Forbidden Attraction: A Contemporary Romance Box Set

by K. C. Crowne

  I waited at the door until Martin walked up beside me. I reached for the doorknob and met his eyes. He nodded, and I whispered, counting to three. However, when I tugged on the door, it was jammed. Something must have been on the outside holding it closed. I rattled the handle and could tell a person wasn’t holding it. They had somehow barricaded the door from the outside.

  Oh shit. I stiffened, flashes of a case I’d worked years before running through my mind. I could still smell the scent of burned bodies in my nose. It was one of the worst scenes I’d ever come upon.

  I turned and ran for the front door, pulling on the handle, but it was also rigged to remain closed. I kicked at the door, but it didn’t budge, and I groaned in frustration. Martin walked forward, his eyebrows pulled together. He didn’t realize the perp had trapped us inside the house for a specific reason.

  I hurried to the coffee table and grabbed my phone, sticking it in my pocket. I looked back at Martin and shook my head again.

  “What’s going on?” he whispered. “Why are we locked inside?”

  I swallowed hard and looked into his eyes. “Fire,” I whispered. “The perp is trying to burn the house down with us inside.”

  “The windows are out,” he said, his eyes running over the entire cabin. Martin shook his head decisively. “I am not going out like that. Fuck that. Come with me.”

  He grabbed my hand and led me back toward the bathroom at the back corner of the house. He pointed at a window inside the bathroom that faced the woods. It was the perfect way to get out of the house and not walk right into gunfire or worse. I nodded at him and took a step forward, wincing at the sound of a window breaking in the kitchen. Martin raced out and peeked around the corner, running back down the hall.

  “The kitchen’s on fire,” he said, his voice deadly calm. “Come on. We have to get out of here now.”

  I nodded my head and followed him to the window. He tried to open it, but it had been nailed shut. He took off his sweatshirt and wrapped it around his fist and punched the glass, shattering it. He knocked the extra pieces off and threw the sweatshirt down.

  “You ready?”

  “Yes,” I said, noting the smoke filtering down the hallway.

  He cupped his hand, and I stepped into it, holding onto the sill as he pushed me up and out. I landed on my feet and moved to the side, dialing the fire department as I waited for him. He jumped out and crouched down next to me, his gun drawn.

  “This is Detective Cole of the SLCPD. Send a squad out to 430 Aspen Road. There’s a house fire.”

  I hung up the phone and looked at him, knowing it would take them a really long time to get out there. They wouldn’t be able to save the cottage. If we weren’t crouched down hiding from a rogue cop, I would have felt a lot worse about his grandmother’s cabin about to burn to the ground. I knew the place was special to him, and I knew that when everything was said and done, he would take the loss pretty hard.

  “We need to sneak around and see if we can see anyone,” he whispered.

  “We can’t just walk right out into the open,” I hissed. “This guy is trying to kill us.”

  Before I could say anything else, I heard a noise in the dark. I crouched and scooted past Martin, moving slowly toward the sound of rustling in the trees at the front of the house. I squinted into the dark, but I could barely see a thing. The reflection of the fire in the cabin danced across the yard, lighting up the woodpile in the front of the house.

  I looked back and forth, my heart beating so hard I could barely hear Martin scooting up behind me. I felt like I was pinned in, with no ability to look around. We were blind, and it was the most dangerous spot to be in.

  Suddenly a scream sounded from near where the woods met the yard. I pulled up my gun, looking right and left, scanning the area. I couldn’t see anything, but the screaming continued. The sound of the voice was so shrill, whoever it was, they were in pain.

  I turned and looked at Martin, who looked as bewildered as I felt. I shifted, aiming my gun into the woods, hearing the sound of crackling leaves under someone’s feet. I couldn’t see anything. I wanted to yell, but I didn’t want to give away our position. I could hear Martin breathing heavily, and my hands began to tremble.

