Colton's Christmas Cop

by Karen Whiddon

  That was it? Struggling not to show her disappointment, she snagged a small handful of popcorn and sat back. What had she hoped he’d do—offer suggestions to help her decide?

  “Do you have a girlfriend?” she asked, wincing slightly.

  He tossed a kernel of popcorn at Goose, watching as she caught it neatly, before answering. “Only my dog. Why?”

  Heaven help her, but she flushed. “Just wondering.”

  Then, because she really wanted to know, she let her mouth get ahead of her common sense. “Why not? I mean, you’re an attractive man, with a good job, and you own your own home.”

  He laughed. “If I didn’t know better, I’d ask if you were applying for the position.”

  Though she knew he was only teasing, heat suffused her. Embarrassment mingled with desire and a kind of nervous anticipation that made her go dry in the mouth.

  “Maybe I am.” She batted her eyelashes at him. Though she’d never been good at flirting, ever, something about this man and the way he teased made her feel comfortable and safe. And wanted.

  His gaze zeroed in on her mouth. He scooted closer, dislodging a disgruntled Goose. The basset jumped to the floor and headed off toward the kitchen, probably in search of water.

  “You’ve got a bit of popcorn there,” he said, his voice husky. He reached out with one finger to brush it off. Enthralled despite herself, she opened her mouth, her heart hammering in her chest.

  “Layla,” he groaned. And then he kissed her.

  A quick press of the lips at first, but the instant their mouths connected, she felt a flash of fire zinging through her blood. She gasped and then kissed him back with all the glorious, uncertain attraction he made her feel.

  His hand tangled in her hair. The kiss—their desire—ran away with them, leveling any chance of rational thought, until only craving remained.

  Hot, so hot. His tongue and hers met and mated and explored. Leaving her mouth, his lips blazed a path down her throat to her chest. She arched her back, helpless except for the raw wanting. By silent, mutual agreement, they shed their clothing, quickly and efficiently, until they were skin to skin, still burning.

  He covered her with his body, hard and muscular to her soft curves. The force of his hard arousal pressing against her body thrilled her, and she felt herself melting.

  “Yes,” she managed before he claimed her mouth again. He broke away to retrieve a condom from his wallet, and despite the shaking of her hands, she helped him cover himself with it. Once this was done, he kissed her once more. Deeply, not holding any part of himself back.

  Except she needed more. She needed him between her legs and more. As if she’d voiced this thought, between one breath and another he pushed the full, glorious length of himself inside her.

  Never in her life had anything felt so wonderful, so good, so damn right. And then he moved and she thought she’d died and gone to heaven.

  For once she gave herself over to feeling, without allowing any analyzing or rational thought to intrude. She wanted this, she wanted him, and by all that was right, she deserved it. She’d done nothing but deny herself any kind of pleasure for too damn long.

  Starbursts exploded inside her, making her gasp. At first she tried to hold it back, but then she gave over and let herself be swept away.

  She cried out, shuddering over and over as her body clenched around the length of him. Tensing, he struggled, clearly trying to maintain control, but a second later he lost the battle. He slammed into her, riding the wave with her, cresting each peak again and again and again until she thought she might die from sheer ecstasy.

  He held her while their sweat-slick bodies cooled. Never, ever had she known lovemaking could be like this.

  “That was...” he began.

  Relieved, she finished for him. “Amazing.”

  “Yes.” He kissed her forehead. “You are one special lady, Layla Colton. But...”

  She tensed. She’d suspected there was going to be a but. “You’re going to say we don’t need to do this again.”

  Chuckling, he shook his head and kissed her again, this time full on the lips and lingering. “Why would I say that? We’re both consenting adults. And even though I said earlier this would be a bad idea, I’ve rethought that.” He cocked his head. “But what about your fiancé?”

  “Hamlin? You heard what he said. He doesn’t care if I have the hots for another man.”

