S.O.S. Perk (S.O.S. #6)

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

The day hadn’t been long enough.

Their time together had been mind-blowing in all regards. The sex had been off the charts, but the closeness and the cuddling in-between the alternatingly sometimes frenzied and sometimes sweet couplings? Not what Sloane had expected, at all.

She’d felt so damned…comfortable.

Sloane and Perk had even—while feeding each other fruit and cheese as they sat naked on the bed—been playfully discussing whether or not to spend the night in New Hampshire. When Perk’s “school” phone had sounded, that plan had been swept off the table. Jeremy Nelsin had texted saying Perk could come to the house the next morning at ten.

Of course, Perk had responded with an enthusiastic “yes”, because the job always came first, and this meeting might signal a break in the case.

But…

Their romantic interlude had made an incredible impact on her.

****

Sloane headed home as dark was settling in, and now that there was some distance between her and Perk, she couldn’t help wondering if the day had been an anomaly. She knew second-guessing was never pretty, but that’s where her brain went. She couldn’t help it.

After having been fooled once by a husband who’d said he loved her just the way she was, Sloane had to question Perk’s true take on her tough persona. The day had been nothing short of magical, but… Could Perk, in the long run, handle her need to be in charge? Could he stomach her penchant to take the driver’s seat so much of the time?

He’d seemed more than okay with it today, but what if he had second thoughts, or realized that Sloane was just a novelty for him? What if Perk had simply been saying all the things she wanted to hear, but inside he was conducting a Cinderella-like countdown until midnight? And in that case, there would be no glass slipper to save the day.

She worried her lip, incessantly, for most of the trip home, and knew it would be bleeding soon if she didn’t stop. She was getting close to her exit on the highway when her phone rang. Glancing at the screen, Sloane saw Perk’s name. But since she was driving, she had to let it go to voicemail.

For the eight minutes it took for her to leave the interstate, she thought her brain might explode. Was Perk giving her the brush-off already? Had she ruined things somehow?

As soon as she was able, Sloane pulled into the empty parking lot of a box store, stopped the car, and fumbled for her device.

Breathe, Sloane. Breathe , she told herself.

Perk had left a message.

Hitting play before she could scream and toss her phone out the window, she swallowed hard, hearing his voice.

“ Hey, Sloane. I just wanted to tell you that today was perfect. Absolutely perfect. And knowing you, I’m sure that all the way home you’ve been going over every detail to see if what we did and said today was real, haven’t you? ”

He had her there. She started to put teeth to lip again, and caught herself. Barely.

“ So listen up. It was. It is. Real I mean. As real as anything I’ve ever done in my life. And if you think you can talk yourself out of seeing me again because you can’t trust my feelings or yours, forget about it. As soon as this case is wrapped up, I’ll be proving to you that what we have is genuine. There will be no more clandestine meetings. No hiding from anyone. Everything we do will be out in the open where our friends and coworkers will be able to see us. Got it ?”

Slow tears leaked from the corner of her eyes as she listened, but she dashed them away.

“Yeah. I’ve got it,” she whispered to no one. “And I’ll try to stop overthinking.”

Right . Like it was that easy. Because there was a big problem here. Besides her brain and the way it worked overtime. Maybe the largest “what the fuck” of her life.

She was falling for Perk.

Not in the way she had for her ex-husband. Nope. She’d had young stars in her eyes back then, keeping her from seeing exactly who the asshole really was. He’d flattered her; made her feel as if she was his entire world, then after exchanging their vows, he’d immediately wanted to change her.

She didn’t get those vibes from Perk, and she was going in with her eyes wide open this time. What she couldn’t tell—but could anybody, ever—was Perk’s timetable.

He hadn’t exactly gone into detail in his message. He’d said he was going to let their relationship become public once the case was over, but he hadn’t specified how long he expected to be with her.

Sloane groaned. Perk was so…young. Well, not really, but he looked the part, and she couldn’t help but wonder if he needed more experiences behind him to know what a real relationship looked like.

