by J. L. Drake
“Yeah,” I whispered as I quickly walked upstairs to my room. I ran a hot bubble bath and undressed, pulling my hair up out of the water’s reach. I dimmed the lights and slipped into my deep, claw-foot tub. The water instantly soothed my tense muscles.
I reached over for the remote and turned on some soothing music. Lying back, I closed my eyes and breathed in the light scent of jasmine. My day was running through my mind when I heard a soft knock. I looked over and saw Seth, his arms up and his hands hooked on the top door frame. I leaned my head back, not saying anything.
“Can I talk to you?” he said quietly. I didn’t move. He went on. “It’s about the guy who attacked you.” My stomach sank. I had hoped he was going to talk about us.
“He’s…”
“…still watching me,” I finished for him. He came closer, looking confused. “My purse,” I said, pointing at the bathroom counter.
He picked it up, opened it, and pulled out the little white note.
“When did you get this?” he snapped.
I looked back at the wall. “Tonight. It was on the windshield of my car.”
He read it again. “Were you going to tell me?”
I wanted to.
“You haven’t been talking much,” I said.
He looked at me, hurt. Then his face changed back to his stern ‘Officer Connors’ persona. “I need to call Garrett.”
I nodded. “Yup.”
He pulled out his phone. “Does this not scare you, Em?”
Yes, more than anything, but when I talked to him about it, I felt like an ice cube. It was like I had pushed all the pain and fear in a box and tucked it neatly away in the back of my brain where everything was filed just so.
“What do you think is making him angry?” he asked, staring at the note and then at me.
Oh! It just hit me. First Jacob at the beach was flirting with me, and now… “Scott,” I whispered.
Seth’s eyes narrowed. “The guy you were with this morning?”
“Yes,” I answered, but I was lost in my thoughts. This crazy guy must have thought Scott liked me. Did that mean Scott was a target too? I shuddered.
“Emily, why Scott?” Seth looked like he wanted to shake me.
“Because we’ve been hanging out a bit. Maybe he thinks we’re dating?” Seth’s jaw flexed, but he quickly recovered.
“I see.” He closed his eyes. “Come on, Garrett!” He ended the call and tried it again. “Why do you have to be so goddamned stubborn, Em?” He held up the note. “You should’ve called me the moment you got this. I would have come for you. This is a big deal!” He closed his eyes. “I get that you had a hard upbringing with your mother…and I know you lost your father early, but you need to let people in. Let us help you. You can’t do everything by yourself. You could get killed!” He quickly turned. “Finally, Garrett! She got a note.” He walked angrily out of the bathroom.
His words stung. I didn’t need to hear him yell at Garrett about me. I slid down in the tub until my head was under the water. I could only hear my heartbeat.
I wasn’t going to deal with this tonight, so I went to bed after my bath, though it took a long time to fall asleep.
I left early the next morning. I didn’t want to run into Seth. I was doing well in my classes, and I enjoyed them when I could focus. My friendship with Scott seemed to be growing nicely. That made me a little nervous, but I couldn’t tell him why.
I decided to invite some of our friends back to my place for a party to kick off the end of the first week of school. Erin came over early and helped me get ready. By eight that evening, people started arriving. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. Scott was talking to me and flirting a bit. We sat at the patio table with Erin and her boyfriend Alex and some other people.
“Officers,” I heard one guy say, nodding politely. Seth was staring at me. He and Garrett both had on jeans and black Orange Police Department t-shirts. I ignored him and kept talking to the people at the table. After a little while, I noticed people’s drinks were getting low.
“I’ll go get us some more beers,” I said. I needed a break from Scott, who had become increasingly flirty since the guys’ arrival. Seth was leaning against the counter and talking to a girl who had arrived with some of Alex’s friends earlier. I reached into the fridge and grabbed a few beers.
Scott came in and took one from me. “Thanks, hon.” He never called me hon. I was sure he was only doing it because Seth was staring at me. Scott took my hand possessively. “Come on.” He led me back outside.
