If ever there was a time to squirm in her panties, the time had come. Could she actually be his goal? Her rational thoughts hoped to hell not, but the other part of her brain—the primal part—desired being his goal. The deep timbre of his voice made her core pulse, leaving her thighs desperate to hold his lean waist between them.
Stay out of trouble, Lea.
“That’s admirable.” Maybe she read too much into his statement, maybe it was innocent. Neither of them could be so naive and the statement didn’t feel so guiltless.
They finished dinner sharing college stories, aspirations for their futures, and a few exciting moments in Colin’s months on the force up north. The way his expression lit up revealed the passion he felt for his job. Now, if she could stop fantasizing about him in his uniform.
“Ready for the movie?” he asked and slipped her plate on top of his. “I’ll clean up before we go to bed. I mean you go to bed and I go to bed...in separate rooms.”
She grinned at his sincere effort to differentiate between the meanings. “I’ll help. This is a two-man job.”
“Sounds fair,” he said.
She followed him into the house and they made their way into the living room. Taking a seat on one end of the couch, she let Charlie hop up and get comfortable. Colin started the movie. Instead of sitting on the other end of the couch or the oversized chair, he got comfortable in the middle of the couch with Charlie nestled between them.
They watched the first movie, taking a popcorn break and following the action video with the romantic one. Thankful Colin kept a comfortable distance, the urge to fight her body’s constant humming to his presence had grown exhausting, keeping her thoughts harmless, debilitating. They ended the evening with good nights and parted at their own bedrooms doors.
She had to make an unspoken promise, sacred even though it meant giving up the dark possession holding her body hostage. She would not betray her best friend by sleeping with her son.
CHAPTER THREE
Getting to know Lea, stealing a moment alone, proved to be impossible when she was either on her way to a weird yoga class or pacing in her office. The weeks had flown by in a haze between starting on the new force, getting everything moved in, and trying like hell to catch a glimpse of his sexy landlady in her panties.
He closed his eyes and soaked in the image of Lea leaning over the toaster this morning, waiting for a frozen waffle to pop up. When he entered the kitchen and said, “Good morning,” she quickly straightened and tugged on the bottom of her robe. Apparently, she’d thought the short robe would cover the ample globes of her ass, but she was so wrong—and his dick had been grateful.
Colin checked the clock on the wall in the station. “You ready to head out, marshal?” his new partner, Hernandez, said as he walked by and smacked Colin on the shoulder. “You know, for a rookie, you’re not bad. I like the way you shook down the asshole who hit his wife. It gets kind of fucked up out here, but the perps are entertaining.”
Colin liked his new partner. Three days on the beat and they were already in sync. “For sure,” he said and folded the manila folder to leave on the lieutenant’s desk. “It’s still hot as hell out here,” he commented as they walked to the parking lot beside the precinct. “My landlady has a pool. Want to come by and have a beer? We’re the big green Victorian on Franklin.”
Hernandez nodded. “Sounds just like what I need. Is your landlady hot? Have you banged that yet? My wife’s got this skimpy police uniform she wears for me. Damn, the woman brings me to my knees. Maybe you could have your landlady wear—wait, is she like an old landlady, cigarette hanging out of her mouth, wears one of those snap-up dresses that looks a pair of curtains?”
Colin thought of Lea waiting at home wearing a tight little cop costume. He wanted to pull on the collar of his shirt. Shit, his blood was on fire. “Hot curvy number. She’s the sexiest woman on the planet, drives me insane. No curtain pajamas for this landlady.”
Hernandez stopped between their trucks. “My wife’s got a fine ass. Damn, I love a thick woman. Listen, man, let me check with Sophia. I can be there in an hour.”
“Cool,” Colin said and unlocked his truck to slide inside. Would Lea be home when he got there? She’d mentioned something about heading into the newspaper office, but she’d be home tonight. He hadn’t mentioned having someone over. All he could do was text her and hope she’d be okay with his plans.
He scrolled through the text messages on his phone. His mom had texted several times asking about his day, when he was coming over for dinner and trying to entice him with a girl she wanted him to meet. He ignored the last one and returned a message. Day went well. My partner is cool. Can come this Sunday for dinner. Luv you.