“Thank you.”
“Will you not be pissed off at me now?”
She smiled. “I’m sorry I yelled at you.”
“Yeah, you may want to put that on a recording for the future. Just hit Play time and time again.”
She did that half-giggle thing and completely charmed him. “I have something else to ask you.”
Uh-oh. “What?”
She must have sensed his wariness, because she shifted her weight, looked at the floor, and began to babble. “Actually, it’s not a big deal, and you’re probably working anyway, and my friends kinda pressured me, so you can just say no.”
He grinned. “Might want to tell me what it is first I’m saying no to.”
“Oh! Umm . . . so . . . remember the bachelorette party? Kate’s getting married this Saturday at Bear Mountain, and everyone has dates, so I figured maybe you’d want to go with me. But you don’t have to.”
“You want me to go to a wedding with you?” He couldn’t help the surprise from leaking out. Weddings were a big deal, meeting friends and family. Getting dressed up. Putting on your best behavior for strangers. Hell, he couldn’t remember the last time he attended a formal function. He had one good suit, and it would need to be dry-cleaned.
But the idea that he wasn’t her dirty little secret was kind of nice.
“Only if you wanted to go,” she volleyed back.
“Do you just need a date? Or do you want me to go?” He only pushed her to clarify because she looked so adorable, hating having to ask him and looking nervous about his answer. Like she gave a crap. Warmth settled in his gut, and a pleasant feeling flowed in his veins.
She gave a frustrated humph. “I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t want you to go. But I don’t want you to go unless you want to go.”
“You want me to want to go?”
“Yes!”
He couldn’t help it. A hearty laugh escaped his lips. “I’d love to go to the wedding with you, little one. Thanks for asking.”
She peered at him with suspicion. “You really want to go?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t you have to work?”
“I can take the day off. What time is the wedding?”
“Two p.m.”
“One of the guys will cover for me.”
“Oh, okay. Great.” She chewed on her lip. “Are you sure you want to go?”
He shook his head. “I knew from the beginning you were high maintenance.”
“I’m not! I flow!”
He reached out to tug at her ponytail. “Sure you do.”
She growled and stomped around him. “I’m going to the horse farm. Class dismissed.”
His laughter echoed in the fall air, drifting down the path after her.
Stone couldn’t remember a time in his life he’d had more fun with a woman.
fourteen
DEVINE, YOU GOTTA take the dog.”
His partner snorted and refused to break his stride. He poured some disgusting dregs of what they called coffee into a stained mug, tossed in some sugar, and moved toward his desk. “No fucking way, man. I’m allergic.”
Stone rolled his eyes at the outright lie. Propping a hip on the battered metal desk, he blocked the stacks of paperwork they were both battling through. “Bullshit. It’s only for two weeks. She’s so small, you won’t even know she’s there.”
“Good, so you take her. I don’t like foo-foo dogs, anyway.”
“Besides her ridiculous name, she’s cool. Been abused. Fighting her way back. Isn’t that a story you want to star in as the hero?”
“No. Now get off my desk so I can finish this by midnight and not turn into a pumpkin. I hate paperwork. Can you get me a donut and an iced latte?”
“If you take Pinky.”
“Forget it. Hey, Dunn! Get me a pumpkin donut and an iced latte, and I’ll owe you!”
“You gotta do my police report, too,” Tim called back from his own desk of hell.
“Fuck you! I don’t know the details.”
“Then fuck your pumpkin donut, Devine!”
“Fine. Give it to me. But you gotta buy, too.”
Tim smirked, knowing he got the better deal. Dropping more papers on Devine’s desk, he headed out the station door.
Rookie Patterson came in from his shift. Features tight with annoyance, he walked stiffly to his desk. Stone took a whiff of the air and recoiled. “What the hell is that smell?”
Patterson glared. “I’m sure you think the locker thing was funny, but I had cologne in there. When you turned it over, the bottle opened and spilled all over my damn spare uniform. I didn’t have time to go and change.”
“Dude, what the hell you need cologne for anyway?” Devine asked.