Watching Over Her

by Terry Towers

  “Very, Miss Phillips.” His reply had a faint husky sound to it. Was this shit turning him on?

  Wait a second! Did he just call me Miss Phillips? she thought as the realization that she hadn’t given him her identification yet dawned on her. Her frown deepened as he got up from his crouching position and stood behind her. His hands slid from her legs to her hips, slowly working their way up her sides. The wind picked up and offered a hint of his cologne, a deep woodsy and spicy smell. She’d admit it smelt nice and enticed her to lean back into him, but she denied the urge. Again, a sense of familiarity washed over her.

  When his hands reached the sides of her breasts and paused there her breath hitched and her hand inched its way to the Taser. “Excuse me, but this is highly inappropriate. I’d appreciate it if you took your hands off me, gave me my ticket for whatever you think I did to help fill your quota and I’ll be on my way.”

  He leaned into her, his lips grazing her earlobe. “Well shit Violet, you had no problem with me touching you prom night.” He chuckled again, taking a step back.

  Prom night? It felt like her heart stopped for a second as memories of prom came rushing back to her. He couldn’t be… She twirled around, her mouth dropping open. But, it was. “Devon Land!”

  Placing his hands on his hips, a roar of laughter erupted from him.

  “Ohmygod! You asshole.” Grabbing her purse she gave him a whack on the shoulder with it. “You ass! I thought you were some sort of pervert or kidnapper!” She whacked him a couple more times. “Ass!”

  Her abuse seemed to only further amuse him. Stopping her assault on him, she placed her purse back on the hood of her silver Mercedes. Crossing her arms over her chest, she glared up at her former high school sweetheart and partner in crime from all those years ago.

  His laughter stopped, but a smile remained on his face displaying a set of adorable, yet sexy as hell dimples. And there was no mistaking the mischievous twinkle in his dark eyes. The girls at their high school used to swoon every time he smiled at them – herself included – but they all knew he was hers so none ever tried to get with him, although she’d known many were envious.

  “Welcome home, Violet.”

  Immediately, she relaxed and took a minute to examine the more mature Devon, although after that little stunt she’d hesitate to say more mature. That’s the sort of crap that he’d pull when they were teenagers, and she’d fallen in love with him despite his antics. Hell, because of his antics even; he’d always been fun and exciting to be around. But that was a long time ago. He seemed to have gained a lot more muscle over the years and he seemed a lot taller than she’d remembered, a solid 7 or 8 inches taller than her 5’5.

  “Welcome home? Did you know I was coming home?” As soon as the question passed her lips she realized the answer. Of course he had, her mother had the biggest mouth in town.

  “Your mom,” he confirmed her suspicions.

  “I see.”

  “When your car drove past me with the New York plates I assumed it was you.” He redirected his attention to her car and let out a low whistle. “Fancy ride you got there V.” V had been his nickname for her growing up. “Turning into a big-time city girl seems to be working out well for you.” He stepped up to the hood of the car and ran his fingertips along it until his eyes landed on her purse, in particular the Taser that had halfway fallen out. He picked it up and examined it, switching it off and turning back to her. “What are you doing with a Taser?”

  Violet shrugged, giving him a wry grin. “Just in case you were a kidnapper or something.”

  “You were going to Taser me?”

  Snatching the Taser from his fingertips, she picked up her purse, tossed it inside and then chucked the purse through the open driver’s window and into the car. “First off, I didn’t know it was you. Second, if your fingers had gotten any more grabby then I just might have.”

  He cringed. “Ouch. Good thing I didn’t then, huh?”

  “Good thing.” To her surprise she could hear a little hint of her own accent – an accent she’d tried so damned hard to hide over the years – coming out. Shit.

  Devon reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and produced a pen and pad and began writing on the pad. “So, darlin’, I need to get your licence, insurance card and registration.”

  Planting her hands on her hips she stared up at him. “What for?”

  He glanced up from the pad to catch her bewildered gaze. “So I can write up your ticket.”

