Hot as Hale (Hale Series Book 3)

by Marie James

  I watch as her parents stand as well as Garrett and Ian. Perfect manners as always. I didn’t know that Garrett and Alexa would be here, and normally I would be grateful that there’s another couple to divert some of the attention, but with Alexa, you never know what she’s going to say.

  Josie runs into her mother’s arms and gives her a long squeeze and then shifts towards her father. He holds her at arm’s length, no doubt making sure she’s in one piece. I tilt my head in contemplation trying to determine if he’s checking because of the recent break-in at her apartment or because she’s arrived with me. I’m quickly assessing the situation myself; it wouldn’t be the first time I met a father who was less than enthused that their daughter was dating a man of Puerto Rican descent.

  Josie beams over her shoulder at me. “Daddy, this is Kaleb Perez. My…boyfriend.”

  I have the widest grin on my face at her endearment as I reach my hand out to take her father’s. “So nice to meet you, Mr. Bennett.”

  “Sam, please.” His grip is firm, and the look in his eye unreadable. I take small comfort in him allowing me to call him by not only his first name as that is Samuel but a more personal shortened form. His scrutiny doesn’t last long as he releases my hand and turns toward his wife. “My wife, Janet.”

  “Mrs. Bennett.” I shake her hand as well.

  We make our way to the empty seats at the table, and I’m appreciative that Josie decides to sit between her father and me; he’s a very large framed and imposing man. Before taking my seat, I reach across the table and shake both Garrett’s and Ian’s hand. Once the women settle in the chairs, we take our seats.

  “I apologize for our tardiness,” I tell her father but leave off any form of an excuse as to what caused it. I immediately regret saying anything since I just opened myself up to being forced to explain.

  “Nonsense,” her mother chimes in. “We just barely got here ourselves.”

  I know she’s only being polite because everyone else at the table already has their drinks. I smile knowing where Josie got her need to make sure everyone was comfortable and happy.

  “What can I get you to drink?” The waiter asks as he steps up to the table. I make a quick glance around the table and notice that each of the other guys has a mug of beer in front of them. I assess the situation quickly and determine it may be a test. He is a cop after all.

  “Tea,” I tell him. Josie orders the same. A quick glance and the almost inscrutable nod by her mother tells me I passed.

  Conversation stays light for most of the meal. Her parents ask me about my family and the girls talk about the wedding. I’ve kept my hands mostly on my lap because I don’t want to insult her father by putting my hands on her. Ian is relaxed, but I can tell he’s maintaining a level of restraint as well. He and Lorali are usually very hands on. Garrett and Alexa are well, Garrett and Alexa and I’m not convinced they don’t have something going on under the table.

  The hammer drops just as the waiter is done placing dessert on the table. We’ve not talked about my job or the break-in once. I knew it was coming but wasn’t prepared how quickly it was going to get personal.

  “You look better than I was honestly expecting,” Janet says before placing a spoonful chocolate cake in her mouth.

  Before Josie can respond her father directs his attention to me. “You’re overseeing the case right, Kaleb? The break-in and threats?”

  “I’m keeping a close eye on the case, sir, but another detective is actually in charge. My,” I have to clear my throat, “relationship with Josie makes me being in charge of the investigation a conflict of interest.” He nods his head in understanding.

  “Any progress?” He asks.

  “None yet, sir.” He gives me a contemplative look before turning his attention back to Josie.

  “Have you been back to the apartment?” I watch her as she shakes her head no and I can see the train about to derail. “Where have you been staying?”

  I hear her gasp, and she quickly turns her head to look at me, her eyes wide. She’s begging me for a way out of this.

  “Officers called me when they were notified about the break-in. I went to her the second I heard about it. She’s been staying with me since, sir.” From the corner of my eye, I can see her mother’s huge grin.

  He nods. “Good to know she’s safe, Detective.” His response is hard to read, and I’m not one hundred percent sure it isn’t a warning that I should keep things professional between us since he didn’t use my actual name.

