Welcome to Blissville

by Walker, Aimee Nicole

  “Everyone is capable of murder,” I told him. The cold look he gave me said what he thought of my statement. I couldn’t let that sway me, so I pressed on. “You didn’t answer the question, Mr. Roman. How did your scissors end up at Mrs. Beaumont’s home?”

  He turned back to look at Adrian and said, “I gave them to her a few years ago when I opened my new salon. She gave me a brand new blue set of shears as a congratulatory gift. In return, I gave her the first pair I had ever bought—the ones I had used to cut her hair for years.” His voice had cracked with emotion during the last few words, and he closed his eyes in what I thought was an effort to gather his composure.

  “We need to get your fingerprints. You can volunteer, or I’ll get a warrant,” Adrian replied. “What will it be?”

  “I’ll do it, but I already know my fingerprints will be all over them unless she wiped them off since then.” Josh turned and looked at me. His eyes went from cold to downright mean, and his next words cut me to the bone. “I do have an alibi for the night of Georgia’s death. I had an overnight guest who can testify to my whereabouts from seven o’clock until the time I left and ran into you outside her home.”

  “Why didn’t you tell us about your alibi then?” Adrian asked.

  “I didn’t want him to know,” Josh replied, nodding his head in my direction so that there was no doubt who he meant.

  Inside I was seething, but not at him. He’d done nothing wrong, owed me nothing. I was furious with myself for fantasizing about a guy who truly meant what he said when he claimed not to want me. He had moved on and was trying to be discreet. I needed to put him behind me and do my fucking job.

  “We’re going to need the name of your alibi and a way to reach him to confirm.” I slid a notepad and a pen to him. He narrowed his eyes at me, but then looked down at the notepad as he wrote down what I requested.

  Once he finished, Adrian took the notebook from Josh before I could then he escorted Josh to have his fingerprints and palms scanned into our database for comparison. I tried not to bristle too much over Adrian’s heavy hand in dealing with the information Josh provided. I knew he was only looking out for my best interest, but it wasn’t like I was going to ask the guy for a blow-by-blow of how their evening went. Or, at least I didn’t think I would. I immediately regretted the blow-by-blow thought as soon as it crossed my mind because it was too easy to imagine a faceless man enjoying Josh’s mouth on him.

  I must’ve stewed in my chair for a good twenty minutes before Josh and Adrian returned. Josh looked smug, and Adrian looked indifferent. Josh took a seat, and Adrian motioned for me to join him in the hallway outside the interview room.

  “His alibi checks out, and we can’t hold him even if the fingerprints match. Like he said, they were his scissors, and his prints should be on them. He even offered to show us the card that Georgia gave him with the new set of scissors.”

  “He still has it?” I asked.

  “He said he keeps things like that because when people take the time to do something nice, it deserves to be treasured.” Adrian shrugged and added, “Besides, I think the guy did care about Georgia Beaumont. This guy isn’t our killer.”

  “I’ve known that all along.” I blew out a frustrated breath and said, “I’m going to take him home.”

  Adrian looked at me skeptically and said, “Gabe, I don’t think…”

  “This is something I need to do, Adrian. I promise I won’t fuck up the case.” I thought about what it meant that he’d recently had an overnight guest. “There’s no future for us and no harm in me taking him home.”

  “Okay,” Adrian agreed after a few more moments of hesitation.

  Too bad Josh wasn’t as agreeable. “I’d much rather walk.” He was so huffy that it almost made me smile.

  Adrian shut off the camera and said, “I’ll just let you two work this out.” The asshole didn’t bother to keep the smile out of his voice. I glared at him as he exited the interview room.

  “I don’t have to accept a ride home from you,” Josh said as he rose to his feet.

  “What exactly are you afraid of?” I asked him. “I only want to talk to you.”

  “I’m not afraid of you.” He stood taller and lifted his chin arrogantly.

  “Good, then you don’t mind accepting my offer.” The look I shot him in return was just as arrogant.

  Josh reluctantly followed me to my car. We spent most of the short ride to his home in silence. “I just want to reaffirm that I do not think you killed Georgia Beaumont. I’m sticking my neck out by telling you this.”

  “Don’t do me any fucking favors.” Josh’s words were as icy as the frost covered lawns he stared at through the window as I drove.

