When he’d asked the question, groggy from the medication, she’d thought he was joking. His face had told her he wasn’t, and his crooked finger settled the matter.
‘You’ll have to come to me. I’m not sure I can get my head off the pillow.’ His finger beckoned her. She tilted her head like a confused dog.
‘You’re high.’
‘Maybe, yeah. Is that my answer?’ He lowered his hand, closing his eyes and sighing heavily. She watched as his body slowly relaxed. He’d been fighting sleep the whole time. She straightened the covers as she stood up. She decided to leave the lamp on in case he needed it in the night. His face looked better now, relaxed in sleep and cleaned up the best she could. He wasn’t exactly an easy patient. He was stubborn. Used to looking after himself. Nothing wrong with that.
Traces of dried blood still lingered, and some of his locks of hair looked as if they’d been dipped in it. Their ends were black, hard. She wondered what had happened. She knew it was nothing good, but he hadn’t spoken of it. She found herself wanting to know. Bullet wasn’t hurt, but she had noticed an edge to him. He wanted to be near Brody. She understood the dog even better than she thought.
She watched Brody sleep, leaning down slowly. Her lips were as gentle as she could make them, not wanting to hurt him further. Or wake him up. That would lead to more questions. She could answer this one, but only when he was out cold. Yeah, she was still a chicken. Big surprise. When her skin touched his, she felt the heat from his lips. The stubble that tickled at her mouth as she drew back and pushed her lips against his once more. When she pulled back, she thought she saw his eyelids flicker. His eyes never opened as she left the room on fast, light feet.
Wow. Oh God.
Shit. Shit. And wow again. She touched her fingertips to her lips as she lay next to Ava. A wall away from the man who was like the mastermind of winkling things out of her. Things other than information. Kisses. Fair enough, he didn’t know they’d kissed, but still. She knew it had happened, and the secret thought kept her warm in her bed. She’d kissed a man. That wasn’t on her new life bucket list, but it was a great big tick all the same. A kiss that she could linger over in the future, one without fear or worry or recriminations. It felt like the time she’d skinny-dipped in the sea, all on her own. Before Victor, before everything. She’d never felt so free, so out there and alone. Living her life. She tucked the memory of that kiss right along with it in the box in her mind.
Ava would be up soon. Hannah had the day off from work the next day, but she already knew what she would do. If no one else came to look after Brody, she’d stay and help. See him through this, then retreat back to her own life. Taking that memory with her. She’d still turned him down for the lunch; she’d told him it wasn’t going to happen. Hell. If she was lucky, really lucky, he wouldn’t remember his kiss question at all. The whole thing, being here, it was a lapse in judgement. She fell asleep soon after that thought. She dreamed of the wolf again, but this time it was in the distance. Sitting close by her, as Bullet watched from a vantage point, his eyes as black as the night spread around them. The two animals watched each other, while she watched them both.
‘Wha – arrggh!’
An unfamiliar noise had startled Brody’s eardrums, and his jolt had sent hot knives stabbing through him. He felt like he’d been skewered.
‘Brody?’ He heard a couple of bumps and bangs from the next room, and Hannah bounded in. She was wearing the same clothes, Ava in her arms looking like she’d just woken up too. ‘You okay?’
‘You stayed?’ He thought he’d dreamt it. Ava. That was the noise. He wasn’t used to a baby in the house. ‘You okay?’
She raised her brow. Sexy. ‘I asked the question first.’
His laugh hurt, but it was worth it to hear her laugh right back. ‘Fair enough. You still owe me one though.’
She blushed, hard. So that wasn’t a dream either. ‘The kiss question?’
He looked at Ava then and felt guilty. He was lying here propositioning her mother. She moved her daughter onto the other hip, coming close enough to touch his forehead. She frowned, pulling away and sitting on the bed next to him. Ava tried to reach out her cute little hands to him, but Hannah sat further back.
‘No, darling, Brody’s a bit poorly. Gentle. You don’t have a temperature.’
‘Good. You didn’t have to stay. I’m sorry I put you out.’
‘It’s okay. Do you have anyone coming today?’