  “You’re giving me a ticket? What the hell for?”

  “Failure to stop at a stop sign a bit back.”

  “I stopped.” She vaguely remembered a stop sign, but she’d stopped, she was positive of it. Well, pretty sure she stopped. Had she stopped?

  He rolled his eyes at her. “You did a rolling stop, but not a complete stop. And if I recall, you’ve always been so impatient with stop signs. I told you way back when we were going together that you’d get a ticket for it.”

  “You’re joking, right?” She couldn’t believe he was actually going to ticket her for that. It had to be another one of his pranks.

  “No, ma’am. The law is the law.” His face was serious, not even a hint of a smile. “When traffic laws aren’t obeyed people die.”

  “The man who stole Mr. Kerrington’s tractor and took it out for a joyride, crashing it into his neighbour’s koi pond – killing three fish I might add – is giving me a ticket for coming to a rolling stop at a stop sign.” She huffed and gave her head a shake in disbelief.

  “Just consider yourself lucky I’m not also charging you with assault of an officer for smacking me with that purse of yours. What in the hell do you have in that thing anyhow, felt like it was loaded with bricks!”

  “You lived.”

  “Maybe, but it was still assault. I might end up with a bruise.” He snapped his fingers at her. “Hustle up. Let’s see that ID. I do hope you’re insured.”

  “I’m insured.” Still uncertain if this was just another Devon joke or if he was actually serious, she retrieved the purse that she’d just chucked into the car and pulled out the required documents, passing them to him, along with her driver’s licence. “Damn ridiculous that’s what this is,” she muttered under her breath as she shot him a dirty look. This was insane.

  He waved the driver’s licence under her nose. “Good picture.”

  “Can’t you just give me a warning or something,” she shrugged, giving him a half-smile, “for old times’ sake?”

  After further examining the cards he tapped the end of his pen off of the side of the pad, then slowly looked up, cocking a brow at her. “Well, I may have another option for you.”

  “What’s that?” She released a sigh of relief. She was currently out of a job. Logan had called her and fired her the day after the incident with his wife, explaining that he couldn’t have her working there any longer – not that she’d had any interest whatsoever in working for that cheating piece of shit anyhow. She just would have preferred to have something lined up before leaving. She’d be living off her savings until she figured out what to do next.

  He passed back the ID. “I’ll let you go with a warning on one condition.”

  “And… That is…” Why was he insisting on dragging this out? She was so tired.

  “I have tomorrow off, so how about we have supper together tomorrow night?” He gave her a sexy, lopsided grin. When they’d been teenagers that grin used to make her tummy flutter and she’d give in to whatever he wanted. Apparently, that hadn’t changed because the answer yes was on the tip of her tongue, despite the torment he’d just put her through.

  “Devon, I don’t –” She didn’t know why he’d even want to take her out after the way they’d left things before she went off to college at NYU.

  He shrugged. “Ticket it is then.”

  “Isn’t this extortion?”

  “Nah,” Devon huffed. “’Course not. It’s just me giving you options. That’s all. Try
ing to cut you a break. Apparently, with that high-paying job a two hundred dollar ticket is chump change for a girl like you.”

  Although, would it hurt to go out to dinner with him, maybe catch up? She was curious to know how things had gone with him over the years. She’d be lying if she said she hadn’t thought about him, she had. Pretty much every memory she had as a teenager involved him. They’d started dating at the tender age of 13 and been inseparable until she left for New York. It had been the cliché, but true . There was a part of her that had missed him, even till this day. What could it hurt, really?

  She nodded. “All right, deal. Dinner for a warning.”

  He closed his ticket pad and tucked it back into his jacket pocket along with the pen, a wide grin spreading across his lips. “Good enough then. Wise decision.”

  “I just don’t want a ticket,” she murmured under her breath, although that was a lie; a part of her was eager to get to know him again.

