Chapter 3
3
A fter a twenty-four-hour shift, the last thing Buddy wanted to do was mow the lawn, especially when the night had been filled with one call after another, leaving him feeling worse than his hangover from yesterday.
The only thing Duncan ever got weird about was the lawn and landscaping, wanting it to be meticulous, and Duncan certainly had a green thumb.
Buddy not so much.
Although, Buddy was a neat freak and couldn’t stand it when Duncan left out a throw blanket when it should be folded and put away in the cabinet.
So, the idea that the gas can he was absolutely certain he’d put in the back of his truck had somehow vanished, drove him nuts. He’d borrowed some gas from a neighbor, got the lawn and weed trimming done, then crashed.
According to his sleep app, which he’d become addicted to, he slept five glorious hours of deep sleep. He was surprised by how accurate it seemed to be based on when he woke. Regardless, he felt refreshed, and after a hot shower and one beer, he had all the courage he needed.
With Duncan still sound asleep, Buddy snagged a bottle of red wine, two steaks, and a couple of ears of corn he’d picked up on the way home. This certainly was a bold and forward move, but this chick had taken his breath away, and he wanted to find out more about the woman behind the sexy looks.
She’d backed her SUV under the carport. The forever screen door was the only thing separating him from the inside of her house. Just as he was about to knock, he saw her adorable butt wiggling back toward him through the family room as her arm moved back and forth pushing a mop. In the background, he heard the twangy voice of some male country singer mixed with her sweet voice, though a bit pitchy.
He leaned against the doorjamb. “Wanna dance?” he asked.
She jumped, dropping the mop to the ground. “Christ, you scared the shit out of me.”
“Sorry.” He held up the bottle of wine and the steaks. “Are you ready to take a break? We can go back to my place or if you’ve got a grill, I can cook here.” He winked. “I’ll do all the cleanup too.”
“Does that mean you’ll finish mopping for me as well?”
“God, no, and I don’t do bathrooms either.”
“What good are you, then?” She pushed open the door, taking the wine from his hand. “I’ve got a brand-new grill with a fresh propane tank, but you’ve got to hook it up.” She arched a brow. “And that’s the only reason I’m letting you in. That and I’m starving.”
“I’m thinking I might regret coming over here.”
“I made chocolate chip cookies earlier, which might make up for it.”
“Damn sure it will.” He followed her through the family room, where a sofa and a love seat had been staged. A rectangular distressed wood coffee table stood in the middle of the room. Two pictures, one of the beach and one of a turtle, leaned up against the wall.
He tried not to get dirt on her clean floor as he entered her kitchen.
Most of the houses in this area were set up the same way, with the kitchen and dining room in the back and three bedrooms on the left side of the family room. This house was no different, except hers was recently updated with new cabinets, floors, countertops, and other finishing touches that his place didn’t have.
The kitchen had been expanded, joining it to the dining room, making it more of an eat-in kitchen. A center island had been added, along with brand-new stainless steel appliances.
“This place is great,” he said, remembering when the previous owners had begun their remodel. There was one problem after the next, and it took seven months to finish the project. Sadly, the couple who owned the house had to sell when he’d been transferred to the other side of the state.
“It was the first house I looked at. Every house after didn’t hold a candle. I also like the area. Not too far from the beach or from work.”
“What do you do?” He set the steaks on the counter.
“We can talk about that over dinner.” She pointed to the back patio. “Trust me to prep the steaks while you wrestle with the grill?”
“As long as you bring me a glass of wine first.”
“Deal,” she said with a smile. She set the bottle on the counter and opened a drawer.
Her dark hair had been pulled up into a ponytail. Her jean shorts hung loosely on her hips. An inch of her midriff peeked out between her pants and crop top. If he had to guess her age, he’d guess she was somewhere between thirty-two and thirty- five, and that was fine with him. He preferred a mature woman but didn’t want to go older than himself.
“You’re staring.” She popped the cork and quickly poured two hefty glasses.
“Just waiting for that.” He took the flute she offered and clinked with hers. “Here’s to a good piece of meat.”
She laughed. “Go. I’ll be out shortly.”