  I scanned the woodpile and stopped, watching a man, dressed all in black, tumble from behind the stack. He was screeching loudly, an arrow sticking out of his calf. He writhed on the ground, groaning and grunting, grasping his leg. I stood up and aimed my gun, stepping out around the corner.

  “Police,” I yelled out. “Lopez, you out there?”

  “I’m here,” she yelled back.

  I moved fast over to the perp and knelt, my gun trained on him. I ran my hand over him, looking for a weapon. There was a gun shoved in the back of his pants, so I pulled it out and dismantled it. Then I looked at his wound the best I could in the dark. Who the fuck had a bow out there?

  I stood up, pointing my weapon at the perp. I saw Lopez run from the woods and onto the lawn. She ran over to the shed with Martin and grabbed the hose, pulling it up to the house and through the front door. Smoke billowed out of the door as they opened it, but I couldn’t see any of the flames. I remained on the lawn, gun trained on the perp, watching Lopez and Martin spraying down the flames in the kitchen. The perp on the ground groaned, so I shoved him with my foot.

  “Shut the fuck up, asshole. You’re lucky he didn’t get you in the balls.”

  After a few minutes, all that was left of the fire was smoke and steam. Martin and Lopez walked out of the house, soot on their faces, dragging the hose back out into the yard. They had gotten lucky. We all had.

  Martin was probably incredibly relieved, especially since the cabin was still standing. The last thing he needed after going through all that shit was to lose another part of his childhood.

  As soon as he was done with the hose, Martin hurried to me. I shoved the perp flat on the ground before rolling him over on his stomach and pulling his arms behind his back. Martin tossed me my cuffs, and I smiled, clamping them down on the perp’s wrists.

  He hissed through his teeth, squirming beneath me with an arrow still sticking out of his leg. I turned him back over and sat him up, pulling the black ski mask off his face. It was Avery, just like I had thought. He growled at me, and I chuckled, shaking my head.

  “You just can’t keep your shit together can you, Captain?”

  Martin grinned broadly. “A police captain, a dirty cop who beat a kid into a coma and tried to kill his own people. They’re going to fucking love you at Utah State Prison.”

  “Holy shit,” Lopez chuckled. “Yeah, and have fun kicking your cocaine habit cold turkey in the joint.”

  “Since when did you fuckers start using bows and arrows?” Avery groaned, ignoring the jibes.

  I looked across the woodpile as Joe, the neighbor, stepped out from the tree line, holding a compound hunting bow. He nodded at me and looked at Martin, who was staring at him. Martin stood up straight and saluted him, watching as he slowly blended back into the woods.

  “Fucking legendary,” Lopez breathed. “Martin, buddy, you have some real interesting friends.”

  Martin smiled, listening as the sirens blared, screaming up the driveway. I took a deep breath, knowing it was only the start of our night. I nodded at Lopez, who came over and pulled Avery up, supporting his weight as he limped forward.

  And now for all the paperwork in the universe. Things would get crazy before they got easier, but that was my job, and I was prepared to handle it. I was just happy the asshole was finally caught.

  Epilogue

  Rene

  Two weeks later, Martin and I had our first date, but it wasn’t a very traditional date. After preparing Jenny for meeting her father, we decided that dinner at my house was the best, most comfortable place for her. I asked her what she thought we should make, and she chose lasagna with bread and salad. I took her to the grocery store so she could help me pick out the ingredients.

  “
Noodles are over here,” I told her as I pushed the cart towards aisle five.

  “Mom, do you think lasagna is good enough?” she asked nervously.

  “Good enough for what?”

  “For dinner with my dad!” she huffed as if I were stupid.

  I chuckled at her theatrics. “Baby girl, he’ll love anything we make for him, I promise.”