  His gaze locked with hers. “Do you?”

  “What, care? Or have the hots for another man?”

  “Both.” One corner of his mouth tugged up in that endearing smile of his.

  Her insides cartwheeled. “I don’t care, and clearly I want you.”

  Another kiss, so sultry and sensual she couldn’t catch her breath. “That goes for me too, Layla. As long as we’re discreet and you’re agreeable, that is.”

  She studied him, fully aware of what he proposed. A no-strings-attached sexual relationship only. There would be no holding hands in public, posting silly pics of them together on Instagram. She was engaged to Hamlin, business deal or not, and many in town knew they were planning to marry once the Groom Killer was caught.

  “I’m agreeable,” she finally said, feeling bold and daring and as if she’d taken a leap out of a plane without a parachute.

  “Good. And you should know if at any time, you change your mind and want to end it, all you have to do is say the word.”

  With that, she felt a bit of herself return. “Sounds perfect,” she said, injecting her tone with her usual brusque confidence. She almost didn’t recognize the woman she became around him. Pliant and vibrant, giving as much pleasure as she received.

  The thought made her grin. “Kiss me again,” she demanded.

  And he did.

  * * *

  Hunter had never been with a woman like Layla Colton. When he’d worked at Colton Energy, she’d always seemed cool and remote. If she’d had any emotional reactions to anything, she kept them under an ironclad control. Her confidence made her attractive, but those who attempted to get close quickly learned not to. She shut them down, often with a single glance.

  If anyone had ever suggested she’d turn out to be this sexy, amazing dynamo in bed, he would have thought they were crazy. Yet she was all of these things and more. He felt so, so glad she wanted to get together again. With a woman like her, once would never be enough.

  They cuddled and kissed and talked into the early hours of dawn. Somehow, to his disbelief, passion flared and his body proved ready, willing and able to make love again.

  “Are you going in to work today?” he asked her while she drowsily snuggled close to him. Since the clock on his nightstand showed 7:00 a.m., he figured she’d need to get showered and moving if she planned to be at the office on time.

  She followed his glance, and her eyes widened. “I can’t believe it’s this late—or early, depending on your point of view.” Closing her eyes, she stretched. “As for work, I don’t think I’m going. Though I still haven’t decided how much time I want to take off, I don’t plan on being there for the next couple of days at least. I’ll call and leave my father a voice mail.” This time, she covered her mouth to mask a yawn. “What about you? Are you scheduled to work today?”

  “No. I’m off. But if I had been, I wouldn’t go in until seven tonight.”

  She nodded. “Do you always work the graveyard shift?”

  “Not always. These days, I rarely have to. I’ve been alternating, sometimes days, sometimes nights, filling in where needed. The chief just switched me permanently to days.”

  “That’s going to be hard to get used to, isn’t it?”

  “Yep. I’ll have to change my entire biological clock. Normally I sleep until noon or so.” And damn if he wasn’t going to miss that. She yawned again, which made him follow suit. “Layla, if you’re no
t going in, how about we catch some z’s?”

  Her grin made his heart stutter in his chest. “Sounds good to me.”

  Of course, he’d barely closed his eyes when his cell rang.

  “I know it’s early and you probably haven’t gotten much sleep,” Chief Colton began.

  Hunter didn’t tell his boss that he hadn’t been to sleep at all. “What’s up?”

  “You might want to get in here,” the chief said. “The mayor is here. He’s wanting to call a press conference at noon. We’re trying to talk him out of it.”

  “A press conference about what?” Hunter asked, though he suspected he already knew.

  “The Groom Killer.” Exasperation rang in the chief’s voice. “He won’t listen. I’ve told him we don’t consider the case locked down yet. Hell, he’s wanting to throw Demi Colton to the wolves. She’s family, even if Fenwick doesn’t like to admit it.”

  “Damn.” Hunter understood the chief’s dilemma. “What do you want me to do?”

