Kade dozed, satisfied and amazed at the power of Reyna’s lovemaking. He’d never known a woman who was so sure of what she wanted, never mind one who liked to call the shots so much. But then, he already thought that Reyna was one of a kind, with her flamboyant wardrobe, her direct manner and her fearless attitude.
He could get used to being with a woman like this.
Very, very easily.
He wondered how many years it would take to unravel all her secrets and mysteries, never mind learn her rules, and knew he was ready for the challenge.
He was aware of all of these thoughts and impressions as he dozed. He’d cleaned up in the small bathroom, going first at her insistence, and he’d returned to the bed, assuming Reyna would join him. If they hadn’t done it twice in rapid succession, he’d have hoped for another time in the shower. As it was, he knew he needed a few minutes. After a short nap, he’d be able to give Reyna pleasure one more time. Maybe twice. He knew the sight of her—as she surrendered, as she seduced, as she came—was going to claim prime real estate in his memory.
He was already trying to think of a suggestion for the next night.
And the next ten thousand nights after that.
Then Reyna poked him abruptly in the shoulder, jarring him awake. “You have to leave now.”
Kade opened his eyes drowsily and glanced at his watch. It was the only thing he still had on. It was just after midnight. “No, actually, I don’t,” he replied and reached for her hand.
Reyna shook her head and evaded his touch, taking a step back. She was wearing a bright pink kimono made of some silky fabric and embroidered with flowers. The tie belt was knotted around her waist and she was wearing pink satin mules with feather poufs on the toes. Her expression was cool and he noticed that she’d repaired her lipstick and her hair was twisted up again.
Again, he had the sense that she was armored for battle.
Or in disguise.
He felt warned and sat up, wide awake.
“No, you have to go,” she repeated, her tone resolute. “Wake up.”
“I am awake now.” He pushed a hand through his hair. “You don’t look like you’re going anywhere.”
“I’m not. Not until the morning. I have an appointment, then I’ll drive back to Honey Hill. You have to leave now, though.”
“I thought we were just getting started.”
“Wrong. We’re done.”
Was this the same woman he’d just made love to? She seemed brittle and forceful, not at all playful and sensuous. Her arms were folded across her chest.
Was this a role? Kade decided to find out.
“It’s a long ride back to Honey Hill,” he said, not moving. “Can’t I stay here?”
Reyna shook her head. “No. You have to go.”
“But it’s after midnight.”
“Yes, it is.”
“Was it something I did? Something I didn’t do?”
“No. It has nothing to do with you.”
Unless Kade missed his guess, he was going to learn about another rule. “Excuse me?”
She met his gaze steadily and he saw that her mind would not be changed. “I sleep alone. Always. Non-negotiable. I’m sleepy, therefore, you have to go.” She turned and went to the small kitchenette as if he’d been dismissed.
“And what experience taught you that rule?”
She didn’t answer, which he thought was telling.
Kade got up, tugging on his briefs and jeans before he followed her. He could have been annoyed that she was throwing him out on a whim, but he had the definite sense that this was important. Reyna wasn’t doing anything, just standing with her back to him. She was aware of his presence, because she straightened as he approached. He gently caught her upper arms in his hands and bent to touch his lips to the back of her neck. He felt her shiver. “I’m sorry if you weren’t pleased.”
“I was.” She flicked a glance his way and he caught a glimpse of the woman he’d seduced earlier. “Were you?”
“Absolutely.” Kade smiled, but she’d already turned back to stare at the counter. He slid his hands up and down her arms, wondering if it was even possible to save this night. She could have been carved of wood, so he lifted his hands away. “What are you doing after your appointment in the morning? We could meet for lunch.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Dinner?”
She shook her head. “Not even for sex,” she said, cutting right to the chase.
“Why not? You said you were pleased.”
“It was never supposed to be more than once.”
“Is that another rule?”
She nodded, but didn’t look happy about it.
“So, twice is already too much?”
“More than expected.” She squared her shoulders and her gaze turned chilly. Kade knew she was trying to put a wall between them and it wasn’t as easy as she wanted it to be. “More than enough,” she insisted, but he didn’t believe her.
