Chapter 5
NIA
The next morning, I show up at the cabin dressed like I'm applying for a job at a law firm.
Okay, well, a casual law firm, maybe.
I’m wearing a button-down shirt tucked into my least flattering jeans and my hair is scraped back in a bun.
And zero makeup.
If Kade Giles wants to keep things professional, I'll give him professional.
But dammit, I wish he hadn’t kissed me first.
I ring the doorbell.
The door opens and my heart still manages to skip a beat despite my best efforts.
He does look pretty torn up though—stubble darker than yesterday, exhaustion bruising the skin under his eyes, hair sticking up like he's been running his hands through it repeatedly.
"Ms. Wallace." His voice is formal, distant. Like we're strangers instead of two people who had their tongues down each other's throats less than twenty-four hours ago.
"Deputy Giles." I match his tone, stepping past him into the cabin. "Where would you like me to start today?"
“You’re welcome to get some coffee or a snack, first,” he offers.
“No need. I had my breakfast already.”
He nods. "Okay, well…the dining room needs some attention." He doesn't quite meet my eyes. "I'll work on the upstairs bedrooms."
Separate rooms. Excellent.
I nod curtly and head toward the dining area, my boots clicking on the hardwood. Behind me, I hear him exhale—long and slow, like this is extremely difficult for him.
Good. He should suffer.
I mean, apparently, I’m a mistake, and I can’t make my own decisions.
But whatever.
The morning drags. I string fresh pine and velvet ribbons around the dining room windows more aggressively than necessary.
I try not to think about last night. How his hands felt all over me. The taste of him. The way he'd pressed me against the wall and—
Stop it, Nia.
I attack the centerpiece arrangement with renewed vigor, when suddenly, I hear a strange noise.
A scrabbling sound comes from the fireplace. Then there’s a small avalanche of soot, followed by an indignant chittering noise.
Oh no.
A gray blur explodes from the fireplace in a cloud of ash.
It’s a squirrel.
A very angry, very sooty squirrel now loose in the cabin.
"KADE!" I scream, jumping onto the nearest dining chair. “We have a situation!”
There’s thundering footsteps on the stairs, and then he's in the doorway, eyes wide. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"
"SQUIRREL!" I point at the furry demon now perched on top of the china cabinet, surveying its domain.
Kade blinks. "That's what you—you scared the shit out of me, Nia!"
"It's a wild animal in your house!"
"It's a rodent. A small rodent."
The squirrel chooses that moment to leap onto the chandelier, which swings wildly, sending crystals tinkling.
"A DEMON rodent!" I clutch the chair back. "Do something!"
"What do you want me to do? Arrest it?" Then Kade heads through the kitchen.
“Where are you going?” I yell.
“I’ll be right back,” he says from somewhere nearby, and returns with a broom. "Okay, just—stay there. I'll handle it."
"You'll handle it? What, with your tactical cleaning maneuvers?"
"Nia, I swear to god—" He approaches the chandelier slowly. "Come on, little guy. Let's get you outside."
The squirrel chatters at him, clearly unimpressed.
Kade creeps closer.
The squirrel makes a break for it, racing along the top of the bookshelf and launching itself at the Christmas tree in the great room.
"NO!" I yell, jumping off my chair to follow. "It's in the tree!"
We reach the great room just as the squirrel scrambles up through the branches, sending ornaments crashing to the floor. One of my carefully arranged ribbon cascades comes loose, unfurling like a sad party streamer.
"This is a disaster," I moan.
Kade circles the tree, broom at the ready like he's about to storm a meth lab. "How do we get it out?"
"I don't know! You're the trained police officer!"
"They didn't cover squirrel extraction at the academy!"
The creature perches on a high branch, grooming itself like it hasn't just destroyed an afternoon's work.
Then I remember. "The cookies."
"What?"
I run to the kitchen, grabbing the remaining pecan berry bursts. "Raccoons love my aunt's cookies, so maybe..."
I place a cookie near the base of the tree, then make a trail leading to the front door. Kade watches me like I've lost my mind, but he slowly opens the door, letting in a the cold air.
We wait.
And wait.
"I don’t think this is going to—" Kade starts.
Then the squirrel's nose twitches.
It descends the tree branch by branch, until it reaches the first cookie and nibbles experimentally.
"Don't move," I whisper.
It takes the cookie and scampers toward the next one. Then the next. Following the trail right out the front door and into the snowy woods.
Kade rushes over and slams the door shut.
We stare at each other.
Then we both collapse laughing.
I'm down on the hardwood, gasping for air. He's leaning against the wall, shoulders shaking.
