“What about you?” she asked.
“No wife, no kids.”
Tenley stopped walking and stared at him. “How did that happen? A great looking guy like you?”
Kyle laughed, jamming his hands into his jeans pockets. “Very carefully. But there’s still time yet. I’m only thirty-two.”
“You don’t seem like a cop.”
Kyle smiled, tilting his head as he looked down at her. “How does a cop seem?”
“You know. Arrogant, bull-headed, threatening …”
“Is that how you see us?”
“That’s our experience in Sowell,” she said, meeting his gaze head on. “We know what the mayor’s trying to do. He’s allowing crime to mount in our community so that he has an excuse to declare war on it … to re-create it. The police are always five minutes too late, and these criminals know it!”
Kyle kicked a pebble out of his path, then locked gazes with her. “I wanna help with that. I meant what I said at that meeting. There’s so much more you guys could be doing to protect your neighborhood.”
Tenley stopped, scoping out what Kyle seemed to have missed—unfriendly gazes trained on him. “This is far enough,” she said. “I’m safe walking from here. I don’t think you should go farther.”
Kyle followed her line of vision and grimaced.
“Are you going to be okay walking back to your car?” Tenley whispered.
Kyle nearly laughed again. Instead, he said, “No. How about you walk me back to my car, and I drive you home?”
“Quit playing,” she shot back. “That would be stupid.”
“Well.” Kyle took her arm and led her back the way they had come. He didn’t appear at all perturbed by his audience. “You don’t expect me to be any less stupid than I am, do you?”
“You don’t understand,” she said, tipping faster in her heels to keep up. “My family is very anti-cop. There’s no point in pursuing whatever it is you’re trying to pursue.”
“How old did you say you were?”
“I didn’t!” She put a hand on her hip and gave her head a toss, forgetting that she’d cut her curly locks.
“Must be the police report I’m remembering. You said you were twenty-eight. I’d say you’re capable of choosing your own suitors.” Kyle must’ve known his mistake when he saw her color deepen.
“You’re right,” she said, glaring at him. “When I said my family’s anti-cop, I was including myself.”
“Ouch again!” Kyle made a show of being injured—clutching his chest and even staggering a bit. “You keep this up, I’m gonna need stitches!”
“You want to help me?” Tenley snapped, trying to suppress the slow anger bubbling up. “Find the coward who stole my peace! Do your job, Officer!”
Kyle gave her a long, calculating look. “Gosh, you look hot when you get hot.”
His comment confused and disarmed her. She stood gaping at him until someone yelled, “Ten!” and yanked her out of his spell.
They turned to see Slade walking toward them.
“There’s your car on the next block.” Tenley pointed up the street and moved to meet Slade before he recognized Kyle. “You’d better go, for real now. Slade’ll walk me home.”
“I get it,” he said in a slightly discouraged tone. “You don’t want to be seen with me, and I won’t hang around where I’m not wanted, so I guess this is goodbye.”
“I’m sorry.” She really was.
“Don’t worry about it.” Kyle took off in a jog on the way to his car. He called to her over his shoulder. “See you tomorrow at the bus stop!”
Tenley looked back at him. “What?!”
Chapter 5
True to his word, Kyle sat waiting in his car at the bus stop the next day and every day after for the next few months. Instead of walking her the few blocks to the house, they had taken to enjoying the short drives away from Sowell’s prying eyes. Soon, they were like comfortable old friends.
On a sunny Friday in June, Kyle let Nate park the squad car while he jogged to the station, pushing through the automatic doors before they could open themselves. Sprinting to the cubicle he shared with Nate and two other officers, he sat down at his desk and raced through his paperwork, logged onto his computer, tapped some keys to clock out, and jetted to the showers. He emerged from the locker rooms hauling his saddle bag while trying to button his shirtsleeve.
“Stanton,” yelled Mark Matthews, the sergeant of the Bureau of Investigations.
Kyle groaned. He could’ve blown anyone else off, but not the sergeant.