“Is it?” Kade murmured, not quite so ready to dismiss what he thought had been amazing. Her gaze flicked as if she knew she didn’t sound convinced. He slid one fingertip along her jaw, and she shivered before swaying toward him, her eyes closing. He pulled her into his embrace and kissed her one more time. Reyna responded immediately, opening her mouth to him with a hunger that shook him to his core. It was a hot and sweet kiss, a kiss that might have made them spontaneously combust, and it took everything within Kade to step away from her. It felt honest, a true barometer of her feelings, as her words didn’t.
What had happened to her? Kade wanted to know more than he’d wanted to know anything in a long time.
Reyna was breathing quickly, her breast rising and falling beneath the silk, her cheeks stained with a flush. Kade could smell her arousal and it tempted him to take more than she was offering.
To convince her to change her mind.
But there was something here, a tripwire of some kind, an incident in her past that was compelling her to step away. He had to convince her to update her rule, but not break it.
“That doesn’t seem like either of us has had enough,” he said, guessing how she’d respond.
He was right. The wariness dawned in her eyes and she took a step back, keeping him away.
“Looks can be deceiving,” she said, her voice a little breathless.
“Actions can speak louder than words,” he replied, unable to keep himself from running a fingertip across her lush lips. “But you don’t need to be afraid of me. I understand the word no.”
Kade was the one who pivoted then, and dressed with his back turned to her. He felt her watching him, but knew she wouldn’t speak or change her mind. Not now, anyway.
Maybe later.
Maybe in time.
Maybe it was just a case of winning her trust, so that she wasn’t afraid to fall asleep in his presence.
There was a guy behind this, a guy who had done something. Kade felt an unfamiliar tide of anger rise within him, along with a resolve to even the score if he ever found out who it had been and what he had done.
But he knew Reyna wouldn’t tell him.
Kade grabbed his helmet and paused to look back at her. She hadn’t moved. “Thank you for the most amazing night,” he said and meant every word. “You’re incredible, Reyna. Don’t forget it.” She didn’t answer, but Kade gave her a long look before he went into the garage. He knew she was watching him, but didn’t look back. He opened the door and backed out the bike, closing the door before he started the engine. He heard her slide the deadbolt home from the other side. She was safe then.
Maybe now she’d sleep.
Kade doubted he would.
It was a good thing it had only been a fling. Kade was both a lot more interesting and a lot more perceptive than Reyna had realized. If she’d gotten involved with him, she knew he would have unraveled all of her secrets in no time flat.
She listened to the sound of the bike fading and waited for her anxiety to diminish. She still felt jumpy and was impatient with herself. They’d had great sex. She should be feeling mellow and beautiful, not more wound up than she had been before.
It had all been fine until she’d come out of the bathroom to see Kade dozing in her bed, looking so rugged and male that everything within her had clenched with raw need. She couldn’t need more. She’d had him twice. She should have been sated.
But she was sleepy and still interested in having more.
It had been tempting to crawl into the bed beside him and curl against his warmth, to go to sleep with her head on his shoulder. She knew he’d wrap his arm around her and draw her close, maybe spoon behind her and keep her warm. She knew she’d feel like she was having a perfect dream.
But Reyna also knew that would be a mistake. She’d felt a sudden fear that if she followed her impulse and dozed off with Kade, she could wake up to an unpleasant surprise.
She didn’t need to ever do that again.
Because the fact was that Kade was more dangerous than she’d initially thought. A nice guy with a bit of edge. He’d looked like trouble on a stick with that bike.
The surprise must have fed her uncertainty as well as her desire.
It was good that he’d left. Reyna folded her arms across her chest and went back to the apartment, feeling cold and lonely.
Funny how she didn’t feel safer in Kade’s absence but more vulnerable.
She really was tired.
She locked the door to the apartment, too, not allowing herself to wonder where he would go. If he worked in town usually, he must have a place here—or a friend.
Although it would have to be a pretty good friend for him to be able to knock on the door unannounced at this hour.
Reyna refused to worry about him. He was an adult. He could take care of himself. They’d had a fling and it was over.
Her butterfly buzzed.
She eyed herself in the mirror, certain she’d imagined it. All she could hear was the routine quiet of the neighborhood. Reyna sighed then began to remove her make-up.
All she needed was a good night’s sleep.
There were two messages on the answering machine at Kade’s apartment. He unlocked the door, a handful of mail in his hand, and saw the red light blinking on the far end of the kitchen counter. It was times like this that he wondered why he still had a land line.
