The club was as busy as I expected it would be on a Friday night. The music was thumping loudly, sweaty bodies were grinding against one another on the dance floor, and drinks were flowing at the bar. If it was up to me, I would’ve marched straight up to the bar and began asking questions, subtly of course, but Josh was eyeing the dance floor like it was a long-lost friend.
I grabbed his hand and began leading him in that direction. “I can’t dance worth a shit,” I yelled over my shoulder in warning.
“That’s okay, baby, you just stand there and I’ll dance good enough for both of us,” Josh replied confidently.
I anticipated that I would stand near him and kind of move from side to side while glaring at every swinging dick in the place, but that isn’t what happened. Josh’s infectious happiness and laughter urged–okay, yanked me by the dick–out of my comfort zone and into Fun Land. I stopped worrying about my moves and how lame they were or anything else. All I wanted was to keep that wide smile on Josh’s face and the laughter in his life at any cost.
After a long time, Josh crooked his finger for me to follow him and I did. “I think it’s time we start interrogating the club staff,” he told me.
“We’re not going to interrogate anyone, Sunshine. I’m just going to ask about the new management in a non-threatening way.” I wasn’t in the mood for bad cop. I was in the mood for some quick, honest answers and then take my guy home for some strong loving before we went to bed. If given the choice, I also wanted to sleep in until at least ten the next morning.
“Damn,” Josh said in disappointment. “I was hoping to see you in action.”
We found a place at the bar, but there was only one stool. I motioned for Josh to take it, but he shook his head. I wasn’t going to battle him over who sat on the stool. If he didn’t want to sit, fine; he could stand between my legs so I could nibble on his neck while we waited our turn.
That’s exactly what I was doing when I heard a familiar voice say, “This must be your boyfriend.”
Josh’s head snapped in the direction of the voice and I watched with an inward smile as Josh slowly raked his eyes from Paul’s toes to his eyes then narrowed them in suspicion. “Why, yes I am and who might you be?” Josh asked sweetly. I was pretty sure I saw him bat his eyelashes a few extra times for emphasis.
Paul extended his hand and said, “I’m Paul Seviere. I work on Gabe’s task force.”
Josh accepted his hand and said, “I’m Josh Roman. I work on Gabe’s nerves.”
Paul threw his head back and laughed. “I like him,” he said when he was finished. “So, are you guys here on a date or checking things out?”
“Both,” Josh said. “Gabe won’t let me interrogate anyone though.”
“I just want to find out whatever I can about the new management.” I told Paul some of my theories and he nodded his head.
“In that case, you might look hard at the former owner slash silent partner. The identity of the new owner hasn’t been made public and the employees aren’t talking. It’s doubtful the interim manager knows much. I guess it’s possible Bandowe wanted out from under the club and Nate’s death was the easiest way or the new guy wanted the club bad enough to kill.”
“And you’re certain there was no illicit activities going on?” I asked Paul.
“Could there have been a few clients giving out sexual favors for a quick buck? Sure. Are these partyers bringing in their own drugs? You can bet your ass. What we didn’t find was any sign that the owner or the employees were engaged in any illegal activities. No one seems to know who the new owner is, but maybe you’ll have better luck.” He nodded to Josh and said, “Let him ask the questions if you decide to interview the staff because he’s less threatening looking than you are.”
“Aw, thanks,” Josh said to Paul.
“No problem. You two have a fun night,” he said before he walked off.
The congenial smile slid off Josh’s face the moment he walked away. He turned between my legs so he could look me in the eye. “You fucked him, didn’t you?” It was a statement of disbelief, not an accusation.
“Not these past two days,” I said. “It was a year ago.”
“Did you meet here at the club?” Josh asked.
“Yes.”
“Then you hooked up?” he asked.
“Once.”
“You weren’t going to mention it?” Josh wanted to know.
I let out a deep sigh and told him all of the things I had thought about that morning. I was with Josh and told Paul so. Paul was a one-time thing and a very distant memory. Blah. Blah. Blah. He didn’t look at all impressed nor did he look angry. I couldn’t get a read on his mood, which was odd because I felt like I knew him so well.
“Gabe,” he said, holding up his hand. His lips tilted up on one end and he looked like he was holding back a grin. “Instead of driving back home, why don’t we get a hotel and you can fuck me like a stranger tonight.”
“What?” That was the last thing I thought he would say.
“I know that you love me and I trust you,” he said, words that meant more to me than I could possibly express. “So why not have a little fun? Sometimes a guy just wants to be pinned to the bed and fucked hard.”
I just sat there staring at him in shock for a few minutes. “If you’re uncertain…” the guy beside me said, snapping me out of my daze.
“Fuck you.” I got off the stool and pulled Josh behind me as I made my way to the exit. I couldn’t believe Josh wanted to go to a hotel instead of his own home. I knew how fastidious he could be about certain things and beds was high on the list.
“Pick a good hotel though, babe. I don’t want sheets so thin I can see through them or a lumpy mattress.”
I took him to the nicest hotel in the city and didn’t even grimace when the guy behind the reservation desk swiped my card. It was worth the three Benjamins to know that the pillow beneath Josh’s face would be soft, the mattress would have the correct amount of firmness, and the sheets had enough thread count that they didn’t tear when I fucked him into the next month.