  I reached for the large noodles, then moved down the aisle to get the sauce and canned tomatoes I liked to use. I could make homemade sauce but didn’t have the time this weekend. I’d been swamped at work with paperwork and everything that goes with solving a big case. Interviews with Avery and his lawyer as well as anyone that he named as possible accomplices. And he sang like a bird when asked if he knew of anyone else involved in any crimes, implicating at least three other officers in similar crimes in different departments and precincts.

  I’d been late almost every night, and I’d had to work Saturday morning for a couple hours, so homemade sauce wasn’t an option. However, not one person had ever complained about my lasagna, homemade or not.

  “I think maybe we should have steaks or something,” Jenny commented as we turned onto the spice aisle.

  “You know I’m not so good at the grill,” I reminded her. “Charred remains of a cow isn’t my idea of a good dinner.”

  She giggled and said, “Okay. You’re right. Your lasagna is really good.”

  “Thanks.” She fell quiet again as we continued to the meat department, and I finally asked her, “Jenny, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

  She shrugged, one of her new, I’m-almost-a-teenager moves, and said, “I don’t know.”

  “Yes you do.”

  She sighed loudly and said, “I’m just nervous, okay?”

  “Of course, that’s okay,” I assured her. “But you know, I talked to Martin earlier today, and he’s really nervous too.”

  “He is?” she asked brightly, her eyes shining.

  “Yes!” I exclaimed. “He kept asking me questions about you to make sure he makes a good impression.”

  “But that’s dumb,” she said, though she was smiling. “I’m not scary.”

  “Well, you can be first thing in the morning,” I teased, adding, “With your monster breath and Medusa hair.”

  “Mom!” she cried quietly, looking around to make sure no one heard.

  I laughed and said, “C’mon, we just need the bread and the salad, then we can head home.”

  “I gotta decide what to wear,” she said seriously, and I just smiled as I thought the same thing.

  At home, we unloaded the car and I began the preparations for dinner while Jenny disappeared in her room. She brought out four outfits, holding each up in front of her, asking which one she should wear. I’d never seen her so nervous, not even when she changed schools and had to pick an outfit for first day. She finally settled on a pair of black jeans and a long-sleeve red shirt with matching red Converse. Then she tromped into my room to choose my outfit for me.

  I followed her in while the lasagna was baking and said, “You know I can choose my own outfit, right?”

  “You’ll pick something that looks like a cop,” she grumbled from inside my closet.

  “Excuse me?”

  She poked her head out and said, “I’d bet my dinner you were gonna choose your khakis and a button up.” When I didn’t answer right away, because she was almost exactly right about my outfit choice, she nodded her head and said, “That’s what I thought.” She disappeared in the closet and I listened to her rummaging around.

  “I was thinking we could dress alike, you know, like twins,” I suggested as I began pulling my clothes off to hop in the shower.

  “You are so weird,” she yelled as I turned on the shower. “Just take your shower. I’ll put your clothes on the bed.”

  “Yes, dear,” I said, my voice filled with sarcasm.

  I showered quickly after glancing at the clock. We had another hour before he arrived, and I still had to cut up the veggies for the salad. I rushed through my shower and dried my hair before stepping into the bedroom. On the bed was a summer dress, which was totally inappropriate for the week before Halloween, but it was pretty. I stared at it, deciding I could wear it with a sweater over it. I didn’t want to disappoint Jenny, and Martin would certainly like the dress.

  Jenny stepped into the bedroom just as I pulled my hair back in a ponytail. “The dress looks good, but you should wear your hair down.”

  “Thank you for the advice, but I still have to cut up veggies,” I told her. “I don’t want to get hair in the salad.”

  “That would be gross.”

  We went to the kitchen together, and she helped with the salad. I checked the lasagna, which was almost done, so I popped the bread in beside it so could eat as soon as he arrived. I figured they would do better with food as a buffer. Jenny was pacing and talking at a rapid pace, her words unclear in her haste. When the doorbell rang, she froze for about three seconds, then ran to the front door yelling, “I got it.”