He sifted through the mail before he listened to the messages. There were a couple of bills, a lot of pizza coupons and three postcards from his younger brother. Thom had evidently been to Morocco, the Madeira Islands, and the Canary Islands in rapid succession. Kade put the postcards in the pile on the corner of the counter, knowing that Thom would want them all back when he eventually returned home.
The first message was from the office of his shrink, reminding him to make another appointment for a reassessment. The receptionist there always sounded like a robot. Kade had been sure that in person, she’d have to have more charisma, but no. Maybe she was a robot. He made a note to book another appointment and deleted the message.
The second message was more interesting.
“Hey, Kade. It’s Chris, just checking in.” Kade smiled at the sound of his partner’s voice. He could hear traffic in the background and figured Chris had called during a slow moment during his shift. Kade stood and watched the lights of the boats in the harbor and let himself miss his job. “I don’t want to bug you, so I didn’t call your cell, but I miss having you at my back, dude.” Chris cleared his throat, then made an exasperated sound. “I mean, this guy keeps getting me those sweet chick-coffees. Latte this, caramel mocha, unicorn sprinkles, and frappe this-that.” Kade’s grin widened to hear Chris complain about his temporary partner. “Emily says all the sugar is making me fat.”
Kade chuckled, because Chris was more than a little vain about how fit he was. He’d never known another cop who spent so much time at the gym. When he’d been home long enough to get Emily pregnant three times was one of the great mysteries of the universe.
“She also says you should come for dinner. We’ll just grill some steaks, burgers for the kids, nothing fancy. Maybe play some ball and catch up.” Chris paused. “I don’t doubt you for a minute, you know. I always totally trusted you as a partner and I still do. Come back to work and I’ll tell you so myself.” Then his voice rose. “Oh! Here comes Latte Boy.” He spoke to someone else, his voice a little muffled, then growled into the phone. “Talk to you later, Kade. Call me whenever.”
Kade played the message again and didn’t erase it.
Then he went to the large window that overlooked the harbor, still without turning on the lights. He stood for a long time, arms folded across his chest, thinking about choices. He’d chosen to go with Reyna, and she’d been everything he’d hoped for. Even more than he’d dared to hope for. But that was it. Just when he’d felt sure that they were starting something good and right, she’d done an about-face and tossed him out.
He didn’t expect there’d ever be a repeat of this night, which was more than disappointing.
It wasn’t dissimilar to his job. He yearned to end this paid leave and go back to work. There was nothing he loved better than being a cop. But he was terrified of letting Chris down, or anyone else for that matter. On the one hand, he wanted the therapist to give him an all-clear. On the other, he was afraid that she would, that he’d go back to work and be unable to shoot when it really mattered.
He closed his eyes and heard his own shot that night a month before, saw the man fall, relived the moment when they realized he was not just dead but unarmed.
Kade opened his eyes, knowing he wouldn’t be sleeping any more on this night.
For the first time in a long time, though, resistance stirred within him. He wasn’t going to let Reyna shut him out without making sure she understood how he felt first. And he wasn’t going to let one mistake cost him the job he loved beyond all else.
He’d talk to Reyna again in Honey Hill.
And he’d fight this memory and its influence.
He wasn’t going to sleep, so Kade removed his service revolver from his gun safe. He turned on the lights and drew the shades, then cleaned his gun at the kitchen table.
It was time.
Reyna treated herself to breakfast at her favorite diner. She hadn’t slept after Kade left, despite her conviction that she would. She felt like a jerk. She felt mean. He was a lot nicer than she was, that was for sure.
That had to be a sign that there was no future in them being together.
She didn’t really have an appointment, but she didn’t want to be anywhere Kade could easily find her. Delaying her return to Honey Hill was a stall tactic, but she was doing it anyway. She was reading the local newspaper while she waited for her eggs over easy when someone dropped into the seat opposite her.
It was Autumn Rose.
But not Autumn Rose because Stacey wasn’t in costume.
“Hey!” Reyna said with pleasure. “Sorry I missed the show last night.”
“But you came. Why’d you leave?”
Reyna blinked. “I was thinking that I’d bring a friend to the show, but changed my mind.”
“About him or the show?” The waitress came with Reyna’s eggs and toast. She filled up Reyna’s coffee then glanced at Stacey, a question in her expression. Stacey nodded and the waitress went to get her a cup.
Reyna continued as if they hadn’t been interrupted. “About any delay before the good stuff.”
Stacey smiled. “And here I thought you only liked the bad boys.”
