Chapter Fourteen
Still half asleep, Cassie woke to something warm and wet on her cheek. Raven’s tongue.
“Okay, okay,” she whispered, trying not to wake Mike. She opened her eyes fully, expecting to see him slumbering in the bed beside her. He wasn’t. Raven, however, was. Along with a note on the empty pillow.
Didn’t want to wake you. Rose gave me a key to the Nest so I can get the food. Meet me at the park later.
Mike.
P.S. How about another date tonight? This time, I’ll choose dessert.
Cassie smiled, contentment soaring through her. She’d never felt quite so wonderful after a night of sex, and her body still tingled at the memory. The last time with Mike had been slower, and the way he’d touched her… Erotic, yes, but tender, almost…loving.
No, too soon for that.
Isn’t it?
Maybe not. At least not for her.
Flinging her arms over her head, Cassie lay back and stretched. A light, humid breeze flowed through the windows she’d opened last night, bringing with it the scents of freshly cut grass and summer flowers in full bloom.
With Mike it had been more than explosive, super-nova sex. It was deeper and meaningful. Normally, one night wasn’t enough to make her fall for a guy. There had to be feelings, emotions, respect, and that took time. But didn’t she already have all those things with Mike?
Maybe.
Cassie frowned. She’d wanted to talk with him this morning and tell him everything, including the part about how she had to leave town, at least for a little while. Now it would have to wait until after the picnic and fireworks were over when they could be alone again. Part of her still worried how he’d react to her deception.
She glanced at the clock on the bedside table. Seven o’clock.
“Rise and shine, girl.” She got out of bed and slipped into her purple silk robe. The cool, smooth fabric slid over her bare skin.
Raven hopped off the bed and led the way downstairs to the back door. Cassie let her outside, expecting her to race around the yard after taking care of her business. Instead, the dog leaped back onto the porch and pawed at the door. Shaking her head, Cassie held open the door as Raven sprinted into the kitchen. “Hey, slow down.”
Raven ignored her and bolted through the hallway, her clawed feet scrambling on the floor. Cassie closed the porch door and locked it behind her. Her gaze followed Raven’s path through the dimly lit hallway to the front door where the dog now stood, feet braced. A deep snarl came from her throat. Hair along her spine stood straight up. When she started barking in full K-9 mode, Cassie tensed.
She slipped into the living room and leaned her shoulder against the wood casing of the large double-hung window facing the front yard. Through the sheer curtain, she scanned the yard from end to end. No one was there, but Raven kept up her fierce barking.
A bead of sweat rolled down Cassie’s back.
Again she scanned the front lawn and waited. Nothing moved. Nothing out of place. The street was as quiet as expected so early on a Sunday morning. The curb in front of her house where Mike had parked his shiny, black F-250 pickup truck was empty. Her Trail Blazer sat in the driveway.
As Raven continued growling, Cassie gripped the soft curtain in her fist. Suddenly, she couldn’t shake the feeling someone was watching her.
One of the rose bushes lining the far edge of the property line shook. Cassie clutched the curtain tighter, gouging her nails through the soft fabric.
A snout appeared between two of the bushes and her neighbor’s old golden retriever ambled onto the lawn.
She let out a loud breath. “Holy cow, I’m getting paranoid.”
Raven had come to stand beside her, snorting. While her heart began to slow, Cassie stroked the long, soft hair on the dog’s back. “Relax, girl. It’s only Goldie. See?” Goldie paused to nibble on some grass, and Cassie held the curtain aside for Raven to have a clear view of the golden retriever through the lower windowpane.
The older dog did a one-eighty and plodded back through the bushes to the neighbor’s property, but Cassie could still feel the coiled muscles beneath Raven’s coat.
“I know. I was worried for a minute there, too. But I do appreciate your vigilance.” She glanced down into Raven’s eyes. Intelligent, assessing, mocha-brown eyes that had seen as much action as any cop on the beat. She stroked Raven’s head another minute until the dog relaxed.
“Everything’s fine.” In a relative sense, but she still needed to stay alert. No matter how peaceful and homey this town was, the threat to her life was still out there. Hopefully, somewhere far, far away.
Raven padded behind her into the kitchen. As Cassie scooped kibble from a plastic bin into the dog bowl, her hand trembled. “Shake it off, Yates.” She dumped the little brown nuggets into the stainless-steel dish where they clinked against the sides. She set the bowl on the floor, and Raven promptly began chowing down.