  “Aren’t you still working the investigation on Layla? Maybe Fenwick’s daughter can talk some sense into him. I’m his family and the K9 chief and can’t, so I’m hoping she can. Can you see if she’s willing to come in?”

  Hunter eyed the woman lying next to him in his bed, wearing nothing but a sheet and a sleepy smile. “I can do that.”

  “Good. And please, act on it quickly.”

  Ending the call, Hunter told Layla what was going on.

  Her lovely eyes widened. “Of course I’ll go talk to him. Wait, maybe I can call him.” She grabbed her phone from the nightstand.

  A few seconds later, she shook her head. “Voice mail. He never answers his phone. At least, not if he knows it’s me calling. I did leave him a message informing him I wouldn’t be in the office today.”

  “Then we need to go to the station.” He located his pants and underwear on the floor and pulled them on. “How quickly can you get ready?”

  “Give me ten minutes,” she responded, surprising him. Keeping the sheet wrapped around that delectable body of hers, he snagged her own clothes off the floor and carried them into the bathroom. “Be right back.”

  They were in his squad car and on the way to the station in just over ten minutes. Glancing at Layla, he marveled at not only how quickly she’d been able to get ready, but at how put together she looked. One would never guess she’d spent the past several hours making passionate love with him.

  They stopped to grab some coffee and a couple of breakfast burritos and pulled up at the police station shortly before eight.

  “Isn’t it unusual for your father to be out and about this early?” Hunter asked as he parked the car.

  She shrugged. “Depends. For all I know, he might have been out all night partying with one of his women.”

  They got out and headed toward the door. “If he’s so busy living large, how does he find time to be mayor?”

  This made her smile, though he didn’t see any humor in her eyes. “The same way he finds time to run Colton Energy. He delegates.”

  “I’d wondered if the two of you were close, but didn’t want to ask.”

  “Only when he finds being close beneficial.” She grimaced. “That sounds terrible, but it’s true. I’m used to it.”

  By now they’d reached the plate-glass door. Hunter opened it, holding it while Layla went past.

  Once inside, he immediately saw the crowd gathered back by the chief’s office. Several officers stood on the fringes, while he recognized some of the mayor’s office staff in their three-piece suits.

  In front of him, Layla sighed. She visibly straightened her spine, squared her shoulders and lifted her chin before sailing forth toward the others.

  Two of the mayor’s assistants caught sight of her and visibly brightened. She pushed her way past the outer ring of people, Hunter right behind her as she made a beeline for the office where her father and Chief Colton faced off.

  As soon as the chief spied Layla and Hunter, he let out a huge sigh of relief.

  “Dad?” Layla’s sharp voice cut through the crowd like a knife, instantly silencing everyone. “What on earth is going on here?”

  Fenwick narrowed his gaze and eyed his daughter. “Layla, why are you here? Don’t you have more important things to tend to?”

  She shook her head. “Can we talk in private?”

  Without waiting for Fenwick’s response, Chief Colton shot to his feet. “Clear the room, please. Let’s all give these folks some privacy.”

  Everyone moved away. When Hunter started to leave, Layla shook her head. “You can stay. You too, Chief.”

  “Who put you in charge?” Fenwick asked, his lip curling in annoyance.

  Chief Colton got up and closed the door. Without saying a word, he returned to his desk and took a seat, motioning at Hunter to do the same. Getting the point—staying out of the way—Hunter did exactly that.

  Though Layla glanced at Hunter, Fenwick didn’t spare him a glance.

  “What are you doing?” Layla asked, more quietly this time.

  “Doing what our police department won’t,” Fenwick said. “They know the identity of the Groom Killer. I want to make our citizens aware so their minds can be at ease. Maybe some of them will feel safe enough to resume their wedding plans.”

  “But they’re not safe,” the chief interjected. “Even if Demi turns out to be the killer, she’s still at large.”

