That was so not going to happen. I shook my head. “Nuh-uh.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “Leave through the front of the building with her. Have her drive you home. There will be an unmarked officer behind you. He’s going to be staked out by your place all night.”
“What!” I shrieked, except it wasn’t really a shriek because I was so tired my voice had turned hoarse.
“Dom saw you. He already has you connected with me.” He ran a hand over his head, sliding the cap back so a few wayward dark-blond strands stuck out of the front, falling over his forehead. “Fuck. I didn’t want you involved in this. I can’t be with you tonight, but I’m going to make sure you’re safe.”
“Where will you be?” I asked, rubbing my arms against the sudden chill I felt.
“Working.”
“I wish you were some grocery bagger at the supermarket,” I muttered.
He laughed, but then he turned sober. “I wouldn’t blame you if you decided this was too much. That I was too much.”
“I haven’t seen near enough of you to have my fill yet.”
“So what’s your limit? How big of an appetite do you have?” he asked, arching a brow.
Our conversation was playful, but underneath, I knew what he was really asking. I knew what he wanted to know but wasn’t so sure how to ask. It made me wonder how many women had gotten a taste of life with a cop and ran the other way.
“I’m not going anywhere, Blue,” I whispered. “It seems when it comes to you, I don’t have a limit.”
“Is that so?” Heat penetrated his eyes.
I nodded. “You’ve never called, you stood me up, you ‘broke’ into my house, and you’re hardly ever around…” He frowned at his impressive list of flaws. “But I can’t quit you.”
“You strapped a pink cape around my neck, come up with the most ridiculous plans I’ve ever heard, have managed to drag yourself into a drug war, but I can’t quit you either.”
I smiled and wrapped my arms around his waist, pressing my cheek against his chest. “Think we’ll change our minds when we have more time together?”
“No.”
I didn’t think so either.
I enjoyed the feel of him against me before I got back to the matter at hand. “My car is still at the salon.”
“Leave it. Someone can take you over there tomorrow in broad daylight to get it.” When I didn’t argue, he said, “You have keys to the salon?”
“Yes.”
“Can I have them?”
“They’re in my bag. In that room.” I was going to have to throw away that perfectly nice handbag. It spent too much time in Potty John’s room to ever be usable again.”
“Call Dee,” he said, pulling me back, placing his hands on my shoulders and looking directly into my eyes. “Go home. Lock your doors. Officer Sander will be outside. You might not see him, but he’ll be there.”
“Do you think something will happen?” I couldn’t help but worry.
“Dom would have to have a death wish to come after you.” He growled. “But I sure as hell won’t send you home without any kind of protection.”
“When will I see you again?” All this doom-and-gloom talk was making me anxious.
“Soon.”
Vague answers were stupid. Because they were vague. I liked definitive answers. I liked to know how many hours I was going to have to worry and wonder about him.
“Lay low, okay?” he asked, taking my hand and intertwining our fingers.
“I don’t think that’s going to be a problem considering I’m pretty sure my boss trying to frame me for drug trafficking was a quirky way of saying you’re fired.”
“I’m sorry, Jules.”
I loved that he called me Jules. Yeah, it was only my name shortened, but it spoke of familiarity, of comfort. It was something a friend or someone close to me would use.
“Guess I better call Dee. She’s gonna flip.”
“Don’t tell her too much.”
“I won’t.”
He released my hand and walked toward the door.
He stopped.
He turned.
He swept me up into his arms and crushed our mouths together. Even though there was urgency surrounding us, urgency in the way we kissed, Blue still took his time. The way our tongues lingered against one another left me slightly dizzy.
“I’ll see ya later, sweetness,” Blue said when he pulled away.
“Bye,” I whispered, practically melting into a nearby chair as he vacated the room, pulling the door around as he went.
I sat there a while, pretty much in a daze. Until reality set in and I realized I was free to go. Hanging around here any longer was not my idea of a good time. I picked up the phone on the desk and dialed Dee.