Dammit all . Should she…?

Yes. She should.

Sloane immediately dialed Perk back.

“Hi. It’s me,” she managed.

“Hey. I didn’t want to bother you while you were driving,” he responded. “I know there’s no Bluetooth in your vintage ride. But I just had to tell you how awesome today was, and let you know it wasn’t a one-and-done, and that I’m seeing this as a long-term thing. You were worrying about that, weren’t you?” he questioned cheekily.

“I might have been,” Sloane grumbled.

“And you’re wondering if I know my own mind about what’s happening between us. You think I’m too young to have had a lot of relationships with which to make comparisons.”

Sloane mumbled incoherently again, but he must have intuited her agreement.

“Well, you’re partially right. I haven’t had a lot of relationships . Lots of hook-ups in the past, but nothing that stuck. Because no woman before you ever met my criteria for something long-lasting.”

Sloane held her breath, waiting for what came next.

Perk didn’t hesitate. “You, Sloane, were in that category from the get-go.”

Her heart fluttered, but Perk wasn’t finished.

“The minute I started getting to know you, you skipped right by the ‘roll in the hay’ stage, and waltzed into unknown territory for me; someone I could see myself with, long-term.”

Sloane let out a hiss of air. Perk sounded…serious.

“How do you—”

“Sloane. I know,” Perk said with a gravitas she hadn’t heard from him before. “Please give me a chance to prove myself before you talk yourself out of the best thing that’s ever happened to either one of us.”

Now Sloane laughed, but her countenance lightened. “You sound pretty sure of yourself.”

“I am. Aren’t you?”

Sloane sighed. “Uh… Maybe?”

He wasn’t deterred. “Well, I’m even more smitten with you now, than I was before we spent the day in bed, and I thought that was impossible.”

So was Sloane, but giving over that information wasn’t something she was ready for, yet.

“Okay,” she finally allowed. “I enjoyed our day, immensely, and I promise not to ghost you. How’s that for starters?”

“It’ll do,” he answered, but she could hear the happiness in his voice. “So how about sparring at Wiley’s barn on Monday afternoon? Prepare to Die has a tentative time set for 6 PM if no conflicts come up.”

Sloane snickered at the name SOS had given their group sessions, but at the same time, fizzy little bubbles of joy seemed to rise into her throat, making it hard to answer.

Perk was serious. After having a full day of sex, he really wanted to see her again.

“Sloane?” Perk eventually asked, a little worry in his voice.

“Oh. Sorry. I guess I was busy pinching myself that this is for real.” She sucked in air. “But, yes. I’ll join you Monday night after work if I’m not tied up on a case.”

“Awesome. And Sloane?” his tone grew serious.

What was he going to hit her with?

“Yeah, Perk?”

“No more pinching yourself or biting your lip. I want all your parts unscathed so I can do the pinching and biting next time I see you.”

A thrill went up Sloane’s spine, which… Was that even possible? They’d spent the entire day ravaging each other’s bodies with their hands, tongues, and every other available appendage that seemed apropos, and here she was jonesing for Perk again?

Damn. She had it bad.

“You can tell me that all you want,” Sloane warned, “But—”

“But nobody tells you what to do and lives to see the next day,” he chuckled. “I get that. I also love the challenge you present, and I’m not afraid to call you out. We’re going to have some epic battles, and I look forward to every single one.”

Sloane snorted at Perk’s assertion, but felt tears come to her eyes. Nobody had ever gone this route with her before. Not one person in her life before had ever looked at her as a welcome…quest.

“Are you for real?” she whispered.

“If you stick around long enough,” Perk avowed stridently, “you’ll find out.” He turned serious again. “I’m just worried you’ll talk yourself out of things before I can prove to you that I’m dead serious.”

“And I’m worried you’ll wake up one day and resent who I am,” she threw back before she could stop herself.