“I do. Didn’t you see him on his bike?” Reyna recalled the sight of Kade pulling up on his bike and felt a little warm glow inside. It slid lower, prompting her to consider a second performance. Not her style, but maybe just this once.
“I did. Not bad for a cop.”
Reyna nearly choked on her next bite. “A cop?”
Stacey gave her a pitying look. “You were with Kade Sullivan.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“He’s a cop.”
Reyna shook her head, knowing that Stacey had made a mistake. A cop? She’d never ever be with a cop. That was a huge rule. “No, he’s a handyman or a carpenter. Maybe a contractor.”
“Cop,” Stacey said firmly, giving Reyna a hard look that stopped the debate cold. She smiled as the waitress poured her coffee then waved off the creamers. “Just black, thanks.”
How could Kade be a cop? Reyna supposed that everyone got vacation—but that made him even nicer than she’d thought, if he was both a cop and one who spent his holidays doing work on his relative’s houses.
But a cop. She shuddered despite herself.
Stacey noticed. “You didn’t know?”
Reyna shook her head. “No, I met him in Honey Hill. He’s working on the neighbor’s place, fixing shingles and stuff like that.”
“Hence the assumption that he was a handyman.” Stacey took a sip of coffee. “It’s plausible, if mistaken.”
“Well, I didn’t ask a lot of questions, really.”
Stacey smiled slowly over the rim of her cup. “Did you take him home?”
Reyna nodded, finding herself blushing. “For a bit.”
Stacey propped her chin on her fist, her eyes shining. “And how was it?”
“Good. Great.” Reyna finished her eggs. “And then I threw him out.”
Stacey laughed. “Poor guy.”
“Oh, I think he did all right.”
“I’m guessing he won’t get a second invitation.”
“No. He wouldn’t have gotten the first if I’d known.” Reyna felt like the rules of the world had changed when she wasn’t looking. How could Kade be a cop? How was it that she didn’t know? She usually had good instincts for that.
She really should have asked more questions.
“Maybe it’s a good thing you didn’t ask.”
“Maybe.” They laughed together, then Stacey sobered and sipped her coffee. “Honey Hill. So, that’s where he went for his suspension.”
“What suspension?”
“He shot a guy who wasn’t armed, Reyna. Shot him dead. Don’t you watch the news?”
“Not if I can help it.”
“It was the same weekend as the bridal show. Huge controversy. He was suspended and it was being investigated.”
“What was the conclusion?” Reyna couldn’t imagine that Kade would shoot someone who wasn’t armed, or that he’d make a mistake like that. His being a police officer fit with her sense that he was a straight arrow, but there was no way he was one to break the rules, no matter what he did.
Stacey shrugged. “I don’t know. The story kind of disappeared when something more interesting happened. You know how it is.”
Reyna did.
Stacey reached into her bag and withdrew another invitation, snapping it on the table between them. “We’ve got those classes starting.”
“Bodacious Brides and Lusty Ladies,” Reyna read with a smile. “Because of the interest at the show?”
“Absolutely. You have to grab opportunity when it knocks and haul it in the door.”
“My philosophy exactly.” Reyna was tempted but she eyed the date. “I don’t know if I’ll be in town.”
“Oh, come on. Be in town. I’d love to see you pick up some moves. You’ll be an inspiration to the shy and uninitiated.”
“But I am uninitiated at burlesque,” Reyna protested, recalling her impromptu dance for Kade. It had worked out well even though she hadn’t had much of a clue what to do.
“Right,” Stacey said, her skepticism clear. “Come on.”
“Maybe. Can I get one of those fans?”
“You can borrow mine. It’s dark red—they call it Black Cherry—just in case you want to dress to match.”
“I do. I do.” Reyna tapped the card on the table then tucked it in her purse. “I’ll try to come. I’ll let you know closer to the date so you’re not holding a spot for me.”
“Deal.” Stacey winked. “Maybe you should bring the cop.”
Reyna smiled politely. There wasn’t a chance in hell of that happening. If she got together with Kade again, it would be another one-off, just a bit of spring fever, nothing destined to last.
This class was two weeks away. She’d be so over Kade Sullivan by then.
Reyna didn’t miss the irony of her choice.
She was delaying her return to Honey Hill to avoid seeing Kade...by reading every article and post she could find about Kade on a computer at the public library. There were a lot of hits on her search, from news articles to blog posts with pretty much everything in between. Since time wasn’t of the essence, she read them all. They mostly agreed on the timeline of the story.
