New Year’s Bang
By
Kimberly Dean
Copyright 2011 Kimberly Dean
Smashwords Edition
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person,please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
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Excerpt from Everlasting
Chapter One
Snow was falling lightly as Lita made her way home from work. Crisp white flakes trickled down around the lonely streetlights and settled silently on the ground. The roadway was already dusted with the white powder but, by morning, there’d probably be a few inches of accumulation.
Too bad it was too late.
“Christmas was three days ago,” she sighed.
Then the ground had been brown as… well, as dirt. For somebody having a hard time getting into the holiday spirit, the barren view outside her window certainly hadn’t helped. Even now with the snow glistening, she couldn’t find that special excitement within herself. Instead of appearing picturesque, the white landscape just looked cold. Isolated. Lonely.
She let out a long breath. God, these winter blues were getting old.
Wanting to get home, she stepped on the gas. The light was yellow as she crossed Sycamore Street and a car suddenly swung in behind her. The headlights reflected off her rearview mirror, making her jump so high she nearly bumped her head.
“Oh for heaven’s sake,” she muttered. Reaching up, she adjusted her mirror so the lights wouldn’t blind her.
Still, her heart rate kept its accelerated pace and she sat a little straighter in the driver’s seat. Unable to help herself, her gaze kept flicking to the mirror and the car behind her.
Every night.
Every night, the same car pulled in behind her. It kept pace with her, turning when she turned, slowing when she hit her brakes, following her until she got home…
She flinched when the lights atop the car started flashing red.
“What?” she blurted, looking quickly at the dash board. “What did I do?”
Her speed seemed okay. She looked around at her location. She hadn’t run any stop signs and that light had definitely been yellow. “What?”
Letting out a frustrated groan, she pulled over to the curb. She shifted into park and looked again at the rearview mirror. The car behind her came to a textbook police stop. Suddenly self-conscious, she focused on her own reflection. There wasn’t much she could do but run her fingers through her hair, trying to give it a tussled sexy look.
The door of the patrol car opened and her attention immediately shot back to the officer who stepped out of the car.
“Damn,” she whispered.
He looked good tonight. Really good.
Officer Pirelli started towards her and the strangest thing happened inside Lita’s chest. Her heart rate actually slowed – only the tattoo of it threatened to break right through her ribs. Nervously, she rubbed her damp palms against the steering wheel. God, she hoped she didn’t say the wrong thing again.
He approached her car carefully, even though he knew she was the one inside. She always was. Reaching for the controls, she lowered the window as he came to a stop beside her car. Cold winter air rolled in and her breaths appeared as puffs in front of her face. “Hi Troy,” she said throatily.
“Lita,” he said, his face impassive.
She gave him a hesitant smile. “Did I do something wrong?”
“You tell me.”
Her smile fell. “I don’t think so.”
The dislike in his voice hurt, although she knew the source if it. Still, a gal could hope. When he’d first started following her home, she’d thought it was to harass her. Lately, though, she’d begun to wonder if it was something else – like maybe he was concerned about her safety.
Her blue mood quickly squashed that idea.
Officer Troy Pirelli detested her.
“Driver’s license and registration,” he ordered.
“You know they’re good, Troy – from the last time you pulled me over.”
He just held out his hand, watching her like a hawk.
Lita sighed and leaned over to open the glove box. She fished her license out of her purse and handed both documents to him.
He studied them and she took the rare opportunity to study him. The black winter coat of his uniform made his shoulders seem wider and he had his hat pulled down low. Still, snowflakes clung to the tips of his hair. His blond hair was darker in the winter, but that didn’t stop her from wanting to run her fingers through it. They were tingling so badly, she curled them into her palms to try to stop the sensation. “The light was yellow,” she said, taking the offensive in this game they played way too often.
“I know.”
The two simple words effectively tripped up her battle plan and she struggled for something to say. He’d pulled her over before, but there had always been a reason. And a resulting ticket, of course. But if she hadn’t run the light… “Then what’s the problem?”
“You,” he muttered quietly.
“Me?”
He handed her back her things. She watched as he took off his hat, ran his fingers through his dampening hair and put it back on.
His gaze settled on her then and it was as hot as the night was cold. His attention started on the clenched fists in her lap. Self-conscious again, Lita dried her palms on her jeans as that observant gaze drifted upwards. Her body warmed under the attention, even though she wore a winter jacket and a heavy sweatshirt. Her heart thudded harder against her ribcage as that observant gaze finally landed on her face – or more precisely, her lips. They prickled with heat before he looked directly into her eyes.
“Could you step out of the car?”
She blinked. “Out of the car? Why?”
He pushed his hat back and, for a moment, she thought she saw concern in his eyes. But then it disappeared and a muscle in his jaw flexed. “I have concerns that you’ve been drinking.”