TWO WEEKS LATER, I was standing in the middle of Gabe’s living room looking around with my hands on my hips. There wasn’t a need to buy another TV because his big monstrosity could go into the living room at my–our–house and my current TV could go into my–our–bedroom. The rest of his furniture though…
“Don’t worry about it, Sunshine,” Gabe said when he entered the room behind me. “As ugly as the furniture is, it’s functional, new-ish, and will fit nicely in the living room.”
I slowly turned to face him. I did want Gabe to share his life with me, but what I meant was him, his clothes, and his dog move in while the rest of his things didn’t. The clothes and dog we had already moved. Gabe asked me to look around to see if there was anything I wanted in the living room and kitchen before he gave it away.
“I was just kidding,” he said quickly when he saw the look on my face. “I have a box of things in the hall closet upstairs that I want to grab so why don’t you take a look at the movies and then there are some kind of ancient iron pots and pans that my grandmother passed down to my mom, she gave them to me when I moved and…”
I didn’t wait for him to finish. I headed straight to his kitchen cabinets to see if he meant cast iron skillets. I loved cast iron skillets and finding really good ones was hard to do. It seemed like it took forever to season new cast iron cookware. I opened the cabinets closest to the stove, which was where I’d store the skillets and pots, but not my guy. I searched every cabinet in the amount of time it took him to retrieve a box of stuff from the hall closet. Don’t think I wasn’t searching that box before I let him put things out and about. There was a balance to my home that I needed to maintain. That was a battle for another hour, right then I just wanted to know where the fuck he was keeping the holy grail of cookware.
“Don’t tease me, man. Where are the cast iron skillets and pots?”
Gabe almost look
ed afraid when he pointed to the oven. He kept them stored in the oven? I released an excited breath and opened the oven door slowly. There they were, the bastions of true Southern cooking stacked inside the oven. There had to be at least three Dutch ovens and ten skillets in various sizes.
“The lids are in the drawer below,” Gabe said.
“Baby, do you have any idea what I can do with cookware like this? Have you ever had a steak seared and cooked on these bad asses?” I saw an image of me standing in my kitchen spooning butter over perfectly seared meat while a potato dish was baking in the oven and Brussel sprouts were sautéing in a garlic butter and herb sauce in a separate skillet on the stove. “We need to stop at the store on the way home.”
“You already have some of those pans, don’t you?” Gabe asked. I noticed his ignored my comment about going to the store. I suspected he’d rather undergo a root canal.
“God love your heart, Gabe,” I said shaking my head. “They’re not the same quality and these pans have already been seasoned with love for decades. There’s just no comparison.” I pulled a skillet out of the oven and looked at it. “It’s beautiful, as will be the food I cook in it.”
“I have no doubts about that, Sunshine. You’re the best cook I’ve ever known.” He pinched my ass and I turned to look at him. “Don’t be telling my mother I said that.”
“Oh my God! I make one little mistake with the mushrooms and suddenly I’m a blabbermouth who tries to destroy your relationship with your mother.” Okay, he didn’t really imply that, but it was fun to harass him all the same. “You wound me, Gabe.” I gave a fake sniff.
“Sunshine, however can I make it up to you?” he asked, playing along.
“Let me think about it,” I said, setting the skillet back in the oven and closing the door. “How about we have a final farewell fuck in your house. I’m sure the next tenants won’t be nearly as exciting for these old walls to witness.”
Gabe gave me the good hard fucking the situation called for then we packed up the rest of the things. I learned that most of the stuff was getting donated, but someone actually wanted the boring old living room furniture. My guess was they wanted it for a man cave, which was fine because only other knuckle-draggers would see it there.
We stopped by the grocery store so I could buy the items I needed to fix the steak dinner from my imagination. I was all for being treated like an equal until it came time to lug that heavy-as-fuck cast iron cookware upstairs. I let Detective Weightlifter handle that. I even told him he could thank me later for helping him get in an extra workout. I heard him grumble about working something out in my ass, but I let his comment slide.
“What are you going to do with those apples?” Gabe wanted to know. “Going to serve them as a side dish?”
“No,” I told him. “I’m going to make apple crunch in the oven with our cast iron skillet.”
“Sunshine, you say the sexiest things,” he said, pressing himself against me where I stood at the counter slicing apples. “You know all of my weaknesses.”
“Hmmm, I’m sure you’ve hidden one or two, but I’ll figure them out. And when I do,” I pressed my ass into his groin, “I’ll own you.”
“You already do,” he said gruffly in my ear.
The steak, potatoes, and Brussel sprouts turned out better than I imagined. Gabe gave his usual grunts and groans while he ate, which warmed my heart and challenged me to find new recipes to please him. The smell of the cinnamon, apple, and butter began to invade all corners of our home by the time Gabe started pulling items out of his box from his house.