  I feel Josie’s hand slide into mine as her father turns his attention to the others at the table. “So, Lorali, tell me about this wedding.” And just like that the stress of the prior conversation, as well as the interrogation, is over.

  Chapter 23

  Josie

  “I told you he’d love you!” I exclaim as soon as we are safely back in the truck and on the way back to Kaleb’s house.

  I hear him huff.

  “That was love?” I turn and see him grinning at me. “I thought I was going to need a Code-30!” he says.

  He must notice the confused look on my face.

  “Officer Assistance,” he explains.

  I can’t help but let out a boisterous laugh which apparently is contagious as he joins in. I know it’s more of a way to relieve some of the stress he was feeling from lunch. When we’re once again calm, I grab his hand. “Seriously, Kaleb. He likes you.”

  “How do you figure?” I can tell he really wants to know.

  “Believe me, you would know if he didn’t” I smile at him. “It went so much better than it did with Ian!”

  I watch as he cocks his head to the side, a sign of clear confusion. “What happened with Ian?”

  “It wasn’t anything too bad.” I feel the need to defend my dad. “He was a little tougher on Ian at first because he’s rich. My dad doesn’t have an issue with the money, but he wanted to make sure Ian really cared about Lorali and wasn’t going to treat her as just another possession. We’re a working-class family, so everyone who’s not is always suspect in the beginning.” He doesn’t respond so I continue. “My father is a cop, and my mother is a school teacher,” I explain.

  “Like us,” he says with a smile.

  “Just like us,” I whisper. “Thanks for distracting him while I got the clothes from Lorali.” I angle my head towards the ridiculous amounts on lingerie in the Victoria Secrets bags in the back seat.

  “No problem,” he replies his accent a little on the heavy side. I giggle. “What?” He questions.

  I shrug. “I love your accent.”

  He grins. “You do huh?” I nod.

  “Especially when we’re making love, and you’re talking dirty.” I bite my lip. “It gets thicker and deeper.”

  I feel him squeeze my hand a little tighter and he clears his throat. “I didn’t realize that.”

  “I like that you lose yourself with me,” I tell him.

  “I’ve loved every second we’ve spent together, Josie. Honestly, I wish we could just take off next week and lock ourselves in the house together.” I groan at the thought of going back to work tomorrow.

  “I’m scared,” I whisper to him.

  “You’d be afraid to stay with me alone all week?” he asks in misunderstanding.

  “I’m scared to go back to work. I feel safe with you, Kaleb.” He brings our clasped hands to his mouth and gives mine a sweet kiss.

  “I can take you to work and pick you up if that will make you feel better.” He offers.

  “That would help,” I admit to him.

  My anxiety has calmed a little by the time we make our way back to Kaleb’s house. I resist the urge to jump in his lap again like I did yesterday, and I can tell he may have been expecting it because of the mischievous glint in his eye as he turned off the ignition and slid his seat back.

  If I didn’t have some incredibly naughty plans for later, I might have actually given into to his nonverbal suggestion. I open my door and j
ump out of the truck before I hastily decided on now and later. I wait and allow Kaleb to open the door leading into the house and stand to the side while he deactivates the alarm.

  We greet Mia, and I walk to the kitchen island to put my purse and shopping bags down as he lets her outside to use the restroom. I lean back into him when he situates himself behind me and wraps his arms around my waist.

  “Do you ever walk her around the neighborhood?” I ask gesturing towards the backyard.

  “Not usually,” he replies. “She gets loads of exercise at work. Do you want to walk her? She hasn’t been to work in over a week. I’m sure she’d love it.”

  I do my best to concentrate on what he just said, but it’s near impossible once his warm mouth is nipping at my neck. I close my eyes and feel his hand reach up and tug the strap of my tank top to the side, leaving my shoulder bare and accessible to his mouth. I whimper softly when his teeth sink into the top of my shoulder.

  “I should change before we go on our walk.” If I don’t pull away from him now, we’ll never leave this house.

