After Brody and I left Stephanie, we had back-to-back calls. We were nonstop all day, and I’m exhausted. Thanks to shift work, I have the next three days off, and I couldn’t be happier. Which is good since I need all those good vibes for the phone call I’m about to make.

I have to call Nicole back.

“Hey,” I say as I flop on my couch.

“Hey yourself. Where the hell have you been? I called you four times.”

I give her a rundown of the calls we had, purposely leave out the encounter with Eli, and lay my head back. “I’m beyond beat.”

“Is Stephanie okay?”

“She seems to be. We had a really good talk.” I fill her in on my hospital trip. It feels good that we got everything out in the open. I know both of us dance around each other sometimes. Stephanie a lot less than me. When her mind isn’t in the right place, she lets it all fly.

“I’m glad. So, since that’s out of the way, let’s talk about the other night.”

“Nic,” I grumble.

“No. You made me scale a freaking fence. You’re not getting out of this. I’ve given you space, but that’s not happening tonight.”

I can only imagine how much this has been eating at her, but I don’t want to get into this right now. Maybe not ever.

Thankfully the doorbell rings.

“Shit, my pizza’s here. Hold on, Nic.”

I put the phone on the coffee table and grab my wallet before opening the door.

“Good to see you again, Heather.” Ian the pizza delivery guy smiles. I try not to let the fact that the pizza guy knows me by name depress me too much. It’s my go-to food after a twelve-hour shift.

“You, too.” I return his smile, and he looks me up and down. He’s a nice kid, but his roaming eyes are a bit much.

Ian hands me the pizza, and I head inside for a night of Nicole’s interrogation.

“Okay,” I put the phone to my ear. “I’m back.”

“And you were about to tell me about your sex with Eli.”

I take a massive bite of pizza and moan. All the gooey cheesy goodness is like a party in my mouth.

“Heather!” Nicole yells as I take another bite.

“I’m eating,” I say as I chew.

“Pizza is not more important than my need for information.”

The doorbell rings again, and I thank God for small miracles. “Hold again,” I say as I hold the phone against my shoulder.

I walk over, smiling because I know that Nicole must be going out of her mind. “Did you for—”

“Hello, Officer Covey.” Eli grins as he leans against the doorframe. “I was hoping you were home. We didn’t get a chance to finish our conversation.”

Not even thinking, I close the door and stand there. Holy shit. What the hell?

“Heather?” Nicole’s voice is a buzzing in my ear. Or is that my suddenly frantic pulse?

“Hmm?” I can’t speak. Eli Walsh is at my freaking house.

“Is that who I think it is?”

I rise onto my tiptoes and peek out the peephole. Sure enough, he’s right there, smiling as if he has not a care in the world. “Yup.”

“Are you fucking kidding?” Nicole screams.

“Holy shit, Nic. What the hell do I do?” My heart continues to race, and I’m completely freaking out.

Nicole chuckles and then proceeds to yell again. “Open the goddamn door!”

I look in the mirror and groan. I have on shorts and an oversized sweatshirt, which now has a beautiful pizza stain on the front. My hair is in a messy bun, I’m not wearing any makeup, and I have my glasses on instead of my contacts. I can’t believe this.

Eli knocks again. “Heather, I can hear you on the other side.”

My hand presses against the wood, and I close my eyes. “What do you want, Eli?”

“Heather! Open the fucking door right now!” Nicole’s voice raises in my ear.

“Shut up!” I yell at my jackass best friend.

“I didn’t say anything,” Eli answers.

I sigh and drop my head against the door again, making a thump noise. “I know. I . . . I . . . just.”

Nicole growls at me, “I swear that if you don’t open it right now, I’m coming over and giving him your spare key.”

There isn’t a single doubt that she’ll do exactly that. “Fine. Goodbye,” I say and disconnect the phone.

With no other options, I fix my hair the best I can and pull the door open. Eli is still standing with his arm resting on the frame and a huge smile on his face. “Hi.” His deep voice washes over me, making my toes curl a bit.

“Why are you here, and how did you know where I live?” I ask, trying to keep my heart from flying out of my throat.

