Falling for the P.I.

by Victoria James

  “I asked you out, I’m paying. Besides, you need to watch Janie because she wants her unicorn to take a drink from that water fountain,” he said, tilting his chin behind her.

  Kate spun around. Sure enough, Janie was a few feet away and trying to guide her unicorn to take a dip into the water fountain. She ran up to her and gently reminded her she wasn’t allowed to walk away, even if she had a unicorn, no matter how thirsty her unicorn claimed to be. “You can play with the unicorn at home. You can walk him around the backyard, okay?”

  Janie nodded agreeably and Matt was already walking over to them with a satisfied grin, and a tray loaded with food. “I think there’re a few picnic tables over by the horse show,” he said, leading the way.

  Kate looked down at Janie who was dragging her unicorn along, a strange feeling sweeping over her. Yes, she was happy, Janie was happy, and they were both here with Matt, a guy who hadn’t run when he found out she had a little girl with Down’s syndrome. He hadn’t blinked an eye. He hadn’t asked her a question at all, not even the obvious question people always asked. Every time someone asked her why, she would ask them why not, then watch them squirm as they realized how offensive their question was. So, what was the problem?

  Her. She was the problem because she liked him too much. She was attracted to him in a way that scared her, because it was all-consuming. He wasn’t just a good-looking guy. He was the entire package…and if she was wrong about that, if he turned out to be like all the rest, then she was gearing up for epic disappointment. And if things continued at this crazy pace, maybe even epic heartbreak.

  They settled at a picnic table sheltered under one of the large oak trees and Matt began divvying up the food. She watched as though on the sidelines and tried to process what was happening here.

  Matt smiled tenderly at her daughter. He nodded at something she said and helped her squeeze more ketchup on her fries. Then he turned to Kate and her breath caught for a second as he turned that affection toward her. Good God, Matt was winning them both over.

  “Hey, first you demand poutine, now you’re not even eating it,” he said, smiling. He stabbed his fries with the plastic fork, shoving an indecent amount in his mouth, and he didn’t even look gross doing it.

  She forced herself to dump her thoughts and enjoy the moment. It was good for Janie to be around a man, to have that company. And who was she kidding? It was pretty damn good for her too. “I’m eating, I’m eating. I try and savor each bite instead of inhaling mine like a vacuum,” she said, eyeing his almost empty paper container.

  He laughed. “That makes sense in theory, but there’s a lot of food around here. If you take too long eating that, you’ll never have time to get dessert. I saw Beaver Tails. What’s the point of going to a fair if you can’t win unicorns and eat bad food?”

  Chapter Seven

  Matt waved good-bye to Kate’s crew, while holding on to her hand. He was holding on to her hand partly because in the back of his mind he wondered if she’d take off with them, and partly because he wanted to. When he’d texted her before, it had been spur of the moment. Yeah, he knew he wanted to see her again, and yeah, he knew she was the type of woman who came with strings and ropes and all the other stuff that worked its way around him until he wasn’t able to break free anymore.

  He’d half expected her to be pissed at him for interfering the other night. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to know everything about her. She had taken on a hell of a lot for a single, young woman, and he wanted to know why, and why it seemed like she was vulnerable, even though she acted courageously. And, of course, the other thing that kept bothering him and was never far from his mind was what Derek had implied about her.

  “So…” he said, turning to look down at Kate. She was still focused on watching the kids and her sisters walk away, so he focused on the gorgeous site in front of him. She wasn’t wearing the kick-ass boots today. She was softer looking, cuter, or maybe that was because her guard was finally coming down a little. She was wearing dark jeans that hugged her body so closely he was jealous of them, a pink T-shirt that showed off some awesome curves, and an adorable baseball cap. Bottom line, Kate was hot. “What do you want to do now?”

  She finally turned to look up at him. “No more food.”

  He smiled and looked beyond her. “Ferris wheel?”

  “Only if you promise not to make the seat swing crazily.”

