sure hope so.”
“Does that mean you need another favor?”
“No, it means I really want to see you again. Soon.”
Nicolette looked over at him but said nothing at first. Then, “I’d like that.”
“Good.” Jerith smiled at her. “When?”
“When?” she repeated, as if she didn’t know what he meant.
“I meant soon, Nicky. How about tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow… It’s not a good idea, Jerith. I mean, I have things to do in the house…”
“Fine, I’ll come help you.”
“Jerith…” She didn’t know what to say. “I don’t know, I mean…”
They’d pulled up in front of the hotel by this time, and he took her hands in his. “Please, Nick, I just want to see you, okay? You’re not in any danger—I won’t lay a finger on you, I just want to be with you.”
Nicolette looked back at him and saw a little boy begging to go to the zoo. Pursing her lips as she thought about it, she finally nodded. “Okay, but I’m warning you, I have things to do.”
“Okay, I understand,” Jerith said, holding up his hands in surrender. Then, on pure impulse, he reached out and touched her waist tentatively as he leaned over to kiss her gently on the lips. He felt her tense, and he made the kiss quick and light. But his fingertips touched her skin where her top and the skirt met, and it felt like silk. When he moved back to look at her, his body protested. He knew somehow that he had to take this very slowly. She was very skittish and he didn’t want to scare her away. But judging from the tiny bit of heaven that his fingers had brushed, he imagined that if he could wait, and take it slow, it would be worth the time.
“I’ll page you in the morning,” he said, a little sarcastically.
Nicolette looked back at him, still affected by his touch and his kiss, but doing a very good job of hiding it. “I guess I could give you my home number,” she said, rolling her eyes dramatically.
“I wouldn’t want you to do anything rash,” he said, his blue eyes sparkling with subdued humor.
“Okay, knock it off.” She pulled a piece of paper out of her purse and wrote a number on it.
When Jerith looked at it up in the hotel room, he noticed that she’d written her name as “Nicky,” and it made him smile. He couldn’t stop thinking about her that night, and it made him go a little bit easier on Billy when he talked to her about her arrest. He did, however, extract a solemn promise from her that she would get into rehab.
His final comment on the matter that night was, “BJ Sparks will be happy to revoke our contract if he feels like you’re a liability to him.”
♪ Two ♪
Skyler James Kristiani drove his flawlessly restored candy apple–red 1971 Mustang Fastback down the busy street, not noticing the stares he received from many members of the opposite sex. At forty-eight, he didn’t consider himself a stud, or even close. He’d started feeling very old in the last few years. He was six foot three inches tall, with black hair peppered lightly with gray; he had a fairly strong build, mostly because he worked out on a regular basis, trying to combat the feeling of age. His light green eyes, hidden most of the time by aviator-style sunglasses, were one of his many attractive points. He was of Greek descent, and therefore looked nowhere close to his age, but no one could convince him of that. When he looked in the mirror, he saw the gray hair and the slightest wrinkle, and he felt old. His body told him pretty often that he wasn’t a young kid anymore either, as it took its time climbing out of bed in the morning, or protested when he overdid his weightlifting or running. Feeling old depressed him.
He had been married three times and had three children. His youngest was a precocious fifteen-year-old princess, and his oldest, at twenty-six, was recently divorced with two young children of her own. His son, a very outgoing, money-spending, irresponsible eighteen-year-old in his first year at Sacramento State University, was a constant drain as well of late. Skyler found himself dreaming of easier times in his life—most of the time in-between wives.
In the marital department, Skyler tended to lack the ability to find the right mate. With his first wife, Yvette, he had been trying to be grown up and settle down. When she’d had their daughter, Cassandra, he’d thought he could settle down and be a father and a husband. He’d found out that he was wrong. He’d played around after five years of marriage, and his wife had put up with it—that was a big mistake on her part. Skyler had read it as weakness, and had proceeded to use it to avoid his responsibilities. They had finally divorced after seven years.