For a moment, Lita couldn’t process the low words. When she finally did, her head snapped back so hard it bumped against the headrest. “Drinking?”
Of all the things he could have said, that was the last she’d expected. She actually found herself sputtering with indignation. “Why would you even think that?”
“Your cheeks are flushed and your eyes are glazed.”
Well, yes, but that wasn’t the reason. Flustered, she tucked her hair behind her ear. Suddenly, she wasn’t so concerned about looking sexy. “No, I haven’t been drinking. And just so you know, I resent the accusation!”
He didn’t budge as he stood over her. “Resent it all you want. You’ve been weaving down the road and you drifted over the center line going through that last intersection.”
“I did what?” Leaning out the window, she looked back at her tracks. They were clear in the newly fallen snow – and they proved that she had taken a rather S-shaped path – but his implication was ridiculous. She wasn’t drunk; she’d been watching the snow coming down. “Give me a break, Pirelli. I can’t even see the center line. If I crossed it, it was only by about six inches. Tops.”
“You’re having vision problems?” If anything, the set of his shoulders only hardened. “Get out of the car.”
Lita looked up at him, eyes narrowing. What was up with him tonight? Was he taking a new tactic and trying to piss her off?
Because it was working.
She yanked on the door handle and he stepped back as she got out of the car. The way he watched her made her feel like something in a lab experiment and she slammed the car door behind her. The sound was abrupt in the midst of all the cold, winter stillness.
“You know I just got off work,” she said, folding her arms defensively across her chest. “They’d fire me if I was drunk on the air.”
He didn’t even blink. “Then this should be easy for you. Let me see you stand on one foot.”
Unbelievable.
Lita looked away. Well, this was just the capper to a perfectly miserable holiday season. First her parents had decided to take a Christmas cruise. Then her sister had up and taken her nephews to their paternal grandparent’s place in Chicago. Of course, once her coworkers had found out that she had no plans, she’d been besieged with requests to cover the Christmas Eve and Christmas night slots.
She’d done both.
But this. Here she was on a frigid winter night being accused of driving while under the influence. Snowflakes pelted her in the face and she wiped away the trails of moisture that started down her cheeks. Indignantly, she shoved her hands into the pockets of her KIWU jacket and lifted one foot. “See? I didn’t even get a whiff of the eggnog tonight.”
Her greedy little station manager had scarfed the last of the batch.
“Other foot,” Troy said unemotionally.
Snow scrunched as she changed feet. She could not believe he was doing this. Talk about crossing the line!
“Mind if I multi-task?” she asked. “It’s cold out here.”
Still standing on one foot, she closed her eyes. Holding her arms out to her sides, she crisply touched her index finger to her nose. Then, just to prove her point, she made a show of it. Right finger, touch. Left finger, touch. Both at the same time, touch.
“Can I go now?” she asked, coming back to a normal stance.
She refused to look at him. If she did, there was a strong possibility she’d cry. And for someone who never cried, doing it now would be the absolute worst. So, of course, she felt her throat thickening.
She was wet, cold and tired. Her holidays had sucked. She’d even burned the sugar cookies she’d tried to bake. Worst of all, though, the man she fantasized about had it in for her.
“Lita,” he said again, this time more quietly.
More gently.
It almost pushed her over the edge. Sniffling, she lifted her chin. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his hand lift toward her. It was too much.
“Fine. I’ll walk a straight line.” She jerked away from his touch and swiftly put one foot in front of the other. The snow was coming down more heavily now and his oh-so-important center line was getting harder to see. Still, she followed it down the deserted road like a high wire circus professional. She even pivoted without falling off. “There. Is that what you want?”
It wasn’t even close.
Troy let his gaze run up Lita’s form to her face. If it got stuck on her close-fitting jeans for an extra second or two, he couldn’t help it. When he looked into her big brown eyes, though, his concern returned.
Something was wrong.
She had been driving strangely and he hadn’t even mentioned her speed. He’d sat through an extra cycle of the streetlights at the Sycamore and Main intersection when he’d seen her coming. It had just taken her forever to get there. She’d been moving at an absolute crawl – until she’d gunned it. It was behavior he’d seen before. Drivers left the bars knowing they were intoxicated. They just drove extra slow in an effort to be “careful”.
She didn’t appear to be impaired, though. For some reason, that troubled him even more.
The snow began to fall in big, fluffy flakes and he turned up the furred collar of his police jacket. “And back,” he ordered, nodding at the now nearly invisible line.
He needed time to figure out what was going on.
Because it was more than just her driving…
Surreptitiously, he glanced back at his cruiser. A transistor radio sat on the passenger seat. Admittedly, it wasn’t department issue, but on slow nights he listened to her show. And, for the past two weeks, she hadn’t been herself. Not that her smoky voice didn’t still give him a hard-on every time he heard it. Her spirit just wasn’t there.
