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Vivi Delacruz had no idea of the animal she’d brought to life that cold night. Now she would be back on my territory. Right or wrong, I had no choice. Lines I could never come back from were about to be crossed. I was going to put everything on the line.
I wasn’t a normal guy. I’d never been.
Dating hadn’t called me. I’d hooked up with women, but it was always without strings attached. I’d never been the wine-and-dine-them person. Not to mention the one time I tried, my marriage had imploded in my face. If I was honest, it had never been right because it wasn’t with Vivi.
Vivi and her gentle eyes and kind spirit were made for me. She was the light that would kill off the dark corners of my soul. She was mine. I could have tried to do things the right way. Talk to her. Let her get to know me all over again. Pray she never found out about me being the man who had been texting and calling her, but fuck that.
I’d never considered myself a patient man, and less so when it came to her. She was going to be at the precinct at a time of night when hardly anyone was there.
That is my chance.
I was going to be putting my badge in jeopardy, and if things didn’t turn out the way I wanted, I might even face jail time. I knew myself enough to know that nothing would change my mind.
The grin I had on my face turned into a full-blown smile, something I wasn’t used to doing but I had a feeling I’d be doing more of in my near future.
Vivi was mine.
And come Monday morning, she would be under my roof and in my bed.
Whether she wanted to be or not.
six
vivi
I breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly as I pushed the oversized mop along the floor in the back break room. The familiar scent I’d been noticing more and more in places I went wafted into my nose. As soon as it appeared it left, and I wanted to smell it again. I shook my head. I was being weirder than usual. I looked around the empty break room, pulled my phone out, and looked at the screen.
Nothing.
No texts or missed calls.
And just like that, my heart squeezed with sadness.
Nix hadn’t tried to reach out after I hung up on him.
I’d gone to bed early in an effort to rest, but no matter what I tried, I tossed and turned all night, worried I’d messed things up. Had I been too mean? Sounded crazy? Did it matter? Maybe Nix had a huge phonebook of women he could call and get his rocks off with?
You know that’s not true. He’s not like that, my hopeful side quipped. I shook my head. I pulled my headphones out of my other pocket and popped them into my ears. Music helped to make work go quicker. Pushing the mop back and forth, I concentrated on getting the floors done.
My thoughts drifted to the tall, dark, and handsome detective I’d seen before. He was in the office again. I had spotted him when I walked in and could almost swear I’d felt his eyes follow me as I walked toward the cleaning supply closet. I giggled to myself and the crazy thoughts I had when it came to that man. I didn’t know his name, but the way he wore a black button-up with dark cargos was too damn good not to appreciate. Appreciate. That’s all I was doing. It was harmless.
I wondered if Nix looked good in cargo pants and a button-up. Would he be as muscular and tall as the man I had been imagining him as? No. Probably not. The guy I’d been talking to wouldn’t even send me a picture over the phone. He was probably some middle-aged weirdo with a gut who sat behind a computer screen.
Or phone in my case.
Even then, I wouldn’t have minded. I liked talking to Nix. Getting to know him and hearing the stories he had to tell. That we liked completely different movies. I had a feeling I wouldn’t have cared what he looked like if it meant sitting next to him, cozied together on a couch while watching movies we otherwise would have brushed off as something that didn’t interest us.
Oh, well. I sighed. I stretched my neck from side to side trying not to wince at the tight muscles that pulled and ached. I had definitely pushed myself a little too much this week. I shut my eyes and let the darkness behind my lids relax me. If I sat down, I would fall asleep. Two minutes with my eyes shut standing wouldn’t hurt.
Becky G’s sultry voice started to play in my ears. But before she reached the bridge, a big hand touched the small of my back and a heat unlike anything I had ever felt radiated against my back. My eyes popped open, and I turned a little too quickly to look over my shoulder.
“You,” I whispered. His dark green eyes widened. The hand he had on my lower back felt firm.
“Me?” The sexy detective was a big man. Tall and broad chested with muscles I knew came from his job and more than likely time he spent at the gym so he could be prepared for anything his job might toss his way. The depth of his voice shouldn’t have surprised me, but it did.
“Sorry, umm…” I shook my head and stepped forward, losing the small caress. I popped my earbuds out and shoved them into the pocket of the scratchy jumpsuit I had on. “Was I in your way?”
“Hardly,” he muttered under his breath, and my traitorous body reacted. My nipples stiffened beneath my clothes, and I was thankful for the layers and apron I was wearing. “Just wanted to make a new pot.” He pointed at the counter. My face felt hot.
