Chapter 14 #3
She took a step back toward him and their eyes met, his brown to her blue, and she saw the corners of his mouth tick up into a cautious smile.
She dropped her eyes, compelled to look at his mouth; full lips with a Cupid’s bow so pronounced she wanted to bite it.
She found herself biting her own lip, and when she looked back up, she saw that Ajay was watching her, his brown eyes darkening. She almost couldn’t breathe.
With deliberate slowness he began to close the remaining gap between them, watching her carefully, giving her all the time she needed to back away if she wanted.
His careful consideration only made her want him more.
Even with her brain dully reeling off the reasons she shouldn’t get involved, she was powerless to resist. His mouth was so close to hers that she could feel the whisper of his breath on her lips and a rush of pleasure infused her body, sweeter and more powerful than she ever remembered.
“Is this okay?” he whispered, stopping just shy of his lips touching hers, and all she could do was sigh her assent.
And then his mouth was on hers, soft, gentle, turning her bones to marshmallow.
She leaned into him, let herself get lost in the sensation.
Three years of not being kissed hadn’t stopped her from dreaming.
But kissing Ajay was better than any of her dreams.
—
“Did Nigel tell you about me, before we met, I mean?” Ajay asked as they wandered back to the house.
After the heat of their kiss, the night felt even colder as they tramped down the icy path.
And as the chill seeped in through her clothes, so too did the creeping doubt.
The little voice in her head was reminding her now that she would be wise not to forget the reason she’d avoided relationships since Sam.
“Some,” she replied, trying not to let her worries ruin this perfect evening.
“To be honest, I didn’t pay too much attention.
Nigel and Vern are forever trying to pair me off with someone, but I haven’t been in the right place to think about seeing anyone and I guess I’ve learned to blank out their matchmaking attempts. ”
Ajay nodded, and was it her imagination or did he look a little disappointed?
“What about you?” she asked him. “Were you treated to the Casey Smith profile?”
He rubbed his beard and smiled. “I was. They gave you a glowing report.”
She snorted. “Flipping heck, I can only imagine.”
“Nigel says you’re a writer.”
She blushed instantly. “Nigel is the sweetest but he’s prone to exaggeration.”
“You’re not a writer?”
“No, I am, I guess. I don’t know. I wrote freelance for an online horror magazine.
It didn’t pay much but I loved it. I loved writing and seeing my work in print; it made me feel like maybe I could…
I don’t know.” She made a show of blowing on her cold hands before she was tempted to spill her yen to write a novel all over him.
Being in the spotlight, especially when the spotlight was being shone on her writing, made her feel exposed and fraudulent.
“Anyway, I haven’t written anything in a while.
The only terror you’ll find in my notebook is the evidence of my horrific writer’s block,” she said jokingly.
“Really? You’ve got writer’s block?”
“Yeah.” She sighed. “It feels like I had something precious and I’ve somehow lost it.” She gave a self-deprecating laugh. “Sorry, that was dramatic…”
“Don’t be sorry,” said Ajay. “Being prevented from doing something you love is frustrating. I love running; I do it most days and when I had an injury last year I couldn’t run for three months. Man, I hated it. I felt clogged up without that outlet, you know what I mean?”
“I absolutely do,” she said. “I didn’t know you were a runner. That’s so cool. I bet they make you do all the criminal chasing.”
He laughed. “Yeah, I think my work partner appreciates it.”
“I’ll bet,” she said, recalling Officer Peel wheezing in the office.
“Maybe you should come running with me. It might help dislodge whatever’s keeping you from writing.”
She spluttered out a laugh. “I think not. These calves were made for cycling, not running.”
“Fair enough. In the meantime, while we wait for your writing mojo to return, I can read your anthology of short stories that Nigel lent me. I don’t completely know what speculative fiction is, but I’m looking forward to finding out,” he said, smiling.
“Oh, for god’s sake, I’m sorry about him; that’s so embarrassing. Don’t feel you have to read that.”
“Why? Because you think coppers don’t read? That’s very judgy of you; I’ll have you know that I diligently read all the cartoons in Private Eye magazine.”
She laughed and elbowed him.
“So come on, then, what did Nigel tell you about me?” he asked.
“Fishing much?”
“I need to know if my résumé needs tweaking.”
She cast her eyes up to the night sky, a swirl of gray clouds hurrying along like they were late for a meeting. “He said you were a decent chap,” she began.
“Aha.” Ajay nodded. “Good to know.”
She smiled. “He said you were very handsome, with ‘a jaw that could slice through butter,’ according to Vern.”
“Oh stop, please!” Ajay laughed and then said, “Actually don’t stop, keep going, I sound amazing.”
She blew a raspberry at him. “He told me that you were kind and trustworthy.” She didn’t meet his eyes. “I think because he knows that those are the most important things to me.”
“Well,” Ajay said as the house came into view, “I’m not perfect by any stretch. And I’m not sure about the butter-slicing-jaw thing, but I hope that I’m kind, and I meant it the other day when I said that you could trust me.”
They came in through the back door and shucked off their muddy boots in the utility room, then Ajay went to find Jared.
When Casey entered the warm kitchen, cheeks red, Nigel looked up from where he was reading The Night Before Christmas to Conner and Ellory, and his eyes twinkled.
She tried to hold back the smile that tugged at her mouth, but her grin would not be tamped down.
And she could tell from her friend’s knowing look that she’d be getting the third degree tomorrow.