And her spirit was half the attraction.
“You are not going to make me do a breath test,” she said as she came to a stop in front of him.
She blinked rapidly as if the snow was bothering her. Her voice was huskier than normal, though, and his gaze involuntarily shifted to her lips. When he saw them tremble, the bottom of his stomach fell out.
She was on the verge of crying.
He planted his hands on his hips to keep himself from reaching for her. She didn’t cry unless things were bad – and he didn’t handle it well when she got this upset. “Lita, are you okay?”
She looked at him as if he were obtuse. “No, I’m not okay! It’s late, I’m tired and I’m getting drenched. I want to go home.”
Troy shifted uncomfortably. She thought he was doing this to harass her. Much as that might have tempted him in another lifetime, it wasn’t the case now. His job was to serve and protect. He was treating her like he would anybody else.
So what if protecting had jumped to the top of his list?
“No breath test,” he agreed. He let his voice drop. “Just tell me what’s wrong.”
“It’s nothing,” she said tiredly.
“Try again.”
Her dark gaze fluttered up to meet his. The air crackled before she glanced away.
“It’s just the winter blahs,” she admitted. She slid her hands into her pockets, but he could see the way they clenched into fists. “This isn’t helping, by the way.”
He took a step closer to her. “Have you seen somebody about it?”
“Like a doctor?” She let out a snort. Absentmindedly, she kicked at the snow. It puffed upwards before settling down again. “I’ll perk up once the holidays are over.”
Troy itched to do something. What, he didn’t quite know. All he knew was that he didn’t like seeing her like this. Love her or hate her, she just wasn’t being Lita. “Maybe you should think about taking some time off.”
She finally looked him in the eye. “And do what? Watch the needles fall off my Christmas tree?”
God, she was killing him.
Reaching up, he rubbed the back of his neck. “Lita, you’re worrying me.”
She looked at him skeptically. Her eyes widened, though, when she realized he was being earnest.
He took the opportunity to try to get through to her. “Depression isn’t something to mess around with.”
“Depression?” She took a heavy breath and nodded. “Right.”
“I’m serious.”
“I can see that.” She shook her head in resignation before reaching for the door handle of her car. “I’m fine, but thanks for your concern, Troy. It’s big of you. Especially considering… Well, you know.”
No, he didn’t know. Reflexively, he reached out and caught the door as it started to swing open. “What are you talking about?”
She stared at his hand clenched around her doorframe. “I know you don’t like me much.”
The quiet words rocked him, but he couldn’t say anything.
Because it was true. Or it had been…
He stared at her hard and the fission between them grew. “That was a long time ago, Lita.”
“I know.” She shrugged, but it didn’t come off as nonchalantly as she wanted. “But I understand. I was terrible to you.”
Terrible? She’d broken his teenage heart.
When she moved to get in the car, though, his reaction was automatic. He blocked her way. She bumped up against him and he caught her by the nape of the neck.
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br /> Their gazes locked. Snow continued to fall silently around them, but neither of them noticed. They were both suddenly caught up in a world of awareness. A world of might have beens…
Something inside Troy sent up a flare of warning, but he ignored it. She just looked so sad. So repentant. So sexy…
“You don’t understand anything,” he said, his voice gruff.
Then dropping his head, he did something he knew he absolutely shouldn’t.
He kissed her.
Lita went stone still when Troy’s lips came down on her own.
The kiss was slow, but almost cautious. His lips brushed back and forth, driving her crazy with wanting. He felt so good against her. So warm. So hard. Desire surged up inside her but she tried desperately to rein it in.
She didn’t want to do anything that might make him stop.
“Troy,” she whispered. Hesitantly, she laid her hands against his chest. The way his heart thudded underneath her fingertips gave her courage. Still, she moved slowly as she stroked them up his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck.
The position brought their bodies together. Intimately. Her belly bumped up against his cock and she gasped. He was already as hard as the flashlight he carried on his hip.
“Damn,” he cursed.
He pulled back to look at her and, for a second, Lita forgot to breathe. His amber eyes were blazing. Just when she thought he was going to push her away, though, the hand at her neck slid into her hair and fisted tight.
When his head dipped this time, there was nothing cautious about it.
He took the kiss from hot to searing in two seconds flat.
She groaned as his tongue thrust deep into her mouth. She’d never expected this. Never in a million years. Yet it was like a fire that’s glowing embers had just roared back to life. She rubbed against him, trying to fan the flames higher.
“Does it feel like I don’t like you?” he growled as he boldly slid his other hand down to her ass.
He caught her tightly and pleasure suffused her when he ground himself against her. If not for all the clothes between them, she swore he would have penetrated her right then and there.
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