Matthews belched and cleared his throat. “I need those photographs labeled and filed in the Boatman case.”
“Yes, sir,” Kyle replied.
“Make sure they get to Tanner in the evidence room.”
Kyle tried to keep his attention on the sergeant, but he just couldn’t do it. His gaze kept darting to the wall clock over Matthews’ head.
“And I may need you in court on Monday,” Matthews continued, rocking on the heels of his polished shoes. “Review your statements in the Buford case. We’ve gotta be air-tight, ‘cause that dude is a grade-A nutter. Am I keeping you from something?”
“Just a doctor’s appointment, Sergeant,” Kyle said and looked away, thinking … well, it’s not totally a fib. Tenley is just what the doctor ordered.
“Really?” Matthews’ lids dipped over his eyes. “Then, why’re you blushing?”
Kyle actually felt the heat of his blush then. “Sir?”
“You’ve been running outta here lately no later than 5:01. She pretty?”
Kyle’s jaw dropped.
Matthews exploded in laughter. “Go on, son,” he said, slapping Kyle on the shoulder. “Get outta here.”
Kyle wasted no more time. If traffic refused to cooperate, he’d miss Tenley’s bus.
“Just don’t forget all them good manners!” Sergeant Matthews called after him.
* * *
Kyle maneuvered his Sonata through Sowell Gardens, trailing its paved ribbon of road through the neighborhood of Garfield and onto the highway.
“Rough day?” He reached over and tweaked Tenley’s nose, rousing her from a long doze.
“God, you have no idea!” Tenley stretched and sat up, pulling a bare foot underneath her. “We’re being audited next month, so work is crazy.” She turned her head towards him. “How about you? How are things going? Any leads yet?”
Inwardly, Kyle sighed. “I meant to talk to you about that. Your case has gone cold. They’re not going to put any more effort into the investigation without a strong lead.”
“Typical,” Tenley said, flapping her hand in a gesture of dismissal. “Just talking to the police was a waste of my time.”
“I’m a waste of your time?”
She rolled her eyes. “Not you, Kyle!”
“I’m the police.”
“I forget sometimes,” she continued. “And I know you, at least, have done all you could.”
There was a momentary lull in conversation before Kyle spoke again. “We’re getting reports that your brother is harassing residents over in Creighton.”
Tenley’s eyebrows drew in. “Lonnie?”
“You have another brother?”
“What’s Lonnie doing over in Creighton?” she asked, her frown making wrinkles between her brows. “I don’t think he knows anyone that lives over there.”
“I don’t know, but I’m getting word that he and a couple of his friends have been calling folks, knocking on doors, issuing threats, and asking a lot of questions.”
Tenley sat up straight. “Why Creighton, though?”
Kyle shrugged and exited the highway. “I thought you’d shed some light on it. He’s obviously looking for your assailant. But what made him look there?”
“I can’t say …” Tenley gazed out of the window, searching the passing landscape.
“Maybe talk to him. Find out where he’s getting his information. Around those parts, a nosey strang
er can quickly become a dead stranger.” When new alarm sparked in Tenley’s eyes, he quickly switched subjects. “So, how long are we going to drive across town before you let me take you out on a real date? You should let me cook you dinner.”
Twisting in her seat, she focused her brown eyes on him. “What?! You go from describing my brother as a possible dead stranger to asking me out to dinner?” Eyes suddenly widening, she yelped, “Oh, my God! Dinner! What time is it?”
Kyle turned down a quiet road, not even bothering to check the time.
“It’s seven o’clock!” Tenley exclaimed after a look at the dashboard. “I have to get home. I was supposed to pick up a few things for dinner.” She scanned the area. “Where are you going?”
“They can do without you for one evening, can’t they?”
Tenley released a long exhale. “I know what you’re thinking,” she said softly, “but they depend on me, Kyle.”
