Leah pretended to misunderstand. “He’s back on his own now too.”
Amanda snorted. “No, I meant how’s it going with him? Max told me you two would probably be celebrating last night.” Amanda air quoted “celebrating.”
Leah blushed. Did everyone know she had spent the night over at Marc’s? Of course, they knew. Duh.
“Do you think it’ll become serious now that you’re here to stay?”
Leah hesitated. She pictured the envelope in her patrol bag back at the station. “Um...”
“Okay, something was weighing heavily on you when you came in. What is it?”
“I got a job offer from another police department close to home.”
Amanda didn’t say anything, just stared at her. Leah waited for a look of disappointment or even a look of encouragement. Something. Amanda leaned back on the couch and turned her gaze to the empty fireplace. “Wow. That’s not what I expected.”
“I’m not sure what to do. I’m not sure what I want to do.”
“Say no and stay here with us?” Amanda suggested, sounding hopeful.
“My mom is by herself back home. No family nearby. I miss her.”
“I’m sure you do.” Amanda was being way too understanding.
“It’s better money and benefits too.”
“That’s hard to resist.”
“Yeah. I would need to go down there and at least interview. They sent me a conditional offer.”
“Which means…”
“That I will get the job as long as my oral interview goes well.”
Amanda just nodded her head and clasped her fingers loosely in her lap. “We’d be sorry to see you go. You’d be leaving behind a few heartbroken people around here. Including me.”
“I’d be sad to leave. You guys have been the best.”
“It sounds like you already decided.”
“No. I just need to give it some serious thought. I’d be foolish not to at least consider it.”
“You have to do what’s best for you, Leah. Don’t let anyone else decide for you. And you know who I’m talking about. You don’t want to hold it against him down the road if you two do get serious.”
“Who’s getting serious?” Teddy asked, coming through the door like a tornado. “What are you two doing in here without me? Why am I missing the girl talk?” He stomped his foot then plopped on the couch next to Amanda, pouting.
“Leah just needed some advice, that’s all.”
“About what?” Teddy asked, his typical nosy self.
“Another job offer she got.”
Leah frowned at Amanda.
“What? Where? No! You can’t leave!” Teddy crumpled against Amanda, acting devastated, wiping away tears that didn’t exist.
“I didn’t say I was leaving.”
“Who’s leaving?” Ron barked as he joined them in the living room.
“No one, Pop.”
“Leah, we told you that you can stay here as long as you like. No reason to leave and get your own place.”
Leah shook her head. “Thanks, Ron. I appreciate it. But I’ll want to be on my own eventually anyway.”
“Sure, sure. An independent woman. I get it,” he muttered as he settled into his well-worn recliner and kicked up his feet.
Ron patted his thighs and Chaos jumped up and curled into a ball on the older man’s lap. He stroked the black-and-white silky fur.
Mary Ann came in moments later, wiping her hands on a dish towel. “Dinner in twenty,” she announced.
Leah thought she heard everyone’s stomach growl in sync.
She looked around the room, observing her new family, and calm clarity overcame her.
She knew her decision.
Her locker rattled as she opened it. Yawning, she rubbed a hand over her eyes. Her first stop was going to be the coffee shop. She might have to ask for a shot of expresso in her latte. No chai tea for her this morning; it just wasn’t strong enough. Especially after hanging out with Teddy and Amanda into the wee hours. These late nights were taking a toll on her. It didn’t help that she and Teddy had finished off both bottles of wine. It hadn’t taken Teddy long to guess why Amanda was sipping iced tea instead of imbibing along with them.
Yep. Leah didn’t think their secret pregnancy was going to keep under wraps for long.
She kicked off her shoes into the bottom of the locker, each of them landing with a clunk. Then something caught her eye. A piece of paper was taped to the inside of the metal door. No, not just any piece of paper. It was the letter from Valley Forge P.D. There was a note handwritten on the back in big, black, block letters.
* * *
DON’T GO
PLEASE
* * *
The please was underlined three times.
Leah blinked, then blinked again. She ripped the letter down and turned it over. Even though Marc had written on the backside, the marker had bled through, obliterating the interview appointment time and date. Luckily, she had put it on her calendar, so no loss. Though, she wondered if he had done it on purpose.
She was crumpling up the letter in her fist, when the object of her ire walked into the locker room. She certainly wasn’t expecting to see him until shift change.
“I thought you were three to eleven?”
He took a quick glance at the crumpled letter in her hand. “I am.”
“What are you doing here then?”
He regarded her seriously. “I came to see you.” His voice was husky and thick. Leah could cut the tension in his body with a knife.
She whipped the paper ball at his chest. It bounced lightly to the floor. “You violated my privacy.”
He grimaced. “That wasn’t my intent.”
“Right.” She pulled her Kevlar vest out of the locker and strapped it around her midsection, smoothing it over the white Under Armour undershirt she had worn into work. Not caring that anyone else could walk in, she peeled off her black yoga pants and stood there in her panties. She planted her hands on her hips and frowned at him. “So, you don’t care that you read something personal.”