Erin pulled a quarter out of her pocket and stood up at the table. “All right, folks, here’s what we’re gonna do.” She poured us all a shot of rum. “All you’ve got to do is bounce this quarter into your cup, and the person to your right takes their shot. If you miss, you drink yours.”
She slid the coin to Alex. He missed and happily grabbed his shot. He passed the quarter to me, I bounced it, and it went in. Scott laughed at me and took his shot.
I leaned in close to him. “Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you I’m awesome.”
Erin burst out laughing, and I followed suit. Erin filled Scott’s shot glass to let him take his turn. The quarter made it in. Lauren, the girl next to him, took her shot. She bounced hers in, too. Brad took his shot and then missed. He took another drink. Erin got hers in. “Sorry, honey,” she said to Alex.
This continued for three more rounds. Alex didn’t get his quarter in one time, and I wondered if he were missing on purpose. At the end of the game, Erin and I high-fived. We had both played this game many times and had practiced so we could beat the guys.
Garrett was talking to a few people, clearly enjoying himself. Seth came out and joined him after a bit. He had changed into a black dress shirt that wasn’t buttoned up all the way and a pair of shorts. His sleeves were rolled up to the elbows. He looked ridiculously good, although I pretended not to notice. Mindy, the girl he’d been talking to, followed him around like a shadow.
***
Seth
I sipped my beer, watching Emily in what could only be described as the world’s sexiest dress. Her hair brushed her breasts. The way she flipped it away from her face made the air smell like her strawberry shampoo. It was damned intoxicating.
I was beyond frustrated that I couldn’t go over and wrap my arms around her. She deserved someone who would treat her right and love her wholeheartedly, not some arrogant ass who couldn’t wait to get her behind closed doors. I glanced over at Scott and bit my tongue hard. Case in point.
Sarge’s words kept running through my head. It’s easier to protect someone when there aren’t feelings to get in the way. My heart ached for Emily. I wished I could tell her how I felt, but I knew she wouldn’t understand. I knew I was hurting her by pushing her away, but what else could I do?
I gritted my teeth as I watched Scott shifting closer to her. My grip on my bottle tightened till my knuckles went white. Garrett bumped his beer to mine as he walked past, heading over to Emily’s table. I let out a sigh, knowing my partner would make his presence known soon.
***
Emily
I smiled as Garrett sat down next to me, clicking his beer to mine. I knew what he was doing, and I welcomed it. He was watching out for me and being a loyal friend to Seth.
I felt someone wrap his arms around my neck and give me a kiss on the cheek. “Pete!” I cried out, delighted. Pete had been one of my best friends for a long time; I was the first person he came out to when he realized he was gay.
“Hello, love.”
I kissed him back. “Hey, hon.” Pete glanced around, looking oh-so-good in jeans that hung off his hips and an open dress shirt that showed off his perfect stomach. It was always sad to see the disappointment on women’s faces when they discovered he preferred men, although he did like to toy with the women first. Pete loved attention no matter where it came from.
“Where’s your sexy roommate?” he whispered in my ear. I laughed. Pete loved
that I hung out with good-looking men. He claimed that was why he was still friends with me.
“He’s talking to a chick over there.” I tilted my head.
Pete put his hand on his chest very dramatically. “He let you be ten feet away from him?”
I smiled. “No, no, he sent my other body guard.” I put my arm over Garrett. The guys were known for being pretty protective of me, especially when we were out.
Pete returned my smile. “Oh, of course. Good evening, Officer O’Brian,” he said seductively.
Garrett raised his drink to him.
Scott was looking at me funny. “Seth and Garrett live with you?”
“Nope, just Seth,” Garrett interrupted with a hint of joy in his voice. I shot him a look, but I was really happy he’d said it.
“Whatever, Garrett, you basically live here, too.” Erin grinned, listening in on our conversation.
Pete looked down at my dress. “Oh my God! I love your Prada!” He made me stand up, checking me out. “Damn, girl!”