He took his wine and pulled open the slider. Her backyard was lined with lush, tall palm trees, creating a fair amount of privacy. A small stone patio took up a good portion of the area. Laughing at the fact that the price tag was still on the new outdoor table, he went about his task of hooking up the grill and getting it fired up so he could burn it hot for a good twenty minutes—kind of like cleaning new dishes before eating off them.
When he was finished, he sat down in one of the chairs and sipped his wine, staring at the orange sky as the sun descended behind the horizon.
“Here you go,” Kaelie said as she placed a tray on the side of the grill. The steaks were coated lightly with some rub, and she’d wrapped the corn in foil. She also brought out a spray water bottle to help control the flames. Impressive. However, the best part was that she brought out the bottle of wine and topped off his glass.
“Cheers to?—”
“If you say meat, I’m kicking your ass out of here,” she said with a smile.
“Cheers to good neighbors becoming good friends.”
Her lips curled over the rim of the glass as the red liquid flowed into her mouth in an exotic, memorizing dance. One he needed to break quickly.
The steaks sizzled as he slapped them on the grill, keeping the lid open, gauging the temperature, which ran a little hot, so he turned it down a tad.
Kaelie sat in one of the chairs, angling herself to face him and pushing out another chair to prop her feet on. Her long legs with lean muscles tortured his mind with visions of things he shouldn’t be thinking about—at least not right now.
His mom and sisters had beat into his brain never to sleep with a woman on the first date. That wasn’t the kind of woman you wanted to spend the rest of your life with.
Why the fuck was he thinking about the rest of his life? Plus, he knew for a fact his oldest sister had slept with her husband before she even knew his name.
Jesus, Kaelie had him turned upside down and inside out.
“So, are you going to tell me what you do for a living?” he asked, flipping the steaks and spraying the flame, keeping them from charring the meat.
“I’m an internal investigator for the fire department.” She arched a brow.
He snapped his head in her direction. “As in internal affairs?”
“Something like that.”
“How long have you been doing that?”
“This is my first gig in that role.” She tipped her glass. “Hopefully, you don’t hold it against me.”
“It’s an important job. One that we need even if we give you guys a hard time,” he said. “What did you do before you became an investigator with internal affairs?” he asked as he put the steaks on the plates she’d provided and joined her at the table. The food smelled like the finest restaurant, only all he cared about was getting to know the lovely lady sitting across from him.
“It’s kind of a long, convoluted story.”
“I’m not going anywhere for at least ten minutes.”
She chuckled. “I got my start in the Air Force. I enlisted when I was twenty, right out of college, with a criminal justice degree. They put me in the JAG office as a clerk. I moved to Military Police. And then I spent a few years as a criminal investigator, specializing in arson.” She waggled her finger. “That brought me here to my current role.”
That made his thoughts spiral for a moment. “That is one hell of a tough job.”
“Especially as a woman.”
“I bet. My twin sister went through hell to become a firefighter. Still does sometimes.”
“Is she in the military?”
He shook his head. “She’s back in Vermont with the rest of my family.”
“Do you have more brothers and sisters?” She cut through her steak, making small bites before digging in.
“Only sisters. My twin, Kelly, and then one younger sister, Nora, and my other sister is older.”
“That must have sucked being the only boy.”
He laughed. “It was interesting, that’s for sure, but no. Not really. What about you? Siblings?”
Her eyes glossed over, and her pretty smile quickly tipped into a frown. She raised her hand and cleared her throat. “I had a sister. She died a long time ago.”
“Jesus, I’m sorry.” He pulled out the chain that held his dog tags and encircled them in his fingers. No way could he wrap his brain around losing one of his sisters, but he’d lost a few brothers-in-arms along the way.
“My childhood wasn’t a pleasant one,” she said with a tremor in her voice.
He wondered if he should change the subject, but that felt rude. He should let her direct the conversation.
She emptied the bottle of wine between their two glasses and leaned back in her chair. “My mother died from breast cancer when I was a baby.”
He swallowed. Hard. He wanted to move to the chair next to her and wrap his arms around her, but he suspected that she was the kind of woman who, when she chose to discuss this kind of suffering, needed her space.