Brody knew John would check in, maybe some of the fellas from the station if they were off shift. They were his family. ‘Nope.’ He didn’t want to scare her off. He knew she wasn’t the uniform’s biggest fan. The mugging was still fresh. He’d get John to put them off if he had to. ‘You don’t have to stay though. You have enough on.’ He reached out his least-busted-up hand, waggling his fingers till Ava reached out and grabbed them. He pulled a funny face at her, and she giggled at him. Hannah looked a little worried now. Shit.
‘I’ll stay to make us square. I’ll get some bits from home. Stay tonight.’
He just nodded along dumbly. He liked the sound of everything she’d just said.
‘Thank you.’
‘Square, right?’ She wasn’t going to let this go.
‘Square,’ he agreed. He had an extra night with her. That was more than he’d hoped for. He still pushed it though. ‘But the question game stands. I like it.’
This time her smile was free, and bloody joyful to behold.
‘You are a nightmare. Okay.’
‘Okay?’ he checked. ‘My last question still stands.’
‘Fine. My answer is yes, I’m fine.’
‘What?’
Her lips twitched, and she gave in to her sly grin. Her whole face lit up with her devilishness. He wondered what the hell had happened to this woman to make her hide herself. Even her own emotions and feelings. Her smiles. Her laughter. Why the fuck was this woman not laughing her head off every single day, lighting the dreary village they called home right up, like Vegas?
It was getting harder and harder not to ask around about her. John had told him about the cash situation too. Why would a woman not have access to a bank account? It rang all kinds of bells in his head, but he couldn’t see the full picture yet. He was too blinded by … her. She was still smirking at him.
‘“Yes I’m fine” is not the answer when a man asks if he can kiss you.’
‘Your last question was whether I was okay. I answered. I’m fine.’ That smile again. He wanted to photograph it, to capture the shit out of its essence. He could do nothing but shake his head. He was poorly, and she was teasing the hell out of him. Even Ava, who was now being tickled by her mother, looked amused at the situation. Hannah dropped a raspberry on her daughter’s belly, straightening her on her lap. ‘I’ll plead no comment on the other question. I can’t answer yes or no, really.’ Her lips were twitching with mirth now, and he felt like she was in on something he didn’t get. It was par for the course with her. It made him work all the harder for every morsel. ‘Do you want some breakfast? I booked Ava in with the girls, so I was going to drop her off, get some bits from mine.’
The moment was gone, and with her daughter in her arms it didn’t feel like the place either. He nodded along, putting an easy smile on his face to show he wasn’t bothered. He knew he wasn’t going to let it drop, not after that answer. But these things could wait. His pain meds had well and truly worn off, and he was feeling just a little uncomfortable. ‘If you’re sure. I have some cash in my wallet.’ She’d mentioned cooking something for them, and he wasn’t about to let her pay. ‘Can I have my tablets?’
She went straight for them, but when he pointed to his wallet on the dresser, it was still there when the front door closed. Bullet had come bounding in minutes before, fed and watered and very happy to see his handler.
‘Bullet man, you’re going to crack the ribs I still have intact!’ He pushed the animal away gently, stroking the heck out of him at the same time. He’d missed him too. When it had all gone down, he’d worried about Bullet the whole time. He could hear him working, scrambling and snarling. He’d kept waiting for a whimper, but none had come from his throat, even though he’d taken down one of theirs. Not a scratch on his fur. That was Bullet. The same dog that was now snuggled across his legs, as if he was on patrol and this was his mark. He couldn’t get up if he tried. He needed to try to shower before Hannah got back, but he knew it wouldn’t be pretty. He needed a minute.
Ruffling his dog behind the ears, he listened to the silence. ‘Quiet, isn’t it. Weird.’ Bullet whined in response. ‘Yeah.’ Another ear ruffle. ‘I think we’re about ready for expanding the pack.’
‘Morning, darling, come in. Have you seen the little outfit, Rubes?’
Ava was looking pretty cute this morning. Hannah had packed her best spare outfit in the changing bag. In case she’d needed it at Andrew’s. Brody’s. Brody’s. He’s Brody, not Andrew. That’s not his name. You of all people should remember that little nugget. Calling him Andrew will get you noticed round here. Half of the female population already have Brody on their permanent radar. And he was a big bloody target. She remembered him propped up against the pillows, the injured beast of a man half asleep. Her lips, touching his. She snapped back to reality. Which took a minute, given her rather eclectic surroundings.