  He laughed and tugged her hand gently, walking in the direction of the Ferris wheel. “I think you have the wrong impression of me. I would never do something like that.” He wasn’t going to tell her that he’d gotten himself kicked off a Ferris wheel when he was a teenager for doing that very thing.

  Dusk had settled in, and the lights from the rides and vendors were glowing. They walked through the crowds of people. Every now and then Kate would tuck herself close to him in order to avoid a group of people who didn’t know how to share communal space. He found himself craving the feel of her, her nearness, her softness.

  They stood in line, close together. “I don’t think I’ve ever been on a Ferris wheel,” she said, looking up at him.

  He tipped her hat up slightly, because he wanted to see her eyes. “Really? Are you afraid of heights?”

  She shook her head. “Nope. I just…huh. Well, amusement parks are expensive. There wasn’t a lot of disposable income growing up.” She shrugged and then looked way up at the lit Ferris wheel, and again, he found himself wanting to know more, but he also knew she wasn’t the type of woman to give up her secrets to just any guy. He was going to have to work for it, even if it meant telling her way more than he told most people.

  “Yeah, we didn’t have a lot. The first time I went to one, I snuck in with a bunch of friends.”

  She gave him a mock gasp. “Weren’t you a cop?”

  He grinned. “This was long before those years. This was during the troubled teen years.”

  “Ah, yes. Who doesn’t have those in their past?”

  The teen manning the Ferris wheel opened up the barrier and it was their turn to walk through and get seated. He held the little door open for Kate and then settled in beside her. Her leg and thigh were pressed up against his and he tried to position his legs comfortably. His damn bad leg was having difficulty conforming to the odd angle and limited seating space necessary to make his legs fit in the tight space. It had also been throbbing like a sonofabitch since that race, but he wasn’t going to say a damn thing about it. Tomorrow, he’d just book himself a session with the physiotherapist he still saw regularly, and hopefully that would set it straight. Right now, he wasn’t going to let anything ruin tonight.

  “Are you okay? Here, I can move over,” Kate whispered, her voice filled with something that sounded like sympathy.

  He didn’t like sympathy, even if he liked the way her voice softened. “I’m okay. These things are a lot smaller than I remembered.”

  The teen jostled their safety bar until it clicked and then shut the door.

  Kate looked at him, her eyes glistening with anticipation. “I think I’m way too old to be this excited about a ride.”

  “Never too old.”

  Neither of them said anything as they started their ascent, the view below them increasingly spectacular, with the twinkling lights and the crowds and the music. It was almost perfect. He placed his arm around her shoulder, felt her stiffen for the briefest of seconds, before relaxing against him. “You know what else happens on Ferris wheels, don’t you?” he asked.

  She turned to him, her gorgeous face a few inches from his. Her eyes went from his to his lips. She shook her head.

  “People kiss at the top,” he said, lowering his face to hers, his mouth hovering so close to those lips he’d been craving.

  “Really?” she said softly, her tongue licking her lips. “Is that what you and your guy friends did when you rode the Ferris wheel together?”

  He laughed against her mouth. “You’re kind of a shit-distu
rber, aren’t you, Kate?”

  “Only when I’m being fed bullshit lines.”

  This time he stopped talking and kissed her like he’d wanted to the moment he saw her that afternoon. He tilted her hat up, his mouth not leaving hers as the Ferris wheel lifted them to the top and stopped. His tongue delved into her mouth, exploring, needing more of her. She made a soft, sexy moan and then her hands went to the nape of his neck and pulled him closer. Blood rushed through him and he forgot where they were, forgot everything except the need to be with this woman who intoxicated him on so many levels.

  “Excuse me, sir,” the teenager said in his ear.

  Kate let out her own little squeal and ripped her mouth from his. “Omigod,” she whispered in a frenzy of straightening herself out and pulling her cap low over her forehead.

  “Yeah, hold on there, buddy,” Matt said, needing a minute. “See, now you know why Ferris wheels are so popular,” Matt said under his breath to Kate. He took her hand when they left their seat, wandering out in the crowd again. The lights from the rides and exhibits glowed, the air filled with the smell of food and autumn, as they strolled through the aisles.

