Asshole.
David left us and went back to wait for answers, while I sat across from a woman I was having a lot of conflicting thoughts about. I pulled out my phone and tried to pretend she wasn’t sitting just feet away.
“Mike?” I glanced up immediately at Lauren only to see that she was staring over my left shoulder.
I turned and Torch was standing there with a woman I’d never seen before. I didn’t spend time at the clubhouse anymore, so I didn’t know club whores from ol’ ladies.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I hissed.
Lauren was inexplicably trying to camouflage herself in the small chair.
The woman noticed. “Lauren? Hey.”
She waved weakly. “Monica. Hello.”
Torch gave me a look, so I got up with a sigh and followed him outside.
“Grey said you were here. We got a problem. Eli’s on a run with some of the guys and Cage has appendicitis or some shit. We need you to get us in and out of here, no questions asked.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. My best friend and his wife were in a car accident and Grey thinks now’s a good time for me to do club shit?”
My voice got louder and louder until I was shouting directly into Torch’s face. He didn’t seem fazed by it; he just whipped out his cell phone. “No problem. I’ll just let Grey know you said no.”
Fuck.
I shook my head. “Get him here and I’ll see what I can do.”
Torch nodded and went back inside to grab ‘Monica.’ She seemed to be having a lovely conversation, judging by the look of anxiety on Lauren’s face. They said their goodbyes and the woman left with Torch.
Brant stood up. “Listen, I’ve got to go into the office tomorrow, so I’m going to have to call it a night. You ready to go?”
Lauren looked helplessly at the double doors leading back to exam rooms. “But, I don’t know if Elizabeth is okay yet.”
He sighed. “I really need to go. Can you find a ride home?”
She looked back toward the sliding doors and saw me. I nodded to her and she gave me a small smile. “Yeah, I can do that. Thanks for dinner and the wine. It was really nice.”
“Mmhmm, I’ll call you.”
I’d bet twenty bucks he wasn’t going home. He was going to get laid.
He had that disinterested look in his eyes as she talked; probably thought that he’d take her to dinner and then get into her pants. At some point during the evening, he realized she was too preoccupied with her best friend being in a car wreck to go home with him.
The guy was a grade A prick.
I waited until he was gone before approaching her. “You alright, Red?”
She nodded. “How do you know Monica and that guy?”
“Uh, I’m a cop. I meet all sorts of people. How do you know Monica?”
She squirmed in her chair and suddenly found the floor very interesting.
“Red?”
She blew out a frustrated breath, which lifted her hair up off of her forehead just enough for me to see her eyes. “She’s just someone I used to know.”
I knew that was as close as I was getting tonight, so I let it drop. “So, first date? He seemed…nice.”
Lauren shot me a look. “Don’t patronize me, Mike.”
I grinned. “What? C’mon, Red. That guy? He’s no good for a girl like you.”
If that guy was a stick of dynamite, then I was a block of C-4, but we’d worry about that one later.
She cocked her head to the side. “And you’re…what?”
I settled back against the plastic chair and put my arms behind my head. “Well, Darlin’, I’d say that I’m your soulmate. It’s gotta be fate—us running into each other again.”
That was some high-quality chick flick shit right there, so I was expecting her to eat it right up. Instead, she frowned.
“Fate? Try your best friend is married to my best friend. That’s not fate—it’s logistics.”
It was time to break out the big guns. “What if I wanted more than one night with you, would that change things for you? What if I told you that I hadn’t been able to get you out of my head since we all went out that night?”
Her mouth closed and then opened, but I knew I had her when her chest turned bright red and I got to watch it move up into her face. “Um…” she began.
I shook my head. “Just think about it. You can give me your answer when I drop you off later.”
She nodded shakily and her legs parted slightly, giving me a nice view of her panties. I thought about telling her, but subconsciously, I think she knew just what she was doing.
Regardless of what she was planning to verbally tell me, her body had already given me a yes.
“Take a right on Utica and it’s just there on the left.” Lauren pointed ahead and I slowed my truck to take the turn.
We’d stayed up at the hospital until a little after two AM, then David came out and told us to go home and get some sleep.
“We’ll know more tomorrow.”
I’d kept myself busy by avoiding Lauren and taking care of Cage for Grey. It always amazed me what flashing my badge and a smile could get accomplished.
Once I was sure that both David and Silent Phoenix MC were taken care of, I offered to drive Lauren home. She’d been curled up in the small chair, dozing, with her head resting against the wall. Her eyes had fluttered open and she’d given me a sleepy nod.
Lust surged through my body, leaving me feeling disoriented.
I parked on the street and got out.
“What are you doing?” Lauren asked as she climbed down.
I nodded toward her apartment. “Walking you up. Is that not okay?” She frowned and I continued, “Red, it’s just me walking you up to your apartment—not a marriage proposal.”
She pressed her lips together and nodded. “Okay, but I’m not sleeping with you.”
I gave her a playful grin. “I wasn’t offering to put out. I’m still waiting on that drink. Remember?”