He’s ridiculously sexy. Even more so than earlier today. Everything about him screams heartbreak, but every muscle in my body wants to be close to him.

Eli doesn’t say anything, he just stares into my eyes. “You going to let me in?”

“Are you going to answer my questions?” I counter.

“If you let me come in.”

There’s no way this is going to lead to anything good. Letting Eli any deeper into my life is not part of my plan. I can’t get mixed up with some playboy singer slash actor and his overly problematic existence. I have enough complications, I don’t need another.

I also don’t think he’s the kind of man to give up. If I send him away, he’ll be back tomorrow. Saying no to a man who probably has never heard the word will only be a challenge. It’s better to get this all out and over with now so I can move on.

“Fine, but you have five minutes.” I push the door open more, and he stands in my doorway so we’re chest to chest.

Eli’s eyes don’t stray from mine as his hand gently touches the side of my face. “We’ll see about that.”

I fight the impulse to crush my lips to his. To taste his kiss and feel his rough hands on my skin again. There’s nothing I’ve wanted more than to stop replaying it in my head, but I can’t.

It’s been so long since a man has made me crazy, driven me to the point of complete madness, but Eli pulled it off with ease.

I shake my head and pull his hand down. “Start talking before I get my Taser.”

“I’d rather you get the cuffs.” He winks and walks deeper into my living room.

For the first time since I can remember, I look around and feel a wave of embarrassment. I live a modest life, I can’t afford the repairs needed on my house, and I haven’t bought new furniture since my engagement to Matt nine years ago. Here’s a man who could buy the entire Pottery Barn catalogue, and I can’t even afford a blanket.

“Eli?” I ask, trying to get him to stop looking around. “You found out where I live, how?”

“Relax.” His smile is easy and warm. “I found something of yours. I figured you probably needed it.”

“What? Something of mine?”

He pulls out a card, and my jaw falls. “Need this?”

“Holy shit! I didn’t even know it was missing!” I walk over and take my license from his hand. “Thank you. I would be in deep shit if they did a paperwork check and I didn’t have it before shift.”

“I thought being the law-abiding citizen you are, it was important.”

Relief floods me which is quickly followed by confusion. “But wait . . . you saw me earlier today.”

“Yes, but I was in a rather precarious situation with a police officer who wanted to bust my balls, so I didn’t have a chance to give it back.”

My arms fold across my chest as I stare at him. “You had more than enough time.”

He shrugs and plops himself on my couch. “I thought it would be better now. Plus, I wouldn’t want to play all my cards on the first hand.”

“So, this is what?”

“This is us becoming friends.”

“Friends?” I ask.

His lazy smile grows, and he leans back. “Yup. I decided today we’re going to be friends.”

“Why is that?”

I’m not sure why I’m asking, but I can’t help but want to know why he feels this is going to happen. Since it’s totally not. I don’t need any more friends, especially not rich sex Gods who out of nowhere want to make my life even more of a mess.

“Because that’s what people do after they’ve slept together. Plus, I’m a good friend.”

I huff and move closer, “I don’t need any more—” Eli opens the pizza box and pulls a slice out. “Hey! That’s my pizza.”

“I’m starving.” He grins and then takes a bite. “Mmm.” Eli moans as he chews, and I would give anything to be what he’s eating.

My eyes widen, and my cheeks burn as I chastise myself for even thinking that. What is wrong with me? Why do I become some addled teenager when I’m around him? I’m definitely not some sex-crazed woman. Since Matt, I’ve had one guy in my bed.

One.

And he sucked.

Now, I’m standing here thinking about Eli and all he did to me.

“Listen, new friend that I didn’t particularly ask for, I appreciate you bringing my license back.” I motion toward the door, but he leans back and throws his leg over his knee. “Really, I do, but—”

Eli cuts me off. “You’re not going to eat?”

“No, I’m definitely going to eat, but you’re definitely not staying.”

“You can’t share some pizza with me? I mean, isn’t that what friends do and all? They break bread, have some fun, talk, hook up a little?” He wags his eyebrows with a grin.

I shake my head and sigh. “No hooking up, and while I love the idea of our newfound friendship, it’s been a really long day. I was planning to head to bed.”