  His attitude was starting to piss me off, but I stamped down the temper that was brewing inside me. I pulled up in front of his house and parked. “Look, I think you understand why we had to interview you. I think your irritation is directed at me and not the fact that we brought you in.”

  “No shit, Sherlock.” He finally turned his angry eyes at me. “You could’ve at least been the one to come and take me in.”

  “I thought it would make it worse,” I replied.

  “Because you’re Detective Dumbass,” he said nastily. He ran his hand over his forehead as he worked to calm himself down. “Look, I don’t know why the hell I’m telling you this because it means nothing to you. I’m nothing to you,” he amended. “My overnight guest, Merrick, wasn’t there for the reason you think.”

  “How do you know what I’m thinking?” I wanted to ignore the way Josh’s words eased the tension in my body.

  Josh looked at me like I truly was the idiot that he accused me of being. “I didn’t have to see the look on your face to know how pissed off you were at the thought I had been sexing it up with someone other than you. The anger rolled off you in waves.”

  “So why are you telling me?” I couldn’t help but ask. I tried to school my features into a mildly curious expression instead of the hopeful one I felt.

  “Damned if I know.”

  I wanted to reach over and pull him into a kiss to show him why he told me, but I did nothing. Instead, I quietly sat as he got out of my car without another word. Yes, I watched the exaggerated sway of his hips that irritation seemed to bring out in him. Yes, I sat there in my car longer than I needed to while I debated following him, but I didn’t. I put the car in drive and headed back to the station while my thoughts remained on Josh. Was that his way of taking the next step in whatever was brewing between us?

  I paced the floor of my salon instead of taking inventory like I normally did. God, that man drove me bat shit crazy. I ran my hands through my hair, not even caring that I destroyed the look I carefully styled after my shower. After I had dressed, I had two cops at my back door informing me that they had to take me in for questioning in the death of Georgia Beaumont.

  I was confused as to how they came to the point that I was a suspect, regardless of the blustering Georgia did before she left my shop. I was angry that Gabe wasn’t the one to pick me up, although I wasn’t sure why I felt that way. We weren’t friends nor would we likely be, but I had thought we had become friendlier to one another or at least civil. I was scared that I would somehow go down for a crime I didn’t commit, even though I knew damn well, there had to be evidence pointing the finger at someone else since I didn’t harm a hair on her head. As much as I had cared about Georgia, I wasn’t blind to how she treated others. She just wanted to be loved. The thought ghosted through my mind again for the umpteenth time since I learned of her passing.

  Then they pulled out the photo showing an older pair of my engraved scissors. I wasn’t lying when I said that I gave them to Georgia as a memento. I should’ve told the truth about my alibi when they first asked about it, but I didn’t want Detective Crusty Butt to know my personal business. I knew the conclusion he would’ve drawn, and I wanted to avoid that conversation at all costs. It turned out I had to confess to hav
ing an overnight guest after all.

  Merrick wasn’t just my usual type of friend. He happened to be my former fuck buddy, and we still hung out platonically every once in a while. The man who swore he’d never fall in love had gone and done just that. At the time it happened, I was disappointed that our sexy times would come to an end, but I was not angry with him. Merrick and I entered our agreement with our eyes wide open. Both of us had a history of hurt and was only looking for occasional sex. My heart had been safe with him because I didn’t love him and he wouldn’t hurt me.

  Anyway, he called me up out of the blue and asked if he could come over. He’d had a nasty argument with his boyfriend when he discovered that Kevin had been cheating on him with a coworker. I had to admit I was shocked because Merrick and Kevin seemed to be the perfect couple, even though I knew there was no such thing. Still, I couldn’t resist a heartbroken friend who needed someone to talk to, regardless of my being surprised that I was the one he chose. Once he arrived, it made sense; things were safe and simple between Merrick and me.

  I couldn’t say the same thing about my feelings for Gabe Wyatt. Every particle in my body wanted to know every particle in his. I wanted to learn things about him like what made him tick, what kind of music he liked, or how the hell he was getting along with his new dog. Yes, a tad bit—okay a lot—of jealousy flared up inside me when he told me he was going to meet up with his ex to have him look at Buddy. I didn’t remember what day he said he was taking him because I was too busy castigating myself for the way I felt.