She slid the key into the lock and opened up the door. I stepped around her and into the small living room. Glancing around, it was immediately obvious that she was a neat freak; everything was perfectly in place.
“What happened to ‘I’m just walking you up?’”
I moved a couple of throw pillows out of the way and sat down on the couch. “I would love a cup of coffee. Thank you.”
Lauren’s eyes widened. “Oh, no you don’t. I’m not falling for that. It’s late and you need to go.”
“What kind of hostess are you? Do you treat all your guests like this?”
She held her index finger up and then dropped it with a sigh. “Okay, one cup and you’re gone. Deal?”
I nodded and settled my feet on the small coffee table in front of the couch.
“And, no shoes on the furniture,” she called from the kitchen.
I dropped my boots back onto the carpet with a chuckle. She was a firecracker.
A few minutes later, she walked in with two mugs. “I don’t know how you take it, but I’m out of milk. I might have some sugar in the pantry though.”
I took the mug from her hand. “I’m fine with it just like this.”
She set her mug down on a coaster and moved to the opposite side of the couch, facing me as if I were about to try something.
I can’t say that the thought hadn’t crossed my mind.
“So, you doing okay?” I started off. She still owed me an answer and I wasn’t leaving until I got one.
She nodded and took a small sip before her eyes welled up again. She used her free hand to brush away the tears. “I’m sorry. I just keep picturing David’s face. I can’t imagine the person I loved being in a coma and not knowing if they were going to be okay.”
I hadn’t really considered it until she said something. Suddenly, I had an image of her in a hospital bed with tubes running out of her body. It was as if the world slowed down and I
was left with an aching feeling in my chest.
“I—I can’t imagine what he’s going through,” I said quietly, still seeing Lauren’s body bruised and broken.
I’d seen a lot of shit, both in the club and as a cop, but imagining her like that was by far the most painful thing.
I knew what my problem was. I’d been here before. I’d get hung up on a woman, but once I fucked her, things went back to normal. I was going to have to put some effort into this and get her to let her guard down. Once I got inside of her then I could get her out of my head.
“You look like you’re lost in thought over there. What are you thinking about?” I blinked and there she was in front of me again, healthy and watching me with a curious expression.
And three, two, one…
I cleared my throat. “I was just imagining how I would react if it were me and I got a call that you were hurt.”
Her green eyes narrowed, waiting on me to turn it into a joke, but I kept my face blank. When she realized I wasn’t going to laugh, her lips parted and she exhaled softly, “Oh.” Then she glanced down at her watch. “It’s getting late…”
I set the coffee mug aside and scooted closer to her. “Did you think about what I said?”
Looking into her eyes, I tried to calculate how many dates it would take me to seal the deal.
She looked like a five-dater. Usually, when I spotted a five-dater at the bar, I’d run the opposite way. My life was too fast-paced to commit to anything for more than a night.
The five-dater expected flowers—roses to be specific. She wanted to be wined and dined at the nicest restaurants in the city. She’d wear something with a plunging neckline, but kiss you goodbye at the door. In her mind, she was banking on the guy getting attached before she gave it up.
I was a good detective in a lot of areas.
I leaned in just close enough that I could feel her breathing in and out. Her eyes widened, but she pushed her lips into a pucker. When our lips were just about to touch, I whispered, “Please give me a chance.”
She nodded, clearly rattled to have me so close. “O-okay, but this is exclusive, right?”
I nodded, “Of course.”
Wait, what did she mean by exclusive?
Ah, fuck.
What had I just agreed to?
Lauren
Two Weeks Later…
Just as Mike and I were coming together, David and Elizabeth were falling apart spectacularly. Apparently, a couple could make it through a car wreck and the wife’s subsequent amnesia, but not through the reveal of dual infidelity and the fact that the husband’s mistress was now pregnant.
“Can you believe it? He found out she was pregnant and just drove through a red light! Then, he tried to act like it hadn’t been his fault.”
Dr. Mulloy nodded. “Well, honey, he was probably trying to get you out of the picture so he could marry her free and clear.”
Elizabeth looked stricken by the thought and then began sobbing.
Again.
And this would be the last time I offered to host a girl’s happy hour at my apartment. I’d thought it would be a good way to blow off some steam from work, but once Dr. Mulloy found out, she’d insisted on joining us.
“Lauren, do you have more cheese? We’re running low in here.” She waved the near empty platter at me as though I were a waitress in a restaurant.
I wrestled it from her hands and went into the kitchen to add more. I’d really wanted to announce that I was going on a date with Mike tomorrow, but the conversation kept reverting back to Elizabeth and her failed marriage.
I kind of hated her right now.
Don’t get me wrong, she was my best friend and I couldn’t imagine losing my memory in a car wreck and being forced to rely upon other people to remember the past, but she’d brought this on herself—whether she remembered it or not.
My phone chimed and I looked down to see a text from Mike.
“Hey, Red. How’s ladies’ night going?”
I smiled and peeked over the half wall into the living room. Dara and Elizabeth were arguing over the logistics of whose cheating was worse—hers or David’s.