“We can do that, too.” He takes another bite as if he didn’t offer to sleep with me again.

“What? No! I wasn’t offering that!”

He laughs and tosses the pizza down before brushing some crumbs off his hands. “Jesus, relax, Heather. I was joking. I’m here because I wanted to talk about what happened. You ran off without a word, and when I found your license on the ground, I figured it was a sign.”

“A sign?”

“Yes.” He stands and then walks closer to me. “A sign that we have unfinished business. You know, most girls like to leave something behind so I have to come return it. Is that what this was? A game so you could see me again?”

Each step that Eli takes makes my pulse quicken a bit more. I’m not sure what unfinished business he thinks we have and what girls he’s used to dealing with. I was pretty clear when I ran out that there was nothing more. I was half drunk, stupid, and pressured by my idiot best friend to do something outside my comfort zone.

“I don’t have time for games. I never planned on seeing you again. The only sign was that I dropped something and you happened to find it.”

Eli stands in front of me, and I have to tilt my head back to see his face. His gorgeous eyes hold me hostage, and his arm wraps around my waist. “I think we both know that’s not the truth. You can feel it right now. I can see your breathing accelerating, your eyes keep moving to my lips, and while you can keep fighting it, I know you want me.”

I shake my head, trying to make him wrong, but when his tongue slides against his lips, I know he hears the intake of breath. I know because it’s loud, and in the silence, it might as well have been a sonic boom.

“Eli . . .” I try to move back, but his arm holds me in place.

“I’m not going to do anything, I just want to talk.”

“This is crazy,” I say, wishing I didn’t want crazy with every cell in my body.

Eli’s other hand slides up my back and holds me tighter. “What would be crazy is walking out the door without seeing if this is in our heads.”

“If what’s in our heads?”

“Whatever has us both so twisted that I’m here in your house, and you’re running out in the middle of the night without a goodbye. There’s something going on, and I want to see what the hell it is. Don’t you?”

My gaze doesn’t leave his, and the sincerity and conviction in his words stun me. If I tell him to walk out this door, I’ll regret it. I’ll think about this one moment for the rest of my life. Plus, Nicole knows he’s here, so if I ask him to leave, she’ll never let me live it down.

Before I can stop the words from falling from my lips, I agree. “Okay, pizza and talking only, though.”

Eli’s smile widens, and he squeezes me a little. “Pizza, talking, and who knows what else,” he counters.

There will be nothing else, but I keep that to myself. Arguing with him seems to only lead to him staying, eating pizza, and thinking we’re going to be besties.

We make our way back over to the couch and sit. He grabs a slice and hands it to me before going back for the piece he had. I curl my legs under me and try not to gawk. But Eli Walsh is sitting in the living room of my crumbling house. It isn’t that I live in a shithole, but I’m sure it’s nothing like his home.

My dad was a man of many projects. He started them and then quit before ever finishing. Matt helped a little, but he was in no way Bob Villa, if anything, he was Tim Allen from Home Improvement and broke more than he fixed.

After he left, I did my best to patch the holes of my home and my heart.

“So, a cop?” Eli asks after a few minutes of silent eating.

I wipe the sauce from my lips and then smile. “It was what I always wanted to be. My parents were killed by a drunk driver when I was twenty-one. After that, I knew I wanted to help even just one person be saved from that tragedy.”

“I’m really sorry,” Eli says and touches my arm.

“It was a long time ago.”

“Still, that must’ve been tough.”

I sigh and shrug a little. “It sucked, but I think it made me who I am today.”

“I get it. My dad died when I was young, too.”

“I’m sorry.”

Losing your parents is never easy, but when you’re young, it’s impossible to navigate the emotions of it. So many times I wished I had my parents there to guide me. It would’ve been so much easier.

“Don’t be, he wasn’t a role model anyway.” He waves away my condolences and says, “So, tell me, Heather . . . who are you?”

“I’m just me.”

There’s no way I’m going to divulge my deepest secrets. Eli will walk out this door tonight and never be back, which is exactly what I should want. Right? So, why don’t I spill all the dirt? For all I know, I’m just some conquest to him. The girl who walked away from a man that girls flock to. It’s what Nicole refers to as the rejection reaction. If I had stayed and pined for him, he would’ve brushed me off into the pile of other nameless, faceless girls he’s slept with.