With the sound of gourmet kibble crunching in her ears, Cassie bounded up the stairs, taking them two at a time. A quick shower was in order, followed by an even quicker check-in with Dom. The exhaustion her body ought to be feeling from lack of sleep was far outweighed by the combination of excitement and anxiety coursing through her.
Tonight she would tell Mike everything.
By the time Cassie drove through Effinger Park’s large, black wrought-iron gates, it was nearly ten o’clock and the sun peeked out from behind the rising, fluffy white clouds.
She’d dressed especially for Mike in a snug pair of cream linen shorts to show off her legs and a low-cut, pink silk sleeveless blouse that revealed an acceptable hint of cleavage.
Cleavage Mike had his hands on most of the night.
As Cassie guided the Trail Blazer through the park, the road became more congested with other vehicles lining up to enter the parking lot. Pedestrians crowded the sidewalks, bicyclists clogged the shoulders. The road curved sharply to the left, and the picnic area came into view.
Three enormous white tents took center stage, towering over the grassy field. Rose had mentioned one tent was for the live band, one for agricultural and husbandry shows, and the last for American Revolution re-enactments. To the left of the tents rose colorfully painted carnival rides, including a small roller coaster, a Ferris wheel, and a spinning teacup ride that reminded Cassie of Disney World. Rows and rows of concession stands flanked the other side of the main tents.
The parking lot filled quickly, and Cassie parked off to the side on the adjacent grass. Before shutting off the engine, she cranked the air conditioning to the highest setting. As she stepped out of the Trail Blazer, the midsummer heat and humidity seeped into her. A stiff breeze swept her hair in front of her face, and she tucked it behind her ears. The wind felt good on her skin but probably meant strong thunderstorms later in the day. She clicked the remote lock on the key fob and an odd feeling suddenly overcame her. The hackles on her neck rose and her pulse kicked up.
Someone was watching her. This time there was no doubt.
She scanned the grassy parking area, unable to shake the feeling of being stalked. It was an ingrained sense, one honed with every passing year on the job as a cop.
A sense she’d learned not to ignore.
Movement caught her attention. With her eyes riveted on the hood of a Chevy two cars away, she reached into her handbag and gripped the Smith & Wesson at the bottom of the bag.
A little girl poked her head around the hood of the vehicle, watching Cassie with an impish grin. The girl’s mother appeared at the side of the car and grabbed the girl’s hand to drag her away.
Cassie let her head fall forward and blew out a breath.
Paranoia strikes again. Will this ever stop?
Not until the hit man was caught. And not until she left the NYPD.
She hefted her bag higher on her shoulder and headed across the grass to the concession stands where Mike’s PBA table would be set up.
Clanging bells rang from the game booths. Loud music pumped from the carnival rides. Children’s laughter and excited screams mixed with the din from the roaring roller coaster. An ambulance and fire truck were parked off to the side. Security was a mixture of civilians and uniformed police standing at key locations. Mike had already told her he was on concession stand duty until the fireworks when he’d be working security with the rest of his men.
Beneath one of the main tents, actors in costume set up audience chairs for the Revolutionary War re-enactment. Under another tent, members of the live band tuned guitars and adjusted the sound system. As she neared the agricultural and husbandry tent, the pungent odors of farm animals filled the air. Horses nickered and pigs squealed. One table near the edge of the tent displayed the biggest watermelon Cassie had ever seen. Had to be around two hundred pounds. A shiny blue ribbon hung over the Chernobyl-sized melon.
Long after passing the large tents, the smell of dung followed her on the wind. But she’d rather have that in her nose than the stench of the big city any time. Nope, this was much better than reporting to Manhattan every day for work. No more nasty, city fumes, auto and bus exhaust, jammed streets, cars honking, and people cursing and flipping one another off. Cassie couldn’t stop herself from smiling.
Yup, I can definitely trade in the city for this.
She wound her way through the bustling crowd, realizing the Hopewell Springs July Fourth picnic must be a huge attraction for all the neighboring towns. She headed down the grassy aisle running between two rows of concession stands. There had to be at least fifty vendors. New smells assaulted her, and her stomach rumbled. Frying eggs, pizza, burgers, and hot dogs. Coffee and funnel cakes.
Townspeople Cassie knew from the Nest called out her name, and she waved back. The owner of the new Hopewell Springs Creamery flagged her down.