  Therefore, when Chaz called me in a panic that something was wrong with Harry, his hairless cat, I didn’t hesitate to drive to his house to pick them up and take them to see Dr. Vaughn. Chaz was too worried about Harry to be driving, so I felt it was the right thing to do. I regretted my decision when I pulled into the parking lot and saw Gabe’s badass Charger parked in front of the building. All the feelings of jealousy and—I hated to admit it—insecurity came flooding back to me. My brain immediately began coming up with ways I could drop Chaz and Harry off without drawing suspicion from him, but I knew it wouldn’t work. Besides, I wouldn’t let that man chase me off and make a fool of me.

  I sat stiffly in a chair next to Harry’s cat carrier while Chaz signed him in. Gabe was nowhere in sight so he and Buddy must’ve already been in one of the exam rooms. Try as I might, I couldn’t help picturing the detective and the doc rekindling their love connection. I don’t know why I cared, but I… I just did. My imagination didn’t seem like much of a stretch when the hunky doctor walked Gabe and Buddy out to the lobby, which he never did. I’d been there on enough visits with my pets to know he usually shook your hand before moving on to his next patient.

  I couldn’t help but stare at them as they stood looking at each other. Gabe and Kyle had similar builds and heights, although it looked like Dr. Vaughn spent more time in the gym than Gabe did. They had similar dark hair but wore it styled differently. Gabe wore his hair a little longer while Dr. Vaughn wore his stylishly short. I talked him into trying something different last year on one of his visits to my salon, and he had kept it up nicely. I figured that Gabe got his hair cut at Burt’s Barber—more like butcher—Shop. I wanted to get my hands on Gabe’s hair, but that wouldn’t be a very good idea. Normally, I’d be gloating inside over Kyle’s transformation, but he was standing too close to Gabe, and they were obviously having a serious conversation. Then the good doctor reached out and gripped Gabe’s bicep. I just knew he was turning his gorgeous blue eyes on Gabe and pleading for… Nope! I’m not going there.

  At that moment, I hated them and the ridiculously beautiful way they looked together. I bit my lip hard to keep from saying something snarky. Gabe looked shocked by the way his ex boyrfriend reached out to him. The hand holding Buddy’s leash went slack and Buddy made a run straight for me.

  Fuck! I had hoped Gabe wouldn’t discover me, but that must’ve been just too damn much to hope for. Buddy stopped when he reached me and put a paw on my knee as if to introduce himself. I couldn’t help but smile at his soulful brown eyes and big doggy grin. No wonder Gabe was crazy about him.

  “Hi there, Buddy,” I said, giving his ears a good scratching. The dog closed his eyes, and a blissful expression crossed his face. Too bad it wasn’t enough to calm my anxiety when I saw his human break off his conversation with Doctor Fuck Me and head my way.

  “I didn’t expect to see you here tonight. You’re not following me, are you?” Gabe’s attempt at humor might’ve worked on someone else, but I wasn’t in the mood. I was feeling pretty bitchy at witnessing him getting groped by his ex-boyfriend.

  “Hardly.” I rolled my eyes to let him know how I felt about his question. “Chaz’s cat is sick, and he was too upset to drive.”

  Gabe squatted down, looking into the cat carrier as he grabbed Buddy’s leash. “That’s a cat?”

  “Yes, a hairless one,” Chaz said when he returned from completing the paperwork.

  “Chaz, come on and follow me back to exam room two,” Doctor Smooth Talker said. “Let’s see what’s going on with Harry.”

  I swore I could see an excited shiver work its way through Chaz as he picked up the carrier and followed the vet. I could barely refrain from rolling my eyes again. Okay, so Kyle Vaughan was a sexy beast, but a person should at least aim for a bit of self-control. I mean, he wasn’t as good looking to me since he became the enemy. Wait? What, and since when?

  Once we were the only two people in the waiting room, Gabe just had to open his mouth and make me angrier. “You don’t have to be jealous,” he said softly. He started to walk backward, which was a good thing because I could feel my temper begin to boil. Especially when he said, “It’s not what it looked like so there’s no need for you to be upset or angry.”

