Chapter 12

Emi

Suspicious Fiancée—a.k.a Bailey Smith—reemerged today, and she is pissed. It’s been one month since her initial inquiry and, apparently, she thought things had calmed down. The fiancé had assured her he wasn’t cheating, he loved her unconditionally, things had gone back to normal, and their wedding plans were now almost complete. She was embarrassed for contacting us, chalking it up to pre-bride jitters.

But three days ago, things started to get weird. First, there was an email from a ‘no-reply’ account with a screen shot of him leaving his office, at his normal time, when he swore he was working late. Second was a series of hang-ups on her cell phone, all through the day and night from an unavailable number. Then, yesterday, she found a small gift box in the mailbox of their shared home. When she pried it open, there was a pair of black satin panties inside with nothing else.

That’s when she contacted us. Before she confronts him again, and feels like a fool, she wants to know for certain if he’s cheating.

Since our job with Rob Trek, Trixsters has been quiet. We’ve had a few inquiries about our services, but nothing that has resulted in our moonlighting. The timing is excellent since I’ve been with Walker every night.

This email from Bailey brings us back into the mix, and I need to figure out a plan.

Maren has been mostly out of touch for a few days, sequestered in a hotel for a high-level internet security seminar. Our communication has been limited to brief calls and a few emails. She comes back tonight, so I send her a quick text to call me before she gets home.

The phone rings in my hand less than two seconds after I hit send.

“That was quick,” I answer.

“I’m free! No more techie, geek speak for three whole days! We are going out to celebrate!” Maren yells so loud I have to yank the phone away from my ear.

“I take it you haven’t gotten my text?”

“I think something just came through. I heard a beep. What’s up?”

I fill her in on Bailey’s message and the latest happenings with her fiancé.

“Oh my God, I know Bailey. She’s engaged to one of Carlton’s college friends. I haven’t seen her in ages, but I’m not surprised at this information. He could be a real dick. I think I introduced you once.”

I rack my brain, trying to recall if I’ve met Bailey. One party last year comes to mind where Maren dragged me in kicking and screaming. A woman pops into my head. “Was she the cute blonde with the killer red dress?”

“Yep, that was her.”

“She was sweet, a little mousy, but sweet.”

“Yes, she is sweet, too sweet for fucking Justin. But who am I to talk? I was a dumbass for a long time.”

“We have to help her.” My heart clenches for this woman, thinking about the parallels between her and Maren. A lifetime of misery.

“I agree. New plan, I’m coming straight to your house and we’ll strategize. Then dinner and drinks with Nina and Rachel.”

“I have plans with Walker.”

“You always have plans with Walker. Tonight, you have plans with us. We’ll Uber because I’m drinking. My brain is filled with too much mumbo-jumbo. I need to decompress. You can go to him afterwards, when you’re lit up. Imagine how much fun drunk sex will be.”

“Sex with Walker is never fun. Mind-blowing, toe-curling, window-shaking, life-altering—yes, but fun is not a word I’d use.”

“Now, you’re being a bragging bitch. Maybe you can help me find my own Walker Scott. I need to get laid, and I have tomorrow off.”

“I’m not sure our little city could support two Walker Scotts.”

“Bitch,” she repeats.

“Okay, come over now. I’m finished for the day.”

“See you soon.” She hangs up.

I peek at the time and know Walker is still knee deep in work. It’s only four-thirty, and he’s been working until at least seven each night. He can’t tell me much, but he’s shared it’s a case he’s working with SLED dealing with a car theft ring. It’s obvious he’s tired and frustrated, but when he sees me, his whole demeanor changes. I try to keep his mind off work every second he’s with me, and it seems to work.

Since the night I returned from Myrtle Beach, there has been a colossal shift in my relationship with Walker, and it’s more than the endless nights and mornings of sex. When he told me we had crossed into new territory, I didn’t catch on right away. But from that moment, he’s proved there was nothing casual about our relationship.

We are now an us, and I am completely in love with him. Three weeks is all it took for me to fall head over ass in love with Walker Scott. Truthfully, I think I fell in love the second he kissed me before our first date.

No second-guesses, no turning back, I was all in. Part of me was scared to death, seeing as I’d never really dated before, and now, I was ruined. If we didn’t work out, no man would ever live up to him. But the other part of me pushed those thoughts to the side, because if that happens, I know I’d be a bonafide cat lady for the rest of my life.

And I’m allergic to cats.

Instead of calling and interrupting his afternoon, I send him a short text.

Me- I’m going to dinner and drinks with Maren tonight. I’ll stay at my place and not wake you up.

My phone rings almost instantly, his name flashing in the screen.

