In His Bed(13)
He typed in Lea’s name and texted. Hey, what are you doing? He strapped into his seat belt and waited.
A few seconds later, she responded. Just got home. You still at work? Catch any bad guys today?
Colin felt his heart flutter. Yes, like a Goddamn girl, the muscle did the hummingbird shit right in the center of his chest. Headed home. Is it alright if my partner comes over to swim? And yes, I caught a bad guy today, smartass. He waited. And waited. Shit, maybe he’d pissed her off.
The phone dinged and he let out a breath. You don’t have to ask my permission. This is your home, too. I’ll make myself scarce while the testosterone runs high. LOL .Good job catching the bad guy.
By the time he got home, Lea had made good on her promise. As he walked through the rooms, he unfastened the buttons on his shirt, thankful when the cool hit of the air conditioning seeped past his undershirt. He untucked the white T-shirt and started for the kitchen. The sound of a tinkling laugh echoed through the dining room. His stomach tightened with excitement.
When he peeked into the office, he found the source of the sweet sound. “Come on, silly, you can’t just sit there.” Charlie sat firmly on what appeared to be a stuffed rabbit. “Geeze, you’re supposed to chase it not suffocate it!”
“Hey,” he said, walking into the room and hoping like hell she wouldn’t mind the interruption.
She spun around in the leather chair. “Oh, you’re home. And... In your outfit.”
He dipped his chin and smirked. “It’s not an outfit. It’s a standard issue uniform. Just tell me I’m hot in it and we’ll call it a day.” When her soft pink lips gaped, he took the chance to tease her some more. “You know, I’ve been told a woman can’t resist a man in a police uniform. I got the proof to back it up.”
Her lips turned up into a snarky grin. “I imagine some women would trip over their tongues to run after you.”
Some women? Bullshit. Try every woman. The last several weeks had been spent in easy company. He hadn’t pushed the issue when she’d turned him down for dinner. He chucked it up to chipping away at the wall she’d built.
She spun around in the chair and scooted close to the desk. “What time is your friend coming?”
He’d never had a woman treat him with total dismissal. He had to admit the punch to the ego wasn’t pleasant. “In an hour or so. You know you don’t have to hide when he gets here. It’s just Hernandez, my new partner. He’ll have to get home to his wife and new baby daughter so he won’t stay late.”
She typed something on the computer and the screen loaded a picture of Charlie with a cone birthday hat on her head. “Hey, what days do you and mom go to yoga class?” He’d make sure to show up, give her a sight of some eye candy she couldn’t refuse. He wasn’t above using a little seduction to play the game.
She turned the chair and reorganized a stack of papers—for the third time. “On Mondays we go to hot yoga and try to make a toning class on Wednesdays, but usually just end up at Cup of Joe. It doesn’t help when we hit the frozen yogurt place on the way home. I’ll blame the debauchery on Rachel, but your mom doesn’t help when she adds a scone to the order. It’s always her idea. Why?”
Yogurt or not, the way her curves swayed every time she moved made him happy for the frozen treat after class. “I need to join a gym. Maybe I should come by where you work out.” Her cheeks flushed before her gazed darted anywhere but on him. “Listen, I’m being serious, don’t hide in here because of us. How about you take a swim and be lazy with us.” Damn he wanted to see the landscape of her creamy skin exposed while she ran around in a skimpy swimsuit.
When she peered up, her hands stilled on the papers. The warmth of her mahogany colored eyes intensified when she said, with conviction, “You guys don’t need a chaperone. I’ve got some laundry piling up. I’ll be busy for hours.”
Chaperone? Damn if she thought about calling him out on his age. He needed to set her straight— right the hell now. He took two steps to reach her chair and spun her so her knees were dead center at his legs. Her startled expression almost made him feel guilty, but after their cordial passings around the house, his dick was ready to set off like a firework.
“You are not my chaperone. You’re a beautiful woman with class and style. You’re caring and... Goddamn you have a great ass.” Shit. Foot in mouth asshole.
When he leaned in she tried to scoot the chair back, but he held on tight, pinned like prey in an erotic trap. Would she slap him? Kick him in the nuts? Fuck if he knew, but what did he have to lose?