  “Even if?” Fenwick glared at the other man. “I was informed this was cut-and-dried.”

  “Informed by whom?”

  Though Fenwick’s mouth tightened, he didn’t respond.

  Layla cleared her throat, breaking the tense silence. “You cannot go public with unconfirmed information,” she said. “You have a responsibility, not only to the citizens of Red Ridge, but to these hardworking police officers, to keep your silence until they’ve brought the right person to justice.”

  The mayor’s jaw tightened. “If not Demi, then who?”

  “We don’t know yet,” Chief Colton replied. “It’s entirely possible it might be someone else.”

  Fenwick swore. “This is ridiculous.”

  “Maybe.” Expression implacable, the police chief shrugged. “But don’t you agree it’s better to arrest the right person? How awful would it be if we arrested someone, say, Demi, and then another groom was murdered?”

  “Do your job,” Fenwick ordered. “This needs to end before half the hardworking people in our community go bankrupt.”

  When he turned to leave, he cast a disparaging look at Hunter before focusing on Layla. “Why aren’t you at the office?” Making a production of checking his watch, he shook his head. “You’re late.”

  Unsmiling, Layla faced her father. “No, I’m not. Didn’t you check your messages? I’m taking today—actually, the rest of the week—off. Maybe more. I’m finally using some of my vacation days.”

  “Vacation days?” He said the words as if she’d spoken a foreign language.

  “Yes. You know, those days away from the office that other people use to do fun things. Well, mine have been piling up, wasted. I decided the time had come to use some of them.”

  “We’ll discuss this later, in private.”

  “No, we won’t.” Layla crossed her arms. “This isn’t up for debate. I need a break and I’m taking one.”

  He shrugged. “That won’t last long. You’ll get bored.” Then, without waiting for her to answer, he swept out of the office, back to his entourage.

  Chief Colton, Hunter and Layla all watched him go in silence.

  “I’m sorry,” Layla began.

  “Don’t apologize for him,” the chief ordered. “You’re not responsible for what he does. Thank you for agreeing to come and help defuse what could have potentially been an awkward situation.”

 
Hunter cleared his throat. “Chief, we have another problem. Someone attempted to run Layla down last night. I know I should have called it in, but I did make my report.” He outlined most of the details, leaving out nothing except how he and Layla had spent the time after he’d gotten home from work.

  After listening, Chief Colton nodded. Hunter appreciated that his boss didn’t ask if he was certain the attempt had been deliberate rather than an accident. Since Hunter was a trained law enforcement officer, his observations could be taken as fact rather than conjecture.

  “Any idea why?” The chief directed his question to Layla.

  “To be honest, no.” She flushed, looking down at her hands before raising her chin and meeting his gaze. “Just like this thing with Mark Hatton. I have no idea why he’d say such a thing or where he got the photos I supposedly texted him.”

  “Had you ever seen those photos before? Do you know if someone took them?”

  “That’s just it. I think they were doctored. Even the video. I never posed for any of them.”

  Chief Colton nodded. He turned his attention to Hunter next. “What about you? Are you taking steps to make sure Layla stays safe?”

  Hunter suspected his boss already knew the answer to that, but he nodded anyway. “Yes, sir.”

  “Good. And Hunter, about that other lead in the Groom Killer case? I need you to work harder on that, before it’s too late. Understood?”

  “Understood.” Which meant it was time for him and Goose to pay a visit to Devlin Harrington. He just needed to come up with a viable reason.

  When they left the police station, Layla seemed preoccupied.

  “Where to?” Hunter asked. “I can take you back to my place or we can drive around, or maybe grab another cup of coffee.”

  “I think you should take me to get my car,” she said. “It’s still sitting across the street from Pizza Heaven.”

  He couldn’t believe he’d forgotten about her vehicle. “Right. You can park it at my place if you want.”

  She shot him a considering look. “You know, that might be a great idea. Especially since I’m going to stay there a couple more days.”