  “Need any help getting out of your clothes, Mariposa?” The offer to help is seductive and tantalizing but will lead nowhere close to walking Mia, and I want him to be desperate for me when he’s at my mercy later. My only fear is the slow burn of my seduction is going light me on fire as well.

  “You get Mia ready, and I’m going to go change.” Stepping away from him I smile without glancing back when I hear him groan loudly.

  I make my way over to the dresser with the bags of bras and panties that Lorali gave me outside of the restaurant. I turn the first two bags over and dump the contents into an open dresser drawer. Lorali knows what I wear so I know she’s a pretty good judge of what to buy me.

  It’s not until I turn over the third back and a slinky silk nightie falls to my feet that I realize what she’s done. I pick it up and hold away from my body by the tiny spaghetti straps. Green of course. I shove it in the drawer and pour out the last bag in. More sexy lingerie. I bet she thought I’d be embarrassed sending me home with these items. I have to remember to text her and thank her!

  I dig around in the drawer hunting for a matching set. Each and every one I pull out has less coverage than the one before it. I sigh and settle on a black set which includes a razor-thin thong and a bra with lacy cups that hide absolutely nothing.

  I have the bra on and just as I’m sliding the thong into place the bedroom doors open.

  Kaleb is looking down at his phone as he steps into the room.

  “Mia’s ready to…” His steps falter, and his phone falls to the floor.

  I’m suddenly hit with a wave of embarrassment. How is it I can stand in front of him naked and finger myself to orgasm but him seeing me in bra and panties suddenly makes me want to cover myself.

  I shuffle past him to the closet to get a t-shirt and yoga pants and hear him hiss when he sees the back, or lack thereof, of my thong. I grin at his reaction and begin pulling my pants on.

  “Don’t get dressed on my account.” His voice is pleading.

  “I don’t think your neighbors would appreciate me walking Mia in my underwear.” I grin at him at him and slide my shirt into place.

  “I can guarantee you half of the community would love to see you walk her in your panties.” His jacket has already been discarded somewhere, and I watch as he begins to unbutton his shirt.

  I grab my sneakers from the floor of the closet and take a seat on the bench at the end of the bed. I can’t take my eyes from him as he changes into a red, fitted t-shirt and exchanges his dress shoes or a pair of athletic shoes.

  “You’re staring, Josie.”

  “You’re hot, Kaleb,” I respond immediately as I finish tying my shoes. “Ready?”

  He follows close behind as we make our way to the foyer. Mia is sitting pretty waiting patiently for us. “No leash?” I ask Kaleb as he opens the front door.

  “She doesn’t need one,” he answers as he sets the alarm and locks the door. He pockets the keys and takes my hand as we make our way down the front walk to the road.

  I watch as Mia stays right beside Kaleb, her body practically rubbing his calf and knee with each step.

  “She’s very obedient,” I reply

  “She’s a great cop. Best partner I could’ve ever asked for.” He praises.

  “What do you think is going to happen with my case?” I’ve been wondering about it since my dad asked Kaleb at the restaurant and now seems as good a time as any to ask.

  His answer is hesitant. “We’re pretty sure just by the language of the threats that it has everything to do with Blake Evans. We believe it is directed toward Alexa since she’s the witness in the case.” He squeezes my hand a little tighter, and I know he’s leaving something out.

  “Tell me,” I prod.

  He looks down at me, and his mouth is set in a hard line, but he continues anyway. “The detective in charge of the case doesn’t believe you are in any danger because you really have nothing to do with the case other than your connection to Alexa. I, on the other hand, am not so dismissive of your safety.”

  “You think I’m still in danger?” My voice is small, and even I can hear the slight tremor in it.

  He stops walking and turns towards me. Mia sits on her haunches and glances around. “I didn’t say that, Josie.” He lightly grazes my cheek with his index finger. “I’m just not going to let my guard down where you’re concerned. And I won’t until whoever it is, is caught.”

  We start to walk again, almost having made the full circuit around the neighborhood. “If Evans is in jail, who could it be?”