Me-
“Well, to be honest, I’m reliving the demise of the Greene marriage.”
His reply came back almost immediately.
Mike-
“You in need of rescuing?”
And there it was. Tummy flutters and a racing heart. It had been happening a lot over the last two weeks. We’d made plans to go out the week after he drove me home from the hospital, but by then, David and Elizabeth were on the outs and we’d been called in to provide relief.
The week after had been crazy for both of us with work, so we’d settled for text messages and a couple of late night phone calls.
I’d thought the man I met on a beach in Galveston couldn’t possibly exist in the real world, but here he was, proving that I’d been wrong about him.
I surveyed the chaos in my living room and debated. I knew if I sat back down, I’d be subjected to offering my opinion on the whole ordeal. On the other hand, if I let Mike rescue me, then I’d be walking a tight rope of emotion.
I wanted to sleep with him, I did. I just needed more time. I could only hope that he would be patient enough to wait it out.
When had modern romance become a race to the finish line?
What happened to taking things slow? My date with Brant had come from Dr. Mulloy’s suggestion that I try online dating. I’d agreed, since it worked out so well for Josué and Isaac. Somewhere over the last ten years, online dating had become less about dating and more about the hook-up.
Before our appetizer even arrived, Brant had made it clear that he planned on sleeping with me. I’d just taken a bite of my bread stick when he asked about my birth control methods. I ended up choking on it and then proceeded to spend the next five minutes drinking water and avoiding his gaze.
“Well, we’ll just get back to that after a little dessert,” he’d ominously suggested.
That phone call from David had saved me from having to disclose any information on my sex life, or lack thereof. By the time Mike walked into the ER, I couldn’t even determine if I was crying over Elizabeth or my horrible experience with dating.
“No, it’s definitely worse because she was my best friend! Landon was just a nobody,” Elizabeth proclaimed loudly from the sofa.
I rolled my eyes from the kitchen and briefly considered slamming my head into the cabinets until I too had amnesia and could forget this night ever happened.
Dr. Mulloy raised her voice. “Lauren! Honey, where’s the cheese? I need to soak up all this wine.”
I picked up my phone.
Me-
“I am in dire need of rescuing. Know anyone that could help me out?”
I couldn’t wipe the stupid grin off my face when he replied, “I’ll be there in five, Darlin’.”
I quickly emptied the tray of cheese into a Ziploc bag and hid it behind a carton of milk before rejoining the girls in the living room. “Hey guys, we’re out of food and I need to go. I just remembered I made plans.”
Sandra eyed me skeptically, while Elizabeth nodded sadly. “I’m so sorry, Lauren. You brought us here to have a good time and I just brought down the mood.”
Yeah, you sure did.
I shook my head. “You’re fine.” I gave her a quick hug and ushered her over to the front door. “I’ll call and check on you tomorrow.”
The others followed her out the door and then I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off—straightening throw pillows and dumping empty wine glasses into the sink.
Once I was certain that the living room was pristine again, I bolted into my closet and searched for something sexy, yet casual. I chose a basic black sundress and stripped off my t-shirt and athletic shorts.
It was right about then that the front door opened and Mike walked in. As if he had a sixth sense about this sort of thing, he immediately looked down
the hallway and paused when he realized that I was standing there in nothing but my bra and panties.
I immediately tried and failed to cover myself with my arms.
He fought a grin and held up a small bouquet of red roses. “I—I—uh, here’s some flowers for you. I knocked, but you didn’t answer. Do you always leave your door unlocked? That’s really not safe.”
I held up my index finger. “Can you?” I squeaked, “Can you just give me a minute?”
He nodded as his gaze moved up and down my mostly naked body. “Sure. You need any help?”
I slammed the bedroom door and called out, “No. No, thank you. I’ll be just fine.”
I rested my forehead against the door. Okay, so we’d established that physically he was into me. I just wish there was a way to ensure he’d stick around until morning.
I looked at the sundress, mocking me from its hanger and then bent down and picked up my t-shirt and shorts.
Baby steps, Lauren. Baby steps.
I stepped back into the shorts and then slipped the t-shirt over my head before re-entering the living room. Mike had made himself at home on the couch and was flipping through the channels aimlessly. When he saw me, he frowned. “I liked your first outfit better.” Then he picked the roses up off the coffee table and handed them to me. “I got you these.”
I swatted him playfully on the arm and took the roses into the kitchen. I should’ve been over the moon; I’d never received flowers before. Unfortunately, I was missing that girl gene when it came to elegant bouquets. I didn’t see the point to them.
And how had something that died within a week come to symbolize love and romance?
I found a large glass and filled it with water and the little package of plant food before dropping the roses in. I set the glass on the small ledge that separated the kitchen from the living room.
“Do you want a glass of wine?” I offered from the kitchen. “Or beer? I think I might have a few in the fridge.”
“No. I’m on call tonight. Come back in here.”
I grabbed a couple of bottled waters and rejoined him on the couch. Not a man of patience, he pulled me against him.
Renegade Page 15