The police had been summoned to a domestic dispute very early one Sunday morning. A man was reported to be shouting and a woman was screaming that he had a gun.
It was an address the police had visited on similar calls before.
Sergeant Sullivan and his unnamed partner had answered the call. When they arrived, there were neighbors gathered, listening and watching the fight. As they got out of the squad car, there was a shot. A woman screamed. The two police officers ran toward the residence. Someone in the house then shot out the streetlight, so that the area was much darker.
The couple had appeared in the doorway, silhouetted by the light from inside the house. The man had been holding the woman before himself like a shield, and had what appeared to be a gun against her head. He demanded to be allowed access to his car, threatening to kill the woman if he was detained.
The officers had stepped back.
The man had inched toward the car.
Hidden by the shadows, Sergeant Sullivan had aimed and fired, killing the man with a single shot. There were comparisons to snipers in the reports, and Reyna gathered it hadn’t been an easy shot to make.
It was then discovered that the man held a child’s toy, not a gun. The woman became hysterical that her husband had been killed. In her account of the evening’s events, the pair had argued, which was routine, and her husband had threatened her, which was also routine. She had, however, managed to get the gun from him. She had been the one to fire it, although she had missed him. They’d struggled over it, he’d reclaimed it and struck her across the face, leaving her dazed. That was when the police had arrived, and he had shot out the streetlight, intending to leave trouble behind, as he put it. The woman had been afraid he would leave her and had begged to stay with him. In that struggle, he’d dropped the gun and couldn’t retrieve it. He’d seized a toy belonging to their son and had told her that if she played along, she could flee with him.
At least the young son had been visiting his grandparents.
Reyna rubbed her forehead. She knew all too well how tangled things could be in a relationship tainted by abuse. She could guess that the woman was both afraid of her husband and terrified of being without him—maybe because his routine verbal abuse had eliminated her confidence. That had been Reyna’s own experience. She knew that walking out of that apartment had been one of the hardest things she’d ever done.
And she and Sean hadn’t even been married.
So, Kade had shot an unarmed civilian dead. He’d been suspended and there’d been an inquiry and a review, and in the end, he had been exonerated, with stern words from the board about acting hastily on assumptions.
He hadn’t gone back to work, though. He’d taken a leave of absence and if anyone knew where he was, or when he planned to return to the force, they weren’t saying.
Reyna sifted through the discussion again but found very little new. Opinions ranged from the far right—that the man in question should have been locked up or shot years ago—to the far left—that the police needed to be restrained to save the populace.
Why hadn’t Kade gone back to work?
She found evidence of his record in the accounts of the incident, that he had won merit awards, that he was considered to be a superb and disciplined officer. There was even a photo of him at a fundraiser with other police officers, posing for a calendar on the beach, and another of him in uniform, teaching children how to ride their bikes safely. It looked to Reyna as if he’d liked being a cop.
She couldn’t imagine a man who was more of a polar opposite to her.
And if he liked being a cop, then why was he doing free house repairs for his aunt and uncle in Honey Hill?
Reyna really wanted to know. It was going to bother her until she did know. She pushed back from the computer and gathered her stuff, sparing a glance at the large clock on the wall. It would be late by the time she got home.
If she didn’t see Kade or think of a better excuse, she’d take him a coffee in the morning. That should melt his defenses.
She winced, knowing that she hadn’t exactly left things between them so that it would be easy to start talking again. Maybe the coffee would help mend fences.
Maybe more sex would be better.
Reyna didn’t have any quibbles with that possibility.
“House repair.” Chris shook his head and took another swig of his beer. He and Kade were on the patio behind Chris and Emily’s house. The barbecue was heating, sending a waft of smoke into a perfectly clear afternoon sky. It was warm for April, which in Chris’s world meant it was time to fire up the grill. Chris was a charcoal devotee, so there was time for beer after the coals were lit. The patio was on the west side of the house and Kade enjoyed basking in the sun, out of the wind. Summer didn’t seem so far away.
Chris and Emily’s three daughters were playing in the yard, laughing and teasing each other. The two younger ones were trying to turn cartwheels as well as their ten-year-old sister and not succeeding. Emily was making something in the kitchen to go with the steaks and burgers. Chris had gotten out two chairs from the set of garden furniture. Kade’s partner was about ten years older than him, of similar height and build, with blond hair that had a bit of silver at the temples. He was pragmatic and fair, and Kade admired him.