  I followed her at a slower pace so she could answer the door. Martin looked incredibly handsome, smiling down at her as if she were a magical being. He held out a bouquet of flowers to her as he said, “Hi, Jenny.”

  “Hi,” she murmured quietly as she accepted the flowers.

  “Hi, Martin,” I said behind her. “What don’t you come in?”

  He held out flowers to me as well, smiling with so much happiness I thought his cheeks might hurt. “I thought you might like flowers too.”

  “Thank you,” I said, enchanted by his sweet gesture. “Let’s go back to the kitchen and find a vase.”

  Jenny found her voice while we were setting the table, the flowers at one end in a vase so they didn’t interrupt our conversation. She asked a million questions and listened to all his answers, and he asked her questions as well. I watched them, realizing how much alike they were even though she’d grown up without him around. They had similar smiles, and their hair was the exact same shade.

  This had gone so much better than I could have ever dreamed. He was completely in love with her, and she thought he was a great guy, I could tell. And when it was time for Jenny to go to bed, she hugged him good night before going down the hall to her room.

  “You’ll come back, right?” she asked quietly, as if she were afraid he might say no.

  “Anytime you want me to,” he promised. “If it’s okay with your mom, you can have my phone number and can call me whenever you want.”

  She glanced at me, and I said, “I’ll give it to you in the morning.”

  She hugged me tightly and said, “Good night, Mom. Love you.”

  “Love you baby.”

  “Bye, Martin.” She headed for her bedroom but stopped and turned around. “If it’s okay, can I text you tomorrow?”

  “I’d like that,” he said, glancing at me.

  She scampered down the hall and disappeared, happier than I’d seen her in a while. I smiled at Martin and asked, “Would you like a glass of wine before you go?”

  “That’d be great.” He followed me into the kitchen and asked, “Do you think she liked me?”

  “Oh yeah,” I said as I reached into the cabinet for two glasses. “Wanna grab the bottle out of the fridge?”

  He grabbed it, uncorked it, and poured. After handing me a glass and taking a sip, he asked, “Do you think she’ll text me?”

  I giggled and said, “First of all, you sound like an eighth grader.” I laughed loudly at the perplexed look on his face. “And secondly, you’re gonna regret giving her your number. She’ll text you forever and ever about nothing.”

  “I’d love that,” he said, a big grin on his face. “She’s fantastic, Rene. She’s so smart and pretty and funny. She amazing.” He looked seriously at me. “You did a great job raising her.”

  I blushed and sipped my wine to cover it. “Thank you.”

  “I can’t wait to get to know her,” he said, then stepped closer and put
his hands on my waist. “I hope you’ll let me get to know you better too.”

  “I was hoping you wanted to know both of us,” I teased as I set my glass on the counter and put my arms around his neck.

  “I want to know you and her and be a part of both of your lives, if you’ll let me.”

  He kissed my lips gently, almost chastely. I wanted more, I could tell he did too, but my rule, which I’d made clear to him, was that he couldn’t spend the night if she was home.

  “I am so glad you were assigned to my case,” he murmured, smiling. “Not at first, but I know you would have worked your ass off to find the truth, regardless of our past. I’m grateful to you.”

  “I’m just glad you weren’t guilty,” I told him. “I kinda want to see you in handcuffs, but not like that.”

  He groaned loudly. “You’re killin’ me. I hate your rule, but I’m not gonna ask you to break it.”

  “She has a sleepover next weekend,” I said, wiggling my eyebrows at him. “We could have the whole night together.”

  “And now that I’m back on the force, we can sneak away for a long lunch here and there,” he added, biting his lip and making me want to.

  “Can’t wait!”

  Book Two - Big Bad Boss

  Falling for my brother's best friend...

  And now my boss? Not wise.

  I was already burned by Nick once.

  But things get complicated when he pops the question...

  Nick

  She says we're history.

  But the alluring look in her eyes tell a different story.

  This time I have plans to make her my blushing bride to be.