The Man Behind the Badge

by Sharon Archer

  She squeaked as he scooped her up, suds flying. Pain stabbed him in the side and he couldn’t suppress a small grimace.

  ‘Your ribs—’ she began, her silver eyes shadowed with concern.

  ‘Are fine as long as you stay still,’ he said.

  She frowned, but other than that she didn’t move a muscle. ‘They’re not. I can see you’ve hurt yourself. Please, put me down.’

  ‘Not on your life.’ He turned and started for the door. ‘I’ve got you where I want you.’

  ‘Where are you taking me?’

  ‘Back to the bedroom.’ He smiled in anticipation.

  ‘Tom,’ she protested on a half-laugh. ‘What about the rest of the dishes?’

  ‘They’ll still be there tomorrow.’

  She held her green-covered fingers up. ‘Then what about the gloves?’

  ‘Maybe I like you in rubber.’

  ‘Kinky.’ She chuckled. The sound was delightful.

  ‘Okay, so maybe not dishwashing gloves.’ He turned and walked the short distance to the bench. ‘Take them off.’

  ‘Ooh, you’re doing masterful.’ She obediently dropped the gloves on the bench. ‘It suits you.’

  ‘You bet. Now you put your arms around my neck.’

  She wound her arms around his neck and stroked his skin. He nearly moaned.

  ‘Turn out the lights,’ he growled as he stopped by the doorjamb.

  In the bedroom, he pinned her to the bed. ‘Now I’ve really got you where I want you.’

  Where she belonged.

  It was too soon to tell her that, of course, but he could show her, worship her with his body. Prove to her that they had something special.

  After a magical hour of exploring each other, testing their limits, he wrapped her in his arms. Perfect. With her legs entwined with his like this, she had no chance of running out on him. As he drifted off to sleep, he smiled. He was looking forward to waking her up in the morning.

  He woke slowly, in the filtered dawn light, aware of a pervasive sense of well-being. The warmth of a body was pressed to his torso.

  Kayla. She was still here.

  He reached down to stroke her awake.

  Fur!

  He sat bolt upright and pain stabbed him sharply in the side. Smothering a curse, he held a hand to his injured ribs and stared into Jerry’s yellow eyes.

  Kayla was gone.

  Hours ago by the feel of the rest of the bed. The only warmth was that under Jerry’s contented furry self.

  Tom scowled. Kayla had run out on him after all.

  If she thought that was acceptable, then she had another thought coming.

  He threw back the covers and rolled out of bed. He had places to go…and a certain person to see.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  AS SOON as he entered the kitchen, he saw the note propped up on the counter. So she hadn’t quite done a runner on him. His simmering frustration eased a fraction.

  He picked up the note, hoping for something to salve his bruised heart. Her writing, the little there was of it, was neat and controlled—like Kayla herself. Each beautifully formed letter sloped the same way. The words themselves were simple, concise. Bland. No acknowledgement of what had happened between them, nothing about their earth-shattering connection.

  He smoothed the note on the bench, his eyes narrowing. Not even a damned X to signify a kiss.

  Just that she’d see him tomorrow. It was something…but it wasn’t much. It didn’t come close to what he wanted.

  He huffed out a breath, cautioning himself to be patient. She’d taken a huge step by coming to him last night, being prepared to admit that she wanted him. He had to take one careful step at a time. But if she thought leaving a note meant she was completely off the hook until tomorrow night, she was very much mistaken. A lazy smile spread across his face.

  Later today, he’d find a way to see her—even if it was just briefly.

  All the chairs in the emergency department were empty when Tom walked through the entrance that evening. Probably the lull before the evening rush. Good, he wouldn’t be interrupting her.

  ‘Hi, Hilda.’ He leaned on the counter. ‘Is Kayla about?’

  ‘She’s on a meal break while we’re quiet.’ The matronly nurse gave him a kind smile as though she could see through his casual demeanour. ‘She shouldn’t be long.’

  ‘Down in the cafeteria?’

  ‘As far as I know.’

  ‘Thanks. I’ll try and catch her there.’ Anticipation hummed through his body. With luck, she’d be there alone.