“Hi.”

“We’ll stay at my place. Call me when you’re ready and I’ll come get you,” he informs me in greeting.

“It may be late. I don’t want to wake you.”

“Won’t matter.”

“Don’t be silly. Maren’s free of the corporate handcuffs and has tomorrow off. No telling what the night will bring.”

“That’s exactly why you’re coming to me. Because in the last few minutes, I’ve discovered that it’s not only you and Maren, it’s Nina and Rachel, too. And if rumor has it straight, Maren’s on the prowl for a man because she hasn’t been properly laid in forever. Now that her best friend gets, and I quote, ‘mind-blowing, toe-curling, window-shaking, life-altering’ sex, she’s feeling left out. You are not on that mission because you already have a stud, Nina’s making plans to help her.”

Heat flames up my neck and face. “Please tell me that Nina did not announce that to the entire police station.”

“Anyone within a one-mile radius heard her.”

“No! That’s not for public knowledge!”

“I’ve come to learn there aren’t many secrets in your crew. You’re the one who shared the details with Maren. For the record, I don’t mind.”

“Of course, you don’t mind. She’s labeled you a stud. How the hell can I show my face to those people?”

“Baby, this is not news to them. Remember, the Captain heard you through the phone the first morning. His mouth is as big as your friends’.”

“He didn’t know it was me.”

“Babe, don’t insult the man. He’s not a complete idiot. I wasn’t shy about my intentions with you.”

“So, everyone you work with thinks I’m easy?”

“Emi,” he says low in warning. “Now, you’re insulting me.”

His rough voice sends a little tingle over my skin. Without being in the same room, he can still affect me. Desire surges through my veins, thinking about that same voice, demanding things from my body like no one else. The embarrassment disappears, replaced with a new feeling. A faint moan escapes, thinking about going to him after a night of drinking. Maren was right; drunk sex with Walker is something to look forward to.

“Fuck, stop that.”

“Stop what?” I feign innocence.

“You know what.”

“I can’t help it when you use that voice. It’s sexy.”

“I’m coming over.” There’s a rustling, followed by the scrape of a chair.

“You can’t leave in the middle of the afternoon.”

“Watch me.”

“Won’t people wonder where you are?”

“Seeing as Nina announced you get laid frequently, I’m sure they’ll figure it out.”

My stomach flips at the fact that I can affect him the same as he does me. Then I remember Maren.

“Wait, you can’t. I mean, you can, but we can’t have sex. Maren’s on her way here.”

He exhales loudly, muttering something under his breath about being a tease.

“Hey, buddy, I’m not a tease. You started it with your low, gravelly, husky voice.”

“Jesus, one little moan and I’m hard as steel.”

“I’ll make it up to you. Promise.” I make a kissing sound into the phone before I disconnect, wanting to get the last word.

Let him think about that for the next few hours.

“Too much of a mama’s boy,” Rachel tells Maren, finishing the rest of her drink.

“How could you possibly know that by looking at him?” Maren questions her.

“Because I know his mama, literally. She comes into the salon all the time talking about him. She still holds the strings,” Rachel explains.

“Shit, are there any good ones?” Maren deflates next to me, loudly slurping the rest of her cocktail. “So far, we’ve eliminated every cute one tonight.”

“The night is still young, Mare. We’ll find you someone.” I pat her knee reassuringly.

“You’re a horrible wing-woman.”

“Me? What did I do?”

“You glimmer, that’s what you do. You sit here rocking that jumpsuit like a million dollars. Your hair and make-up are perfect, and men watch you like a hawk. But do you notice? No, because you glow like a woman who’s taken.”

“I’m not glowing,” I defend, but don’t deny.

“Yes, you do,” they all three say in unison.

“Okay.” I sit up straighter, tossing my hair over my shoulder, and point at each of them. “Last time we had girls’ night out, you all made fun of me for having a non-existent dating life. You cackled and ridiculed me. You don’t get to make fun of me now.”

“We’re not making fun of you. We’re jealous,” Maren points out. “You went from a bare maiden to a sexpot. It’s not fair.”

“Hey! I wasn’t a bare maiden.”

“Bullshit, I was convinced your vagina had cobwebs and weeds.”

“I take offense to that.”

“Before Walker, how long was it since you’d had sex?” Nina pipes in.

“I’m not telling you. For all I know, you’ll broadcast it across the police station tomorrow.”

“I won’t, pinky swear.” She offers her pinky, and I eye her suspiciously before gripping it with my own.

“Fine, I can tell you I had lots and lots of orgasms.”

“I’m not talking about your collection of silicone. I want to know when you’d had sex—hot, sweaty, body-grinding, fireworks-exploding sex,” Maren says a little too loud, attracting the attention of group near us.