His second marriage had lasted longer, because it produced twice the children. Theresa had kept custody of both Michael and Chelsea when they divorced. Lately, however, Chelsea had been spending more and more time with Skyler, for some unknown reason. He figured it had to do with the fact that he had more money than Theresa, even though he paid child support regularly.
His third marriage had been a one-night stand that lasted two years. When he’d married Natasha, who was ten years his junior—he was forty-two at the time—he thought he was marrying someone exciting. She’d been that for all of two weeks, after which she spent his money and nagged him about his odd hours—basically drove him up one wall and down another for the length of the marriage. They’d been divorced for four years, and he figured he’d struck out in the marriage department, which was fine with him.
Now, he made pretty good money as a Special Agent Supervisor for the Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement—the BNE. He was a pilot working for the aviation unit. He’d been through plenty of crap throughout his life to deserve it being a little bit easier now. He’d started flying for the Army after serving in various places including Lebanon and Iran from the age of nineteen. He’d served two tours of duty, flying Medevac and cargo helicopters. He’d been shot down once, crashed once due to a mechanical failure, and had a few other very close calls.
After the Army he’d used his GI Bill to get his fixed-wing pilot’s license and had flown as an instructor for a few years to get his flight hours up. After a few years, law enforcement was a logical step for him, being the aggressive, take-charge kind of person he was. He had found that he could marry his two loves. He frequently flew helicopters on surveillance in his early years with Riverside Police Department, and then he’d made the move to BNE twelve years before.
BNE had been without an aviation unit, although they had frequently requested him to rent aircraft to fly counter-surveillance when one of their bad guys was extra cautious. Eventually they were smart enough to hire Tom Dilinger, who had centralized and organized BNE’s aviation resources and brought him along with other pilots from a few of the nine regional offices to Sacramento, making them a unit. Now he flew modified fixed-wing Cessnas, and he enjoyed it, most of the time. There were times on particularly long missions, in an un-air-conditioned cabin when it was 110 degrees out in the valley, when retirement looked really good. He knew he had a while to go yet, but he liked to daydream about it sometimes.
He was heading to the police department, intent on picking u
p some forms that had been filled out for BNE’s record keeping. He’d flown a surveillance two days before for them, when they’d served a search warrant. He pulled into the twenty-minute parking in front, got out, and walked inside. He showed the receptionist his Special Agent’s badge and she buzzed him in with a bright smile. She’d seen Skyler Kristiani many times, and she thought he was gorgeous.
Skyler made his way to the PD narcotics unit, six floors up. He looked at the door to the stairwell for a few moments, then, shaking his head, walked toward the elevator. He just didn’t have the energy right now. As he waited for the elevator, he glanced to the sides to see who was around. When the doors opened he walked in, still looking down the hallway, and ran right into someone.
“Skyler James!” she said, surprised.
He looked at the woman and recognized her immediately. “Billy Montague?” he said, his own voice reflecting surprise.
Billy reached up and hugged him, and he hugged her back, still trying to regain his composure.
“What are you doing here?” they both said at the same time. They laughed.
“Do you work for Sacramento Police Department now?” Billy asked.
“No,” Skyler said, shaking his head. “I just fly for them sometimes…” He trailed off, his mind clicking then. “And you were arrested two days ago at a raid.” There was no question in his voice. He had remembered the strange conversation from the ground crew. They’d asked if there was a Billy on the warrant list. They’d never said her last name, and he hadn’t even thought about it being a female.
Billy looked embarrassed as she nodded. “Yeah.” But then she brightened. “But it’s great to see you again.”
“Yeah, I’ll bet,” Skyler said, grinning. He remembered the way she operated. He reached over and pushed the button for the sixth floor. The doors to the elevator started to close, but Billy made no move to leave. She was staring up at him, her blue eyes narrowed.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked edgily.
Skyler looked at her for a long moment. “I can’t get you out of this, Billy,” he said finally, his tone even.
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