Hot as Hale (Hale Series Book 3)

by Marie James

  The atmosphere is calm, although busy. People are waiting to be called and are meeting in small groups to speak with attorneys. Just another day at the courthouse.

  A small movement to my left makes me realize that Josie is right beside me. They have the chairs stuffed in here more for optimization and less for comfort. My thigh is within inches of hers, and I can feel the heat coming off of her body. I close my eyes for a second, concentrating all of my focus on the small amount of energy transferring from her body to mine.

  I hear her whisper and open my eyes and peer over at her. She’s speaking with her sister, Lorali, who’s sitting directly to her left. They’re talking about Lorali and Ian’s impending wedding. I sit and listen to her voice not really paying attention to the content of the conversation.

  I’m hoping soon it’ll be a conversation with me that she’ll be smiling through and laughing at.

  Chapter 5

  Josie

  The grand jury ended up not needing to hear from Alexa; the surveillance camera from inside the store was enough. You could almost pick up and hold the relief that was rolling off of her. Now that the grand jury indictment was over she told me she’d be going to Garrett’s for the next week or so but would check in on me periodically.

  I nodded and smiled at her, loving the fact that they are together and so obviously in love. It’s my turn. I thought before I could stop my brain from such nonsense like there’s an order to meeting your prince charming.

  I stayed a bit longer and talked to Lorali and Ian before heading to use the restroom. I realize Garrett and Alexa are gone and my sister is also nowhere to be found. Exiting the restroom with mild trepidation, my eyes land on Kaleb across the hall. He’s standing so manly with his hands in his pockets talking with a uniformed officer. The suit jacket hints at the layers of muscles it’s hiding.

  He must notice my awkward stance because he cuts the conversation short with the other cop and makes his way over to me. I take in his gait unabashedly, the masculine prowl forcing me to bite my lip. Here I am in public practically undressing this man with my eyes. The mischievous smirk on his handsome face informs me that he has an idea of exactly what I’m thinking about.

  My eyes hit the floor, and I release a long breath I didn’t realize I was holding as he approaches.

  He closes all but about ten inches between us, his broad chest right at eye level. “You ready?” In that exact second, I realize why my small group of friends scattered so quickly once I turned my back. They did it as a means to force me on Kaleb, just the same way Alexa jumped in the back seat of his car when clearly, he was there for her.

  I sigh. The people in my life clearly want me to spend more time with this man, and I can’t say that I disagree with them. I want to be angry with them for not including me in their plans, but I know as much as they do that I’d refuse had I been privy.

  “Yes,” I whisper to him, getting lost in his radiant green eyes again.

  He clears his throat and shakes his head slightly after a roughly closed door down the hall breaks into our moment.

  I turn toward the exit and begin walking back to where he parked his car. Kaleb falls in right beside me, his large hand resting on the small of my back. The warmth sinks into my bones, leaving me longing for more than the gentle guide of his fingers.

  We reach his car much faster than I’d wanted. I could walk for miles if it meant he kept his hand on me. Like the gentleman he was earlier at the apartment, he once again opened the car door for me. I sank into the seat, my back going cold at the loss of his hand.

  The ride home is quiet but electric. I can’t keep my breathing even, and I wonder if he can hear my ragged breaths; if he can, he doesn’t say anything. The trip to the apartment seems shorter than the walk to the car. I curse every green light we pass under.

  Strangely he parked his car in the subterranean parking area of the apartment building rather than pulling to the front like he did earlier. He turns off the ignition and shifts his body, so it was slightly angled towards mine. I sit like a statue, unsure of what he’s going to say but refusing to open the door.

  I want to invite him up, but I have no idea how to go about doing that short of just blurting it out, which I can’t seem to build the courage to do.

  “I was fixing to grab a cup of coffee,” he informs in my direction. I want to yell YES but technically he hasn’t said anything about me going with him, and I don’t want to be the crazy woman who invites herself places. I reach for the door handle, and the gentle touch of his hand on my other arm halts my actions.