“Pretty much,” Kade agreed.
“You could end up with a job up there in Honey Hill.”
“I could probably make myself a job up there.” Kade felt Chris’s sidelong glance. “If I wanted.”
“Do you?”
“I don’t know.” Kade might have ducked the question from anyone else, but with Chris, he was completely honest. Their partnership worked because they were always straight with each other.
“Because, you know, you could come back to town and fix my house anytime you wanted.” Chris’s tone was teasing. “If you ever have a burning desire to paint baseboards or hang light fixtures.”
“Change light bulbs,” Emily said, bringing them each another beer.
“You got one that needs changing?” Kade asked. Chris wasn’t good at home maintenance, but Kade never minded stepping up.
“The overhead light at the top of the stairs.” Emily gave her husband a stern look. “Someone is going to trip.”
Chris grinned. “Someone might get help tripping if he doesn’t get to it soon.”
“Not funny, Chris,” Emily said when Kade barely smiled. “Couples hurting each other isn’t much of a joke.”
“No, it’s not. Sorry, babe.” Chris stood and wrapped his arms around his wife, giving her a kiss that would make anyone unfamiliar with their open displays of affection uncomfortable. Kade was used to it.
In fact, it made him think of Reyna.
It made him more than think about her.
Was there any chance of her speaking to him again?
Of them getting together again?
If he wanted it to happen—and he did—he couldn’t let her take charge of everything. How would Reyna react to a man who challenged her? Kade wasn’t sure but he wanted to find out. There had to be a way to bend her rules without earning her animosity.
“Mmm, I think I might just forgive you,” Emily teased. “When will you be ready to grill?”
“Twenty minutes.”
They conferred about preparing dinner, a phase Kade had always called synchronizing their watches. They were excellent hosts and made it look easy to serve five or forty. It was no joke that they worked well together, as good a team as he and Chris were.
Probably better.
“I’ll take care of that light for you, if you want,” Kade offered.
“Thanks. Ladders aren’t my strong suit,” Chris replied. “Wait until after dinner though.” He opened a cold beer and handed it to Kade as Emily returned to the kitchen. “The problem with you making a job for yourself up there in the highlands is that you have a job right here.”
Kade had known that Chris wouldn’t avoid the subject forever. “I’m not ready, Chris.”
“I miss having you at my back,” his partner said. “We have a trust, Kade, after these years together. It’s not easy to replace.”
“I know.”
“When do you think you’ll be ready?”
“I don’t know.” Kade frowned, then said the dreaded truth aloud. “I might not ever be.”
“You’re kidding me,” Chris said and Kade noticed how he kept his tone light. His eyes, though, revealed his concern. “You’re going to leave me with Latte Boy forever? What have I ever done to you?”
Kade grinned despite himself. Then he put down the beer and leaned toward Chris, holding his gaze. “You’re the best partner I ever had. I trust you completely.”
“And I trust you. You know I’m not supposed to say it, but that was one fucking amazing shot. And that bastard had it coming. You did her a favor even if she didn’t believe it at the time.” Chris abandoned that line of reasoning when Kade frowned and teased him again. “You leaving the force to become a sniper and you’re just letting me down easy?”
They laughed together.
“Maybe you just like having that scrubby crap on your face, the bit you call a beard.”
They chuckled again, but the humor didn’t last long.
“I don’t want to ever let you down, Chris,” Kade admitted quietly. He turned to look at his partner. “I went to the range today.”
“That’s good.”
“Not really. It’s not better. I still questioned every shot. I hesitated every single time. And there was no pressure. There was nothing going on, no decisions to be made, no incomplete data. There was the target and I had my gun and yet, I wasn’t sure. That scares the shit out of me. If I can’t shoot when there’s no question, how about when there’s room for doubt?” He shook his head. “I will not come and tell Emily that it’s my fault.”
Their gazes clung for a moment and Kade knew his partner understood.
Then Chris ran a hand through his hair and sat back, frowning out at the yard. “Okay. That’s fair.” His gaze swiveled back to Kade. “What are you going to do about it?”
“Remember how I wasn’t going to talk to that shrink again?”
“Of course.”
“Wednesday.” Kade grimaced. “I booked a double session.”