I gawk at her, horrified, until Rachel starts to giggle, which spreads to all of us. The waitress interrupts, forcing us to straighten up, and Nina orders a round of tequila shots.

“Answer the question, Emi,” Maren continues.

“If you must know, I hadn’t had regular sex in a year. But nothing has ever happened like you described until I met Walker.”

“AAAGGGHHH, here goes the bragging again.” She drops her head back to the sky. “I can’t take it. I’m dying over here.”

“Are you saying slick-dick Carlton gave you hot, sweaty, body-grinding, fireworks-exploding sex?”

“No, that’s why I asked. I wanted to know if it does exist.”

“Yes, it exists.”

“You’re not the only one with a glow, Emi. Walker has a little pep in his step every day, too.” Nina surprises me with this information.

The thought of Walker with a pep in his step is humorous. “Really? He seems normal when he leaves me in the morning.”

“He’s always been a little broody. Nothing specific, but he’d speak when spoken to, never offering any personal information. It’s no secret that, when he started, all the single women in the Admin Pool started circling him. He was fresh meat. No one, not one woman, caught his eye enough for a conversation. And believe me, there were a lot of skimpy skirts and low-cut blouses for months. But now, he grins at people—actually grins. It hasn’t gone unnoticed, and the guys give him shit all the time.”

“Do the women still try to get his attention?” Jealousy spikes in my blood. I’ve seen the women Nina works with and most of them are really pretty.

“Maybe, who knows? It’s a wasted effort. He’s made it clear he’s only interested in one woman.”

“What did he say?” I scoot in closer.

“It’s not so much what he says but the way he acts when your name is mentioned. Oliver and Captain tell him stories once in a while about you, and he listens intently with this look in his eyes. A few times, I’ve seen his lips twist, trying to hide his grin. Except the one time they told him about when you were convinced you had a peeping Tom. That time, there was no twitch. Instead, his jaw started ticking. He was pissed.”

“Why would they tell him stories about me?”

“Because you’re a handful.”

“I’m not!” I throw my hands in the air. “How was I supposed to know the guy was a land surveyor? He was wearing plain clothes and carrying a camera.”

“Emi, I hate to break it to you, but your flare for the dramatic has given you a reputation. The guys at the station get a kick out of you.”

I’ve known this for years, and it’s never bothered me, but knowing that Walker is hearing it firsthand makes me feel like an idiot.

“Great, now I can’t even count on my law enforcement to take me seriously.”

“I doubt you need to worry about that. Your boyfriend told them he had you covered.”

This tidbit of information makes me feel a little better. The waitress returns with our shots, and Maren sits up, passing around the salt and lime slices.

“Last time we got together, we made the toast to Emi and it worked. So, tonight, I am selfish. To me, may the next time we get together, we talk about my dating life.” She raises her tequila in the air.

We all lick, swallow, and suck, my eyes watering with the sting of the alcohol burning down my throat. Suddenly, the air changes around us, and the hair on my arms stand on end. The same sensation washes over me from the night in the hotel bar at the gambling bust.

“Holy hell.” Maren pinches my knee, whispering low.

I slap at her hand, about to yell at her, when I sense him near. My eyes snap up and land on Walker, who’s at the edge of the table staring at me. His legs are planted, his arms crossed, and his eyes are piercing into mine.

“Walker,” I practically purr at the heat in his stare.

The table goes quiet as I soak him in. My eyes stay focused on his as he openly rakes his down my body. When he raises them back, the beautiful hazel color has grown stormy.

“Emerson, where’s your jacket?”

“I don’t have a jacket. That’s why we’re near the heaters.” I point to the two heat lamps flanking the sitting area.

His eyes drop to my chest, and without another word, he takes off his leather coat and hands it across the table to me. Stupidly, I stare at him, not taking it, because I’m too focused on the black t-shirt that hugs his chest and arms, exposing a portion of his tattoo. My mouth starts to water, and my stomach drops, flipping around.

I love that damn tattoo, and he knows it. I’ve never dated a guy with any kind of ink before; however, I’d suspect it’s not the actual ink, but the man himself. It is in my case.

Maren nudges me, bringing back to our audience.

“Thank you, honey, but I’m not cold,” I reassure him sweetly.

He moves fast, sidestepping the small cocktail table and standing in front of me. In a flash, he’s bent down, wrapping it around my shoulders and tugging it closed.

“What are you doing?”

“We’re burning this top when we get to my place.” He doesn’t try to hide his aggravation.

“It’s a jumpsuit, not a top. What’s wrong with it?”