  I turn my head toward his. The magnificent smile on his face makes his eyes sparkle. “Will you join me?”

  I’m quite certain my heart skips a beat or two before I’m able to agree to his impromptu date. Not a date Josie, just coffee.

  “Sure,” I respond with more enthusiasm than I’m sure was necessary.

  He opens his door and comes around to mine. “There’s a cafe a few blocks down from here,” he says holding his hand out to assist me from the car.

  I reach up and place my hand in his as I unfold from the car and smile when he squeezes it tighter when I try to pull it away. He closes the car door, and I hear the sharp double beep informing us that it’s locked.

  “This way,” he says tugging my hand toward the parking garage pedestrian exit.

  Once we hit the sidewalk, the shift of his hand in mine makes me nervous, and I fear he’s going to let go, but he laces his fingers between mine as we continue to walk towards the cafe.

  “Beautiful day,” I mention. Really, Josie? The damn weather?

  “Yes, it is,” he agrees looking down at me.

  I realize, standing this close to him, that he’s the perfect height for me to rest my head on his shoulder, the idea brings a smile to my face. We make quick time and arrive at the cafe within minutes. I’m regretful when he releases my hand to open the door for me.

  We make our way to the counter and place orders for our drinks. Monday afternoon is apparently a busy time for this place and the only sitting area left is a cozy little two-seater couch in the back corner. I get Kaleb’s attention and point to the couch letting him know I’m going to go grab it before someone else does.

  He looks at it and back to me with a wide grin. He seems as happy as I was when I realized we wouldn’t have to sit across from each other while we enjoyed each other’s company and our respective drinks.

  I decide to sit with my back to the armrest and my leg tucked under me, so I can face him, hoping we’ll talk once he joins me. I’m mid pep talk when he saunters up carrying our drinks.

  “Green tea,” he says as he hands me my drink.

  “Thank you, Kaleb,” I graciously take the iced green tea, knowing my insides could use some cooling down.

  He settles in beside me and mirrors my position on the couch. “I like that,” he says.

  “Green tea?” I ask bringing the straw to my mouth for a drink.

  “The sound of my name on your lips,” he corrects.

  Holy crap! I may need to pour this drink directly down the front of my pants. It will take too long for my body to cool from ingesting it.

  He’s flirting with me; I could get used to this! The girls were right. If I step back and consider the times we’ve met in the past, he’s always smiling at me and offers his card with his personal phone number on it each and every time.

  “I like saying it,” I flirt back, but change the subject quickly before I have a stroke from my blood pressure boiling over. “What did you get?” I nod towards the white cup with the brown cardboard sleeve.

  He looks down at his cup and rolls it between his palms. “Just a black coffee with a shot of hazelnut. You don’t like coffee?” It’s his turn to nod towards my drink.

  “I get up early for work, and if I drink coffee in the afternoon, I don’t rest very well,” I explain

  “Ah! I think I have coffee in my veins; I can drink it anytime day or night, and it doe
sn’t affect me.” I watch his finger trace the lid of his cup, and for some reason, the action sends shivers up my spine.

  “I think I drink a gallon of it before the cutoff.” I smile. “Kind of a prerequisite when teaching little kids!”

  He sets his drink on the nearby table before speaking. “Tell me about your job.”

  “Not much to tell really. I lead a pretty boring life.” I shrug my shoulders and look down at my drink, fiddling with the straw. “I don’t want to bore you.”

  “Josie?” He husks causing me to raise my eyes to him. “One,” he says reaching out and grabbing one of my hands, resting it between us on the couch, “I want to know everything about you, and two, even if I didn’t, I love hearing your voice.” The only thing I can focus on for the longest time is the feeling of his big thumb as it strokes the back of my hand. I smile at the size difference. Wouldn’t we be a sight; the big masculine cop and the petite elementary school teacher? Kind of perfect actually.

