“I’m glad it’s finally over.” Ryan Davis tossed the shirt he’d just unbuttoned and removed into his locker.
Shane Nolan grinned despite his weariness. “Really? You were involved for like three days, man. You had to do some arresting, but you weren’t undercover.”
The younger cop glared at him. “It was still stressful.” His expression softened. “I’ll concede you and Sean had the worst of it though.”
“No argument there,” said Sheriff Robinson. Jack, Shane reminded himself. Jack was only a few years older than him, but he had an authoritative presence that made it difficult to think of him as just Jack.
“It couldn’t have been easy to let the bust happen in your town,” said Sean, Shane’s twin brother and fellow cop.
“Definitely not. Jack was chomping at the bit to bust them up weeks ago.” That contribution came from Derek Reynolds, Jack’s deputy. “It’s been hard keeping this a secret from my family too. Sera asked several times where I’m sneaking off to, as though I’m not wearing a uniform.”
“Who’s Sera?” asked Shane.
“My sister.” Derek collapsed on the bench in the locker room, looking as tired as Shane felt.
That happened when you spent three hours breaking up a multicounty drug ring and performing dozens of arrests—and they’d only gotten a small portion of the drug empire. There was more work to be done, but not for Shane. He was getting out of the undercover world, and it was the same for his twin. They’d already discussed it, and he knew Sean wanted to get home and find Chloe.
There was no one for him to go back to. He felt utterly alone for a moment, thinking about Gina, his former partner and fiancée, before she’d been shot by the cartel. Her death had been the catalyst for joining Sean on this huge undercover operation, but he’d lost his passion to continue. He’d had the satisfaction of slapping on the cuffs for Eduardo Salazar this very night. Knowing one of the captains of the cartel, and the one who’d killed Gina, was finally behind bars was a weight off his mind.
As though Ryan had read his thoughts, the patrolman asked, “So, what happens now?”
“Shower and sleep. About three years’ worth ought to do it.” Sean yawned.
Shane nodded. “That sounds like a plan.”
Jack shrugged. “Back to quiet small-town living for us.”
“I can’t wait for underage drinking and parties to be our biggest concerns again,” said Derek.
“Speeding tickets and DUIs,” said Ryan with a hint of melancholy. He was likely still riding high on the buzz of adrenaline from being involved in the takedown.
“We’ll have to testify,” said Shane.
“That’ll take months with the way our system works,” said Sean with a hint of cynicism.
“I’m sure.” Jack yawned and stretched. “We’ll probably have to come to the city. I’ll bet most of these perps get their venues changed.”
“We’ll go for drinks when it’s time. The first round is on me,” said Sean.
“I can’t even think about drinking right now without falling asleep.” Ryan yawned. “I still have to check on my stepsister too. I promised my folks I’d look in on her periodically while they’re on a six-month cruise around the world.”
“It was good working with you. All of you,” said Shane. His brother immediately nodded.
“It was our pleasure,” said Jack. “You helped us get scum out of this town. I don’t want my daughter, Julie, or her friend, Sera, exposed to any of that.”
“We were happy to help.” Derek bit back a yawn. “I’m going to hit the shower.”
“Same, before I check on Lexie. She has this piece of crap boyfriend I don’t trust.” Ryan waved at all of them before wandering from the locker room to the showers.
Shane sat on the bench for the longest time, trying to summon the energy to move. Part of him wanted to stretch out on the hard plank and fall asleep right there. Another part knew he’d be more comfortable back in his hotel room. A smaller part of him considered driving straight back to the city tonight, but he shrugged off the idea.
It wasn’t the place he’d shared with Gina, and his small house was normally a refuge. Tonight, for some reason, it just underscored how achingly alone he was. He had Sean, and he was lucky to have a twin, but getting Salazar was bittersweet. It brought the bastard justice and Shane some closure, but it could never bring back Gina. He supposed he might fall in love again someday, but the idea seemed almost laughable.
He was too tired to laugh and too tired to seriously entertain the idea of anything too heavy tonight. Whatever the future held in the coming days and weeks, it didn’t matter tonight.
Sean sat down beside him, preventing Shane from lying down. “How are you?” His identical eyes shone with concern.
Shane shrugged. “I’ll live.” The answer was abrupt but the best he could do.
“Do you feel any better knowing Salazar is in jail and will probably be in prison for the rest of his life?”