“Mornin’, Cass.” The older man hustled out from behind a refrigerated case displaying cylindrical tubs of ice cream. “Take a look and see if there’s anything you want to sample.” He indicated with a wave of his hand to the glass case. “I’ll give you all the leftovers at the end of the day. If you like them, maybe you can talk Rose into carrying our product on a regular basis.”
“Sounds good,” Cassie called out as she walked past. “I’ll come by later to try a few flavors.”
Up ahead, she spotted a white tent with a gold police emblem glistening on a fluttering banner strung over the table. As she neared the tent, her throat tightened. She and Mike had shared an incredible night of love-making, but how would he react to her in public?
Her insides skittered and jumped. The mere thought of seeing him again was enough to make her feel like a smitten teenager. She hadn’t felt this good in…well, ever.
Cassie stopped short in the middle of the grassy aisle. All the hustle and bustle around her, people working and yammering away, vanished. Her mind was clearer than she could ever remember. That’s when it hit her.
For the first time in her life, she was head over heels in love.
Who’d have believed she would ever fall for a cop? Gray and Dom would never let her live it down, not without ramming a few thousand I-told-you-so’s down her throat.
“Cassie,” a voice called out. The same voice that had whispered erotic things to her throughout the night.
He was easy to spot, since he towered several inches over the other officers working next to him, including Jimmy. Wouldn’t have mattered. She’d recognize Mike anywhere by the way he held himself—straight and tall. By the way he moved—with power, yet smooth and agile, like a trained athlete. She knew every hard inch of him. Intimately.
Mike had obviously stopped by his place to change, since he wore light-colored jeans now instead of dress slacks, and a white polo shirt with the Hopewell Springs police badge emblazoned in gold on his upper chest. Guess his ripped dress shirt minus its buttons wouldn’t have cut it at a family picnic.
He stepped out from behind a table, and Cassie couldn’t contain the joy bursting inside her.
This is it. The life I want. And this is the man I want to spend it with.
She met him halfway, admiring the way his long legs effortlessly ate up the distance between them. The white shirt contrasted with his bronzed skin, tapering from broad shoulders to his trim waist. Knowing how sensational his powerful body felt lying on top of her, inside her, gave her goose bumps. As much as she loved his body and all that restrained power, she was equally taken by how gentle he’d been with her last night, and how concerned he was about hurting her.
He flashed a brilliant white smile and rested his hands on her shoulders, then skimmed them down her bare arms. Her body sizzled at the light contact, and when he leaned down to kiss her in front of everyone, including his men, she nearly died from a mixture of shock and delight. His mouth lingered on hers. Not a wet, drippy kiss, but hardly a chaste one, either.
Cassie thought she heard Jimmy snicker, and the implication made her want to burst out laughing. She and Mike were officially a couple, and he was letting everyone know it.
After the fireworks, she’d tell him who and what she was. It was time, and she trusted him from the depths of her soul.
“Get any sleep?” His lips brushed against her ear, sending shivers up and down her spine.
“A little.” She linked her hands behind his neck and smiled up at him. His deep blue eyes glittered as they locked gazes. “I got your note. Consider it a date.”
“Good.” Mike dropped another kiss on her lips, then grasped her hand and tugged her to the PBA table.
Cassie knew all the officers in Mike’s department. By now they were regulars at the Nest. Within minutes, she established a humorous camaraderie, joking and laughing with the men while she helped set out more trays of food.
By two o’clock, the park brimmed with people from all over the county. More townsfolk Cassie knew greeted her, and her heart swelled. With each passing minute, she felt more and more a part of the community.
Rose had come by to whisk Jimmy away for a romantic ride on the Ferris wheel, but not before taking her aside to give her a comical lecture about having safe sex with Mike. They’d both responded at the same time, saying, “Nothing about sex with that man is safe.”
Cassie worked side-by-side with Mike handing out food. Her pink silk shirt clung to her damp skin. Only the steady breeze made things bearable beneath the tent. The PBA table was so busy, there wasn’t much time for them to talk. But every so often their arms brushed and she would look up to see a warm, sexy expression on his face, one clearly intended to remind her of everything that happened last night in her bed.
By eight o’clock, the sun was setting and the sky had dimmed, reminding Cassie of her looming confession. Tonight would be do or die for their relationship. True, she’d been lying. But he was a cop. He would understand. He had to.
“You okay?” he whispered in her ear.
“Of course,” she answered, realizing anxiety must have been written on her face.