  ***

  We talk for hours, and it isn’t until I notice the sun going down that I regretfully put an end to our coffee date. He was as equally forthcoming about his life. I’ve learned that he is an only child and very close to his mother. His father was a detective for the Denver Police Department and was killed in the line of duty a few years ago during an altercation with someone he was trying to arrest. He lives in a house rather than an apartment because he can’t stand people being so close around him.

  He asked questions when I talked about myself and seemed genuinely interested in my responses. Conversation just flowed once we got started and nothing felt forced; one subject just flowed into the next. I hate that it has to end, but I have a laundry list of things to get done after the three-day weekend.

  The conversation continues on the walk back to my apartment but trails off once we reach my front door, nervousness taking its place.

  “Do I need to give you another card to get you to call me this time?” He teases, both pairs of our hands now joined as we face each other in the hall of my apartment complex.

  I grin at him. “No, I have your number.”

  “Yet you never called me,” he grins back at me.

  I shrug my shoulders. “I’m shy,” I respond as an excuse.

  He releases one of my hands and swipes a lock of hair from my face and runs it back behind my ear. I close my eyes and tilt my head slightly into his touch. The sensation is better than one I’d ever felt before.

  I open my eyes as his thumb strokes my cheek lightly and look into his eyes.

  “I want to kiss you so badly,” he whispers.

  “I’d like that,” I whisper back, my pulse so loud in my ears I barely hear the faint growl he emits before I feel his warm lips on mine.

  His kiss is gentle and tentative. One hand holds the nape of my neck with his thumb under my chin dictating the tilt of my head. His other hand, having released mine is now gripping my hip.

  I step in closer to him when his tongue dips between my lips and sweeps across my tongue. My low moan and the sharp intake of breath from his nose mingle as the hand on my hip wraps around my back and draws my body flush with his.

  My nipples harden and tingle at the feel of his chest against them, and I’m doing my best to ignore the things of his that are currently pressing against my body. My hands are on his back, holding him tight against me. I know I have to put a halt on things when my hand snakes down and cups his backside. What has gotten into me? I could kiss this man all day.

  I pull away, and he nibbles my lower lip, each tiny bite sending bolts of electricity to body parts no man has gotten to respond to before.

  “Want to come in?” my mouth spits out before my brain realizes the error.

  He licks his lips and takes a small step back. “I’d love nothing more,” he says with heavy lids. “But I don’t think I’d stay a gentleman once the door closes.”

  I consider his response and smile at him.

  He leans in and gives me another soft kiss. “Call me when you get home tomorrow?” He begs against my lips.

  I suck his bottom lip into my mouth, not ready for him to leave yet. His groan reverberates through my body, eliciting my own whimper.

  “You’re making this difficult,” he chuckles against my lips.

  I smile and drop my hands, allowing him to step back, creating a gap between us that I immediately hate.

  “Call me, Mariposa.” He pecks my lips one last time. “In you go.” He inclines his head towards the door. “I want to make sure you’re in safe before I leave.”

  I slide the key in the lock, open the door, and step across the threshold into the apartment.

  “Talk to you tomorrow, Kaleb,” I say before closing and locking the door. Unable to resist I raise my eye to watch him through the peephole. I flush when I see him reach down and adjust the erection in his pants. I’d be shocked that he had that reaction to me if my body wasn’t as equally ready for him.

  The smile never leaves my face as I begin completing my preparations for the week. Tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough.

  Chapter 6

  Kaleb

  I took the stairs all the way down from Josie’s apartment. The situation in my pants required more than one adjustment and a ten-minute cool off period before I was able to step out in public and be considered decent. Now it wouldn’t normally take ten minutes, but I couldn’t get images of her out of my head. The way she molded to my body like she was built to be against me and the feel of her warm skin on mine left things ‘activated’ for longer than they normally would be.