“Listen. There are no guarantees in life,” Perk countered. “But I want to be perfectly clear. I like who you are, Sloane. I like your take charge personality, and how you own it. I can handle that. I’m not someone who’s insecure in my…” He stopped, and coughed. “Okay. Let me rephrase that. I’ve often been insecure about looking young, and my family has been complicit in making me feel vulnerable in that regard. But their irritating attitudes have actually made me stronger. These days I assert myself, whereas a few years ago I’d roll over and show my belly. Tell me if I’m wrong, but with you I’m envisioning things as more of a give and take. You push, I yield. I push, you capitulate. Sometimes we end up tussling for supremacy aggressively, but it’s a clash we’ll both enjoy.”

“You…really feel that way?” Sloane asked in a small voice. She needed to believe him.

“I do. And if you give me the chance, I’ll spend every minute making sure you see how serious I am.”

“Okay,” Sloane finally gave in because she wanted to trust Perk. She did trust Perk. These were her own insecurities speaking. He was right in what he’d said before. There were no guarantees in life. And if she kept backing away from taking chances, she’d never know if she could beat the odds.

“Okay?” he emulated with a pointed question in his voice.

“Yeah. Okay,” she told him. “I’m going to believe, for now, that you like the bossy me. And I won’t be toning anything down for you, nor will I be running away. How’s that?”

“Perfect, Sloane.” Perk sounded jubilant. “And just to let you know, I can’t wait to see you on Monday.”

“Me, too,” Sloane replied, also wanting to lighten things up. “I miss you already. I—”

WTF ?

It had been on the tip of her tongue to say “I love you”.

Did she? Could she? Fuck !

Nope. Shut down! Shut down !

Love was the ultimate in vulnerable, and she wasn’t ready to go there yet.

“…I…need the address,” she amended.

“Oh. Right.” Perk rattled off the pertinent information, then wished her a supremely cute “sleep tight” before hanging up.

Sloane sat still in her car for a few moments after the connection had been cut, figuratively wiping sweat from her brow.

The last time she thought she “loved” somebody, shit had turned out so wrong it had gutted her. Not the break-up—which meant she hadn’t really loved her ex—but the hit to her ego, constantly being told she was overbearing, domineering, and unlovable. Could she risk that again? This time with someone who could wreck her for life?

Sloane sighed loudly, put the car back in drive, and headed home.

Doubts poured back in regardless of the positive attitude she tried to adopt, and of course, the only person she wanted to talk to about everything was Melissa. But… Dammit . She was always dropping her self-effacement shit on her bestie. That wasn’t fair.

Sloane fought with herself all the way home over calling Mel, and finally convinced herself not to be so freaking negative. What she really needed to do was dial up her friend and relive the awesome parts of the day, rather than put all her worries out there for analysis.

Feeling buoyed up while walking into her condo, Sloane’s keys went into a bowl in the front foyer, and her coat went on the stand next to it. She headed into her living room and flopped down on her couch.

Now it was time to call Melissa.

“Hel—"

“Well?” Mel’s breathless greeting cut her off.

“Well?” Sloane mimicked, a grin coming to her face.

“Well, is he hung like a god, and can he use his deity-given-equipment to rock the heavens?”

“Melissa!” Sloane feigned shock, but in reality, the cheeky probe was mild in comparison to some of the shit they’d shared.

“Don’t Melissa, me, Slo. I’ve been waiting all day for deets while binge-watching old Hugh Grant movies and eating every empty calorie I can get my hands on. Now spill.”

Sloane found herself smiling at her phone.

“Okay. Fine. He was awesome. A beast. Every time I thought he couldn’t possibly have anything left in the tank, he’d rally. I had more orgasms in five hours than I’ve had in five years, and I might not be walking straight for days.”

“You bitch!” Melissa screamed. “I knew this one was special! Where can I find one of my own? Does he have a brother?”

Sloane snorted.

This is exactly what she needed.