Chris grinned and fist-pumped with Kade. “Wanting to beat it is half the battle. I was worried when you just seemed to be giving it up.”
“I was freaked out.”
“Of course! But I know you can do it. You can get past this. You’re a great cop and the city needs you.” Chris wagged a finger at him. “And whenever you’re ready, you better believe I’m dumping Latte Boy and riding with you.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” They clicked their bottles together in an impromptu toast and drank. The girls collapsed on the ground, laughing. One found a bit of snow in the shade against the fence and shoved it down her sister’s jacket and they were off again.
“What changed?” Chris asked quietly.
“What?”
“Something changed. You were determined to wait it out. You were walking away.” He cleared his throat. “I might even suggest that you were hiding in Honey Hill.” Chris’s gaze was level. “But suddenly you want to fight for it. What happened?”
“She happened,” Kade admitted, knowing it was true.
Chris smiled. “I should have known it would take a talent I don’t possess.”
They laughed together again.
“When’s the wedding?”
Kade snorted. “There’s not even going to be a second date,” he said, then stared across the yard, thinking.
“Once was enough?”
“Not nearly, but given that she threw me out, that’s probably going to be it.”
Chris straightened. “She threw you out? You forgot how to do that, too?”
Kade smiled. “No. It was awesome.”
“That doesn’t explain her throwing you out.” Chris tapped him on the arm. “Maybe your awesome is different from hers.”
Kade shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. I think it worked for her.”
“Then what?”
He considered his beer bottle. “I had to go because she was tired.” Chris was waiting so he continued. “She has these rules, you see. She sleeps alone. She never does it twice with anyone. She does everything herself so it’s done right. And those are only the ones I know so far.”
Chris gave a low whistle. “Domestic.”
“What?”
“She doesn’t trust you enough to fall asleep in your presence. What does that mean? That she’s fallen asleep before with a man in her place and everything has gone to shit by the time she woke up. And she doesn’t want to get involved with anyone again. That’s the only-once thing.” Chris nodded. “Your girl has a history. I’ll bet my last buck on it.”
Kade considered this, reviewing everything Reyna said. “She really likes to be in control. Really likes it.”
“Lack of trust. That’s from fear. Maybe she’s been raped.”
Kade exhaled and leaned back, no longer having any taste for beer. He didn’t want to think about Reyna being abused in any way. The idea made him feel sick. “That would be a terrible thing,” he said softly.
“You like her.” There was no question in Chris’s voice.
“Oh yeah. Way more than I should. She’s gorgeous, sexy, direct, confident—and yet, it seems like some of it is a mask. A performance.”
“A defense,” Chris said and finished his beer. “But meeting her is what changed your mind?”
“She doesn’t acknowledge obstacles or weakness, Chris. She built a business, making cupcakes, of all things. Some of it might be bravado and she might have secrets to hide, but she’s really strong. She’s just kept on going through something, something probably pretty bad, and made something good of her life. That’s inspiring.”
Chris smiled. “She made you feel like a slacker.”
“For not trying nearly so hard,” Kade agreed. “Exactly.”
“What’s her name?”
“Reyna. Reyna Tate.”
Chris got up to check the barbecue. “Well, I’m thinking that a woman like that isn’t one you should let slip away. If she made that much of an impact in one night, you ought to think twice. She could change your life.” He opened the lid and examined the coals, then called to Emily that he was ready. Then he gave Kade a look. “Maybe you should check whether she wanted you to leave just last night or for good.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” Kade agreed. “Good thing I’m going back to Honey Hill in the morning.”
“If you hadn’t had two beers and Emily wasn’t knocking it out of the park with the sides tonight, I’d tell you to go now.” Chris dropped his voice to a whisper. “She’s trying to convince you to come back to town so you can come for dinner more often.”
“Don’t you share all my secrets,” Emily complained and they laughed together before she called the girls to set the table.
Kade watched as he had watched a hundred times before and felt a familiar yearning. Chris had everything good, everything Kade had ever wanted himself. The yearning was stronger this time, though, maybe because he could finally envision the woman who could fill the same place as Emily in his own life.
Was there any possibility of a future like this with Reyna?
It wouldn’t be like this. It would be a lot more stylish, but Kade knew it would be interesting. There’d be no chance of boredom with Reyna around.
If nothing else, he had to let her know how he felt. The choice would be hers, especially if Chris was right about her past, but Kade wasn’t in a hurry to let Reyna Tate slip away.