  Something changed with her on the walk to the cafe. I felt it the minute I took her hand. She transformed from her normal timid self into an outgoing woman, who ended up being very talkative. She answered every question I had for her and I did the same in return. I’ve never met a woman like her before. Someone I could talk to without restraint. Someone who didn’t have me constantly glancing at my watch from boredom or making an excuse to leave.

  We talked for hours, and it seemed like time stood still. We were the only people that existed in that cafe, and I hated that time did actually continue, and we had to leave so she could get ready for work. Hell, I had things I should’ve been doing this afternoon, but I’ll never regret those hours I got to spend with her. Watching her change and open up to me will be filed away as one of my all-time favorite memories.

  The real question is if she felt the same way and that will be determined if she calls me tomorrow when she gets off work. When she invited me into her apartment, I wanted to accept for a brief second. I am a man after all, but she’s not the type of woman who would be okay with having a cup of coffee and then jump in the sack. If she did follow through, her level of regret could mean we’d never see each other again. I had more self-control declining her invitation than I would’ve imagined.

  Still. If I close my eyes long enough, I can feel the softness and curve of her breast against my chest and the warmth of her brazen hand as it gripped my ass. It’s thoughts like these that kept me in that damn stairwell for so long.

  For the first time in as long as I can remember, I didn’t head to Eddie’s for a couple of beers but rather went home. I’ve had an excellent day and didn’t feel the need to unwind with alcohol.

  I lock up the car, grab my tactical bag from the trunk, and head into the house. Once I open the door, I suddenly drop my tactical bag to the floor when I hear a thumping noise coming from deeper inside the house. I crouch low and prepare myself for the inevitable.

  Less than a few seconds later, I’m struck in the chest with a tan and black blur causing me to sprawl on the floor. I cover my face to ward off the attack, my hands, and neck taking the brunt of the attention. Lifting my hands a mere inch from my face I’m able to command, “Heel.”

  A tiny whimper is heard, and the attack is over. Hearing the steady ‘thump, thump,’ I lift my hands from my face and peer down at my feet. The five-year-old Belgian Malinois sits back on her h
aunches, mouth open, and tongue hanging to the side. I steady myself on my knees and hold my arms open for her. She whimpers, knowing she can’t move until I command her.

  “Come,” I finally order, and she jumps in my arms. She’s overeager and always gets this way when she’s been caged up at home all day. I scratch her back and around her ears as she wiggles in my arms and periodically strikes me with her heavy, thick tail. I stand and give her the hand motion to halt and even through her excitement she stills and sits back on her haunches. Perfect.

  I begin walking towards the kitchen to feed her and cup my fingers allowing her to follow. She gobbles her food with purpose all the while her ears are standing erect and she’s paying attention to her surroundings. She’s one of the reasons I love my job so much. When she’s done, I open the back door and allow her in the yard to take care of business and run a bit. I grab a beer and join her out back on the porch.

  ***

  I have more court proceedings today since the Grand Jury runs for the entire week. Mia was pretty upset when I left without her this morning. If a dog could have a sad face, it was written all over hers when I pulled out of the driveway. She loves action, and she’s been antsy since she hasn’t seen any in a few days. I love the ability to use and work with her, but when she’s put to use, it means the situation is dire for me as well as the other officers on the force. I’ll take the calm any day.

  Court days are the most boring. The amount of downtime and hurry up and wait allow my mind to drift. Of course, my head always goes to Josie, and after that kiss in the hall yesterday, I have a lot more for my mind to work with. I resist the urge to text her, knowing she’s at work. I want to see if she will call me this evening.

  Finally, my work at the courthouse is over, and it ended up being a great day. It’s always a good day when you have a sweep of indictments on your cases; there’s nothing worse than a crook not getting an indictment and it usually happens over mishandling of information, or not getting enough information and details from the start. I pride myself on being thorough and have only had a few cases not gain an indictment in the year and a half I’ve been a detective. My dad always drilled into my head the importance of paperwork and documentation and his eye for detail is also what made him an incredible cop.