“We’ll send a few pizzas to the house,” he replied, giving her hand a reassuring pat. “The kids’ll get a kick out of that. You can call your mother and tell her you’re having dinner out. Just for tonight.”
His eyes skimmed both the road and her face in turns. He could almost see her tallying the consequences in her head.
“Please?” he added. “I’ve got everything all planned.”
“Planned?” she cried.
“Come on, make the call,” he urged. “Let someone pamper you for a change. How long has it been, huh?”
She mumbled something he couldn’t quite catch and reached into her purse for her cell phone.
* * *
As he pulled into his driveway, Kyle watched her bewilderment from his peripheral vision and smiled.
“Cop my ass!” she spat the second he helped her from the passenger seat. Tenley gawked at the large colonial home.
“You can’t afford a house like this on a cop’s salary!” she said, her voice more accusatory than anything. “Whose house is this?’
Kyle chuckled, hooking his arm under hers to move her up the path. “When my father passed, he left most of his property to my mom, but he left me this house—”
“And a bunch of money to maintain it,” she added as they cleared the threshold.
He only shrugged and disabled the alarm before extending his hand and giving her a quick tour of the place. After showing her room after palatial room—some with Peruvian walnut floors, others with African mahogany wood or downy soft carpeting—with grand staircases, floor-to-ceiling windows with panoramic views, and Russian marble fireplaces, Kyle led her into the Italian inspired kitchen and gestured to a stool placed at the counter.” Have a seat and let me take care of you.”
Tenley ignored the stool and rolled up her sleeves. “My mother would kill me if she found out I accepted your hospitality and didn’t offer any assistance.” She sauntered over to the sink and washed her hands. “Besides, I like to know what goes into my food.”
Genuinely taken aback, he pouted. “You think I’d do anything to hurt you?”
Flashing him a sly smile, she replied, “You might, judging by the way you’re filling those jeans. I’m just particular about what I put in my mouth.”
Struck dumb at this playful side of her, Kyle could only stare.
Chuckling, Tenley held up the box of pasta that sat on the countertop and winked. “You want to show me where your pots are so that I can get things cooking?”
Tenley boiled water for the pasta and tossed a salad while Kyle tackled lobsters and attended to his special sauce. Minutes later, with her sitting atop the marble kitchen counter, and him leaning against it, they ate cream cheese puffs and toasted each other over a glass of Riesling. Over dinner they talked at length about everything, from work to politics.
Tenley slid from the counter and took a seat on a high back stool. “I was just beginning to think I knew you,” she said, surveying the room. “Now I look at this big old house, and I don’t know who the hell you really are.”
Kyle picked up a napkin and dabbed at a speck of sauce on her lips. “It’s my inheritance,” he said, giving her lush lips a final swipe with his thumb. “My father married into wealth, but he taught me the value of satisfying, hard work. Money is just something we have. It doesn’t change who I am.”
Suddenly, she was looking at him in a way that made him aware of every nerve in his body.
“What do you feel about me, Tenley?”
“I … well, I … Kyle…” she stammered, her bottom lip quivering in an obvious effort to backpedal now that things were heating up.
“I’ve never met a woman like you,” he whispered. “You make me feel like all your problems are mine. I want to fix every damn one of them.” He moved in, settling in the space between her thighs. Those beautiful eyes of hers zoned in on his, just like they did the first day he saw her. “Don’t look at me like that,” he said. “My heart can’t stand it.”
Tenley put a hand on his chest to halt his forward movement. “I know I started this …” But the pull of attraction that had always been between them made her grip his shirt and yank him to her instead.
He placed a finger under her chin, lifted her face, and ran his tongue across her lips, murmuring, “Every second of every day, I’m thinking of ways to make you happy.”
“Show me one,” she whispered.
He removed the glass of wine from her hand, keeping his gaze on her face. This time when he touched his tongue to her lips, she took it in, her head moving gently mirroring his movements, her mouth teasing, sliding over his tongue from base to tip, testifying to her skills. After that demonstration, she held his tongue lightly between her teeth, their breaths coming faster, their eyes holding an entire conversation without a spoken word. When she released his tongue, he slid it inside her mouth, tasting the wine and gripping her buttocks so hard she gasped.