‘Thanks, sale in that boutique in the village you mentioned.’ Ava was in a really cute woollen dress, soft and lightweight, pink wool that matched her cream tights and kicky little legs. ‘What is it today?’ She took in Martine’s outfit. ‘Miss Trunchbull?’
Martine, who had been standing there waiting excitedly for Hannah to guess what her outfit was about, deflated like a balloon. Ruby cackled like a witch as she came to meet them in the hallway.
‘I told you that’s what you looked like!! Ha! Have that! Hiya, love.’ She reached for Ava, who practically jumped into her arms. Ruby was wearing a wetsuit, a snorkel on her head. Ava didn’t even bat an eyelid. She was definitely settled with these two. ‘She’s a shot putter. We’re having a mini Olympics today with the kids. We thought we’d dress up. What you up to today, with your day off?’
Half an hour later, Hannah was only just walking to the supermarket from Ruby and Martine’s. She hadn’t meant to stay so long, but she’d ended up telling them about looking after Brody. She never mentioned the kiss, or their little questioning game. The game that was terrifying. Then annoying. Now, it was almost sensual. She was blurring the lines here, but then again, it had an end. One more night and then they would be square, she’d told him by way of reason. The fact that she’d slept better with Bullet and him in the next room was a bonus, sure, but it was just to help him recover more. Wasn’t it? Well, it had to be. One more day and she’d be back in her little house. She needed to concentrate on saving the money for her next rental. A more permanent one. Perhaps in the village even. She liked it here. She needed to be out of the house Kate had organised for her in mere months. She had the money, the furniture. She just needed a couple of months’ rent to put down, to give her a cushion. The next place wouldn’t be as cheap as her current home.
Good. Thinking about money brought her back around to her reality. She wasn’t in some cute little love story. She was making a life for her daughter, and she wasn’t there yet. The checklist wasn’t complete. She hadn’t gotten far enough away yet. From her past. From the past her. She could still feel her sometimes. She shielded herself against the fear of her old life with the memory of the kiss. She’d done that. All on her own. The old trapped her would be bloody cheering. She was just sad that she couldn’t see this through a little further. She liked Brody, but she was playing with fire. He was on the force. She was in hiding. It would never work. She was playing the question game, but it wouldn’t be fun anymore if he knew the truth. It would hurt him. She was coming to realise that he might actually be a truly good man. The irony of that had her mooching around the supermarket, choosing to focus on what she could do. Not what she couldn’t.
When she’d finished telling Ruby and Martine about the night (sans the kissing and the questioning) they’d been aghast that she’d stayed the night at Brody’s. Ruby had had a weird look in her eye, and Martine was exuberant. She jumped on the spot, clapping her hands at one point at the gossip.
‘Oh my God, I need to go wrangle the kids,’ said Martine. There was a crash from the other room, and a toddler laughing. Ava was in her arms playing with her sweatband. ‘Oh God, what was that? Ruby, I want to know what I miss. This is so good!’
Hannah had managed to get out of the door then, taking the opportunity to remind them of the fact she needed to go feed the man they were painting an imaginary life for her with. She had told them though; it was her own fault. The people in this village were winkling little bits out of her too easily. She knew to keep her mouth shut, but she’d only related the facts. It wasn’t as exciting as they seemed to think it was. Was it?
He was hurt. She’d gone to help, because he’d helped her a couple of times. Well, a lot of times. Saying it like that, it sounded simple. It was simple to her too but stripping it down like that didn’t quite capture the whole of the story. How looking after the hulk of a man, so prone flat out in bed, so gentle had confused her. He was gentle. She believed that now. She saw the way he interacted with everyone around him. He was well liked, polite, respected. Victor was all of those things too, as well as a monster and a liar. But Hannah didn’t see any of that in Brody, no matter how hard she looked for red flags.
She was mesmerised by the man. It was going to hurt a little to let him go. Maybe she could look further afield for the next house. Away from the park, but still close to work. But the point was moot. She would see Brody anyway at work. Around the village. She was going to have to deal with it later. She’d turned him down enough times now; he’d soon move on. She realised that she might see that too. After all, he wasn’t going to just keep asking her out. He’d move on. Find someone who could date him. Someone who could see how gentle and kind he was. She walked a little faster to him, shopping bags hanging from her hands.