At my question, Nina and Rachel start howling.

“Your nipples are poking through, you ditz,” Maren explains, joining them.

Walker doesn’t budge, clearly not pleased.

“Oops.” I try to lighten the mood.

“Hello, ladies.” I recognize Marcus’s voice behind Walker. “Oh shit, who pissed off the grunt? I feel the testosterone flowing.”

I lean up, wrapping an arm around Walker’s neck and look over his shoulder. “Hey, Marcus, nothing’s wrong, Walker was worried I was cold.” I pour on the sugary sweetness, hoping Walker can pick up on the sarcasm.

Instead of backing off, he takes advantage of my position, circling my waist and lifting me out of the seat. Gracefully, he spins and sits, pulling me into his lap.

“What are you doing?”

“Sitting down.”

“But you can’t sit here.”

“I just did.”

“Walker, honey, this is girls’ night.” I lean in closer so the others can’t hear. “I don’t want to get kicked out of the club.”

His thumb and forefinger tilt my chin, so he can brush his lips against mine. “One beer, and then I’ll leave you girls until you’re ready to go. I couldn’t stay at the bar much longer.”

“You were at the bar?”

“Yeah.”

“How’d you know where I was? Even I didn’t know until we pulled up.”

His eyes start to twinkle as his lips twitch. “Do you really want to know?”

I nod, an uneasy feeling sinking in.

“The cop at the door recognized your crew. He called me and let me know you were here.”

“Why’d he do that?”

“Because he not only knows you’re mine, but also that you have a penchant for trouble.”

“I do not!”

“His words, babe, not mine. Said, last summer, you and the girls caused a brawl at a similar bar and he wasn’t up for it tonight.”

“That wasn’t our fault! Some man grabbed Rachel’s ass and wouldn’t let her go.” My voice grows louder and I stiffen in his lap. “We were only trying to yank his hands away.”

“It took all of you to remove his hands?”

“He was much bigger than us, and we may have had a little too much to drink.”

He full out smiles, the dimple popping. “Tonight, you have fun then and have nothing to worry about. Hopefully, I’ll be the only one grabbing ass. If not, I’ll handle it.”

To emphasize his point, his hand leaves my face and slides down until it situates directly on my butt.

The air thickens between us as the familiar sizzling desire rushes through me. His eyes blend to an almost liquid green and I’m sucked in. Without caring who’s watching, I lean in and slip my tongue along his lips, outlining his mouth. He blows out a warm breath that coats my skin. My hands brace on his chest, grasping the material of his shirt as I open my mouth, wanting more. The moment is broken when a flash goes off close and I look to see Nina, taking pictures with her phone.

“What are you doing?” I try to snatch it from her.

“Scrapbooking,” she says nonchalantly and plops back in her chair.

“I say let the guys stay. Walker has already chased off any chance of us being approached by men tonight. The whole cover you up, haul you around, and kiss you senseless routine hasn’t gone unnoticed,” Maren complains. “Besides, it’s kinda hot to watch you two. Even if I’ll only be getting rabbit action tonight.”

“Oh, my,” I groan and drop my head to Walker’s shoulder. “Please, tell me she didn’t announce that out loud.”

“Do I even want to know what rabbit action is?”

“Her rabbit is her vibrator. We bought it for her birthday last year,” Nina chimes in proudly.

“Best gift ever,” Maren agrees. “Then I got Emi one for a late Christmas present.”

I bang my head on Walker’s shoulder, muttering about finding new friends.

“How about another round?” Marcus offers, taking the attention off me.

“Yes, please, I want double, maybe triple shots this time.”

“Whatever you want, Emi,” Marcus winks at me and gives Walker a knowing look.

“Get comfortable, babe, looks like we’re staying.” Walker nips on my earlobe. “And next time we’re at your house, I want to see this rabbit.”

“I’m not sure I still have it,” I lie.

“That’s a shame.” He grins, not believing me, but thankfully dropping the subject. “Although, I doubt you’ll need it ever again.”

A few minutes later, the waitress brings over a huge tray of drinks. Two beers for Walker and Marcus and twelve shots lined up for the four of us girls. Marcus grabs a chair to sit, and I settle into Walker’s lap, his arm wrapping possessively around my middle.

The six of us enjoy the rest of the night, my friends sending me approving glances as Walker does nothing to hide his affection. By the time we get to his truck, I’m drunk and giggly, and he’s practically carrying me.

That’s the last thing I remember before I pass out in his truck.

Unfortunately, that’s not the last thing I say. Somewhere in my hazy mind, I think I say something about my treasure chest under my bed.

Which is where my rabbit, along with my other toys, are hidden.