  “I’ll pick you up at your mom’s at eight.” Violet watched as he began to walk back to his car, stopped and turned back to her. “And just a little suggestion…”

  Crossing her arms over her chest, Violet cocked a brow at him and waited. “What’s that?”

  “You should really wear a pair of nice tight jeans, I’ve always loved your ass in jeans. And from what I felt a bit ago, it’s only gotten better with age.”

  She stared at him as he chuckled, no doubt at the look of disbelief on her face, got into his car and drove off.

  Chapter 2

  “Man, I don’t know why you’d even want to talk to her let alone take her out to supper after the way she just broke up with you and left. After all those years together… It was damned cold.”

  “It was seven years ago.” Devon looked over at his buddy Will and shrugged. Will grew up and went to school with them both; he and Violet had never gotten along all that well. Will blamed Violet for the trouble Devon would constantly find himself in, but that wasn’t the case. He was just as much to blame for the stupid shit they’d done as much as she was – she’d been right, the tractor joyride was entirely his idea and that was the tip of the iceberg. Though he wouldn’t have classified them as bad teenagers, just mischievous.

  “And you think living in New York made her all sweet and delicate.”

  He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t a tiny bit nervous about taking Violet out. Will was right to a certain extent, she may not be the same person anymore, but he wanted to find out. “I think I’d like to get to know her again. I think there was more to why she broke up with me than her wanting to get out of this shitty town and see new people and not settle down. And I intend to find out.”

  “What if there is? You think she’s going to tell you?”

  “What does she have to lose?” Devon examined himself in the full-length mirror on the inner side of the foyer closet and nodded his head, satisfied he looked presentable. “It’s fucking bothered me for years now. It’s been like a gnat gnawing at the back of my brain.”

  “And what if there wasn’t some underlying reason?”

  “Then I move on. But at least I’ll know it’s the truth. I’ve waited seven years for the truth and finally I’m going to get it.”

  ~*~*~*~

  “Are you sure getting involved with Devon again is such a good idea, sweetheart?” Violet’s gaze caught her mother Fran’s in her bedroom vanity mirror as she finished her make-up, sweeping a pale pink lipstick on her lips. No one could deny they were mother and daughter, they were the spitting image of each other: shoulder-length blonde hair, large blue eyes and full lips. Her mother had had her when she was sixteen so they were close enough in age that on the few occasions when her mother flew to New York and they went out together, people assumed they were sisters.

  Violet rolled her eyes. “Mother. We’re not getting involved again. We’re just grabbing dinner and reconnecting – that’s all.”

  “I suppose.”

  She stood and gave her mother a brief hug. “It’s fine, Mom. Besides, if you don’t recall it was me who broke up with him, not the other way around.” Her mother never knew the real reason they’d broken up, she’d told her mother the same thing she’d told everyone else, him included – she wanted to play the field and date college boys. She told them all that their little city was too small and she wanted to live the big life. Though that was hardly the case. She’d loved her life there and despite the excitement that came with living in New York, a part of her regretted having to leave.

  “I know. But you were still hurt when it happened. It hurts me to see you unhappy and…”

  “I’m not a kid anymore, Mom. In case you’ve forgotten, I’m 25, had ” she paused, her lips turning to a frown; she wasn’t ready to tell her mother she’d lost her job yet, as far as her mother knew she was taking a little vacation to escape her hectic life I the city “– have a high-paying job that I’m extremely good at. Just because I go out with him doesn’t mean I’m going to fall head over heels and then mope for a year when it doesn’t work out.” The sound of a car pulling up into the driveway of their small three-bedroom bungalow kept her mother from protesting further. “I gotta go.”

  It was a beautiful September evening so she didn’t bother with a jacket. She’d been tempted to wear a dress, but broke down and wore jeans and a short-sleeved pink sweater that dipped low into her cleavage. She’d told herself she was wearing jeans because they were comfortable, but if she were to be honest with herself she wanted to look good for him.