  “I guess I should probably call it a night,” she said, gathering the sweater that was tied around her waist. She put it on and zipped it up. He didn’t want her to go. Liam was right. He was acting like a damn infatuated teenager. He was at a fair, participating in events, going on the Ferris wheel. There was something about her that made him not want to leave.

  “I’ll drive you home,” he said.

  She nodded and they started walking toward the parking lot.

  “Do you have plans for tomorrow night?”

  Gravel crunched beneath their feet and they stopped, being told to wait as a horse and buggy passed in front of them. Once they were walking again she answered. “Tomorrow is Pumpkinfest and we promised the girls they could each enter the pumpkin carving contest.”

  Pumpkinfest. “I love pumpkins.”

  Kate laughed, and he smiled at the sound. “You’re full of crap, Matt.”

  “That’s incredibly rude. I happen to be the best pumpkin carver in…all of Canada.” He had never carved a pumpkin in his damned life. When he was small, his mother had done the pumpkin carving, while his dad had nothing to do with holidays. When they were older, and away from their father, they lived in an apartment. Now as an adult he had no need. It’s not like he even got trick-or-treaters at his door. But if claiming he could carve a pumpkin could gain him another date with Kate, he’d do it.

  They stopped at his SUV. She looked up at him, her eyes narrowed, and he could tell she was trying not to smile. “The only way I’ll say yes to this is if you admit you’re lying.” She attempted to poke him in the stomach and he laughed, grabbing her hand and backing her up against his Range Rover. The lot was dark, mostly empty except for the occasional passerby in the distance. She didn’t attempt to move as she stood pressed to him. He released his hold on her wrist, not wanting her to feel trapped. He wanted her to know she could walk away if she wanted. But she didn’t. She grabbed a fistful of his shirt and pulled him in, like he needed any encouragement. He raised his hands to cup her face, feeling the anticipation course through her, as powerfully as it did in him. This time, when he took her mouth against his, he knew exactly how she’d taste, how she’d kiss him back, and he’d never forget. It was supposed to be light, and noncommittal, but he couldn’t have Kate in his arms and not want more. There wasn’t an ounce of air between them, which was how he always wanted it to be when he was around her.

  Her hat was getting in the way so he tried to take it off, but she swatted him with her hands.

  “Don’t,” she mumbled against his mouth. “I have hat head.”

  He laughed, moving his mouth to her neck, the sweet spot beneath her ear lobe. “I need better access, I couldn’t care less what your hair looks like.”

  Headlights beaming in their direction finally made him slowly pull away.

  “I want you,” he whispered in her ear before taking a step back, feeling her shiver.

  Her eyes were still closed, her lips swollen, but there was a faint trace of a smile.

  She straightened out her clothes and then looked up at him. “Next week’s kind of busy. The gala is in three weeks and there’s Thanksgiving…”

  “So that means no to Pumpkinfest. I make a mean pumpkin pie.”

  She angled her head and gave him a teacher frown. “No you don’t.”

  “Well, I mean my mother does. And she makes the best turkey,” he said with a shrug. Good God, he was inviting a woman to Thanksgiving with his mother and sister? This never happened. Hell, even when he was married, Michelle had rarely spent time with his family. There was something about Kate and Janie though. They brought out this—God forbid—softer side. Or maybe the selfless side in him that wanted to make them happy and safe.

  “What are we doing here? What are you doing?” She was frowning and looking vulnerable all at the same time as she crossed her arms and slammed her hat back on her head.

  What was he doing? He knew enough to know that whatever it was, it felt right.

  “We’re two adults who like spending time together.”

  “Why haven’t you asked me why I adopted Janie?”

  He frowned. Where was this coming from? His people-reading skills were finely honed, a combination of professional training and just his own instincts. She was waiting for him to say something, something that would incriminate him so she would have an excuse to walk away before things became serious. So he told her the truth and waited for the downfall. “ Are you waiting for me to ask you why you would adopt a child with Down’s syndrome?”