“Let’s walk around before I go on fireworks duty,” Mike said, then waited while she retrieved her bag. With his fingers resting on her shoulder, they headed down the grassy corridor between the vendor tents.
Dozens of antique-style lamps lit the way, but she hardly noticed the throngs of people. Music from the live band blasted from speakers all over the park, yet she barely heard it. All she could see, feel, and hear was Mike.
She snuggled into his embrace and snaked her arm around his waist. Out of habit, Cassie glanced down and took in the bulge on the inside of his left ankle—his mini-Glock, she assumed. You could take the boy out of the city but not the city out of the boy.
“Ooh!” She pointed to the Creamery’s glass case. “I promised the owner I’d sample some ice cream for the Nest. Want any?”
“Get a double of whatever you want and I’ll try some,” he answered as he fished money from his wallet.
She squeezed his hand. “A man after my own heart.” Oops. She turned away and winced. Smooth, Cass. Wear your heart on your sleeve and scare the guy away.
Again he surprised her by standing directly behind her and resting his hands on her shoulders while they waited in line. He caressed the damp skin at her nape, making lazy circles with his fingers. By the time it was their turn, her knees felt like mush.
“What’ll you have, Cassie? Chief?” The owner picked up a clean stainless-steel scoop. “Try several flavors. It’s on the house.”
“Hmmm.” Cassie scanned the tubs of homemade ice cream. “Vanilla, butter pecan, and chocolate.”
“Cone or a cup?”
“Cup.”
The owner dished up her selections into a large plastic bowl. “Want chocolate syrup and whipped cream?” he asked.
Mike’s hands stilled at her nape, and she felt his deep, rumbling laugh against her back. When she turned to look at him, blue eyes blazed down at her with enough heat to melt ice cream. They both burst out laughing.
“Something I said?” The owner watched them from across the counter, his eyebrows raised.
“Nope.” Cassie swallowed her laughter. “We definitely want chocolate syrup and whipped cream. Load it.” The owner drizzled syrup over the three scoops, squeezed on a generous amount of whipped cream, topped each with a bright red maraschino cherry, then shoved a spoon into the center scoop.
“Here you go.” He handed the large plastic bowl to Cassie. “Let me know what you think.”
She dug out the spoon and shoved a hefty serving into her mouth. The cool, creamy ice cream slid down her throat. The vanilla was exceptional, owing no doubt to the new Creamery’s reputation for using the highest-quality ingredients, such as real vanilla beans. Her taste buds wanted to sing.
Cassie handed the spoon to Mike, then turned back to the owner. “I’ll take you up on your offer of the leftovers. Your ice cream is fantastic.”
“Hoped you’d say that.” The owner winked. “I’ll be shutting down as soon as the fireworks start. After that, the place is a madhouse and the parking lot gets jammed.”
Cassie looked at her watch. “I’ll come by before the show starts.” She might miss some of the fireworks but didn’t want the free samples to go to waste.
She waved good-bye and turned to see Mike had already polished off a significant portion of the ice cream. “Hey, save some for me.”
He licked chocolate syrup off the spoon and grinned. “Had a sudden craving. Couldn’t help myself.”
“Gee.” She cocked her head. “I wonder why that is.”
Mike smirked and handed her back the ice cream, which she ate as they strolled down the busy aisle. The strong breeze made all the tent canopies billow and whip. It also plastered Cassie’s shirt tighter to her body.
Several nice-looking men who frequented the Nest called out to her as they walked past. Mike draped his arm over her shoulder, a possessive gesture that warmed her heart. She waved to the men and heard Mike utter a discontented sound.
“What?”
“You know damn well what.” He narrowed his eyes. “Half the men in town are in love with you.”
Cassie tossed the empty ice cream bowl into a garbage can and turned her face to hide her smile. “No, they’re in love with my cooking.”
She followed his gaze to her chest, where her pink shirt molded to her breasts, making them look like twice the cup size she actually was. Next he angled his head to check out her backside and arched a dark brow. “Yeah. Must be your cooking.”
Cassie giggled in delight at Mike’s sarcasm, not to mention his obvious jealousy. Served him right. Every woman they’d passed since leaving the PBA tent had called out his name and waved to him, flirting and tittering like lovestruck teenage girls. Well, the man was gorgeous, after all.
“Cass, wait up!” Leo emerged from the crowd with Ginny a few steps behind. A broad smile lit his young face. “Hey, Chief.”
“Leo.” Mike nodded. “Ginny.”