I blushed, looking down at my black dress. Pete leaned close to my ear. “If this doesn’t get his attention, I don’t know what will.” He shot his eyes over at Seth, who was watching us. Then he sat down in my chair and pulled me onto his lap. I wrapped my arm around his shoulders, crossing my legs. “Sigh, if only you were Kevin Bacon,” he teased me.
“With an ass like his, me, too.” I laughed.
Scott leaned over. “For what it’s worth, I like your ass.”
I blushed as Garrett snickered under his breath.
I turned to Garrett. “Are you implying I don’t have a nice ass?” I called out to him, smiling and waiting for an answer. When it didn’t come, I kicked him in the leg to prompt him.
He laughed. “That’s a Seth answer.”
Erin’s eyes glowed with an idea. “That’s true. Hey, Seth?” I shot her a look of death. Seth came wandering over.
“Yeah?”
I looked down at the table, waiting for this embarrassing show to be over.
“Garrett thought you should answer a question for him.” I looked at Pete and shook my head. Seth looked confused. Erin moved to his side.
“You think Emily has a nice ass, right? ‘Cause apparently Scott thinks so.” I wanted to die. I glanced up at Seth after a moment, feeling all eyes on us.
He gazed back at me steadily. “She knows the answer to that.”
Okay, by then I was sure I was blushing all over because I was thinking about our kitchen encounter the other day.
Erin let out a laugh. “That’s what I thought. Why don’t you join us?” Erin had always wanted me and Seth to get together, and she was nervous about Scott getting in the way.
Pete turned to me. “All right, my love, I need to go mingle and get myself something to drink.” I stood up, and he checked me out again. “Love the dress, love the shoes, and love the ass.” He winked and left.
Seth sat down at the table across from me. I felt Scott slide his arm around my chair again. Mindy came and sat down next to Seth.
“Are you working tomorrow?” she asked him. He shook his head.
“I was thinking maybe we could meet at Huntington Beach?” Seth’s glance shot to me. She followed his line of sight. “Maybe we all could go,” she said, shrugging and looking at everyone at the table.
Scott turned to me. “That would be fun.”
I felt a punch to my stomach. The last time I had gone to Huntington Beach, things hadn’t ended so well. I looked at the guys, then back at the table. My panic was rising by the moment.
Seth spoke up. “Why don’t we do it here at this beach?” he said, pointing his bottle toward the open ocean.
Mindy’s face lit up. “Perfect!”
I let out a sigh.
“Let’s meet up at noon?” Erin suggested. Everyone agreed.
People started leaving around 2:30 a.m. Erin and Alex stayed in one of the guest rooms, Garrett took the other, and Pete took the couch. I went out on the patio and started cleaning up the bottles when I saw Mindy and Seth still talking at the table. Seth looked up.
“Oh, sorry,” I murmured, feeling my stomach sink further. I turned around to see Scott standing in the doorway. He walked over to me and kissed me on my closed lips. I felt a shock run through me. He moved away and smiled. I forced a nervous smile back. What the hell was that?
“I’m going to crash on your patio swing. That cool?”
I nodded and stood there stunned as he walked away. I felt so many things, but mainly what was going through my mind was that Scott was not the guy I wanted to kiss me.
I heard Mindy saying goodnight to Seth and saw their reflection in the window. He side-hugged her, and she looked a bit disappointed.
“See you tomorrow,” she called out to me.
“Bye.”
I went back to cleaning up the bottles. Seth came up to my side, helping me collect the red cups.
“You okay?”
“Always.” I walked inside, dumping trash in the waste bin. Pete was passed out cold on the couch, his arm tossed over his chest. I tugged a blanket out from under his feet and draped it over him. I started upstairs with Seth close behind me.
I headed over to my dresser and pulled out a long top. Seth came in and closed the door behind him. I slipped off my heels and was reaching for the zipper on my dress when I felt Seth’s hand clasp mine, moving it out of the way. His other hand swept my hair up off my neck, holding it off to the side. His hips pushed into my lower back as his lips hovered just above my shoulder.
