Epilogue
JESSICA
“Dang it!” I hiss, hopping on one foot as sharp pain jolts up my leg.
The door to the terrace bursts open, a shadow falling over me. “What? What’s wrong? Is it your side? Your wrist?”
“It’s my foot!” I shake my leg. “Shit.”
Matthew’s brows furrow in confusion. “Your leg?”
“Yes, Matthew. My leg. This damn coffee table got in my way.”
The corner of his lips twitches upward as his shoulders relax. He opens his mouth, but I lift my finger to shush him. “Don’t you dare say anything.”
He blinks innocently. “Not even I love you?”
I purse my lips. “I guess that’s fine.”
Matthew chuckles, pressing his lips against mine in a short kiss. “Keep your eyes open, you know, in case any other coffee table comes running at you.”
“Matthew!” I yell, slapping his shoulder. Just barely because the man is fast.
“Infuriating man,” I mumble, plopping my ass down into one of the chairs, my gaze still locked on the door he disappeared through.
“Is he always like this?” Mae asks, chuckling softly, reminding me we’re not alone.
“This obnoxious?” I mutter, shifting my attention to my best friend, who’s watching me intently. “I’m afraid that’s part of his charm.”
“I was referring to the fact that he’s jumping at any little noise you make.”
I wince softly, running my fingers through my hair.
“It’s a work in progress. He’s been… intense since I was discharged from the hospital a few weeks ago.
I think a part of him still feels guilty for everything that has happened, although rationally he knows it’s not his fault, and that there is nothing either of us could have done to change it.
He’s been talking to his therapist about it. There’s just a lot to process.”
Mae hums in agreement. “I bet he’s not the only one. How is that going?”
“I— Good.”
After everything that happened with Aiden, I also needed help trying to process everything. To accept the fact that it’s not my fault I completely misread Aiden and his intentions toward me. My body isn’t the only thing that was broken that night, my heart and mind were as well.
Mae gives me a skeptical look.
“Well, some days are better than others. It’s just going to take some time to process all the feelings connected to that whole situation.”
It wasn’t even just that day. It’s everything that led up to it. Aiden’s deception. My trust in him. Him using our friendship to get to me. Being kidnapped and attacked…
“Look who finally found a little time for us,” Matthew says as he comes onto the terrace, Nico following after him. “Our new sheriff!”
Nico shoves him from behind. “Oh, shut up.”
Matthew stands at attention. “Yes, sheriff!”
“I’m not the sheriff.”
After my kidnapping, Sheriff Jenkins decided he was getting too old for the job, so he announced his retirement, to the surprise of everyone. He’s taking a few months to teach Nico everything before he’ll make it official, but none of us can stop teasing him about it.
“Yet.” Mae snorts, but there’s a smile on her lips. “So I guess it’s sheriff in training?”
“You just keep teasing me, woman, and you’ll see what happens.”
Nico eats her with his eyes as he crosses the distance between them, his hands gripping her face tighter as he kisses her—long and hard—not caring one bit about who’s watching.
And this time, she doesn’t even try to stop him.
I’m not sure what exactly happened between them to change my friend’s mind.
Maybe it was my kidnapping or everything that followed, but she finally decided to stop resisting her feelings for Nico, and now they’re officially dating.
“Hey, Doc,” he whispers as they break the kiss, my usually stoic friend completely breathless.
She grazes her teeth over her lower lip. “Sheriff.”
Seriously, these two.
“If you two don’t stop, I’m going to set off Duke on you.”
The dog pops open one of his eyes at the sound of his name, then closes it again.
“Yeah, I can see how much he listens to you.” Nico chuckles.
“He listens!” Matthew protests.
“Mmhmm… I really hope you can get him better trained now that you’re his handler,” Nico taunts, wiggling his brows.
“Oh, fuck off, Rivera. I’m training him just fine.”
I bite the inside of my cheek as I watch them bicker over Duke and his training while the dog sleeps.
After Matthew was allowed back to work, Jenkins called him in for a conversation about his future, and Matthew expressed a desire to work with Duke, who had been crucial in finding me. He is still far from finishing his training, but between Chase and Matthew, I know they’re going to get there.
“Where’s the food? I was promised dinner and then I’m taking my girl home for dessert.”
Nico winks at Mae, and she full-on blushes.
Matthew pulls Nico inside, leaving the two of us alone again.
“Oh, how the mighty have fallen.”
“What?” Mae tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “As if you’re one to say anything. That man adores you.”
