She whipped her head to stare at Hale. “What did you say?”
“Nothing.”
“I’m pretty sure I want to be a cop when I grow up,” Malia announced in an awe-tinged voice.
Piper looked at her quickly. “I thought you wanted to be a vet.”
“That, too.” She shrugged.
“Be a vet,” Hale said, his voice distracted.
Piper looked back at Hale only to catch him assessing her room again, a frown pulling his lips. The stab of embarrassment returned. She ignored it and lifted her chin. “Thank you, Hale.”
“You’re lucky I was close by when Malia called. What if I got here half an hour later?”
She couldn’t help but shiver at that.
“You can’t live here,” he announced.
“I don’t think Raymond will be bothering us anymore.”
“You don’t know that. I think he got the message, but people can be unpredictable. You both need to move out of here.”
“I was planning on that, but I thought I’d get a few paychecks first so we could cover the deposit and—”
“Pack up your stuff now. It’s not safe here.”
She bristled at his high-handedness. She knew he was right regarding safety. This place had never been safe. Even before finding Raymond going through her underwear she knew that. That’s why she had the additional lock installed . . . to give her some sense of security. But it was humiliating to be told that. He held her gaze, looking utterly calm and unflappable. Like her arguments mattered not at all and he was going to get his way in this.
He might have helped them out tonight and he might be her boss, but that didn’t give him the right to boss her around outside of work. “Malia, can you wait outside?”
Her sister looked between them, clearly torn. She did not want to miss any of their discussion. “Malia,” Piper said in a sharper voice. “Please.”
Malia nodded and reluctantly stepped out.
Piper squared her shoulders, hating the heat of mortification creeping up her throat in a burning tingle. “I can’t just pack us up. We don’t have anywhere to go. It will take me a week at least to find another place—”
“You can stay with me until you find a new place.”
Hale didn’t even flinch as he made the offer. No. Not offer. Statement of fact.
She released a snort of laughter. “I can’t do that. I can’t just move in with you.” Did her heart have to flutter a little at the thought of that?
“You’re not staying here.” He glanced around her place again.
She followed his gaze, seeing it through his eyes and feeling a fresh stab of shame. He probably had a great place. He’d probably only ever lived in great places.
“You and your sister can stay with me until you find your own place. Someplace nice and safe.”
Safe. Her throat thickened. She already felt safer just because of him. It was dangerous, letting herself look at him like some sort of savior. Saving people was his job. She shouldn’t kid herself into thinking he did it for her because she meant anything to him.
“I’m responsible for that girl out there.” She pointed to the door. “I’m not moving in with you.”
He motioned around them. “You can’t stay here. It’s a slum—”
“What happened to your decision to keep things professional between us?” She cut him off before he made her feel any worse about her living conditions.
“I have three bedrooms.” His mouth quirked as he studied her. “What? You think I was expecting you to share my bed? Haven’t I kept my word since you started work? Have I touched you? Hit on you?”
She frowned, feeling only slightly silly. “No. You haven’t, but moving in with you is still inappropriate. You’re my boss.”
“What’s inappropriate is you and Malia staying in a place where your landlord breaks in so he can rummage through your underwear. What if it was just your sister here when he entered the unit?”
She pursed her lips and crossed her arms.
“It’s only temporary. You said it will take you a week to find a new place,” he reminded. “No one even has to know.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, feeling herself relenting. The fact of the matter was . . . she didn’t want to stay another night in this place. She wouldn’t sleep a wink. How could she? She’d never get over the sight of that man, a foot from her bed, pilfering through her panties.
He stared at her steadily. “Piper,” he said her name softly. “It’s just a safe place for you and your sister.”
And isn’t that what she had always and foremost wanted for her sister? Her safety?
She smiled at him, the curve of her lips a brittle thing on her face. “First you give me a job. Now a place to crash. It’s like Christmas.” She was grateful . . . but she was also resenting him for it.
“You’ve earned the job. Doris said you’re a natural at it. Has it occurred to you that you’re providing a service and being compensated? I’m not giving you anything.”
It was precisely what she needed to hear right then. He didn’t make her feel like such a parasite, dependent on him.
“Temporary,” she finally agreed. “And I’d like to pay rent for the week we stay with you. You can deduct it from my salary.”
“Piper—”
“Just agree that I can pay for the week or forget about it.”
“You’re a stubborn woman.”
“Agree,” she pressed.
“Fine.” He looked around again, his nostrils flaring slightly. “Now can we get out of here?”
Crossing her arms, she called for her sister.
Malia hurried back inside the apartment, all puppylike eagerness. “Yes?”
“Pack your things. We’re leaving this place.”
“For real?”
She looked back at Hale. “Yes. For real.”
Eighteen
His house was incredible. He lived on the outside of Sweet Hill on several acres. The property was sprawling. The house was spacious. She instantly fell in love with the open-concept kitchen and living room with its hardwood floors and great big windows that stared out at the desert hills spotted with sparse foliage. A big screen was positioned over the stone fireplace and she couldn’t help remembering that image she had about Hale with a wife . . . snuggling on the couch and watching movies together. Now she could add a crackling fireplace to that vision.
