“I didn’t like the look in his eye. It wasn’t a punk kid trying to get a rise out of me or thinking he was being funny. It was cold. I guess I just let it get to me, and I didn’t want to bealone last night.”
“You can stay here anytime, baby. Having you in my bed is never a hardship. You didn’t recognize them, I’m guessing.”
“No. He looked familiar, but it’s Calla Bay. Everyone looks familiar here.” I shrugged.
“Okay. If you see them hanging around again, let me know. I’ll swing by wherever they are and see if I know them.”
I agreed easily. “Thank you, babe. And thank you for letting me stay here.”
My fingers had just grasped the handle of my coffee mug at the same time Luke pulled me in for another kiss. The mug tipped over, spilling the contents onto the table directly next to the case file.
“Oh, my goodness. I’m so sorry,” I shouted at the same time Luke said, “Shit, shit, shit.”
We both hustled to move the papers out of the way as quickly as possible, but one of the reports was too close to the chaos to save.
The full cup of coffee needed more than napkins to clean it up. I ran to the bathroom and grabbed a towel. When I got back to the living room, Luke was holding the soggy paper by the smallest pinch and trying to dry it out.
“I’ve got this mess. Why don’t you try to blot that dry in the kitchen?” I offered.
“No. This was my fault. I’ll clean it up. Besides, there’s no hope for this page anyway.”
“Do you know which document it is? Maybe I can get another copy of it.”
Luke’s eyes snapped to mine, his lips pulled into a hard line. “You’re not getting anything.” After a deep breath, he continued. “I appreciate everything you did to get me a copyof this, but please do not ever do it again. It was too risky the first time. I don’t think I would survive knowing you’re putting yourself on someone’s radar again. Especially not for me.”
“You’re the very reason I would be willing to risk it,” I said. The coffee was mostly mopped up, a sticky residue remaining that would need to be cleaned. I dropped the towel on the floor and wrapped my arms around his waist, placing a kiss to the center of his bare chest. “You need to have the entire file, or you’ll never know if you’re missing something because it was in this report or if it’s something bigger.”
“It was the forensic evidence report for the cigarette we found near Alana’s body. It was inconclusive anyway, but I’ll reach out to them and see if they would send me another copy but to my personal email address.”
“I’m sorry.” I felt so terrible. It was obviously an accident, but we had both worked so hard to get copies of the file made, and to have even the slightest bit of it ruined because of my stupid coffee spill felt awful.
“You should be,” he agreed. My heart dropped. Even though I’d agreed that it was my fault and I felt bad about it, I was still taken off guard by his words for a moment. “If you weren’t so damn kissable, I wouldn’t have pulled you to me at the same time you were reaching for your cup. So, I think we both agree this is really your fault for looking too damn good all the time.”
I swatted at his chest. “You’re an idiot.”
“As long as I’m your idiot,” he smirked.
Luke finished cleaning the table while I started a load of laundry. A few minutes later, I was back in the living room, a fresh cup of coffee waiting for me. It was such a domesticscene, but it felt so right. I didn’t know if I believed in fate or soul mates—that was more Claire’s domain—but moments like this, I had to admit that maybe she was onto something. If there was such a thing as soul mates, there was no doubt in my mind that Luke was mine.
25
Scarlett
Luke held the door open for me. His gaze swept over my body from head to toe, and a sexy smirk pulled at the corner of his lips. We had been apart for approximately four minutes, from the time we left his house together—yet separately—until the time we pulled into the parking lot of the police station.
“Thank you.” I smiled as I passed him.
We weren’t exactly keeping our relationship status a secret, but we weren’t advertising it either. At work, we were both professionals.
Luke strolled over to his desk while I went to the breakroom for a cup of coffee. The coffee looked like it had been sitting out since last night, so I dumped the carafe down the sink and started a new pot. Captain Langston was in his office, but when I poked my head in to say good morning and see if he wanted some coffee, he was on the phone and facing away from the door. I let him be, going back to check on the status of the coffee.
I placed a cup of fresh, hot coffee on Luke’s desk as I passed. He brushed his hand over mine. “Thank you.”
“Are you on detective or patrol duty today?” I asked. He was in his uniform, which usually meant patrol, but I knew he and Matt had some other cases they were working on in a detective capacity.
“Patrol today. I just need to get a few things organized before I head out,” he said. His long, dark lashes nearly kissed the apple of his cheek when he closed his eyes and breathed in the rich scent of coffee. “I was thinking after work today, I could take you out on the town. What do you think?”
My smile took over my entire face. “Of course. I would love that.” Any time spent with Luke was the best, but something about a formal, planned date night made me extra excited. “I’m going to get all dressed up. Makeup, heels, the whole thing,” I told him.
