Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
DANIKA
Leo and I had been dating in secret for a little over two weeks, and it had easily been two of the best weeks of my life.
We’d managed to pull off another dinner at my place: pizza, during which he’d shared why he’d wanted to go into law enforcement.
I might have known him for most of my life, but I hadn’t actually known him.
Listening to him talk about how it was something he’d wanted to do from the time he became old enough to realize being an astronaut wasn’t really his thing was like shining a light on parts of Leo I hadn’t known existed.
His grandfather had been a police officer, and he’d idolized that man up until he passed when Leo was ten, but the passion he’d instilled in his grandson never went away. He wanted to do his granddad proud, he wanted to help people, and he wanted to take care of those he’d sworn to protect.
He was one of the lucky few, the rare breed who were living their dream and working a job they were really and truly passionate about, not just collecting a paycheck and waiting day in and day out for the clock to hit five.
I loved that, and I’d shared as much, leading the conversation to how we were blessed to both be doing what we loved.
Sure his job came with bad days, and he’d shared some about a few of his cases back in Philadelphia.
His bad days were leaps and bounds worse than mine—and most other peoples’—and it took a toll on him at times, but there was no other option for him.
It was a calling, not a choice. And when he spoke about wanting to do his part to leave this world the tiniest bit better for his kids than he’d found it, I went from crushing on the boy I’d watched from across the street to admiring the man I was coming to know.
During one of our many late night phone calls, lying in my bed, tucked beneath the covers and surrounded by darkness, I’d found the nerve to confess my crush to him.
I didn’t go into great detail, and I certainly left out the part about having loved him since I was a little girl.
But something about lying in the safe cocoon of my bedroom with his soft, raspy voice in my ear, soothing and exhilarating all at the same time, gave me courage to admit at least part of what I’d felt for him growing up.
I’d even confessed to being a total cliché, admitting I’d been that nerdy girl who sat in the stands at every football game, secretly hoping the cool quarterback would notice her.
“Damn, honey,” he’d grunted in reply once I’d finished. “All that sweetness up in the stands during my games, cheerin’ me on, and I didn’t even know it. I’m feelin’ a grave sense of loss right now that I can’t quite put into words.”
Even though he couldn’t see it, that big, goofy smile that I only seemed to get when it came to him stretched over my face.
He came into Muffin Top almost every single day, and I always made the time to chat with him for a bit before we both had to get back to work.
I’d also had another baking lesson with Macie.
Although I’d sensed him in the room, watching me the whole time, I’d been so lost in what I was doing, getting the biggest delight out of spending time with that sweet girl and teaching her something we both enjoyed, that Leo had been pushed to the back of my mind.
She had my full attention from start to finish, but I still had the added bonus of getting to do a little necking with Leo after he walked me out to my car later that night.
For more than two weeks I’d been in a perpetual state of happy, and although I wasn’t able to share it with my friends, that hadn’t dampened my glow one damn bit.
If anything, the added hint of secrecy made things that much more exciting, and not being able to spend time together regularly created a sense of anticipation that made me feel a bit punch-drunk.
But tonight, all that build-up was finally paying off. This night had been on my calendar for a week now, and I’d been eagerly marking off the days as they passed, all but counting down the hours.
Leo was back working days this week, and, with his kids at their mom’s, I was spending the night at his house for the very first time.
I’d packed a bag before work, stowing it in my trunk, and as soon as I closed Muffin Top, I’d rushed for my car, shooting him a text that I was on my way, and pointed it in the direction of his house.
He was already waiting in the driveway when I pulled in, standing in front of the second stall of his two-car garage, the door open and lit up.
He’d changed out of his work clothes. He was sporting another faded tee, but instead of jeans, he was in loose, gray sweat pants that hung down to his bare feet.
I wasn’t sure why, but for some reason, seeing him barefoot like that was the world’s biggest turn on.
That goofy smile took over my face as he grinned at me through the windshield, waving me into the garage.
Leo was at my car the moment I killed the engine, pulling my door open. “Hey baby,” he said, that rich voice of his wafting over me and sending a tremor from my chest to my core.
“Hey, honey,” I returned and began to twist so I could reach my seatbelt.
He got it before I could, bending at his waist and leaning over me. As soon as the buckle unclipped, he had me out of the car and pressed up against the side, pinned between him and the smooth, cool metal.
“Missed you,” he grunted, then a second later his mouth came down on mine. I parted my lips instantly. It had been days since we’d last kissed, and, although I hadn’t forgotten what he tasted like—not that I ever could—it was still better than I remembered.
He kissed me until my brain grew foggy and my knees turned to jelly. By the time he pulled back, I was breathing heavy and my vision had grown cloudy.
“Wow,” I said on a dreamy sigh. “Well, hello to you too.”
He laughed, stepping aside so he could reach back into the car and grab my overnight bag from the passenger seat. “Come on,” he said, taking hold of my hand. “Dinner’s ready. Hope you’re hungry.”
He stopped when my fingers tightened around his and I planted my feet, turning to look over his shoulder with a curious expression.
Seeing the trepidation on my face, he threw his head back and laughed, long and loud, the sound setting off fireworks in my belly.
“Relax. I didn’t cook. I remembered you saying you liked Mexican so I picked up El Toro on my way home. ”
My feet remained rooted in place as what he said washed through me.
It had been during one of our calls when I’d offhandedly mentioned liking Mexican food.
It hadn’t been something I thought would stick out, but not only had he remembered, he’d gone out and gotten something specifically with me in mind.