  He kept his gaze on her eyes, seeing the shock register, her back straighten, her lips tighten. “That’s just what people usually ask.”

  “Right, and I’m like usual people. See, I think you’re setting me up to fail. I think you want me to be like the rest of them. I think you want me to be some asshole who thinks Janie is less than perfect. Janie is what she is. She was born to be the kid she’s supposed to be. And you adopted her. That’s it as far as I’m concerned.”

  “So I’m just supposed to believe that you accept her? You wouldn’t be disappointed? It hasn’t once crossed your mind that life with a child like her would be harder or—”

  “Hey, I never said I was perfect. I’m sure as hell not. And if you and I had a baby together, and when that baby was born she or he wasn’t what we expected? Yeah, I don’t know what I’d think. I can’t say because I’ve never been in that position, expecting one thing and getting another. I know enough about myself to know that I love what’s mine. I don’t walk away from what’s mine.”

  Her chin was wobbling and her eyes were glassy, filled to the brim with tears that he knew she was holding on to for dear life.

  He cleared his throat. “The only Janie I know is the one I’ve met. I’ve never imagined her in any other way than what she is right now. And she’s a kid, a special little kid and that’s good enough for me.”

  She opened her mouth and he guessed when she didn’t speak that he had given her the right answer. He moved a step into her, loving how she didn’t pull back, how she automatically leaned into him, even if she wasn’t touching him.

  “You don’t have to be tough with me, Kate.”

  “This is happening too fast to be real. You can’t be real,” she whispered.

  “Trust me, I’m very real. I’m not a saint, but I’m not an idiot. I’ve made a lot of wrong choices, stupid choices, but I learned from them. I’m thirty-five. Old enough to know what I want from life, who I want in my life. If you think I’m some guy who runs the other way at the mention of a real relationship, then you got me all wrong. Maybe at first I wasn’t looking for a relationship, but you reeled me in, sweetheart, and I’m not going anywhere.”

  He stopped, because she let out a breath as she tilted her head back and stared at the darkened sky. She was blinking back t
ears, still didn’t say anything so he kept on talking. “It’s okay to be soft once and a while. It’s okay to need someone. You can trust me. I’ll never take advantage of that,” he said, his voice sounding gruff to his own ears as he pulled her into him. “But you can still wear the boots because they’re pretty damn hot.”

  She laughed against his chest, hugging him back.

  Chapter Eight

  It’s okay to be soft once and a while. It’s okay to need someone. You can trust me, I’ll never take advantage of that…

  Kate slowly lowered her head to her desk, Matt’s words echoing in her mind like a comforting blanket. The school day had ended thirty minutes ago and she was getting ready for a staff meeting before going home. She had to admit she’d been a bit disappointed when he hadn’t called about Pumpkinfest on Sunday, but she knew he worked long hours and often on weekends. She couldn’t get him out of her head. He was everywhere. His deep voice, his laugh, the feel of his hard body against hers…there was no denying she was falling for him. At some point he was going to demand more, he was going to demand some answers.

  The only Janie I know is the one I’ve met. I’ve never imagined her in any other way than what she is right now. And she’s a kid. A special little kid and that’s good enough for me.

  “You are so screwed,” she mumbled against the stack of report cards.

  “Miss Abbott?”

  Kate jerked her head up at the sound of Matt’s little sister’s voice. She had thought she was alone. She felt her face going red as Sabrina stood there, looking a little embarrassed.

  “Sorry, Sabrina. I was um, just thinking about—”

  “My brother?”

  Kate shuffled the report cards around on her desk, thinking that his sister was a lot like him—direct and to the point. She forced herself to look up at Sabrina with an expression of calm. The look in Sabrina’s eyes told her she hadn’t exactly pulled it off. “No, no this isn’t about Matt. I was thinking about everything that needs to get done before Thanksgiving.”