Eli removes his keys and wallet from his back pocket, tossing them on the table.

Sure, make yourself comfortable. I guess he plans on staying.

“I’m serious. I want to know more about you,” he pushes for more.

“Why?” I ask with frustration. “You and I both know how this goes.”

He grips the back of his neck and lets out a heavy sigh. “How is that?”

“You’re going to go back to your lavish life, and I’ll be here . . .” I gesture around the room.

“Maybe that’s exactly what will happen, but only because you’re so hell bent on pushing me out that door.”

He isn’t wrong, but that still stings a little. “I’m protecting myself.”

Eli seems to recover and grabs another slice of pizza. “It’s fine, you’re going to have to try a lot harder. I’m basically a cop, too.”

I laugh and roll my eyes. “We’ve already established that you’re just a cop on television. Real police work isn’t anything like that.”

“So, you watch my show?” He says it so casually, so coolly, that if I weren’t an actual cop, I would have missed his real reaction. He’s practically preening inside over that little tidbit.

“I’ve seen it once because nothing else was on.” I’m so full of shit. I watch his stupid show every week. At first, it was because I wanted to see how much they butchered the real way police are, but then I was hooked. Watching him is my guilty pleasure. After five seasons, I can admit that I’m officially addicted.

He’ll never know that, though.

No way will I give him one more thing to try to use against me.

“Well, my partner, Tina, is a lot like you.”

“Is she?”

She is so not like me. Tina is a hard ass who wants nothing to do with men, and her husband left her for another woman.

I want a man, I don’t want another guy who will cut tail and run because life isn’t perfect. And Matt left because he’s a dick.

“Yeah, she lives alone and pushes any guy away.”

Screw him. He doesn’t know me. So what if I’m alone and I don’t want to get involved with a guy whose life is the polar opposite of mine? I’m thirty-eight years old; I don’t have to play by his rules or beliefs.

“I’m not pushing you away; I’m just living in reality.”

Eli leans forward, and I force myself not to retreat. “The only reality is the one we make.”

My reality isn’t movie stars and playing a cop on television. I’m an actual cop. I deal with all kinds of shit, and there’s no one to yell cut when it gets too intense. There are real bullets flying, people dying in car wrecks, immense amounts of paperwork, and shit pay. Keeping myself guarded isn’t a choice, it’s a necessity.

“Maybe in your world, but in the real world, we have crap to deal with.”

Eli drops the slice and huffs. “I live in the real world too you know.”

“Well, since we’re friends and all, tell me about it.” I toss the ball back in his proverbial corner.

I’m fully aware I’m coming off like a bitch. However, there’s a reason I ran away after we had sex. I’m terrified of anything new. Things in my life disappear or fall apart, trying to start anything with someone else, isn’t in my plans. I can’t lose anything else.

Looking at Eli, though, makes me wish for another life.

One where we could be friends. One where we could maybe be more than friends, but that isn’t the life I’m living.

Still, a girl can hope.

Eli shifts a little and clears his throat. “My full name is Ellington Walsh, I’m forty-two years old, never married, and grew up here in Tampa. I have one brother, Randy, who’s two years older than I am. We’ve been in Four Blocks Down since I was eighteen, and now I’m an actor. I plan to go into movies soon, but I’m waiting for the right part. Oh, most importantly, I like blonde girls who tell me they love me.”

I laugh. “Tell me something I wouldn’t find on Wikipedia.”

That look of silent preening is back in his eyes, and I want to smack myself. “You looked me up, huh?”

“Sure.” I snort, trying to play it cool. “No, I’ve grown up watching you in a non-creepy way. It isn’t like I don’t know all your bullet points. How about you tell me something about your life that your friends would know.”

Let’s see how much Eli wants to tell me. I’m not sure he actually wants this friendship like he thinks. I’m not even sure what a friendship with a famous person even looks like. Will there be people following him around? Is there some crazy security team he has? Does he have people? Do I even know what that means? Nope. The only people I have are my best friends and sister.