In all honesty, I would’ve gladly put out anything Gabe wanted in his home. I wondered how important they could’ve been since they were in his closet and not on display though. I was expecting old football trophies or accommodations of some sort. Instead, they were family pictures. My heart ached in my chest when I saw his brother’s smiling face in several pictures of the two of them together eating an ice cream cone beneath a big shade tree, riding bikes, or playing in a treehouse. My favorite by far was of them as little kids dressed up as superheroes for Halloween. I noticed that his brother had been dressed as Superman and I remember Gabe saying that Dylan had been his hero, his champion.
I bit my lip to keep from crying. Once I had a handle on my emotions, I turned to face Gabe and asked, “Why didn’t you have these beautiful pictures displayed at your house?”
“It never really felt like a home,” Gabe said with a small shrug. The way his voice thickened with emotion told me so much more than his words actually did. In case I didn’t pick up on his unspoken meaning, he cupped my face and said, “I’m home now.”
“Big Daddy’s home,” Savage squawked.
“Even the bird knows,” Gabe said.
“I wonder if the bird knows how much I love you, Gabe?” I asked.
“I do,” Gabe said, pressing his forehead to mine. “I love you more, Sunshine.”
I stood in his arms and thought about where I had been just a few months prior. I had known what it was like to be with Gabe, but not what it was like to be loved by him. I had known the way his naked skin felt pressed against mine, but not the sound of his heart that beat for me. I had known that there was something between us, but I never guessed it was something to live for.
TWO WEEKS LATER, JOSH and I had been invited out to eat with Adrian and Sally Ann. They’d had an ultrasound the day before and wanted to celebrate the upcoming birth of their baby girl with us. Sally Ann chose an upscale steakhouse in Northern Kentucky that overlooked the Ohio River. As far as steaks went, it honestly wasn’t as good as the one Josh made for me the night I officially moved in. The smug smile on his face told me he knew it too.
Sally Ann told Josh all of the details she was planning for their unnamed daughter’s birthday while Adrian and I caught up on the week’s activities on our different task forces.
“The Feds came back with some surprising information about the drugs Billy had in his possession,” Adrian said. He had my attention and knew it. “The drugs in his urine, the ones from the school locker, and the stash from Bianca’s house all trace back to drugs that had been stolen from the evidence room in an El Paso police department. Guess who worked there at the time?”
“Billy?” I whispered, not wanting the name to ruin Josh’s fun night.
“You guessed it.” Adrian leaned forward and continued. “When faced with the evidence against him he confessed. He brought them with him back to Ohio and had them at a storage unit. They turned up missing and he feared that the drug cartel had tracked him back home. Billy was sure they had an inside guy on the force feeding the drug cartel information. He was afraid to be around his wife and kids so he started squatting at vacant homes around town, including Georgia Beaumont’s. He kept moving around in hopes that he wouldn’t be caught.”
“That’s how he ended up with the scissors,” I said to Adrian. Unfortunately, that meant we still didn’t know who ransacked the mansion. “How did the drugs end up in the school?”
Adrian shook his head as if he still couldn’t believe what he was about to tell me. “It obviously wasn’t the drug cartel who took his drugs, it was his mother. She thought by taking them that he would get clean. She didn’t realize that she’d only found part of his stash in his storage unit. She was the one who disabled the cameras in the high school so she could hide them until she figured out what to do. She wanted to help him but couldn’t bring herself to turn him in. Now, she’s in hot water too and out of a job. Ironically, Mary Rogers,” the former principal that Delaney has suspended and cast suspicion on in the process, “was appointed as the temporary superintendent until the board convenes after spring break.”
“Holy fuck! Billy told you all of this?” I asked him.
“No, Delaney came in with her attorney and confessed to taking the drugs and stashing them in the school locker. Even if Billy hadn’t confessed, she had come to terms with turning him in.”
“Wow,” I rep
lied.
“So, what’s been up with you this last week? Anything new on the Nate Turner case?” Adrian asked.
I started to answer him, but my attention got snagged by a tall, dark, and handsome man entering the restaurant. My mouth dropped open in shock for a few seconds and then I said, “I don’t fucking believe it. Adrian, either I’ve lost my fucking mind or Nate Turner just walked into the restaurant.”
Adrian turned and looked behind him then faced me with wide eyes. “Or we’re both seeing a ghost.”
Other Books by Aimee Nicole Walker
Only You
The Fated Hearts Series
Chasing Mr. Wright, Book 1
Rhythm of Us, Book 2
Surrender Your Heart, Book 3
Perfect Fit, Book 4
Return to Me, Book 5
Always You, Book 6
Any Means Necessary, Book 7
Curl Up and Dye Mysteries
Fatal Reaction (Series Prequel found on author’s blog)
Dyeing to be Loved
Undisputed – coauthored with Nicholas Bella
First, I need to thank my husband and children for their constant support and encouragement. It’s not easy living with a writer who often disappears into a fictional world for long periods of time. They do so many things to help me out so that I can realize my dream. I love you guys more than words can ever express.
Many thanks go out to my three best friends, Anne, Deena, and Kerry. They’ve stood by me, cheered me on, picked me up, and held my hand through some really rough patches. I love you girls so very much. I wish everyone had friends like you because the world would be a much kinder place.
Something to Dye For (Curl Up and Dye Mysteries, #2) Page 23