His expression grew tender as he studied my face, and his voice came out low as he asked, “What’s that look for, sweetness?”
I had to do a better job of remembering what a lousy poker face I had or Leo would know everything I was feeling long before I was ready for him to.
“Nothing,” I said, giving my head a shake. “I’m just wondering if you got chips and guac.”
He gave me a look and replied, “Can’t have El Toro and not have their guac. Everyone knows that.”
I felt my lips stretch up in a grin as I forced my feet to start moving, murmuring, “Smart man,” as I let him lead me into the house.
We walked in through the garage, which led us straight into the kitchen. I’d been in his house more than once, but this was the first time I was here when it was just the two of us. Without the buffer of having his kids there, I was suddenly feeling a little nervous.
Trying to calm the butterflies fluttering in my belly, I looked to the island and let out a low whistle at the spread he’d set up. “What did you do, order one of everything on the menu?”
There was more food there than two people could eat, even if they’d been stranded on a deserted island for a month, and this was their first real meal.
“Not quite the whole menu,” he returned. “But I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I got a variety. Have a seat and dig in.”
I hopped up onto one of the stools, grabbed a plate, and started loading it with all my favorites. He took a seat next to me, turning catty corner to mine so he could face me, his feet on the rungs of my stool, caging my legs between his as we ate and talked.
He asked about my day, listening intently while I told him stories as though what I was saying was the most important thing he’d hear all week.
“What about you?” I asked after I finished recounting Candace’s freak out when the espresso machine had fritzed out in the middle of the morning rush. “How was your day?”
“Better now that you’re here,” he answered, reaching to my plate and snagging one of my jalapeno poppers.
Teenage-Danika swooned that we were already at a place where he felt comfortable enough to eat off my plate, even though, if he tried again, I’d most likely stab him with my fork.
I didn’t mess around when it came to Mexican food.
“Well, that’s really sweet of you to say,” I told him, swatting at his hand and giving him the stink eye when he moved to steal another one, “but why’s it better now? Did something happen?”
He chuckled, shaking out the hand I’d just smacked. “Just some shit with a case that landed on Micah and me. It’s frustrating as hell when you’ve got no leads and no jumping off point.”
“What’s the case?” I asked. “I mean, if you can talk about it. I’m not really sure what the rules are. Is this one of those situations where if you tell me you have to kill me?”
“Christ, you’re cute.” He gave his head a good-humored shake.
“No, I wouldn’t have to kill you. Just some shit that’s resurfaced lately.
We’re gettin’ more and more drug arrests lately.
Seems like someone’s stepped in to pick up the reins on Malachi Black’s operation.
Only we don’t have the first clue who it is.
We’ve arrested a few dealers but can’t get any of them to flip on their supplier.
And the users who get caught and locked up don’t know much of anything. ”
Malachi Black was the bad-guy meth cooker who had been tangled up in Gypsy’s drama a while back.
I didn’t know the specifics of the case that eventually brought him down, but he’d been well-known in Hope Valley and the surrounding towns for quite a while.
Everyone knew what he did, but the police hadn’t been able to get anything on him to warrant an arrest for the longest time.
With him out of commission, everything had gone back to normal. At least until now.
My fork froze midway to my mouth. “Someone’s dealing meth again? In Hope Valley?”
“And Hidalgo, Grapevine, and several other towns. We’re workin’ with the other departments, but so far we’ve got a whole lot of nothin’. Anyone who knows shit isn’t talkin’.”
His frustration poured out of him, and I hated that he felt helpless. “Leo, honey, if you don’t want to talk about this, we don’t have to. I just know how much you love your job, even with all the bad you see, and I wanted to know more about it. But if it’s too much—”
His hand came down on my thigh, stopping me mid-sentence. “I like sharin’ what I can with you, baby. I like that you want to know about what I do. Never had that before.”
I paused, unsure whether or not to ask the question sitting on the tip of my tongue. He must have read it on my face, because before I could say anything, he answered.
“She never asked,” he said, talking about Whitney. “Not about anything. If I came home after a particularly bad day, it was usually obvious. The kids would see it, and they’d do what they could to get me past it, but she never asked.”
“Did she . . . did she not want to know what you did?”
“It wasn’t about that. She just didn’t care what I did. All she cared about were the paychecks comin’ in on time so she could buy shoes or purses or some shit.”
God, even if I didn’t already have my own personal reasons to dislike Whitney Brown, how she’d treated Leo would have been more than enough.
The woman had had it all. How she could look at her life with this incredible man and their two beautiful children and not count her blessings every single day for the gifts she’d received was beyond me.
I placed my hand on top of his that was still resting on my leg and gave it a squeeze.
“Well, just so you know, I like hearing you talk about your job. But even if I didn’t, even if the stories you told me scared the absolute crap out of me, I’d still want to hear them, not only because they’re you, but because sometimes you need someone to vent to so you can get up the next day, go out, and do it all again. ”
“Jesus,” he grunted, his olive-colored eyes going dark with something I couldn’t read.
Thinking I’d said something wrong, I started to sit up straight and pull my hand back, but before I could, he flipped his over beneath mine and laced his fingers through mine.
“Fuckin’ years. You were across the street from me for years. ”
“Leo.”
“I seriously missed out.”
That big, goofy smile pulled at my lips. “Well, I’m here now.”
His expression warmed as he dipped his head, brushing his lips against mine. “Yeah, sweetness. You are. And you’ve got no clue how glad I am for that.”
Oh, I was pretty sure I did.