Chapter Eight
Later the next day, Elle was glad she’d decided to pretend yesterday’s heated kisses never happened, because as the day wore on, Jeremy became much more relaxed, to the point where his mouth wasn’t pulled into his usual tight line.
When he picked her up that morning, she’d been ready and rushed out before he even got a foot out of his vehicle door. Last thing she needed was to meet him on her porch again. No. His Jeep was neutral ground. Her porch, not so much.
It was a reminder of her weakness. A reminder of the promise of world-rocking sex. A reminder of how close she’d been to succumbing to her need for the hot guy.
Lordy, when he’d shoved his knee between her legs while nipping at her neck in her favorite spot, Elle had nearly lost it. As it was, she’d gone a bit wild…and so had he.
Of course, it hadn’t helped that she’d gotten an eyeful of his exemplary naked torso only a few hours earlier.
Even though both he and Nico had been shirtless, it was Jeremy’s muscles and ridges that captured her attention. He wasn’t as broad or pumped as his buddy, but damn, he was fine…perfect. His trim yet well-defined muscles and an extra helping of ridges had literally made her mouth water.
And her hands and lips were eager to explore.
It was a freaking miracle she’d been able to carry out her yoga positions without pulling something, or worse, falling on her ass in front of the guy.
She thought she’d avoided trouble when he jogged away, until her car had decided yesterday was a great time to act up, right before he appeared. All of it had equaled a perfect storm that led to several scorching embraces.
Thank God his mother had interrupted with a phone call, because Elle knew in her heart, she would’ve invited him inside the cabin, and he would’ve accepted…and taken her out of herself.
Not that she was opposed to that. She really wasn’t. In fact, thanks to his inspiring touch, she’d written a hell of a hot sex scene last night, effectively ending her writer’s block…and starting trouble.
If they weren’t careful, one of these days—or nights—they were going to come together and burn hotter than the sun.
Their chemistry was off the charts, and after having sampled a decadent taste of what could be, she had the feeling it was just a matter of time before they both fell off the well-behaved wagon.
But not yet. Especially not today. One look at his stiff posture and tight profile that morning, had confirmed to Elle that her plan to ignore their moment of weakness on her porch was the correct one.
As for in the future? She was okay with exploring their chemistry.
It was obvious that Jeremy wasn’t looking for permanent.
Someone to share his bed on occasion, maybe.
Someone to work off adrenaline with, definitely.
The signs were there. She hadn’t misread them, and most importantly, Elle knew, with his attitude, she could keep her heart out of the equation.
The guy was too rigid, too regimented, and set in his ways to ever touch her heart, which meant they were both safe.
Literally.
Her curse shouldn’t be a problem, since she wasn’t at risk of losing her heart to Jeremy Mercer.
Now, her panties were another story. One she definitely wanted to research…in the future. After her deadline. After her ride-alongs.
After work tonight.
Elle snorted.
Cripes, she was a lost cause.
“You okay?” Jeremy asked, capturing her attention.
They were driving down a country road after having stopped for lunch at Gabe’s.
Shoot.
She needed to be more careful around him. The guy was no slouch at reading expressions and body language.
“Yes,” she replied. “I was just thinking about a funny scenario for my hero.”
He raised a brow. “The cop?”
She nodded. Of course, a cop. But she cut him some slack. At least he’d introduced the subject in a conversation. “I was thinking along the lines of him rescuing a cat in a tree, except it would be a goat in a boat on a lake.”
It wasn’t a lie, since that had been a scene she’d actually considered.
His lips twitched. “Sadly, that’s plausible.”
She laughed. “All right, then I’ll put it in.”
He nodded before returning his gaze back to the road.
“Now you’ve got me curious,” she said. “Care to share some of your humorous calls?”
He slowed to a stop at a stop sign and turned to stare at her for several moments. “I don’t want you writing about me.”
Too late, she thought briefly, before pushing that sex scene to the back of her mind. Technically, he’d only inspired it. The scene took place inside a house, and the knee between the legs had happened against a wall, not the door, outside, on a porch.
“I won’t,” she said, wondering if she needed to mention the sex scene. “I’m just curious. But it could inspire me to envision a similar scenario, like the goat instead of the cat.”
It was a good thing they were out in the sticks, because no one was around as they still sat at the stop sign, while Jeremy continued to study her.
Elle sighed. “If it makes you feel any better, my hero’s name is Ian Daniels. He’s the middle child of three, all boys. He’s six foot two, with black hair and brown eyes. He’s a third generation cop whose father died in the line of duty.”
For a split second, Jeremy’s gaze narrowed, and Elle wondered if perhaps it was just her eye twitching, or because she’d hit home on something.
“Wait…are you third generation?”
That had to be it because he was definitely none of the other things she’d described. At least, not that she’d heard—and thanks to her friends—she’d heard plenty.