A porch wrapped around his house, stretching into a wide covered deck in the back that overlooked a well-tended garden. In the distance she could hear the gurgle of a creek. She stood there now, looking out into the night.
Inside, Malia was running through every room, investigating the house like they might be staying longer than one week. Like this might be something permanent. And that was a dangerous thought. Neither one of them could get too comfortable here. That would be bad for everyone.
Tomorrow, she would start looking for a new place.
“Can I get you anything?” Hale’s steps sounded behind her on the deck.
She tore her gaze from the star-studded night and looked over her shoulder. “I’m fine, thank you. And please don’t think you need to wait on me. Or Malia.”
“All right. I won’t.” His gaze held hers and she felt the familiar warmth steal over her. How did he do that with a look? It wasn’t even one of his I-want-to-tear-your-clothes-off-with-my-teeth looks, and she remembered those. She’d been on the receiving end of those before. This was just Hale. Looking at her. And it made her chest tighten. “I’ll treat you like you’ve been living here forever.”
He couldn’t mean that, but she merely smiled.
She’d already dropped her stuff in the bedroom next door to Hale’s room. Malia’s things were in the smaller bedroom that doubled as an office/bedroom. She would have offered her sister the bigger guest room, but once Malia spotted the TV in that room with its gaming system, she called dibs.
“This really is kind of you,” she said.
She nodded. Several moments of silence passed. She was acutely aware of his bigger body beside her, radiating warmth. She stood there for as long as she could. “I think we’ll call it a night, then.”
“All right. See you in the morning.”
“Good night.” She left him standing on the deck and moved through his house, trying not to feel too comfortable or at home here.
Because it couldn’t last.
It was a tricky thing, not falling in love with living with Hale. Heavy emphasis on the “living with” part. She was not in love with the man.
Just because he was hot and had an honorable streak running through him did not mean she was in love with him. Not at all. Her heart wasn’t free to love. She’d known that ever since her brother entered prison. Devil’s Rock was his cage, but she had her own cage, too . . . even if it wasn’t visible to the world.
Sunday morning he treated them to breakfast: scrambled eggs, bacon, toast and pan-fried potatoes. They sat on the back deck, a fan whirring overhead, keeping them cool. Morning sunlight bathed the rugged hills behind his property. Only patchy grass and scrub brush and cacti covered the terrain. They spotted a coyote trotting along a distant ridge. Malia pointed it out in delight.
For a moment, Piper found herself reveling in being there. Until she realized she shouldn’t. Her brother would shake her senseless if he knew she was playing house with Sheriff Hale Walters . . . and she would deserve that.
“You eat like this all the time?” Malia asked around a mouthful of ketchup-drowned potatoes, her eyes taking in the impressive spread of food on the table.
“I like to treat myself to big breakfasts on the weekends. There’s nothing better than breakfast,” he declared, lifting his coffee cup to his lips. His cup stalled halfway there as his eyes met Piper’s. Heat crept over her face because she felt sure he was thinking that there actually was something else better than big breakfasts. Something they weren’t doing.
Hale continued a moment later. “When I was a teenager my mom had to cook twice this much for me and my brother.”
“Growing boys eat a lot,” Piper murmured as she smeared strawberry jam onto her toast.
“And we played sports. She would have to make a tower of pancakes for each of us on top of what you see here.” He motioned with his fork to the table of food.
“Wow,” Malia said, swallowing her bite and stabbing at some potatoes with her fork. “I usually just eat Pop-Tarts.”
He tsked and shook his head . . . and yeah, Piper felt like the worst parent right then. Not that she could have afforded to feed Malia breakfasts like this before she got her new job. But things are going to be different now.
After breakfast, she and Malia helped with the dishes and then spent most of the day looking at apartments around town. Hale offered to go with them, but she declined, determined to keep what boundaries she could. However, after spending the night at Hale’s she was wondering if maybe she should find a house to rent. Something with a yard and in a good neighborhood. It wouldn’t be as big or nearly as nice as Hale’s house, but it would give them their first home with real space. Maybe they could even get a pet. A cat that wouldn’t mind being left alone while they were at school and work.
Hale got called away to a multiple-car pileup right before dinner that required almost every uniform on staff. Piper and Malia fed themselves. After dinner, Malia finished her homework and went to bed while Piper looked at online listings for rental houses. She emailed a few queries and then went to bed herself, surprisingly tired even though it wasn’t even 10 p.m. yet. Already her body had adjusted to the life of a normal person. Someone who worked normal hours and had weekends off. The moment her head hit the pillow, she was out.
It was after midnight when Hale got home. He hated nights like this. The odor of burnt tires and chemicals clung to his uniform. Once in his bedroom, he stripped out of his clothes and tossed them in the hamper.
