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“Caden…” she said, neither a statement or a question. Just hearing his name on her lips sent a warm feeling throughout his body, making his chest swell.
He stared down at her as he supported himself on one arm, using his other hand to touch her face, her cheeks, her mouth. She parted her lips, and he slipped his finger inside.She licked and sucked gently, sending shockwaves of ecstasy through him. He groaned, closing his eyes as his breaths turned shallow and ragged. Then he opened his eyes and pulled his finger out. Another second and he was going to come in his pants.
Caden kissed her lips, then her nose and eyelids. “It’s not too much for me. It will never be too much for me. I only worry about you, and how it’s affecting you and your life.”
She had called her ability useless and scary, but it had to be more than that. Seeing fire and knowing someone was going to be hurt, but not being able to help them. That would drive anyone to the brink of insanity. But to experience that kind of torture over and over again…he couldn’t imagine.
Hallie shrugged beneath him. “I’ve had it my whole life. I don’t know any other way. Most people don’t even notice when I have them. If I’m at the grocery store or walking down the street, no one stops, or stares, or anything. My mind has to be unfocused. That’s the only time they can come at me. It’s one of the reasons they usually happen at night, or if they hit me during the day, it’s mostly when my mind is quiet. Like if I’m daydreaming or staring off into space or something. That’s when they’re most likely to sneak in.”
“Do you ever get a break and not have any glimpses at all?” His hand was precariously close to the hem of her shirt now, as his fingertips brushed against the soft skin at her midriff. Hallie didn’t like talking about her ability, but keeping her distracted with his kisses and touches seemed to be a good way of getting her to open up and not be so in her head about it. It wasn’t his usual method of interrogation, but it would have to do for now.
Hallie sighed, her expression relaxed, her eyes filled with a soft passion. “Yes. I can go weeks, sometimes even months without seeing anything at all. It’s a nice reprieve.” She smiled then pushed against his chest with her hands, letting him know she wanted him off. He rose and sat on the edge of the bed.
She sat up, crossed her legs Indian styleand took his hand in hers. “Now, can we talk about you for a minute? I feel like you’re putting all this focus on me to avoid the topic of you.”
Caden looked at her in surprise. “Me?” No woman had ever set aside her own thoughts to put him front and center like that. He wasn’t sure what to make of it, but somehow Hallie knew how to make him feel like he mattered, and he only loved her more for it.
“Yes, you. Are you okay? I know how hard it was for you to go to that funeral today. I mean, it was hard on me, and I didn’t even know the guy.”
Ever since his brother’s death, Caden has been filled with this inexplicable void. His relationship with his parents was never the same after Ethan was killed, and he didn’t keep in touch with his cousins either. They were Tyler’s brother and sister, and had naturally taken Tyler’s side. So with the exception of his friends, Caden had been on his own, and he was content with that way of living, until now.
Hallie changed that. She filled the ever-present void he’d spent most of his adult life trying to fill or ignore. And having her at Beeker’s funeral with him, knowing she felt even a fraction of his pain, made him feel less alone in the world.
Half way through the funeral, Caden’s thoughts had abruptly changed from feeling sorry for himself and his colleague, to focusing on Lori, and what she was going through. He hated the idea of someone he loved, as much as Beeker loved his wife, going through so much pain and grief, if anything ever happened to him.
When he looked at Hallie, Caden knew, if it was going to be anyone up there for him, it would be her. The thought broke his heart and made him want to turn in his badge. But he wouldn’t. There was still a lot of work to do. Orly needed him to track down and arrest Russell Graham. Other women and innocents were also counting on him to put away their tormentors.
He’d do it for them. But he would always put Hallie first and do whatever he could to make sure she never knew such pain and loss.
“I’m okay,” Caden finally said, and he actually meant it.
Chapter 22
Caden had to leave right after dinner to pick Blake up from a rehab appointment after Tanner had been called in on a case and none of the other guys were available, but Hallie didn’t mind. She actually admired Caden’s loyalty to his friends, and never wanted to come between them.
Besides, it gave her time to do something she’d been thinking about since she’d filed her quarterly taxes, and it became glaringly obvious that The Mystic Cow was on a slow decline. Hallie needed to think fast before the slump got too deep. Expensive advertising was out of her budget, but maybe she could start a book club. If she could just get more people into the store, it would help boost sales.
She got her laptop and logged into the backend of the store’s website. She updated the sales page, changing out some of the photos for more recent ones she had taken with her smartphone and then set up a new page, set it to private and stopped. She had a lot of ideas flowing through her mind on what she could do: a book club, a book club with coffee or wine, an arts and crafts night, a general social hour - it all seemed overdone and would likely be more work than it was worth.
Staring at that blank page, Hallie wondered if her precious days at the store were coming to an end. She always knew it was a possibility that she’d have to close her doors, she just never thought it would happen so soon. She’d only been in business for less than four years, and while her lease was coming up next year, it never even occurred to her not to renew. Until now.
She scrolled through Instagram and Pinterest looking for ideas until she was bleary eyed and couldn’t keep her eyes open anymore. Nothing was coming to her, and all the joy she’d had when Caden left seemed to be sucked out of her. The Mystic Cow was her baby, not just her source of income. If she didn’t have it, Hallie had no idea what her life would look like. She didn’t know what she would do if The Mystic Cow closed, but she just wasn’t the kind of person who could do something that didn’t make her happy, challenge her, and give her some sense of belonging and purpose.
When her phone rang, she smiled at seeing Caden’s name pop up on her screen. “Hi.”
“Hey. How are you?” He asked.
“Good. Just doing some work on my laptop. Are you still coming back tonight?”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I’m with Blake and he’s in a lot of pain after his appointment. They pushed him hard today and I feel bad leaving him alone right now.”
“No, don’t. Of course, you should stay with him,” Hallie said.
Caden sighed. “He took some pain meds, but I don’t know how long it will take for them to kick in.”
“It’s okay,” Hallie insisted. “Caden, he’s one of your closest friends, and I’m perfectly fine. I promise. Stay with Blake and call me tomorrow or something.”
“Are you sure?” He asked.