My neck pulsed as the warmth of his breath traveled down to my chest, making me forget everything. I felt the tug and drag of the zipper as he slowly brought it down. My entire body hummed with desire. I fought the urge to step back and press into him. I didn’t know what he was thinking, but I didn’t want him to stop, either. His hands slid inside the dress and peeled it off my shoulders and down my hips. Then he let go, allowing it to fall to the floor. He offered a hand as I stepped out of the dress, but he didn’t let go as he spun me around to look at him. His expression was unreadable.
I shook my head. “Seth, you’re only here because Scott kissed me.”
I slid my hand out of his, grabbing my tank top and pulling it on as I headed to the door and opened it. I stood waiting for him to leave. His jaw flexed as his eyes darkened. He quickly crossed the room, raising his hand above my head and closing the door. His hand dropped. He entwined his fingers in my hair and pulled gently so I’d look at him.
“You’re wrong,” he whispered. He leaned in, staring into my eyes, waiting to see if I was with him. I glanced down at his mouth and licked my lips. My breathing was heavy.
He growled as he lunged into the kiss. My legs went weak as he took over my body. He pushed me against the door. His hands slid down my shirt to my bare legs and back up under it. I had no willpower when it came to him.
I made quick work of his shirt, pulling off one shoulder at a time as I used his solid body to stabilize myself. He grabbed one of my legs and pulled it to his hip. He pushed his body hard into mine.
He started a trail of kisses down my neck to my collarbone. My nails ran down the length of his back, and I heard him moan into my shoulder. His hand slid down my thigh, grabbing my behind.
“I do love your ass,” he grunted. His eyes closed as if he were trying to control himself. My stomach flipped as my body reacted to his. He wrapped his arms around me, lifting me up. “Wrap your legs around me, baby.”
I did, and he carried me over to my bed and set me down gently. I shifted back as he pushed himself between my legs, placing some of his weight on me. He leaned the rest of his weight on one hand, the other running along my side.
I arched my back, pressing myself into him, wanting him to be closer. There was a flicker in his eyes as he dove back down for another passionate kiss. I squeaked as his tongue forced itself against mine. He smelled good, like a mix of spice and alcohol. His tongue matched the actions of his hips, s
ending me over the edge.
Then I felt his body go stiff. He pulled away, closing his eyes again. He reached into his pocket for his phone and his jaw tightened. “Shit,” he huffed. Then his gaze dropped down to mine. “I have to go.” He ran his hand through his messy blond hair. “I’m sorry, Em,” he groaned. He shook his head, standing up and looking for his t-shirt. “I shouldn’t have—I mean—” He stopped himself. “There are some things we need to discuss—”
It felt like a rubber band had snapped me in the heart. I actually rubbed my skin to ease the pain. I rolled onto my side and stumbled to a standing position. “Your mind games are enough to drive somebody nuts, Seth.” Jesus! He was killing me.
He came up to me. “It’s not what you think.”
I moved away from his touch.
His phone buzzed again.
“You have to go, remember?” I reminded him in a hurt voice. His face looked torn as he moved past me, leaving me to pick myself back up.
***
Seth
I pulled on my shirt and walked to my bedroom where Garrett was waiting. “This better be good.” I scratched the back of my neck and let go of my sexual frustrations.
Garrett was sitting on the side of the dresser. He looked stressed out. “Riggs just texted me. They found the truck driver. He was up north. They are bringing him in, but apparently he didn’t report it because someone followed him to his rest spot, slashed his tires, killed his dog, and left it to bleed out in the passenger’s seat.”
I shook my head. “Jesus Christ, now he’s really going to talk!” This was getting dangerous, fast. I needed to keep clear-headed.
“Have you spoken to her about coming in? About how important it is that she tells us everything?”
“No, but I will.” I let out an unsteady breath. This was going to be hard. I hated to make her relive such a traumatic experience, but if it was this guy who did that to the trucker, we could have a real psychopath on our hands. Who knew what else he might be capable of?
***