Two dead and six hospitalized. Such senseless loss. One guy had a few too many, got behind the wheel and lives were changed forever—at least for those lucky enough to have survived. It happened far too often.
He took a shower, lifting his face to the warm spray of water, letting it wash away the sweet metallic aroma of blood that filled his nostrils.
Knotting a towel around his waist, he walked through the house and double-checked that all the doors were locked. He had Piper and Malia to consider now. The thought made his chest expand a little, made this night feel a little less awful. A little less bleak.
Normally, he came home to an empty house. This was only their second night here with him and it already felt good to come home to a place that felt like . . . a home.
He knew he needed to be careful. They weren’t staying. This wasn’t permanent. Piper had made that very clear, and, of course, he didn’t want her to stay. He’d never lived with a woman and there was a reason for that. He liked being on his own. He just needed to keep remembering that.
He was returning from the kitchen and passing Piper’s door when he heard her cry out. He backed up a step and stopped right outside of it, every muscle suddenly wire-tight. He stood close, listening for several silent moments. Nothing. He was about to move on to his room when he heard her short scream.
He burst in the room to find her sitting up in bed, her chest lifting with heavy pants as though she had just run a marathon. She stared straight ahead, gazing blindly with glassy eyes.
He sank down beside her and gave her a small shake. “Piper! Piper, what is it?”
She immediately fought him, slapping at his hands and arms.
“Piper!” He locked his arms around her and hauled her against him.
She stilled, her glassy eyes gradually coming into focus. “Hale?” she whispered.
“Yeah, sweetheart. It’s me,” he whispered back, their faces so close he could taste her breath. And that’s not all he noticed.
She was only wearing a thin T-shirt. And he wasn’t wearing anything except a towel. He had no problem feeling the tight little buds of her nipples beading through her shirt into his chest. His body instantly reacted. He throbbed for her, remembering her silken channel, the clinging warmth, the way she’d milked his finger like it was his cock. His dick rose swiftly in response, tenting his towel.
He forgot all promises of professionalism. He forgot that she was a guest under his roof and the right thing to do would be to keep his hands off her. There was only hunger. Need.
He ducked his head, going for her mouth, his hands on her arms tightening, readying to pull her under him.
“Piper! Are you okay?” Malia called from the hall.
He launched himself back as though burned—away from Piper, away from temptation. His hand flew to his towel, making sure it remained in place. At the sound of Piper’s teenage sister, his erection subsided.
“Malia,” she said breathlessly as her sister entered the room, bright color staining her cheeks as she looked between them. “It was nothing. Just a nightmare.”
“Again?” Malia hurried deeper into the room and circled the bed, climbing in beside her sister. “Maybe I should sleep with you.” The girl looked solemnly at Hale. “She’s not used to sleeping alone.”
I’d be happy to sleep with her.
He shook off the wicked thought.
Then something else Malia said clicked. Again. Piper had a nightmare again. This was a chronic thing for her? His chest tightened. He didn’t like that idea.
He looked at her where she sat on the bed, pulling the sheets higher to cover her T-shirt in an attempt for modesty. Like he hadn’t seen those breasts and tasted them before. Like he still didn’t see and taste them when he closed his eyes.
“You have nightmares a lot?” he asked.
“Not really—”
“Pretty often—”
The sisters spoke simultaneously, but he was inclined to believe Malia, especially after the death glare Pip
er shot her.
Piper looked back at him. “It’s been an eventful weekend. I’m sure that’s all it is.”
He nodded, not believing her. There was more to it than that. More to Piper Walsh. He’d known that for a while now. She had her secrets and she kept them close. Hell, everyone did.
But for some reason, he wanted to know every one of hers.
Nineteen
Piper stood on her tiptoes and peered through the peephole only to feel her chest sink. She backed away from the front door as though Death itself hovered on the other side. Damn. She was hoping to avoid this.
“Who is it?” Malia asked from behind her.
“Um, Faith and North.”
Malia hopped a little in place and then lunged around Piper to open the door with a happy squeal. “Hey, guys!” she greeted warmly.
North and Faith stepped inside and hugged Malia. They made a striking couple with their dark hair and tall bodies. It was like they were created for each other. Piper felt like a little gnat beside them.
Faith wasted no time zeroing her laser-beam eyes on Piper. “Heyyyy, there. I didn’t know you moved. Had to find that out from Doris.” There was no dodging the accusation in her voice or the way her eyes drilled into her.
Doris, the only person at the department who knew she was temporarily living with Hale and only because Doris had stopped by yesterday to drop off the leaf blower she had borrowed.
At Doris’s shocked expression, Piper had explained she had to move out suddenly from her apartment and Hale had offered them somewhere to live until they got a new place. She had stressed it was temporary, but that didn’t stop the look that came over Doris’s face once the surprise ebbed away. Smug, knowing and even a touch calculating. She had definite ideas forming behind those blinged-out glasses of hers.
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