  I sat stunned for a whopping ten seconds, which was enough for him to exit the building. I don’t know why I didn’t leave it alone, but I just couldn’t. I was up and following him out the door. I heard his remote start fire up on his Charger and stood there as he put Buddy inside the warm car before he stood and faced me.

  “I’m not jealous of you and Kyle,” I told him. “I can’t imagine why you’d think that.”

  “You wouldn’t look me in the eye, and you had your teeth clenched so damn hard I was afraid you’d snap off a tooth.” He let out a frustrated breath and added, “It was probably exactly how I looked today when I learned you had an overnight guest Friday night.”

  “Listen, Detective Ego,” I said marching toward him. “I’m not a bit jealous of you. Someday I might meet the man who makes me lose my mind and I’ll want to fight some other guy to the finish for him. Today is not that day, and you are definitely not that man.” I was pretty proud of my little speech until Gabe narrowed his eyes like I had just tossed out a challenge.

  He grabbed two fistfuls of my coat and hauled me to him. Gabe lowered his head until his mouth hovered just above mine and said, “Bullshit.” It was my only warning before he pressed his lips against mine and his eager tongue sought entrance into my mouth.

  It was the surprise that had me parting my lips for him, not want. I did not want him and all the trouble he would bring. The nip I gave his tongue was more of a playful one than a warning. The growl emanating from his throat was a warning, but not one I heeded. I clutched to his strong biceps as he ravaged my mouth. I went from semi hard to capable of drilling concrete in seconds. I hated that I wanted him so much, but there was no point in lying to myself any longer. I just didn’t know what I was willing to do about it.

  At that moment, I was willing to rub my tongue against his before I sucked it into my mouth. I admitted to myself that I’d rather be sucking his cock, but I wasn’t willing to jump back into bed with him. He was bad for me; I knew it with every fiber of my being. He would hurt me, probably worse than the others and then where would I be? I’d worked too hard to build a protective shield to keep guys like him away.

  Gabe broke the kiss to get some air.
I stood staring at him as our puffs of breath were visible in the cold night air. “Come to my house tonight after you drop off Chaz.” It was more of a plea than a demand, which I appreciated, even though it didn’t change anything.

  I was tempted, good God was I tempted. “I can’t.” That was the only answer I was willing to give him, and I hoped he didn’t ask for more.

  “Aren’t you at least a little tired of ignoring this thing,” he gestured with his hand between us, “that we have going on? You want me, and I want you; so why the resistance?” Gabe turned his back on me and ran both hands angrily through his hair when I refused to answer him. “Look, I’ve apologized to you for my behavior that first night we met. I’ve gone out of my way to try and bridge this chasm between us, because I can’t get you out of my mind, Josh. The reasons for it are unknown to me. You obviously want to pretend you don’t feel it too, or something in your past is preventing you from taking a leap here. I can’t fight what I don’t know, so I’m just going to step back and let you decide what you want.”

  God, I wanted to be able to trust him. It was pathetic how much I wanted to believe him, but I just couldn’t. I knew when he saw my decision in my eyes. He shook his head, more in resignation than disgust, and then walked around to the driver’s door of his car.

  “Josh, I won’t bother you again. Just knock on my door if you change your mind. I won’t need an explanation from you or a confession. I’ll just open the door and let you in—no questions asked.” He got in his car and drove away.

  I tried to convince myself it was the sting of the wind that had my eyes tearing up, but I knew better. I returned to the waiting room and took a seat, feeling the eyes of the receptionist, Alyssa, on me the entire time. She had a front row seat to the kiss Detective Luscious Lips gave me through the big picture window. She was one of the biggest gossips in town, and by noon the next day, everyone would know that I locked lips with Gabe.

  Of course, she’d probably hurt herself getting to Dr. Vaughn as soon as Chaz and I left. I ignored her intense focus on me and chose to read a magazine about cats instead. None of the cats featured were nearly as pretty as my Diva, and I took great pleasure in acknowledging it. Still, there was a lot of interesting information, and it helped me pass the time until Chaz and Harry returned, which seemed to take longer than it should. Chaz came out to the waiting room with flushed cheeks and glassy eyes. Hell, it looked like he’d just been kissed within an inch of death or gotten high.