Her arms wound about his neck, as her legs came up to wrap around his hips, pulling him closer. He hoped the bulge he pressed and massaged into her warmth confirmed that the feeling was mutual.
“It’s been a long time for me,” she said between heavy sighs. “Kind of hard to date, while …”
Kyle planted a series of burning little kisses along the path from her ear to her shoulder blades. “Well, I think business is about to pick up,” he said, slipping his hand underneath her pencil skirt. “Do women wear these just to make things difficult?” he asked, with her earlobe clenched between his teeth.
Tenley laughed, but when he began tugging at her panties, Kyle could dimly sense her restraining herself. She stilled his hands and sat up, looking into his eyes … searching.
“You’re safe with me,” he said. With a final tug, her panties came away in his hand. He tossed them over his shoulder and kissed her again, this time with such fervor and yearning, he put rouge in her cheeks and nearly drove himself mad. He could hardly bear not touching her, but he forced himself to heel.
“Don’t move,” he said, barely able to catch his breath. “I’ll be right back.”
Tenley leaned back and let her thighs drift apart. “Shall I remain silent, Officer?”
Kyle flashed his most dazzling smile. “Your choice, but you won’t remain silent for long.”
Within an eternity of a few minutes, Kyle returned to the kitchen with one arm behind his back. He held up a gold, metallic square between his fingers.
Tenley slipped from her seat on the stool and tried to see around him.
“Heads or tail?” he asked, tossing the condom high into the air
“Both.”
She attempted to retrieve the condom from his palm, just as he brought his hidden arm around and secured her wrist in a handcuff.
Grinning at her startled face, he towed her behind him, saying, “Both it is.”
Chapter 6
Tenley awakened in a shaft of sunlight that fell onto the bed and pooled around them, illuminating their naked bodies and her poor decisions. “Oh, no! Kyle!”
“What time is it?
” Kyle moaned, pulling her retreating body back into him.
“Morning! That’s what time it is,” she snapped and rushed from the bed. “My mother must be out of her brain with worry!” She slipped into her blouse, then tried wrestling with the skirt while toeing her shoes together for donning. “And Lonnie’s probably combing the streets trying to find me.”
After managing the skirt and shoes, she grabbed her phone from her purse and groaned at the missed calls and unanswered texts.
“Relax.” Kyle sat up and pawed sleep out of his eyes. Then he smiled at her, looking all cozy and rumpled and sexy. “Just text your sister and let her know you’re all right. She’ll tell the others.”
“I have to go,” she said, glancing around. “My panties?”
Kyle grinned and shrugged.
“Take me home.”
“Come on, where’s that woman I met just a few hours ago?”
“Take me home, please.”
“Ten, I—”
She shot him a glare at the use of her nickname.
Kyle reached for her.
She didn’t move.
“Come here.” He patted the area on the bed indicating where she should sit. “Please?” he asked when she still didn’t move.
Tentatively, she returned to the bed and had to leap upon the high mattress in order to sit.
“Did you enjoy last night?”
“Of course,” she whispered. That first kiss had left her breathless. It had been light years since she’d had a man she desired get so close. The possibilities had made her shiver. The fact that he showed her in every possible way that he found her beautiful and desirable sent heat devils coursing through her loins. For almost five months, he’d found a way to inject himself into her life. First by caring enough to check up on her after the assault, then by escorting her safely home daily, and later by taking her on the picnics and the drives, and by just making her laugh again. Dependable. Stable. Strong.
“I feel like I waited my whole life for it … for you,” he said. His tone conveyed everything she needed to hear, but was afraid to. “How about we shower and get some breakfast?”
She released an impatient sigh. “Did you hear me—”
Signed, Sealed, Delivered ... I'm Yours Page 14
