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Liam prepared to let her down as easy as he could. “Margaret, I just moved into my new place, and—”
“Really?” she said excitedly. “That’s great! Where are you living? Close to me, I hope.”
Liam sighed. He might as well just tell her the truth. “Not really. I’m on the other side of town from you.”
“Liam,” Cora sang out from the kitchen. “I’m making spaghetti for dinner. Want some?”
“Uh...” he paused and tried to cover the phone with his hand, but he knew Margaret heard “...sure.”
“Who was that?” Margaret’s voice was sharp. Alert. He could practically feel her bristle. Christ. Here we go.
“That’s Cora,” Liam said with a sigh. “My new roommate.”
“Really,” Margaret said flatly. “Funny, you never mentioned having a roommate. Never even mentioned looking for one.”
“The opportunity came up suddenly. She just happens to work at my new precinct, so it made sense to move in together.”
Margaret didn’t say anything for a few moments. Liam got the feeling she was reeling from the information and trying to gather herself together. She had a strong jealous streak, but she was a married woman. She didn’t have much of a leg to stand on when it came to lecturing him on his choices with other women, and she well knew it.
“That’s great,” she said. “You can tell me all about it when you come over next weekend.” Liam heard a man’s voice call out to Margaret. “John’s home,” she whispered. “I have to go. I’ll talk to you later.” Then she hung up before Liam could say anything further.
He tossed the phone on the nightstand and sighed. That conversation wasn’t productive. He’d have to call her back, and soon. But first, he needed to see what this spaghetti business was all about. It warmed his heart to think of Cora making him dinner. His sweet, kind, caring woman. Smiling, he headed for the kitchen.
The next morning, Liam paced the living room, glowering at Cora. Her curvy body was on full display for the entire world to see. And apparently, she didn’t care.
“You can’t be serious,” he said for the second time, scowling at her outfit.
Cora lifted her chin stubbornly, then pulled an elastic band from her wrist and began gathering her hair into a ponytail. “No, you can’t be serious. I don’t know where you get off thinking you can tell me how to dress on my morning run. What is this, the 1800s?”
“Clearly not,” he scoffed, gesturing to her clothes.
Cora finished pulling her hair back, then bent to pull on her running shoes. The tiny black shorts she wore rose up a little higher on her backside, leaving her spectacular legs on full display. God, she was magnificent. All toned curves and golden skin. Liam’s fingers itched to touch her. He couldn’t drag his gaze away. Unfortunately, that meant no other man would be able to look away, either.
“At least zip your top up, woman,” he said moodily. Her sweatshirt hung open to reveal a tight tank top that left nothing to the imagination. “You can’t go bouncing down the street with it hanging open like that. It’s indecent.”
“Oh?” Cora arched a delicate brow, her blue eyes flashing fire. Then, keeping her gaze on his, she deliberately peeled off her sweatshirt and tossed it on the sofa. “In that case, I’ll just leave it here.”
“Cora.” Liam pinched the bridge of his nose. “You’re killing me.”
“Well, the feeling’s mutual. And for the record, I don’t bounce down the street. It’s called running. What is up with you, anyway? You really need to ease off the pedal. These are just basic workout clothes, and that’s exactly what I’m about to do. Work.” She pointed toward the door. “Out.”
Liam growled in frustration as she breezed out the door with her head high and her ponytail swinging.
He followed her into the yard, searching both sides of the street for men with wandering eyes. “Maybe I’ll just come with you.”
“Like hell you will,” she said, grabbing one foot and then the other behind her to stretch her legs. “This is my time, and I don’t share it with anyone. Why don’t you make yourself useful and fix that lawnmower while I’m gone?”
The strange machine was propped against a tree in the front yard. Liam didn’t know the first thing about using it, let alone fixing it.
“See you later, Sergeant Clothes Police.” She saluted, then bounced off down the street.
Liam watched her go until she disappeared around the corner. Twice, he began to follow her, then turned back. If he was going to win points with Cora, he had to be careful and give her space. It was just so damned difficult. He walked over to the lawnmower and gave it a swift kick. It wobbled, then tipped over on its side.
A black sports car pulled up to the house, and Liam’s glower grew even darker when Finn Walsh stepped out of the car. What the hell was he doing here? As far as Liam knew, Finn and Cora weren’t close friends. And why did he have a fast car? It was wasted on a man like him.
Finn gave Liam a nervous smile. He wasn’t wearing a suit and tie today, but he might as well have been. He still stood with that same stiff posture, and his gray, perfectly creased slacks were almost the same shade as his collared shirt.
“Hey, Liam. Is Cora around?”