“Not enough to make me his dessert,” I mutter, unable to hide my annoyance. Shaking my head, I get to my feet. “Let’s joi—”
“Wait, what?” Mae grabs my hand and pulls me to a stop. “What’s going on?”
“He—” sighing, I run my hand through my hair. “He just treats me like I’m… I don’t know… breakable?” I shake my head. “And listen, it’s sweet, so freaking adorable, but a girl has needs.”
“Damn right. So, what are you going to do about it?”
“What can I do about it? I’m pretty sure I’ve given him every signal possible that I’m ready.”
“I mean…” Mae lifts her shoulders in a shrug. “You could always tie him up. That should get his attention.”
MATTHEW
“Dammit, I forgot to do my laundry again,” Jessica mutters as she rummages through the dresser, as if more clothes will suddenly appear.
Closing the drawer, she opens the next one, grabbing one of my shirts. She undresses slowly, my gaze following her every movement as my cock jerks to life.
Down, boy.
I clear my throat, trying to focus on the conversation at hand. There’s something I’ve been meaning to bring up already, but I kept pushing it off.
“I mean, you could always bring over more stuff.”
“What I should do is laundry,” she mutters as she slips the dark-blue material over her head and then turns to face me.
The Bluebonnet Creek PD shirt is big on her, falling all the way to her mid-thigh and making her look more gorgeous than ever.
And she’s all mine.
“How about we do the laundry together tomorrow, and you bring over more of your stuff.”
Her brows pull together for a moment as she studies me. “Wait, are you…?”
I brush my palms against the sides of my legs. “Fucking up asking you to move in with me?” A humorless chuckle escapes me. “Pretty much.”
“But… I have my own place.”
I quirk my brow. “That you don’t live in.”
I don’t bother mentioning why. There is no need to ruin the moment.
“You live here, but you’re not moved in here.”
Jessica nods slowly as she processes my words. She crosses the room and climbs on the bed, her thighs straddling my hips as those golden eyes stare into mine, and I have to swallow a groan that wants to escape. “You want me to move in here.”
“For now.”
Jessica’s brows shoot up. “For now? What do you mean ‘for now’? What about later?”
“Yes, for now.” I chuckle softly. “I figured we’d start looking into getting a bigger place down the line. Something just for the two of us. Well, three. Duke and I are a package deal, I’m afraid.”
Now that I’m officially his handler, Chase thought it would be good for Duke to live with me so he can get used to me and his surroundings. He’s still watchful, but he’s been slowly settling into his new life here.
“You’re serious about this.”
“I’m always serious about you, Trouble.”
Jessica shakes her head before leaning down.
Her lips brush against mine, but what starts as a soft kiss quickly turns heated. My hands reach for her hips to steady her, but she grabs them, intertwining our fingers as she nips at my lip.
A low groan comes out of my lungs as her tongue slips into my mouth, tangling with mine. She pushes me against the mattress, her body pinning me down as we kiss. Her hips roll against mine, the sweetest of temptations and the biggest torture possible.
“Jessica, baby, what are you doing?” I ask, breaking the kiss, our panting breaths mingling together.
“Getting your attention.”
“You always have my attention.”
And she does.
Dammit, she just has to walk into the room, and my gaze will find her.
“Hmmm…” She presses her lips against the side of my neck, and I can feel tingles run down my spine. “That’s not the kind of attention I’m talking about.”
“Then, what kind of attention are you talking about?” I tilt my head to the side, our noses brushing.
Her fingers skim my cheek as she closes the distance between us, her lips whispering against mine, “This kind.”
Jessica’s mouth presses against mine in a heated kiss, her hips shifting slightly. The friction is just right; my cock nestled between her thighs.
I grab her hips, a low groan coming out of my lungs. “Trouble…”
Seriously, this woman will be the death of me.
Her fingers land on my stomach, gripping the hem of the shirt and lifting it over my head. Breaking the kiss, I raise my arms.
“We really shouldn’t be doing this,” I protest, my words muffled by the shirt. “You’re hurt.”
She tosses it to the side, her fingers interlocking with mine as she shuts me up with her mouth. “I’m fine.”
“You were in the hospital.”
She pushes me back, and I comply, leaning against the headboard.
“A month ago.” Another kiss. “I. Am. Fine.”
She nips at my lip playfully, a smile blooming on her face, before her mouth slides over mine.
I’m so lost in our kiss, so lost in her, it takes me a moment to hear it.
A soft click echoes in the room, and it takes my brain a heartbeat to process the sound, just in time for another click to fall in place.
“What the hell?”
I try to move my hands, only for a sharp bite of metal to dig into my skin. “Jessica, where the hell did you get these?”