“Okay, I would’ve been here an hour earlier tonight, but a girl kept me held hostage.”

My eyes widen. Is he seriously telling me about another girl? “Wow.”

“Not like that!” he quickly says with his hands raised. “Shit. I’m not good at this. I’m talking about Daria, my niece.”

“You have a niece?”

I haven’t followed Randy’s personal life since he’s married. That crosses the line into creepy. I do know that he and his wife were together when the band formed, so he’s always kind of been off limits. It was always Eli that was the heartthrob.

“Yeah, she’s a man-manipulator already. My sister-in-law has trained her to terrorize my brother and me. She has this whole big eyes and squishy face thing down pat.”

I smile, understanding how kids can get you to do what they want pretty easily. “Basically, she rules your world?”

Eli nods. “I promised her one song. One. And eleven songs and fifty minutes later, I was in the car. If that doesn’t show you what one little ‘I love you’ from her does, I don’t know what will. Basically, if she wills it, she gets it. She even got me to play with dolls.” He shudders.

I can’t imagine him playing with a little girl, but a part of me swoons at the thought. It’s hard to picture him as anything but the elusive manwhore that the tabloids make him out to be.

“That’s actually kind of sweet.”

“You think I’m sweet?” he asks with hope filling his voice.

“I think that is sweet.”

My clarification goes unnoticed.

“I’m taking that as you like me. I don’t blame you, I’m quite charming.”

I groan while grinning. “Wikipedia didn’t mention that.”

His finger grazes my bare leg before falling flat. The skin under where his hand rests tingles. “I’m saving the good stuff for you.”

“Lucky me.”

He laughs. “Well, most girls would think so.”

“I guess it’s a good thing I’m not most girls then,” I throw back.

“Why is that?” Eli asks.

“Because you aren’t trying to be friends with them.”

Eli’s deep, rich laughter fills the room. “Touché.”

Eli and I finish the rest of the pizza as he tells me more about his niece and nephew. I love that he speaks about them with such affection. It’s great seeing him as—normal. He isn’t special sitting here in my rundown house. He’s just a regular guy. A guy who eats pizza and talks about how much he loves annoying his sister-in-law.

We cover more about my job, his show, and about how happy he is to get to spend some time in Tampa.

I yawn and then look at the clock. Holy shit! He’s been here for almost three hours.

Wow.

It’s been easy, fun, and filled with smiles.

“It’s really late.” He gets to his feet and shrugs on his coat.

“Thanks for bringing my license.”

I walk him to the door, and when we get there, he turns to me. “Can I see you again?”

“Eli . . .” I hold the door in my hand, trying to find the right words. This was fun, but this is complicated. “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.”

He moves closer, keeping his eyes on mine. “I was hoping you’d see that I’m not just some dick who doesn’t care. I thought we were getting somewhere, maybe even becoming friends. Seems I was mistaken.”

“You’re not!” I say quickly and grip his arm. “I’m being crazy, and I’m sorry. The truth is—” I sigh and decide to give him the truth. “You scare me. I’m not a one-night stand kind of girl. I have a lot, and I mean a lot, of shit going on in my life. Things that take up all my headspace, and I just don’t have room for more.” I take a deep breath, willing myself to continue. “I’ve had a lot of fun tonight with you, though. Honestly, it’s been great talking, and yes, there’s something . . .”

His smile is effortless as he leans in. “Listen, I head back to New York in a few weeks, but I’m staying around Tampa until then. I want to see you again.”

“Why?” I ask with complete bewilderment.

“Because regardless of how hard you’re pushing me away, I can’t help but want to see you more. I liked hanging out, I don’t get this with anyone but my brother. You don’t treat me like I’m different.” Eli winks. “Think about it.”

He leans in and kisses my cheek before turning and walking down the porch steps. I stand like a statue, unsure of whether I could find my voice if I wanted to. I watch Eli walk to his car, not expecting him to turn around. When he does, he grins again and adds, “Besides, I know where you live and work, I’m sure we’ll run into each other again anyway. Wikipedia should mention I’m relentless in pursuing what I want.”

My lips part, but he’s in his car before I can speak.

Damn it. This was not how that was supposed to go.