“Yeah, though it’s not enough. It doesn’t bring back Gina.” He’d spent the last four years trying to get justice for her. He’d dragged his brother into this mess, bringing him into the undercover operation because he’d needed him. He felt guilty for not saving Gina and for not sparing Sean.
“I know. I can’t imagine…” He trailed off, looking pensive.
“She’s still out there, and she’s probably waiting for you,” said Shane.
Sean shrugged. “Maybe, but that was four years ago. What if she’s forgotten about me? It was just a kiss, and then I left. She probably hates me.”
“Nah, I doubt it. Worst case scenario is she doesn’t remember you the same way, or her feelings have changed. You won’t know until you try.”
Sean slowly nodded. “I know you’re right, but damned if I don’t feel like a coward just thinking about approaching her after all this time.” He shrugged. “If we’d had something more concrete to build on, maybe I’d be more confident.”
“Love starts somewhere, brother. In your case, it was with a kiss. Don’t give up hope.”
Sean slanted a glance at him. “What about you?”
Shane felt defensive but tried to hide it. “What about me?”
“Are you still determined to avoid love?”
Shane grunted. “It’s never brought me anything but pain.”
“You should still be open to it.”
He started to argue but then shrugged. “I wouldn’t rule it out, I guess, but I can guarantee you I won’t be timid like I was with Gina. If I find her, she’s going to know she’s mine right away.”
“Let’s hope she agrees with you,” said Sean with a hint of wryness.
“Yeah.” Shane shrugged again. “Are you taking a shower?”
Sean sniffed himself theatrically. “I guess I’d better. Yuck.”
Shane laughed, watching his brother walk into the shower room. He’d find the energy to follow in a bit. His thoughts were still heavy with the night’s events, and his eyes wanted to close, but he finally made himself stand up and join the others, who were trickling out of the shower room by the time he got himself together.
Standing under the hot water a few minutes later, he felt his senses awakening again. He wished it were that easy to reactivate his heart and ability to feel again, though part of him would happily avoid ever loving someone again so much that losing them ripped his world apart.
Baby For The OfficerTears streamed from Chloe’s eyes, and she fumbled for a tissue. A minute later, the sight of flashing lights in her rearview mirror had her cursing and slamming her fist on the steering wheel. Just what she needed on top of what she’d already endured. Sniffing and swiping her face with the tissue, she reached above the visor for the registration and insurance card.The blazing orange sky as sunset approached was enough to obscure the officer’s features when he reached her window, giving him an angelic halo. She only hoped he was feeling beneficent enough to skip giving her a citation. “Hello,” she said with a sniffle, dabbing at her face.“Do you know why I pulled you over, ma’am?”She shivered just a touch at his voice, thinking it was combination of soothing and rough…and strangely familiar. She shook her head and brushed impatiently at the strands clinging to her wet cheeks.“You ran right through a four-way stop back there.”“Oh.” She sniffed again. “I’m sorry
Chapter TwoChloe was halfway through the living room with two bags of groceries before she realized the lights were on and dimmed to provide a hazy glow accentuated by candles. The meager illumination allowed her to see a trail of rose petals that led from the living room down the hallway. Her first thought was crazily random—it was going to be a pain to clean up those petals from the carpet.Her second thought was more coherent and a lot more terrifying. Someone had broken into her house to set up this scene. Her heart plummeted into her stomach as she dropped her grocery bags to fumble for her cell phone. Her hands trembled as she dialed nine-one-one, her thoughts squarely on her baby.The operator answered on the first ring. “Nine-one-one, what is your emergency?”“Someone has broken into my apartment.”“Are they still there?”She looked up as a solid form entered the living room, drawing to a halt. Barely biting back a panicked scream, she said, “Yes, the intruder is still here.”