  He spotted his quarry at the sink, rinsing her mug. His gut tightened. A quick sweep confirmed the rest of the room was empty. Eyes focussed on Kayla, he stalked silently towards her.

  When he was halfway across the room, her head whipped around sharply as though she sensed his presence. Her face lit up with a smile and his pulse leapt in response.

  He wondered what she saw in his expression because a moment later her smile faltered. A wash of delicate colour swept across her fair skin. She turned to face him, clutching the mug in front of her breasts like a shield.

  ‘Tom?’

  ‘Kayla.’

  He planted his hands on the bench either side of her and bent to capture her mouth. She tasted of coffee and dark chocolate. Tantalising. Sensational. He took his time, savouring the flavours, lingering over the warmth and softness of her lips. He heard her breath catch then quicken.

  By a superhuman effort he kept the caress leisurely, ignoring his body’s demand to plunge deeper. He tightened his grip on the bench, felt the fine tremors in his muscles from the self-control he exerted.

  He drew back slowly and looked down into her wide eyes. The pupils had expanded into huge pools of black rimmed by quicksilver. ‘Good morning.’

  She blinked. ‘Morning?’

  ‘Yeah. I’ve been saving that for you all day.’ His voice was rough with betraying emotion but he didn’t care. ‘Ever since I found you’d gone when I woke up.’

  ‘Oh.’ Her eyes flicked away and then back to him. ‘I left you a note.’

  ‘I saw it but it’s not quite the same. Besides, there was no kiss in your note.’ He deliberately slid his eyes down to her mouth. ‘I had to rectify that oversight.’

  She made a tiny sound, almost a whimper, as he leaned down to kiss her again.

  Her lips clung to his but when he lifted his head, she stuttered, ‘Y-you have to stop. I’m working.’

  ‘I know. I’ll get out of your hair now that I’ve finished making my special delivery.’

  ‘R-right.’ She looked adorable when she was flustered. ‘Thanks.’

  ‘You’re very welcome.’ He ran a finger across the cushion of her lower lip, feeling the faint dampness. The touch was a mistake, cranking his hunger almost beyond tolerance. He had to leave before he disgraced himself and begged her to let him stay with her tonight. ‘Maybe you’ll stay around to collect the next good-morning kiss in person. Not that I object to hunting you down to deliver them.’

  He managed a smile. ‘Goodnight, sweetheart. I hope you’re not too busy tonight. I’ll see you tomorrow.’

  Kayla swallowed.

  ‘See you then,’ she rasped, barely able to recognise her voice.

  He strode across the room, long legs eating the distance. Kayla caught her bottom lip between her teeth. Watching him move, watching everything about him, was a wayward pleasure that she didn’t think would ever pall. From the short, dark hair on his well-shaped head, the broad shoulders stretching his plain white T-shirt, to the snug-fitting blue jeans. She’d never been so acutely conscious of a man’s body before. Making love with him last night hadn’t taken any of the edge off her awareness—if anything, it had made it more intense.

  He stopped at the door to look back at her. The cocky smile that touched his lips sent her heart rate careening again.

  As soon as he disappeared, she let out the breath that had frozen in her lungs and slumped back against
the bench. A belated check of the room showed that no one had witnessed the scene. Tom knocked her sideways, making her forget her usual caution.

  She shook herself mentally and turned to put her mug in the staff cupboard. Making a quick detour to the bathroom on her way back to the department, she checked her appearance. She looked the same as ever. No indelible scarlet stamp across her features that said Tom Jamieson’s lover. The only clues anything out of the ordinary had happened in her meal break were her pink cheeks and uncontrollable smile. She set her mouth but the fatuous curve kept breaking through.

  Hilda looked up as she re-entered the department. ‘Did Tom find you?’

  ‘Yes, he did,’ Kayla said, her mind scrambling. She needed to think of something to say to change the subject. No way could she stand here and chat casually about Tom Jamieson. Her mind stayed unhelpfully blank.

  ‘I see he’s had no ill-effects after yesterday’s events,’ Hilda said.