  But we’re not starting anything up again, she told herself as she exited the house and headed towards his half-ton parked in the driveway. He stepped out of the truck as she approached and didn’t hesitate, pulling her into a brief hug.

  He was wearing the same cologne, but this time she gave herself a moment to bask in the enticing smell of it before pulling away. As expected, he looked good. He always looked good so it was no surprise, however, without the bulky bullet-proof vest she could got a better look at how he’d filled out over the years and she was very impressed. The grey sweater, which matched his eyes to perfection, hugged his torso and shoulders.

  Devon frowned and made a spinning motion with his index finger. “Turn around for a second.”

  “What?” Curious as to why he was asking, she turned; when she faced him again he was grinning.

  “Nice choice for jeans, I love how –”

  She groaned, reached out and jabbed him in the shoulder. “I can’t believe I fell for that. Seriously, haven’t you grown up yet?”

  Laughing, he escorted her to the passenger side of the truck and opened the door for her. “Nah, why would I want to do something crazy like that?”

  “’Cause we’re adults now. You’re in law enforcement.”

  “Well, I no longer attempt to tip cows if that makes you feel any better.” He shut the door before she had a chance to respond. Violet laughed as she watched him walk around the front of the truck, his gait strong and determined. There was a sexy confidence about him that he didn’t seem to have when they were younger.

  “If you don’t attempt to tip cows or try to outrun bulls anymore, then what do you do around here nowadays?” she asked as he got in and started the truck, shifting it into gear. She thought back to when he’d attempted to outrun Mr. and Mrs. Miller’s bull. He’d always been athletic and easily the fastest guy she knew – although bulls were much, much faster when running in a straight line. Normally he was able to outmaneuver a bull, using wit to make up for the bull’s speed, zigging and zagging just enough to get himself over the fence before the bull got to him, but not that time. He’d gotten lifted up into the air and thrown over the fence by the bull, breaking his arm in the process. But it didn’t stop him; several weeks later he was back at it. Silly guys.

  “Has it been so long that you don’t remember how fun it can be here? I know it’s not all excitement and bright lights and big buildings and celebrities, but we had fun.” He pulled out of the driv
eway and looked at her.

  Blushing, Violet held his gaze and then looked away. Yes, they had. She’d wondered so many times how things would be different had she not been forced to break up with him. Would she have stayed and they’d gotten married and had kids by now? As a teenager, she’d fantasized about it. The little farmhouse, some chickens, maybe some cattle and a couple of horses. It would have been a quaint, but perfect life that she’d envisioned. In fact, she’d been certain he was going to propose on prom night, but he hadn’t.

  Taking a deep breath in, she gathered herself and forced her gaze back to him. “I suppose there were good times.”

  “A lot of good times.”

  She sat up straighter in the seat and peered around him. “So where are you taking us anyhow? I thought you said we were going out to dinner.”

  “I think I said have supper together.”

  “What’s the difference?”

  Turning off the highway, he drove past a sign that said NO TRESPASSING. It didn’t take long for her to realize where he intended on taking her. The road ended up at a clearing near a secluded lake. It had been one of their favourite hangouts. It was always so peaceful… and private. When it came to horny teenagers who needed a place to fuck, it was the perfect spot.

  “You realize you’re not getting lucky tonight,” she teased. Nine times out of 10 when they were teenagers that’s exactly what happened at this lake. He’d even taken her virginity there.

  He feigned shock. “I can’t believe you’d assume I was taking you here just for sex. Can’t I just take you to one of our favourite spots for old times’ sake?”

  ~*~*~*~

  Devon loved seeing her cheeks redden as she nervously looked away – it was adorable. He didn’t remember her being so easy to embarrass, usually it was him who was on the embarrassed end of the conversations, but suspected that it wouldn’t take much to get her out of her shell. He knew he had to cut her a little slack, he’d known she was coming home for a couple of days now and had prepared running into her in advance. He suspected she hadn’t anticipated running into him so soon, let alone spending time together.