“Will you put your pants on?”
“Why? What do you care?” She would rather deal with his anger than his hurt feelings. He was doing well trying to hide it, but it was there, lurking.
“Because I don’t want anyone seeing you just standing there in your panties.”
“Maybe I’ll just take them off.”
Marc glared at her and moved to block anyone’s view who would walk by the doorway. “Leah! Put your fucking pants on.”
She flipped him the bird, but slipped on her uniform pants. But not because he told her to. She could’ve stood there all day in her panties just to get under his skin. Hell, she could have paraded up and down the hallway.
“What the fuck. Are you trying to get my blood pressure up?”
“Is it working?”
He blew out a loud breath, scrubbing the top of his short hair with his palm. He opened his mouth but nothing came out. He snapped his jaws shut then slammed his hands on his hips.
Which were nicely encased in blue jeans, she noticed. Leah scolded herself for getting distracted.
“I just spent the last two months training you, Leah. You’re going to just up and leave?” Now he actually sounded wounded. And he was making her feel guilty for even considering the offer.
“So you only don’t want me to leave because the time you spent training me would’ve gone to waste,” she challenged him. She wanted to hear the truth of why he didn’t want her to leave. Not hear some bullshit answer.
He flattened his lips, his inner struggle obvious. Yanking on her uniform shirt, her eyes never left his face as she buttoned it up as she waited for an honest response.
She cocked an eyebrow. “Well?”
His Adam’s apple bobbed and he cleared his throat.
“Or is it because you’ll lose a sex partner that is willing to play as hard as you?”
“You’re more than that.�
��
“Really? What am I, Marc? Tell me.”
“Well, you’re an asset to this department for one thing.” Once again the excuse was work. Not him.
“Since when? Last time I checked, I’m still a woman.” If she wasn’t already half dressed she would have flashed some boob to prove it. Not that he needed proof.
She put on her trouser belt and once that was secured, hefted her duty belt onto her hips, snapping the leather keepers to keep it in place. She checked the duty belt to make sure everything was where it should be.
Then it hit her. Everything was where it should be.
She was where she belonged.
Her anger drained away when she glanced up at the man standing a couple feet away from her. She straightened and really looked at him.
He was bothered by the thought she could leave. It wasn’t just some male blustering.
A sharp ache went through her heart at the thought of not seeing him again. Of not seeing his family again.
But she would miss him the most.
Moving back home would leave a gaping hole in her chest.
“Has sex been this good with anyone else?” His voice was low and soft, sending shivers up her spine. So first the department, then the sex, but still nothing about how he really feels.
“You really want to know that answer?” Leah checked her bag to make sure he’d thrown her flashlight back in. It was there.
He held his palm up and out. “I know the answer.”
Normally she would consider that a cocky response. But the way he said it didn’t come off as arrogant in any sense of the word. He was trying to remind her how good it actually had been. How great it could be. They had only scratched the surface of their sexual…compatibility.
No doubt there was something between them. Something that clicked. Some kind of undeniable pull. It had been there from day one. And sixty-something days later that attraction was stronger than ever.
She could touch him every minute of every day and it wouldn’t be enough. She could kiss him for hours and she’d never want it to stop. She didn’t know if she could live without the feel of his skin against hers. His crystal-blue eyes caressing all of her curves. His fingers touching her where she was most sensitive.
She didn’t have to give that up. And last night she had decided not to take the interview. But his blatant disregard of her privacy, and his difficulty at admitting his feelings had her reconsidering. “Are you asking me to stay?
“The note wasn’t obvious?”
That wasn’t the answer she wanted to hear. She wanted to beat her head against the locker in frustration. She needed to hear it from him. “Go home, Marc. I need to go in service. We can talk later.”
“When? You’re leaving work when I’m coming in. You’re home in bed at my parents when I’m getting off work.”
She understood. It sucked working different shifts. She had missed him too.
“When are you off?” she asked him.
“Saturday and Sunday.”
“I’m off Friday and Saturday. We’ll talk Friday after work,” she assured him.
As he nodded, she grabbed her patrol bag and brushed past him to head down the hallway, only stopping for a minute to grab the cruiser’s keys and a portable radio out of the patrol room. As she stepped out into the early morning air, it hit her.
Two months ago, Leah had come to Manning Grove a stranger and since then she had been embraced by almost everyone. The community, the family, the force. She couldn’t ask for more.
Well, she could, but she wasn’t going to ask Marc how he felt about her. If he wanted to let her know, he’d tell her.
But in the meantime, she was going to cancel the interview. She’d surprise him at shift change.
Chapter 15
As she stepped into the Bryon’s farmhouse, she already knew Marc was there. His ATV was parked front and center in the yard.
Her heart had done a little flip when she saw it and that wasn’t the only part of her body reacting. They hadn’t had any physical contact since the night of her last day on training.
Getting naked and spending the night sweaty and satisfied was priority number one. Even though she said they would talk. Talking could come afterward.