  “We are gathering information for any of his known buddies and checking their prints against the ones we found at your apartment. It’s a tedious process, but we should know something soon.”

  “Thank you,” I tell him.

  “For what, Josie?” He seems confused.

  “For telling me the truth,” I answer.

  “I’ll always tell you the truth, Mariposa.”

  “Most people try to sugar coat things with me. They treat me like I’m fragile.” I close my eyes briefly. “I’m a pretty strong person when people give me the chance to be.”

  “I know you’re strong, Josie. You’ve taken this whole thing in stride, considering what you’ve been through.” We have made our way back to his house, and he reaches into his pocket for the key and opens the front door.

  He makes his way to the alarm system to deactivate it. “You’ve helped me keep my mind off of it a lot this weekend.”

  He sets his keys down on the table in the entryway. “Are you calling me a distraction, Mariposa?” He asks playfully.

  “You’re very distracting, Kaleb.” I screech when he turns and suddenly picks me up, causing me to wrap my legs around his lean hips.

  His forward momentum doesn’t stop until my back is pressed against the closed front door and his mouth is on mine. I almost lose my end-game focus as his tongue is sliding against mine and his fingers are curling into my hips, and when he shifts his hips and strokes his erection against the thin layer of my clothes, I’m unable to stop the moan that escapes my mouth.

  How I was able to pull my mouth from his and ask if he wants to watch a movie, I’ll never know.

  Chapter 24

  Kaleb

  She wants to watch a movie?

  I wonder if our conversation during our walk about her apartment break-in has set her on edge. I’m not going to push my desire for sex on her if she’s not feeling it.

  I lower her back to the ground and take a step back from her. “Naked movie?” I ask and waggle my eyebrows at her.

  She laughs, and it’s the best sound in the world. She smacks my chest. “We wouldn’t watch the movie if we were naked!”

  “Ok, so I’ll stay dressed, and you get naked,” I suggest as a consolation.

  She smacks my chest again. “Is that all you want from me?” Her voice is playful, and she’s smiling, but
I don’t find the words funny in the least.

  My face grows serious, and I take a step forward, causing her to take a step back. “Don’t misunderstand me, Joselyne Bennett, I’ve loved every single second that I’ve been inside of you, but don’t think for even a fraction of a second that sex is all you are to me.”

  “Ok,” she whispers softly.

  “I’d also like to think that I mean more to you than that.” How does she have the ability to make me question the entire weekend with one offhanded comment?

  “Kaleb.” She reaches up and cups my cheek with her tiny hand. “I never would’ve introduced you to my family if you were. Honestly,” she lowers her head a second before she raises her eyes back to mine. “I never would’ve had sex with you in the first place if I didn’t care about you.”

  My heart begins beating faster as I lean in to kiss her. The realization of just how much this woman means to me suddenly hitting me. “Good,” I whisper right before our mouths make contact.

  We’re both panting and breathless when we pull our mouths from each other.

  “So, naked movie, huh?” She says as she reaches down to the hem of her t-shirt.

  I reach out and stop her hands. “Keep your clothes on, Josie.” I watch as her face falls, and her mouth sets in a frown. “You’re right; we’ll never pay attention to the movie if you don’t have clothes on.” I grab her hand and pull her to the kitchen. “Popcorn?” I ask as I lift her to sit on the island while I start getting movie supplies together.

  “Sure. Do you have any M&Ms?”

  I can’t help but laugh. “I don’t keep much junk food in the house, but we can grab some tomorrow on the way back home.”

  “Home,” I hear her whisper. I’m glad my back is turned away from her and towards the microwave because I don’t want to have to explain the huge grin on my face when I realize that I hope she never leaves.

  ***

  Before the movie is even half over Josie is fast asleep in my arms on the sofa. I do my best not to wake her as I lift her, carrying her in my arms to the bedroom. I gently place her on the bed and settle in behind her, doing my best to close every inch of space between our bodies. I wrap my arms around her waist and nuzzle into her hair before placing a delicate kiss on her neck.