She stopped with a forkful of pancake inches from her mouth and stared at me. That’s when it hit me. No one hadever told her they were sorry forher, for what she went through. I felt like I was peering into her mind and memories and pain for several heart beats.
Then a protective veil fell back into place. “I’m fine, too. What about you? Any siblings?”
I gave her a quick summary of my own childhood, but kept it light and easy because that had beenmyfamily job. “One brother, two years younger. Parents divorced when I was ten. Dad remarried when I was in college, and Mom is still blissfully single.”
“And your brother? What’s his name?”
“Jamie. James now, to anyone outside the family.”
“Are you close?” she asked.
“We are. He was always a good kid, and he’s a great adult. He’s a high school math teacher in upstate New York, and he’s getting married next year.”
“Nice. And your parents, are you close?”
I sighed. “According to my mom, I don’t call enough, but otherwise, we’re all in a good place.”
“That’s how moms are.” She finished her pancakes, then pushed her empty plate a few inches away from her and rested her forearms on the table. Her face was serious and I worried we’d touched another raw nerve. “Speaking of parents, I have a question for you.”
Fuck me. I hoped she wasn’t going to ask whether I wanted kids. The truth was, I didn’t know. I’d never thought much about it until Hayes, who was my teammate but also one of my best friends, had announced his wife’s pregnancy. I was a definite maybe. If this was a screening question for a potential date, I would tell her exactly that. No misleading a woman one way or the other, no matter how badly I wanted to see her naked.
“Ask away,” I said when I realized she’d fallen silent.
“Okay. My question is, would you consider adopting Bella? I thought you might be interested in being her person.”
Adopting Bella. I turned the words over in my head, making sure I’d heard correctly and absorbing the realization that this conversation wasn’t about dating or sex or anyone getting naked. Once my little head got over that disappointment, the other one took over the thinking. I looked down at the very good girl at my feet.
Cami continued. “I know it’s a lot to ask, a big responsibility, but?—”
“Yes. I’m saying yes to the pup. You’re right, I want to be her person.”
Cami smiled and her shoulders dropped. I was no tactical agent and I didn’t have the extensive training in reading people that they received, but I understood the basics. My answer had shifted something in her. It had changed her view of me. She was less wary, more open. All that and a dog I already loved. Hot damn, this was my lucky day.
I patted Bella’s head and she stared up at me with liquid brown eyes. “I do have to travel sometimes for my job. Maybe you’d know someone who could help out with her when I do.”
“I’ll do it,” she said immediately. “Bella can stay with me anytime. I’ll take her to work with me so she won’t have to be alone.”
“I’d appreciate that.” And I liked that it meant Cami would stay in my life long after the current situation with Scott and the drugs and what appeared to be a coming clusterfuck were behind us. Holy shit, I didn’t realize how much I wanted that until I heard her agree to it.
I dropped my gaze and stared at her mouth, pink andpuffy and ready to be kissed. Her tongue darted out and licked her lower lip. I was hard in a split second. I knew she would taste like blueberries and syrup and lust. I slowly lifted my gaze back to hers. Her eyes were wide, her pupils blown, her breath coming in quick pants.
I mustered my patience and waited for her to make the next move. After that, I would pull her into my arms and wrap myself around her petite, curvy body and make her pant even harder. But first, I needed to know if she wanted me as much as I wanted her. She leaned closer, her lips now inches from mine, and closed her eyes.
Pounding on the door made us jump. Her forehead crashed into my jaw. Bella whined. I was on my feet and headed for the door when the asshole outside banged again. I stopped by the small table that was inside the apartment door, where I’d placed my stun gun for easy reach.
“Police! We have a warrant! Open the door!”
I peered through the peephole and my heart sank. My lucky day was blown right out of the fucking water. It really was the cops, and I had a sinking feeling I knew why they were there.
10
CAMI
My Monday morning had started off with such promise, first catching an eyeful of Kyle, fresh-scrubbed and naked outside my shower. Yes, it was unbelievably embarrassing and totally my bad, accidentally barging in on him, but I didn’t regret it. The man was one gorgeous, unwrapped package. Christmas and birthday and every special occasion rolled into one.
After recovering from the initial shock, we’d enjoyed a pleasant breakfast together and he’d agreed to adopt Bella. To top it all off, we’d leaned toward each other, and I’d closed my eyes to kiss him. Then the police were pounding on the door and shouting, and minutes later, I was in handcuffs, being taken to a squad car parked in the back parking lot. All this, and it was barely seven in the morning.
Fortunately, the clinic was still closed, so there were no employees or, worse, clients, to witness my perp walk. One of the two uniformed cops leading me to the car assured me their warrant wasn’t for my arrest, only for my detainment for questioning. But the handcuffs sent a different message.