“Second generation,” he replied before his attention returned to driving.
But his continued silence spoke volumes and clued her in.
“Your father died in the line of duty, didn’t he?” she asked, and when he nodded, she closed her eyes as her heart squeezed. “Sorry, Jeremy. I didn’t know.” Then she opened her eyes and regarded him closely. “How old were you?”
His grip tightened on the wheel. “Ten.”
Elle blinked back the unshed tears suddenly burning her eyes. “I’m really sorry.”
He nodded without glancing at her.
“My mother was pregnant with me when my dad died,” she told him without meaning to, but the words just tumbled from her lips.
It was the first time she’d ever shared that with anyone, but it felt right.
He glanced at her then. “I’m sorry. Must’ve been hard on your mom and you growing up.”
She nodded.
“Was he a cop?”
“No,” she replied. “He was a Navy SEAL.”
He scratched his temple. “Do you have any siblings?”
She did, but not anymore.
Her chest tightened, not as tightly as it used to, but she felt a ripple, nonetheless.
“No,” she replied.
She never talked about her brother, something her mother instilled in her when Elle was seven. The grief had been too much for her mom, so they never spoke about Patrick. Not on his birthday or holidays or the anniversary of his death. But Elle had always sent silent wishes to him.
Still did.
And all Elle could remember about his death was that a driver of a public bus had suffered a heart attack and careened into a crowd of people, including her brother and his field trip class.
Two nearby cops, Martin and Mercer, had tried to pull some of the kids out of the way, but it hadn’t ended well.
She’d pretty much learned all that from a newscast before her mother had turned off the television.
Not wanting to upset her, Elle never brought it up, and after her mother’s death, she’d decided to just hold onto the memories, taking solace in the fact she could now visit her brother’s grave, since he was buried between their parents.
As they traversed several more miles, they rode in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. At another stop sign, Jeremy turned left onto a road that she knew would take them back to town.
“Is your mom a fan of your books?” Jeremy asked out of the blue.
Elle glanced at him, a little shocked that he was sticking to personal conversation. Perhaps she could get a few questions in too.
“I’d like to think she would be,” she answered, not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth.
His head snapped in her direction, and he frowned at her. “Would be?”
She nodded. “My mom died when I was twenty-one.”
“Jesus, Elle. I’m sorry.” Empathy softened his expression.
The transformation had her throat heating and brought an unexpected burning to her eyes.
She blinked. “Thanks. It was eleven years ago, so before my first published book. I think she’d be proud, and I know she would love how I incorporated a lot of locations that we’d visited into some of my stories. ”
Her mother had loved to travel and took Elle somewhere new every summer.
“How’d she die, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“A scuba diving accident in the Bahamas,” she answered.
Elle took solace in the fact her mother had been doing something she loved.
Jeremy closed his eyes momentarily and shook his head, and by the time he reopened them, Elle decided it was time to turn the focus on him.
“So, about your outrageous calls.” Smiling, she tipped her head. “Care to share a few with me?”
“Not really,” he replied, but his lips twitched.
“Aw, come on,” she egged him on. “I’m sure you’ve had your share of women calling with a fake problem so you’d come over.”
He didn’t glance at her on that one, which was a dead giveaway as a yes.
“What’d they do? Complain about a prowler? Or use the cat in the tree scenario we were discussing before? Or set off their house security alarm?”
He chuckled. “All of the above.”
She was not surprised.
“Except the prowler one was an elderly widow who was just lonely,” he said, and his tone softened noticeably. “She had the same prowler problem every Tuesday when she made meatloaf and mashed potatoes for dinner.”
Elle smiled, picturing the scene of him pretending to look around, then staying to keep her company. “You ate dinner with her, didn’t you?”
He shook his head. “Not while I was on duty.”
“You didn’t?” She frowned, her heart clutching for the unknown woman. “That probably broke her heart.”
Again, he shook his head. “Nah. I explained why I couldn’t stay but told her if she had the same problem on Wednesday when I was off duty, I’d still come over to check things out, and would also be able to stay and eat.
Other than my mother and sister, she was the only other woman to have my direct line. ”
Elle’s chest did that tightening thing again, this time, cracking open the steel vault around her heart. Darn him. She didn’t want to feel anything but lust for the man, but here she was, fighting back more tears at his show of compassion for an elderly woman.
“That’s sweet.” She sniffed and cleared her throat.
Jeremy frowned at her, and she stifled a laugh. The poor guy appeared to have an allergy to the word sweet.
“Don’t worry,” she said, patting his arm. “You’re secret’s safe with me, Officer Mercer.”
He opened his mouth as if to reply when his gaze flicked to something out her window, and he blinked.
“Shit,” he muttered, turning the corner onto another road, stepping on the gas until he screeched to a halt in front of a two-story house…with flames shooting out of an upstairs window.