“Then my sister was murdered when I was seven.”
“Jesus Christ,” he mumbled. “I’m so sorry.”
“I don’t mean to be a downer, but you asked.”
He stared into her cocoa orbs, keeping her gaze, trying to convey with a single look that she could talk all night long about whatever she wanted.
And he’d listen.
“I take it that is why you went into this line of work.”
She nodded. “It was that or a become a shrink since a year after my sister died, my father committed suicide.”
“Fuck.”
“That’s a good way to put it.” She dropped her head back and closed her eyes. “I don’t know why I just told you all that. It’s not something I share with someone when I first meet them, but yesterday was the anniversary of the day I found out my sister had been killed.”
“I honestly can’t imagine. I’ve seen my share of death. Even had a decorated pilot die in my arms after pulling him from a plane crash, but I don’t have a clue as to what you have gone through. Can I ask a question?”
She opened her eyes and lowered her chin. “You can ask. I might not answer.”
He nodded. “Did they catch whoever murdered your sister?”
“Years later they did. A man who had also lost a sister to the same killer was instrumental in bringing him down. I believe you know him.”
“Gunner,” Buddy whispered, remembering the story well. “I’ve met him a couple of times. Good man.”
“The best.”
A long silence filled the night air. The meaty aroma lingered in his nostrils while the crickets sang a sweet song. The sky slowly turned a dark blue as nightfall took over.
“I have a question for you,” she said but didn’t wait for him to agree to answer. “What’s it like being a twin? Is that connected shit true? Like can you feel what she’s feeling or know when something is wrong?”
He held up his hand, showing off three fingers. “I think that is more than one question.”
She laughed, waving her hand and shaking her head.
“In answer to your questions, yeah, some of the twin stuff is true. I mean, I don’t feel her physical pain, but we have a connection that is different from my other sisters. When she was going through firefighter training, she had to deal with a lot of harassment. Still does even today.”
“Oh, don’t I know it,” Kaelie said with an arched brow. “I’m sure half the people who gave her shit thought they were doing her a favor, toughening her up.”
It was his turn to laugh. “Kelly sure as shit didn’t need that. If anything, she needs some refinement around the edges, but I suppose that comes from having to fight tooth and nail to be respected in her own profession. One, I might add, she’s damn fucking good at.”
“You sound like one proud brother.”
“I am, and I think you and Kelly would really like each other.”
“I kind of like her brother.” She lifted her wine. “Or maybe it’s this talking.”
He laughed. “Her brother sort of likes you back.” His stomach fluttered like a teenager about to see his first boob. He could sit here on this patio, just like this, all night, and be perfectly okay with that, even though his body desired something more.
Hell, he craved something real. Something honest. Something that would lead to something of the forever kind.
“It’s definitely the alcohol talking, because we sound like a bunch of saps,” she said.
“Well, this sap was promised some cookies.”
“You haven’t cleaned up yet.”
He tossed his hands wide. “Woman, you drive a hard bargain.”
“You clean, I’ll pour more wine and warm up those cookies.”
He groaned as he gathered up the plates, setting them on the tray. “You’re making it really hard for me to remain a gentleman.”
She waltzed across the patio, her fingers gliding on the side of the table. “I’m about to make it harder and this goes against all the rules.” Her hands landed on his shoulders as she leaned into his body. Her chest pressed against his. “You’re a compelling man.”
“Not sure what rules you’re talking about and that’s not the compliment I was looking for,” he said, circling his arms around her petite waist. He lowered his head, tilting sideways, his gaze darting from her lust-filled eyes to her plump lips. His mouth brushed hers, slowly at first, tasting the sweetness of her femininity that blended nicely with the wiles of a woman who knew exactly who she was and what she wanted.
She pushed away, taking a step back, her killer smile sucker punching his ability to breathe. For the second time, the damn woman literally took his breath away.
“Don’t forget to scrub the grill,” she said as she slinked from his arms and strolled into the kitchen, glancing once over her shoulder as she kicked her leg up behind her.
“You’re killing me.”
“That’s the point.”