Chapter ThreeShe met his gaze, sure hers revealed her shock. His eyes were smoldering with hunger. “I don’t understand,” she whispered.“I want you, Chloe, and I have for years.” He didn’t take his gaze from hers as he brought the sponge up her side and over her swollen belly in a tender gesture. “Sometimes, thoughts of you were the only thing that got me through the hell of working undercover. I used to imagine I’d come back home, find you, and sweep you off to bed.”Chloe gestured to her stomach. “But I’m pregnant.”He grinned. “You are, and it’s beautiful.”She blinked. “How can you find it…me…attractive? The baby isn’t yours.”Sean dropped the sponge and splayed his hand over her stomach. “He will be, if you let me claim him. I don’t care about the sperm donor. Your body nurtures this baby, and that’s enough for me.”Her head whirled. “This is crazy. I barely know you.”He looked sad. “That’s true, but it wasn’t always that way. We used to know each other pretty well, and I think
Chapter One--Baby For The DetectiveThe motorcycle hummed just like it was supposed to, followed by a deep purr when she accelerated. Mandy nodded with satisfaction. The engine rebuild was a success. That was good news, since she’d spent most of the day working on it. Thinking about it reminded her of the ache in her shoulders and lower back from being bent over the machine.As she changed lanes to return to her dad’s garage and clock out for the day, she cursed when lights flashed behind her. Racking her brain to try to determine what she’d done to catch Smokey’s attention, she signaled and turned off down an alleyway to get out of traffic.The unmarked car stopped close behind her, and a tall officer not wearing a uniform unfolded himself from the sedan. He had a solid build his blazer couldn’t hide, and she couldn’t help appreciating as he drew closer. Mandy fumbled with the helmet as he got nearer, slipping it off to let her chestnut curls cascade over her shoulders. She wasn’t ex
Chapter TwoHe maintained silence for the rest of the week, and she gradually relaxed. Apparently, Shane just had a stubborn streak and had taken a bit longer than most guys in such a situation to accept she wasn’t going to go out with him. Saturday evening, she dressed in a blue tube dress with a silver shrug, paired with kitten-heel ankle boots, and waited for her cousin to pick her up.Bryn was a little late, which was typical, but they still made it to the club before nine. Her cousin had picked a new one this week, as she often did, but they didn’t have to wait long in line. With her long dark hair, smoldering brown eyes, and pouty red lips—not to mention her hourglass curves and generous breasts—Bryn rarely had to wait at any club, and men regularly threw themselves at her feet.Mandy showed the bouncer her fake ID, holding her breath as she did every time. She knew Bryn’s stepbrother was a computer whiz, and he’d assured her the ID would work anywhere, any time, but she still g
Chapter ThreeFour days later, Mandy’s heart was racing in her chest as she burst through the police station doors, going right to the front desk. “Where is Lieutenant Nolan?”The uniformed officer eyed her suspiciously. “Who wants to know?”“I need to see him.” She tapped her short nails on the worn wood. “I imagine the bast…he’s expecting me. Mandy Austin.”With an air of reluctance, as though she had asked him to move a mountain, he turned toward his keyboard. After a moment of typing and staring at the screen, he picked up the phone. “Shane, it’s Ed. There’s a girl here at the station to see you. You got it noted that we should contact you whenever and wherever if she comes by.” He listened to the reply for a moment before nodding, as though Shane could see him. “Will do.”After hanging up the phone, the portly officer picked up a pen and wrote something on a pad. He ripped off the sheet and handed it to her.Mandy took it, reading an address. “What’s this?”“Where you’ll find the
Chapter FourDinner was surprisingly relaxing. The steaks were perfect, and the salad was crisp. She’d been unsurprised to see ice water as the accompaniment, but it really didn’t bother her. It was just the idea of him deciding what she could or couldn’t have that annoyed her.He served dishes of peach ice cream for dessert, never letting the conversation falter. It was surprising to realize they had reached that stage of the meal already. Shane was a good conversationalist, and she’d found herself engaging him without much effort. The time had passed quickly.When she pushed away her bowl, having eaten every last bite, she asked, “Now what?”“After dishes, I thought we could watch a movie.”She nodded, deciding that was preferable to him suggesting something more intimate, though a movie often ended up as cuddling on the couch. The dishes formed a neat pyramid as she carried one stack, and he took the other. They worked companionably to load and start the dishwasher.“Do you want co
Chapter FiveHe grilled again that evening, this time chicken breasts and asparagus. Mandy appointed herself the task of making dessert and threw together peanut butter brownies from memory. Fortunately, she had remembered accurately, and they turned out well. They ate on the deck, and she cast a longing glance at the hot tub without thought. She’d never been in a hot tub in her life.“You want to take a dip?” asked Shane, as he finished the last of his iced tea.Mandy shook her head. “No, thanks.”He grinned. “You don’t need to swim to go in.”“Ha ha.” She stuck out her tongue. “I didn’t bring a swimsuit.” She didn’t even own one.His voice deepened. “Neither did I, babe. It’s best enjoyed in the buff.” Mandy hesitated, not sure if she was brave enough. Apparently, he took that as his cue to decide for her. “Let me turn it on and get the water heated, and then we’ll go in.”Nodding jerkily, she got to her feet. “I’ll be back.” She hurried to her room, frantically digging through her