Page 39 of Secrets Hidden In The Glass

“Fuck,” Nate muttered and walked them to the table. “Yeah, I copy. I’m on my way.” He set the radio back down, but kept Callie close, not quite ready to let her go. “I can’t remember ever hating my job quite as much as I do right now.”

She grinned. “I’m sorry.”

He sighed, wanting to ask her to wait right here for him, but this wasn’t how he planned to take Callie to bed for the first time. “Unfortunately, I’m probably going to have to spend the night down at the station if I’ve got a couple of dumbass drunks on my hands.”

“Okay.”

“Will you meet me tomorrow morning—maybe take a walk with me or something?” The last thing he wanted her thinking was that he was only interested in booty calls.

“Molly’s expecting me at ten.”

“We could go before that. You can wear your work clothes if you want. I plan to. I’ll make sure we’re back in time.”

She nodded. “All right. Where should we go?”

“The woods,” he said on the spot. “I’ve shown you the cave. We’ve been in the ocean,” he continued with a grin, “so I’ll take you to a place you haven’t been.” He frowned. “A place I haven’t been in years.”

“Sounds good.”

“You might be able to get some good pictures too.”

“I can’t wait.”

He set her down, picked up his hoodie off the chair, and pulled it over her head. “When the time is right, I have every intention of picking up right where we left off.” He planned to explore every inch of her spectacular body.

She smiled.

He tugged her closer for a quick kiss. “I feel like I should tell you that I’m not going to make it easy for you to walk away from me when you’re ready to hand in your rental key in November.”

She stared up at him.

“That’s a fair warning,” he said, kissing her again, not sure how he felt about seeing the flash of fear in her eyes. “I’ll see you in the morning.” He grabbed his holster and radio and left her to think about what he’d said.

~~~~

Callie stood where Nate had set her down, staring at the glow of the emergency candles as she listened to his Tahoe taking off down the dirt road, then his siren echoing in the distance when he turned onto Route 1. She blew out the flames and grabbed their empty plates, stopping short when she remembered to snag her bra and shirt off the chaise lounge before she headed down to the second story. She locked the glass door behind her and passed Nate’s bedroom, breathing in his aftershave and nibbling her bottom lip as a wave of heat washed through her belly. If he hadn’t gotten called away, they would be in his bed right now—something she never would have contemplated after a second or third date—not that she and Nate had technically achieved more than one.

She could count on two fingers how many men she’d been intimate with, and she’d happily been ready to make Nate number three. Delicious tingles coursed through her center as she remembered how good it had felt to be touched and stroked by his big, warm hands—how she’d surprised herself when she unfastened her bra for him to taste and tease her breasts with his skillful mouth. Typically, she was shy when it came to sex, but she didn’t want to be shy with Nate.

Shuddering out a long breath, she tried to figure out what had gotten into her. She should have been chastising herself for her foolishness—even carelessness—but nothing about being with Nate felt like either. They’d known each other a mere week and a half, but she couldn’t seem to convince herself that what she was doing was wrong. She took the stairs to the first floor, trying to justify to her practical brain that her heart was allowed to be in charge every once in a while—maybe for the first time in her life. She cared for Nate. They had great chemistry, and he made her laugh constantly—something she had every right to enjoy. Plus, she’d cried in front of him today, which was something she didn’t do in front of anyone. Ever.

Suddenly she was finding herself doing all kinds of things she would never do with Carter Island’s sheriff. And maybe that didn’t have to be such a bad thing. For as long as she could remember, she’d scrutinized every thought, always being careful to make the right decisions. This vacation was her opportunity to find herself again and take a couple of chances. Perhaps just this once she could get over herself long enough to relax, do exactly what she wanted, and have a little fun.

She moved through the spacious living room decorated in masculine beige and blue tones on her way to the kitchen and paused when the pictures on the beautiful stone fireplace caught her attention. She’d glanced at them a couple of times from afar during dinner preparations, but now that she was alone, she had a chance to really look at them. Changing direction, she headed for the wooden mantel and stared at a tuxedo-clad Nate sandwiched between his sisters with his arms wrapped around their shoulders at Gwen’s wedding. Callie looked at the next photo, in which Nate and his whole family sat on a huge couch close to a beautifully decorated Christmas tree. In another, dozens of men, women, and children posed at a summer celebration—some Callie recognized as Carters but the other people she had no idea. She narrowed in on Nate in the back row with Brad and Molly by his side. The Sandersons, maybe?

She exhaled another long breath as she studied Nate holding his mom in a silly shot while Mrs. Carter laughed and he grinned—the handsome man who’d so fully captured Callie’s attention—and some of her conviction to go with the flow vanished as reality rushed back with a vengeance. She wasn’t being fair to Nate—or herself. What she could offer him was so much less than what he deserved. Nate was all about permanency—a family man. He was content to live his life keeping the peace on his beautiful little island. Something she could never be a part of. In seven weeks, she would have to go back to New York—to her career and obligations she wasn’t even sure she wanted anymore.

“I feel like I should tell you that I’m not going to make it easy for you to walk away from me when you’re ready to hand in your rental key in November.”

Callie closed her eyes as Nate’s voice echoed in her head and trickles of unease made her heart beat faster. She opened her eyes again and looked at his picture, knowing that she liked him too much—felt a connection with him she’d never had with anyone.

“There’s something about you that makes sense.”

She gripped the plates in her hands tighter, remembering his whispers as he’d kissed her brainless, and the trickles of unease bloomed into outright fear when she could agree with his sentiments exactly. Nothing about Nate Carter was supposed to make sense. Now that her clarity was back, she could see that none of this was supposed to be happening. She’d always gone out of her way to avoid connections. They meant closeness and dependency, and she couldn’t risk allowing Nate to become any more important than he already was.

She turned her back on the fireplace and went to the kitchen, her eyes widening in surprise at the pots, pans, and general disarray they’d created when she and her date had been too busy having fun for her to notice. She put the dishes on the counter and filled the sink, eager to clean up the mess she’d made and get home. Tomorrow she and Nate were going to have to talk on their adventure through the forest. She had a mess to clean up there too. Nate was far too sweet and kind for her to ever want to hurt him. She plunged her hands into the hot water and soapsuds, already regretting that she was going to lose such a special part of her life before it had even begun.