The absurdity of it all—our awkward formality, the ridiculousness of a wild animal dashing through the house, bribing a squirrel with Christmas cookies…it's too much.
"Your face," I manage between giggles. "When it jumped on the chandelier—"
"Your face when it ran up the tree!" He slides down the wall to sit beside me. "’We have a situation!’,” he mocks playfully.
"You looked ready to tackle it!"
"Standard police procedure for home invasions." He's grinning now, and damn, I've missed that. "Even if the perpetrator is fifteen inches tall and weighs a pound."
Our laughter fades, as we're sitting on the floor surrounded by fallen ornaments and ribbon.
"About yesterday," he says quietly. "What I said—"
"Don't." I pick up a silver ornament, turning it over in my hands. "You’re right. This is complicated."
"It is." He stops, and looks out the window. "Shit."
I follow his gaze. Snow is falling. And not the gentle, picturesque kind from a Christmas card, but heavy, thick flakes that are already obscuring the driveway.
Kade pulls out his phone, frowning at the screen. "Blizzard warning just went out. They're saying roads will be impassable within the hour."
My stomach drops. "I should go then. Before it gets worse."
"Nia—"
"I can make it." I stand, brushing off my jeans. "My Jeep's good in snow."
"No vehicle is good in whiteout conditions." He stands too, and there's something urgent in his eyes. "You need to stay."
"I'll be fine."
"I'll go out of my mind wondering if you're stuck in a ditch somewhere." His voice drops. "Stay. Please."
The lights flicker. Once. Twice.
I gesture to the ceiling. "I need to go now."
"Don't make me cuff you to my bed, Nia." The words come out rough, almost desperate. "Because I will. To keep you safe."
Everything stops.
His eyes go dark, pupils dilated, and I can see his pulse jumping in his throat.
"Is that a threat?" My voice comes out breathy.
"It's a promise."
Something reckless surges through me. "I'm calling your bluff, Officer."
For one second, he doesn't move.
Then he's on me, backing me across the room until my shoulders hit the wall. His hands bracket my head, caging me in.
"Last chance," he growls. "Tell me to stop. Right now."
I bite my lip and look up at him. "No."
He makes a sound low in his throat—half groan, half growl—and then his mouth is on mine.
The kiss is hard and demanding.
And so damn hot.
His hands find my hair, yanking out the elastic until the bun collapses and blonde waves tumble free. "Better," he mutters against my lips. "So much better."
I claw at his flannel shirt, popping buttons in my haste. I need to feel his skin…see those tattoos, and those piercings that have been haunting my dreams.
My hands find his belt.
"Nia." He catches my wrists, pinning them above my head with one hand. "Bedroom. Or I'm going to take you right here against this wall, and baby, you deserve better than that for our first time."
The dominance in his voice makes my knees weak. "Okay."
He releases my wrists only to scoop me up, carrying me toward the stairs. I wrap my legs around his waist, kissing his neck, finding the spots that make him curse.
"You're trouble," he says, shouldering open the door to his room.
"You have no idea."
He drops me on the enormous bed, and I bounce once before he's covering me, his weight pressing me into the mattress. His hands go to my shirt, ripping it open.
"This outfit," he says, pushing the fabric off my shoulders. "Made me want to mess you up even more." His mouth descends to my neck and collarbone. "Made me think about bending you over that dining room table. Pulling your hair. Making you mine in every way."
I arch into him, gasping as his teeth graze my skin. "Kade—"
"That's it. Say my name." He unhooks my bra with one hand. "Better yet, call me Officer again."
"Please, Officer," I breathe, and the sound he makes is pure animal.
He strips me efficiently—jeans, panties, everything gone until I'm bare beneath him while he's still fully clothed. The inequity should bother me. Instead, it makes me even wetter.
"Look at you," he murmurs, his hands roving over my body. "So goddamn sexy. I've been imagining this since the moment I saw you in that window."
I reach for his open shirt. "Then stop imagining and do something about it."
His eyes flash. "Careful what you wish for, Christmas angel."
He lifts up suddenly, and pulls me across his lap. I squeal, bracing myself with my hands against the bed.
"What are you—"
SMACK.
The sharp sting on my ass makes me gasp. He soothes the spot with his palm, stroking my bare bottom…then does it again.
And again.
Just enough to send heat flooding through me, turning my brain to static.
"Is this okay?" He asks, voice rough. "You better tell me if it's not."
"It's—god, yes. Don't stop."
"Fuck, Nia." Another smack. "With that pretty little ass up in the air…you’re going to be the death of me."
After one more hefty spank, he kisses my ass cheek and rolls me back onto the bed.
I'm panting, flushed everywhere, and completely at his mercy.