Chapter Four
Cyrus
The police station is dead quiet except for the few men I know on duty and myself.
“I think you can uncuff me.” I raise my brows as I stare toward my buddy Brooks. He plays police officer and town planner. That’s small-town life for ya. Most folks pull double duty. We’ve got ranchers working at feed stores and shop owners that do mining on the weekends. Why wouldn’t the cops also serve as town planners?
Brooks and I met in grade school, and we’ve been best buddies ever since.
“Nah,” he grins, “I like seein’ you like this. Besides, you still owe me twenty-five bucks from that bet we all made on the baseball game last month.”
“You want twenty bucks?” I roll my eyes. “Pull out my wallet.”
“ Twenty-five ,” Brooks grins widely, “don’t insult me. What are you doin’ punching guys, anyway? That’s not your thing.”
“He was attacking this girl. I… you really going to hold me here?”
“Kid’s pressin’ charges.” He leans back and widens his shoulders.
“You know me, Brooks. It was in defense of the girl. There were witnesses. Talk to Mullet. He was helping at the bar. I’m pretty sure he saw everything.”
Mullet was the longtime owner of the bar, and though he’s not there full time anymore, he shows up more nights than not. I’m sure he had to be there.
Brooks looks at me for a long minute before unlocking the cuffs. “You owe me.” He holds his palm out flat as though he’s waiting for his twenty-five bucks.
This guy. I roll my eyes and grab out my wallet from my back pocket, tossing the cash in his hand. “This kid’s a fucking menace. You should have him arrested. He was the one causing a scene last night.”
“This is the twenty-two-year-old girl you’re both fighting over, right?” Brooks turns back toward his computer and sucks the back of his teeth. “Do you think, and I’m just spit balling here, that maybe you need some company? Now, I’m sayin’ this as your friend, cause I love you, you’re my bro, but I think you’re lonely.”
“Listen,” I stand from the chair next to his desk, shaking my head with a playful grin, “I ain’t been lonely in years. We talked about this. Side note, you should take your own damn advice.”
“Probably should,” he groans. “Either way, I gotta get to this meeting over at town hall. Some woman’s coming into petition for a playground. It’s a waste of time but there’s no assistant right now. Lately we’ve got volunteers agreeing to every meeting requested.” He rolls his eyes and walks through the station with me. “You should really let this thing with the girl go. She’s too young, man.”
I roll my eyes and hang my head, trying not to show the shame I have for the amount of jerking off I did to thoughts of her last night. Her round breasts, her pretty green eyes, the way she felt in my arms.
Fuck.
I blow out a heavy breath. “Yeah, I hear ya. It’s not a thing. I was just protecting the baby.”
“Which one?” He laughs at his own joke before turning down the side hall toward the main meeting room.
I deserve the ribbing. Grace is young. I’m not sure what the hell we’d have in common, anyway. We barely talked last night. I want to believe we could make it work, but it doesn’t matter. She’s gone… and for good reason.
Turning back toward the front steps, I bump into a short woman that smells like flowers. It reminds me of Grace. I wonder how long this will go on? How long it’ll take me to forget the nuances I memorized in the moment. How long it’ll take me to forget about her . Hell, I should’ve already forgotten. We only just met. A normal person would’ve moved on by now.
“Forgive me, I—” The woman’s voice falters as her gaze lifts, colliding with mine in an electric shock. Her breath catches, and her eyes narrow like a storm gathering force. Then, with a sharp edge that slices through the silence, she says, “Cyrus?”
My heart stops. “Shit! Grace?”
She stares down at the ground, then up again. “What are you doing here?”
I don’t want her to feel bad about that kid pressing charges, so I push past her question. “What are you doing here?”
She twists her hair to the side. “I’m meeting with a guy named Brooks. I guess he’s the city planner. I’m petitioning to have a playground put in near the square. Isn’t it weird that we don’t have one? I mean, where do people take their kids to play?”
I’ve never had kids, so I’ve never thought about it, but I can see it being useful. Though, given the conversation Brooks and I just had, I gather he’s going to give her a hard time about it.
“I think it’s a great idea. You know you could build with crowd funding too, right?”
Her eyes narrow and she tilts her head to the side. “What do you mean?”
“Donations. I’m sure there’s enough people in town that want a playground. People love contributing to projects like that. You’d only need his approval for the space. You’ll have a better chance convincing him without the pressure of money. Trust me,” I grin, “I’ve known the guy for a while now.”
I want to keep the conversation going, but I’m not sure what else to say. “I could donate paint. I’ve got tons of it. I do some odd painting jobs on the side.”
“You paint?” she says as her tone perks. “I am in desperate need of a painter. I mean, I was going to paint, but I need to fix up my cabin before the baby comes.”
I stare toward her, watching her soft hair move as she speaks. “You shouldn’t be painting. You’re pregnant. Very pregnant. You can’t be climbing on ladders and breathing in fumes.”
She shrugs. “I can open a window and climbing a step stool is no big deal. That is… unless you’re offering to help.”
“I am.” I grin, desperation spreading wildly. I’m not sure how the hell we found each other again, but I’m not letting go this time.
She holds out her hand as though she wants to shake on it. “Deal. I’ll make dinner. Better yet, I’ll bring something home from the diner. Can you do tonight, around six?”
Sinking my hand into hers, I push away thoughts of bending her over, sinking into her core, sucking her breasts, licking her slit, holding her tight, and never letting go.
What the fuck is wrong with me?
“Sounds good.” I exhale, trying not to show too much excitement. “I’ll see you then.”
A sweet smile lifts onto her face, and for the first time in years, I’m actually excited about something… even though I’m pretty sure falling this hard, this fast for Grace, will go down as one of my life’s biggest mistakes.