“All right!” I flip off the stove, move the pan to an empty burner, and take a step back as if it’ll help my voice carry to Noah upstairs. “Eggs are ready,” I sing out.

I reach for two plates, scoop a majority of the eggs onto Noah’s and the rest onto mine. I’m about to call him again when I hear his footfalls begin down the steps.

Noah comes into the kitchen wearing only a pair of dress pants and a towel slung over his shoulder. He tosses it onto a stool, rakes a hand through his wet hair, and smiles at me. I hold up our plates like a waitress ready to deliver breakfast.

Instead of taking a plate, Noah puts his hands on my waist and kisses my neck.

“You’re going to make me drop these!” I say when his kiss becomes a trail of kisses. He takes his plate and I can feel his lips turn into a smile on my neck. I put my free hand on his chest.

“What, did you just get out?” I murmur. “You’re still wet.”

“You should’ve joined me,” he whispers.

“Yeah right, neither of us would ever make it to work.”

“So?”

“Soooo,” I hum, “I have bad guys to catch, remember?”

Noah chuckles. “Yes you do.” He steps back, his eyes tracing me up and down. “Though I never knew cop uniforms could look so sexy.”

“Stop.” I toss his towel at him as I slide onto the stool. “I never knew someone could take so long to get ready. Isn’t that the girl’s job?”

Noah drops his towel on the island and shovels a bite of eggs into his mouth. He shrugs. “Don’t ever underestimate me, I’m a man of many talents.”

I furrow my eyebrows. He catches the hint and furrows his back at me. We both laugh.

“Are you the only one at the gallery today?” I ask eventually.

He nods. “I have been all week.”

“Why’s that?”

“No reason, really. I’m just a nice boss, I guess.” He swallows another bite. “These are good.”

“Thanks. I’m a woman of many talents.”

He laughs before even noticing my expression. “Chill out, Bell,” he teases, looking up at me. “Cooking isn’t even your best skill.”

I smile and kiss his cheek. Noah returns a boyish grin as he chews.

I gather my last bite of eggs and set my fork down when I finish. “Hey, can I ask you a question?” I say.

He swallows. “Of course.”

“Can I come with you to take some photos sometime?”

His eyes perk. “You want me to teach you how to shoot?”

“No, I just want to go with you. I want to watch you.”

“You want to watch me take pictures?”

I smile and nod.

Noah takes another bite and eyes me suspiciously. “What’s your ploy, Bell?”

I slap his arm. “It’s not a ploy, I’m being serious. And stop calling me Bell, you sound like Sheriff Vernon.”

“Oh God. Gross.”

“I’m serious though, let’s go this weekend,” I say. “How about tomorrow? We’ll find somewhere serene, pack a picnic, and we can make a day out of it. It’ll be peaceful.”

“That sounds nice,” Noah says, punctuating it with a gentle smile. I smile back at him. His eyes catch sight of my empty plate and he quickly scoops his late bite. “Here, let me take that for you.”

I begin to hand it over before pulling back. “No, I can do these. You’re going to be late you’re not even dressed yet.”

He looks down at his chest as if needing to confirm for himself and shrugs again. “Perks of being your own boss.”

I take our plates to the sink, wash off the grease, turn around and startle at the sight of Noah standing right behind me.

“Geez!” he says. “I thought you were going to pull a gun on me for a second.” His hands settle on my waist.

“Where did you learn that it was a good idea to startle a police officer?” I mumble against his chest. As my hands caress down his back, I can feel firm curves of muscle under my fingers.

Noah leans back and plants a kiss on the tip of my nose. “Have a good day today. Be safe.”

“Be safe and what?”

“And catch some bad guys,” he adds before kissing me for real. I bite his bottom lip and he pulls away the second I release. “You’re going to make me late.”

I scoff out a laugh. “Just tell the boss it was my fault. We’re on pretty good terms, he’ll understand.”

“Yeah, word around town is that he’s a pretty big fan of you.”

I shrug a Noah-shrug. “We get along.”

He walks me to the door and out onto the porch. We pause as he pinches my chin for another kiss that’s both too long and too short. “Go put on a shirt,” I whisper with my lips still touching his.

“I wouldn’t mind if you weren’t wearing one when you came home today,” he says.

Home.

“Does that mean I’m invited over again tonight?”

He cocks his head as if debating before he nods. “I guess so.”

I push onto my toes to peck him once more before descending down the porch. Noah remains in place as I climb into my car. I twist the key and look up at him through the windshield. The early morning sun is just beginning to settle in the sky, casting a warm golden light on his face and torso.

Noah shoves one hand in his pocket and waves with the other.

I smile to myself before waving back at him. Even from a distance, there’s an unmistakable way that his green eyes catch the sunlight.

Finally, I pull on my sunglasses and put the car in reverse, slamming the brake the second I look over my shoulder.

There’s headlights rounding the last turn of the driveway. An SUV.

A Marvel County PD SUV.

It skirts to a stop beside me. I turn to glimpse the driver and instantly my heart jolts with furious electricity.

Sheriff Vernon flings his door open without killing the cruiser’s ignition. He lumbers out and tips his hat at me when I spring out of my car.

“G’morning Sherriff,” Noah says, descending down the porch and onto the driveway with his hands still in his pockets. “You here to pull Sophia over again?”

He wraps an arm around my waist as I join him at his side.

“This is harrassme—” I stop myself when Noah gently squeezes my hip. He runs his hand soothingly onto my shoulder.

“The DA’s really got to find a way to keep you busy,” he says. “Or maybe Sophia can start training you on actual law enforcement, that’d take some time.”

Sheriff Vernon spits into the gravel. He eyes me up and down in the same way that Noah had, but this time it makes me sick. He smirks.

“You know it’s odd seein’ Noah with his arm around a uniform,” the sheriff drawls. “He ain’t really had a history of respectin’ law enforcement.”

For a second my skin becomes uncomfortably hot under my uniform. My legs stiffen and I bite my lip in an effort to trap my anger.

“Believe it or not, but it takes more than just a badge to earn my respect,” Noah says.

“Ain’t that the truth.” Sheriff Vernon tugs his belt up. He looks at me. “You can go ahead and change out’a that uniform, though. I’m afraid you’ll be takin’ some more personal time. Can’t have you around right now, it’s a conflict of interest.”

Noah stirs beside me. “You’ve—”

“A conflict of interests?” I blurt. “For what?”

“I ain’t here just to show my purty face.” The sheriff’s lips curl into a smile but it vanishes almost instantly. “I’m here to take Noah in for questioning.”

“Questioning?” My heart hits the bottom of my stomach. “What is—”

“I said go home and change out’a that uniform, Bell,” he barks. “I’m placing you under indefinite administrative leave, I don’t want to see your face. Your boyfriend here is the suspect of a murder.”