Cassie tried not to stare at Ginny’s neck, but it was an impossible task. The younger woman’s neck was dotted with little red love bites. Mike dragged his hand over his face, no doubt to keep from laughing outright.
Jeez, like I should talk. Mike is just more careful about where he nibbles.
“Thanks for covering for me last night,” Leo said.
“My pleasure.” And it had been. Working late last night with Mike’s help had turned out pretty darned okeedokee after all. “I hope you two had a great time on your date.”
“We did.” Leo clasped Ginny’s hand. “I owe you. Bigtime.”
Cassie shook her head. “No, you don’t. But you could do me one favor, though.”
“Anything,” Leo said.
“Try some of the Creamery’s ice cream and tell me what you think. The owner’s giving us all the leftovers to take back to the Nest tonight. He wants Rose to try his product and consider carrying it on a regular basis.”
“Awesome. Free ice cream. And hey,” Leo said, his eyes brightening, “I could take it over to the Nest for you later. You know, to make up for last night.”
Cassie could see how much Leo wanted to repay her for not being around to help prep the food for the PBA table. “Sure. Why not?”
“Oh, wait.” Enthusiasm drained from his face. “I forgot. Ginny and I walked here. I don’t have a car with me.”
Cassie opened her mouth to tell Leo not to worry about it, when his eyes lit again.
“If I can borrow your Trail Blazer, I’ll drive the ice cream to the Nest and be back here before the fireworks are over. I could meet you at the PBA table to give you back your keys.”
“That works.” Cassie dug into her bag for the key, being careful to keep her gun out of sight. She might be authorized to carry it, but not without her NYPD shield also in her possession. That, she’d left in the drawer of the downstairs hallway. Another rule of undercover work—never carry your real ID.
When she found her keys, she handed them to Leo. “It’s got a remote start button on the key fob.” She showed Leo which button to press. “I’ve got the AC cranked high to cool things off before you even get in.”
“Great, thanks, Cass.” Leo pocketed the keys, waving as he and Ginny headed to the Creamery tent.
When they were out of earshot, Mike shoved his hands in his pockets. “Someone needs to have a serious talk with Leo. Ginny has so many hickies, it looks like she was attacked by an octopus.”
“Oh, lighten up.” Cassie hooked her hand in the crook of Mike’s elbow as they walked past the funnel cake stand. The heavenly scent of deep-fried batter was everywhere. “Weren’t you ever that young?”
“Yeah, but I didn’t need to leave my mark on every girl I dated.”
“Were there that many girls, Chief?” Cassie threw him a quasi-jealous look. “I’m guessing a guy like you was a chick magnet growing up.”
“Like you weren’t a magnet for every horny guy who laid eyes on you?”
She shook her head. “Not with three older brothers who beat the crap out of any guy they didn’t approve of. And they hardly approved of any. My oldest brother was the worst.” Even now, she and Gray never saw eye to eye over her choice of men.
Mike grimaced. “I’ll be sure to wear body armor when I meet your older brother.”
Cassie laughed. “Good idea.”
Mike guided her toward the ridge overlooking a large wooden platform. They stopped to watch the fireworks crew orchestrate what was supposedly the best pyrotechnics show in the county. A two-hundred-foot safety buffer on the surrounding lawn separated the crowd partying on picnic blankets and beach chairs. Laughter and music filled the air. Everyone was happy. She only hoped she’d still be happy after tonight. After she told Mike the truth.
“What’s bugging you?” he asked.
Once again, the tension she’d felt all day must have shown on her face. “When we get together later, I need to tell you some things about myself. It’s long overdue.” She touched her fingers to his hand at her waist. “You might not like what you hear.”
“Everyone has a past,” he said reassuringly. “There’s nothing you could tell me about yourself that would change things between us.”
A lump rose to her throat, and she swallowed. “I hope you’re right.”
“I have to go.” He lowered his head to kiss her. “We’ll talk later. After I get off duty and Leo brings your Trail Blazer back, I’ll follow you home.”
“Okay.” She blinked rapidly as her lids suddenly filled with tears.
He cupped her cheek, the rough pad of his thumb grazing her skin. “Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it.”
As he disappeared into the crowd of unfamiliar faces, Cassie couldn’t shake the feeling that he was walking away from her for good.
A steady breeze had picked up, whipping her hair in her face. Storms were coming, she could feel it as much in the air as in her gut.
It was the one in her gut that worried her most.