Yet the house was quiet. Even Menace hadn’t come running to greet her. And she didn’t hear Ron or Mary Ann at all. She peeked into the living room to see if Marc’s mom was reading. She wasn’t. The room was empty.
“Hello?” she yelled out. “Anyone home?”
Silence answered her. The house was a ghost town.
Maybe they were out looking at trees or some such shit. Whatever they were doing, she’d at least have time to shower.
She took the steps two at a time until she got to the second floor then went straight to the bathroom. She didn’t bother to lock the door. The rule around here was if the bathroom door was closed it was occupied. Simple enough.
It felt good to pull off the snug Under Armour shirt and the offending sports bra. Her skin breathed with relief. She peeled off her yoga pants and panties in one swoop. Naked, she flexed her feet and stretched her tight muscles. Sitting in a patrol car all day was going to make her fat. Maybe she should actually wear her yoga pants to say…yoga. A novel idea she may have to consider.
She’d drag Amanda and Teddy along, she thought, as she leaned in the shower to turn on the water and adjust the temperature. When it was just right, she stepped into the tub and let the hot water sluice over her, washing away her stiffness and the stale feeling she got from wearing a polyester uniform for eight hours.
She closed her eyes and turned her face up towards the spray, her wet hair sticking to her face and shoulders and hanging heavily all the way to the small of her back. She raised her arms, stretching once more, then turned to let the water—
Jesus fucking Christ on a cracker!
Her heart had jumped into her throat, thumping wildly. She hadn’t heard Marc come into the bathroom, but he certainly was there, peering at her around the shower curtain. Wearing only a naughty smile.
He pushed the curtain back further and climbed into the tub with her.
“Hey, don’t wait for an invite or anything,” she said dryly.
“Do you want me to go back out buck naked in the hallway and knock?”
Leah laughed at the image that popped in her head. “No.”
“I just want to help you with the parts you can’t reach.”
“Such a gentleman,” Leah murmured.
“Always.” He grinned at her.
Leah snorted.
Marc came behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She leaned back and raised her arms to hook them around the back of his neck.
He kissed her tattoo. “I’ve missed you and that little tattoo.”
“My tattoo has missed you too.”
He moved her thick, wet hair to the side and placed his lips at the top of her spine, his tongue tasting her skin. He cupped her breasts in his hand, kneading them with his fingers.
“So soft.”
“They’ve missed you too.”
“I’ve been ignoring them. My bad.”
“Yes, you have a lot of making up to do.”
He turned her in his arms and dropped his head enough to suck a nipple into his mouth. Leah put a hand against the shower wall, steadying herself as he tugged on one nipple and then the other with his mouth. The pull of his lips made tiny shock waves shoot through her. Her knees buckled, causing her to brace her other hand on his shoulder.
“Turn the water off. My parents will have a fit if we run their well dry.”
Leah reached behind her to turn the knob. “Where are your parents? Should we be doing this here?”
“I sent them to dinner and the movies.”
“Good thinking,” Leah whispered before cupping his jaw with both hands and kissing him hungrily. God, she could eat him right up. His lips where smooth and firm against hers. She gasped into his mouth when he found he
r core, his fingers separating her folds, testing her wetness.
“You’re ready for me,” he said with satisfaction.
“I’m always ready for you.”
“Mmm. I like that. But as much as I’d like to think we could fuck in this tiny-assed shower, I’d rather we move to your bed.”
“Agreed,” Leah said with relief. The tub was way too tight to do anything really well. One slip and someone was going to be taken out in an ambulance.
She climbed out after him, catching the towel he tossed her way. She dug in the closet for another one to squeeze the excess water from her hair and they ran down the hall giggling like teenagers. The slam of her bedroom door sounded like a gunshot echoing through quiet house.
Leah dropped her towel and she let herself fall backward onto the queen-sized bed with a bounce. Marc moved to the end of the bed to regard her, his crystal-blue eyes lit up. “Damn. I could watch you do that all day.”
“Fall?”
“Bounce.”
Leah smiled and said, “You can make me bounce in other ways.”
“That I can.” He climbed onto the bed and took her into his arms, rolling both of them until Leah was on top.
“Yes,” she moaned, rubbing her body against his. “That’s where I belong. On top.”
Marc smacked her ass lightly. “Don’t get too comfortable up there.”
Leah pushed against his chest, rising to straddle his waist. “Oh, really? So you don’t want me to do this?” She slid her already slick folds down along his length and back up. “Or this?” She gave him a knowing smile as she tugged the gold rings in his nipples.
He put his hands on her waist and watched where their bodies met.
“I can tie you up again,” she teased.
“If anyone is going to be restrained it’s going to be you this time, and it’s going to be in my bed, not here.”
“Promises. Promises,” she teased. The thought of Marc tying her up and doing all kinds of wicked things to her made her shiver. She was ready to go to his place right then and there.
But first, she wanted to finish what they started. Even if it was just a quickie. Then they could go to his bed and do it all over again and take their time. Plus, she didn’t have any toys in her room, except for her…
Brothers in Blue: Marc Page 19