  Kayla stared at her blankly, heat spreading up through her body. Her affair with Tom couldn’t be public knowledge…it couldn’t. A wave of nausea cramped in her stomach.

  Hilda raised her eyebrows then said, ‘After the house fire.’

  ‘Oh. Mmm.’ Kayla sucked her lips in and clamped them between her teeth. If she opened her mouth, the first sound out was going to be laughter, and she didn’t trust it not to be liberally tinged with hysteria.

  ‘The wee one and his father are both off ventilators now. It was a close call.’

  ‘Yes, it was.’ The urge to laugh abruptly subsided in a shiver as Kayla remembered the burnt-out husk of the house and Tom’s rescue of the family. He was a hero.

  ‘Anyway, I’ve got a nasty set of tonsils in cubicle three for you,’ Hilda said briskly. ‘And a lacerated hand in two. Nineteen-year-old male, put his hand through a window.’

  ‘Okay. Thanks.’ She took the files, relieved to have something concrete to do.

  If she and Tom went out, talk would be expected in a small town like Dustin. But that was different from everyone knowing that she was sleeping with him. She was an intensely private person so how did she feel about that being public knowledge?

  How would Tom feel about it?

  ‘You’re very quiet. Is something wrong?’ Tom glanced at Kayla as he steered along his driveway after his cousin’s engagement party.

  ‘No, I’m just pleasantly tired.’ She paused then said, ‘Jon and Natalie are lovely. They’re good together.’

  ‘They are.’ Could he hear wistfulness in her voice—or was it only wishful thinking on his part?

  He switched off the engine and unbuckled his seat belt. Turning towards her, he casually laid his arm across the back of the seats. He sifted his fingers through the gold silk of her hair. ‘Want to make out in the car?’

  She laughed and rolled her head to look at him. Light from the front porch caught in her eyes, showing the delicate spokes of silver radiating out from the pupils. ‘You’re a real romantic, you know that?’

  ‘I’m taking my job as co-conspirator in your rebellion seriously.’ He rubbed his jaw with his free hand. ‘I can’t help you with the whisker burn because I shaved earlier but I can definitely manage a love bite.’

  ‘I’ll pass on the whisker burn and the love bite but I’m very impressed with your dedication to your role.’ She batted her eyelashes at him and grinned cheekily. ‘I’m sure you’ve got other good ideas.’

  ‘Yeah.’ He cupped her jaw and ran his thumb across the soft, warm skin of her cheek. ‘Stay.’

  She turned her head and kissed the palm of his hand. ‘Of course.’

  ‘No, I meant stay the whole night. I want to wake up with you beside me.’

  ‘Oh.’ The smile faded from her eyes and she looked at him silently. ‘I don’t know if that’s a good idea.’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘I’m… It seems too hot and heavy for where we are. And I’m only here for a short time.’

  ‘You’ve told me.’ He examined her face, looking for a weakness, some indication he wasn’t being a complete fool. They had something special, something worth giving a chance. He weighed his words with care. ‘Let’s get some things straight. We are hot and heavy. This might be a rebellion but it’s also a relationship.’

  ‘For the time I’m here.’

  He clenched his jaw, feeling the grind of his molars as he held back the temptation to push. ‘For the time you’re here. Exclusive. Dating no one else.’

  She was silent for a long, torturous moment. ‘Aren’t you worried what people will think?’ Her sombre grey eyes held mixed emotions, the foremost being concern. For him.

  ‘They’ll think I got lucky.’ He grinned but she didn’t respond. His stomach dropped.

  ‘I’m serious, Tom.’

  ‘Why would they care?’

  ‘You…have an important position in a small community.’

  ‘And your point is?’

  ‘People look up to you. Surely it’s even more vital for you to maintain your reputation now than when you worked in the city.’

  ‘How would you staying the night with me affect that?’

  ‘You think I’m being ridiculous.’ She chewed on her lip. ‘I…guess…worrying about how things might be perceived is ingrained.’ She stared through the windscreen but he had the feeling she wasn’t seeing anything. She was too wrapped up in her thoughts.

