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“Take what you need, baby. You’re doing great,” Zeke urges encouragingly. He opens a suitcase for me, and I toss in what I can find. My underwear is everywhere. I’m so embarrassed that a slew of cops is going to come in here at any moment and they’ll be picking up my unmentionables. Zeke must catch on to what I’m thinking, because in one fell swoop, he gathers them all up and tosses them in the suitcase. He meets my gaze and nods.
“Thank you,” I murmur.
Zeke hurries me along, making sure I’m not dwelling too long and giving myself too much time to think. He says things like “Do you need this?” “How about this?” and when he sees the bathroom in complete disarray, he goes on to say, “We’ll stop by the store and pick up new stuff.”
It’s not until we’re leaving that I take one last look around. “It’s a mess.” I sob.
“We’ll fix it,” Zeke says with utter determination.
“My apartment, my life… I can’t win.” My shoulders sag in defeat. “Why me? Why did he pick me? Why turn my life upside down?”
A strong, masculine arm curves around my waist, pulling me in closer. “I’m going to find out who’s behind this. I’m going to look after you.”
I believe him.
FIVE
The Kiss
ZEKE
Iwanted to hold her, comfort her, but most of all, I wanted to kiss her. Her sadness became more apparent with each step she took through her place. The more she saw of the disastrous mess, the heavier the room became with emotion. I’m not the only one who felt it, Caleb kept looking over at us. His expression went from angry to furious.
Jasmine is exceptionally quiet on the car ride home. Her gaze is fixed out the window, staring off into nothingness. I hate seeing her like this, and by the time we get back to my apartment, my hands ache from gripping the steering wheel so tight in frustration.
“How about some dinner?” I say to break the silence after I park.
“Not very hungry, but you go ahead,” she mumbles, then gets out and starts to drag the overloaded bags to the spare room. I tug them out of her hands and walk through the hall, setting them on the floor just inside the door. Jasmine moves to walk past me, but stops when I hold firm. She tilts her head back to look up at me. “Excuse me.”
“We have to have a talk.” Without waiting for a response, I guide her back to the living room and pull her down next to me on the couch. “I get that you’ve been shaken by the turn of events in the last few weeks. You’ve got a couple of choices here. You can give in to the fear, but that just means this guy wins. It means he’s in your head and every single move you make is affected by what he’s done or is planning. The other option is to trust me. Trust the team. Caleb, Alex, and Damian are the best at what they do. We have the highest percentage of closed cases. Caleb is tactical and thorough. Alex and Damian have an innate gut instinct, and it serves them well. And I’m told that I’m the tech king at our station. I promise you we’re all in, but you have to work with us. No one is getting near you.” I pause. “Are you with me?”
Jasmine stiffens her spine. “This person took everything I’ve worked for and destroyed it. I built my home piece by piece. Those chairs that are now splinters of wood came from a flea market, but my mom and I refurbished them together. It’s not about the chairs. It’s the memories. I don’t feel safe there anymore. I don’t think I’m ever going back, and that makes me sad. I’ll miss seeing Harriet, and her kids are too far away to visit her as often as I do. What happens to her? So, if you think I’m being difficult, too bad. This isn’t happening to you.”
She stands up straight and makes a fist, pointing her thumb toward herself. “It’s happening tome!” She takes a step back when I reach for her. “I’m not a cop. Therefore, I’m not trained to deal with this situation. And I do trust you. I’m here, aren’t I?” She keeps at it, not giving me a chance to get a word in. And since she’s letting it all out, I decide to go with it. “Two days! That’s how long I’ve known you and your team. It took Macey five months to earn my trust, and she’s one of my best friends. Mind you, she was copying off my term paper because she was having so much trouble with the material and I almost failed that course because the professor thought we both cheated, but she made it right and confessed.
“Eventually, we talked it out, but that took time. In case you haven’t noticed, I like structure. I like order, neatness. Do you know why I’m a good teacher? I’ll tell you. Kids like to play, but they also like to know the rules. They say they don’t, but they do. Once they know what those rules are, they might test you or push, but the minute you make it clear, they understand, and they learn to trust you. I like rules too. It would be a lot easier if people would follow basic life rules. For instance, don’t go around trying to kill people! I think that’s a solid rule, don’t you?”
As adorable as she is when she’s on a rant, I can see that she’s heading toward a dark place. I rise from my seat and this time refuse to let her go, gently tugging her closer. I wrap an arm around her waist and put my hand under her chin, forcing her to meet my eyes. “It is a solid rule. It’s good you’re teaching me all about kids since tomorrow I’ll be working with them,” I say quietly. When her face softens and her body relaxes, leaning into me, I have an overwhelming desire to kiss her. Her cheeks are flushed and her pretty pink lips part slightly, and I know she wants it too.
I’d be crossing the line. It goes against all I’ve been taught. She’s vulnerable, and I should wait, but those lips are too tempting. Her pull is too great. I can’t resist her any longer.
Christ, she tastes better than I’d ever imagined. Sweet peaches, fresh and pure. Her lips mold to mine, soft and gentle at first, then she opens for me, and I slip my tongue in her mouth. The kiss is warm and wet, sultry, enticing, and completely intoxicating. When her eyes close and she melts into my body, I feel her heat. My hand moves down her back and lands on her ass, and I pull her tighter into my arms so she can feel what she does to me. The bulge in my pants lets her know my desire matches her own.
I can sip from this magic potion until I die. Eventually, I pull away and watch as her lids flutter open. Fuck! She’s beautiful. Her lips are swollen from our kiss, and her fingers dig into my biceps.
When her eyes are fully open, she whispers, “Thank you.”
I smile. “Are you going to thank me every time I kiss you?”
She nods, then shakes her head. She’s in a sensual haze, and I feel like a prize fighter winning the championship because I’m the reason she’s in it. “Are you going to kiss me again?” she asks, a hint of anticipation in her tone.
“Every chance I get,” I say. “But first, we’re gonna make some sandwiches, chill on the sofa, and hang out with a movie. At some point, we’re gonna make out some more and then go to bed. That’s all we’re doing tonight. This is new, and I want to do it right. We’re taking it slow.”
Jasmine beams up at me, wearing her happiness like a beacon.
“I’m a lousy cook, but I make a monster deli sandwich,” I say.
“Mustard and mayo?”