  Tom waited.

  ‘It seemed to be the most important thing when I was growing up. Dad… Mum’s life revolved around Dad so she worried about how our behaviour reflected on him, his chances of promotion. After she died it seemed even more important to keep up appearances.’

  ‘So you’re worried about what people will say about you?’

  ‘I don’t know. Maybe.’ She laughed but there was no humour in the sound. ‘What does that say about me? A rebel afraid of losing her reputation. Has to be paradox, doesn’t it?’

  He thought he saw the shimmer of moisture on her eyelashes before she turned her head away from him. ‘Kayla. Don’t.’

  He tugged her into his arms. After a tiny moment of resistance she melted there and feeling her cuddling close felt so right.

  ‘People won’t think anything about you and me. Even if they did, I don’t give a damn,’ he said. ‘I don’t want some hole-in-the-corner affair with you. If you have any doubts about that, tell me now and I’ll take out a full-page ad in the Dustin Gazette.’

  ‘Okay.’ Her voice was thick.

  ‘Okay, you’ll stay the night or I should take out an ad?’

  ‘Okay, I’ll stay the night.’

  He’d take it. He wanted more, he wanted her to say she’d stay for ever but for now he accepted she was giving him what she could. And it was a damned sight more than he’d expected a few weeks ago.

  He could help her, give her room. She was so used to living her life within parameters set by someone else. Rebelling was new to her. For now she needed to feel in control of her plans. He needed to be patient until she was ready to adjust her plans to find a place for him. He could do that.

  Tom was like an addiction, Kayla thought. The more she saw of him, the more she wanted to see. She’d missed him during the weekend away on her course, had been impatient to get back to Dustin to see him. It was made worse by the fact that she’d spent every night that week at his place, studying. He’d been great—annoyingly so. When she’d been tempted to play hookey, he’d sat her down at the table and gone out to his workshop so she’d had no excuse to stop studying. Two nights away from him while she’d been down in Melbourne at the course had been awful. It had been his suggestion that she go back to his place on the Sunday night and he’d given her a key to the front door.

  He’d made her greedy. She wanted to see as much of him as she could.

  She didn’t want to think about her plans for now or about the limited time she had in Dustin. Surely the shine on the relationship would have worn off by the time her contract was up. In the meantime, she wa
nted to revel in the things she was learning about him and about herself.

  Surely it wasn’t so unreasonable.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  KAYLA slotted the key into the front door. The pleasant smell of eucalyptus smoke on the frosty air promised warmth inside. Tom had the fire going. Bless him.

  A shiver seized her as she entered the foyer and shut the door behind her. Delicious heat curled across her chilled skin. She smiled her pleasure as she stripped off her jacket and hung it on the hallstand. This unprecedented late spring cold snap was brutal, a real taste of winter. Snow flurries had made dazzling white starbursts in the headlights. Beautiful but potentially deadly.

  Tom had wanted to travel into town to pick her up after her shift. She’d refused but the gesture had touched her. She wasn’t used to such a nurturing approach from men in her life. Having grown up within a rigid set of her father’s guidelines, she’d learned not to expect softness, consideration. No cosseting at all.

  And here was Tom ready to pamper her as much as she’d let him. His powerful drive to look out for people, for her, was as bewildering as it was beguiling.

  Her emotions see-sawed back and forth about it. Part of her wanted to bask in his treatment, become accustomed to his brand of spoiling. But another part of her said it would be weak, a step towards losing independence.

  She sighed, pushing away the troubling thoughts. For now it was lovely to be home.

  Home! Home?

  She put out a hand to steady herself as the floor seemed to rock beneath her feet. When had she started to think of this as home? This was Tom’s place. She didn’t belong here. Regardless of how welcome he made her feel.

  She took a deep breath and tried to calm the twist in her stomach. When she had steadied, she switched off the front porch light then walked along the hall towards the gentle glow coming from the lounge.

  Tom was there, asleep on the sofa. She’d told him not to wait up for her but he had anyway. An open book rested on his chest, rising and falling with each breath.