Beneath the Badge (First Responders) (2 page)

With a sigh, she started out on the road and headed towards the bridge. Once she crossed she’d make her way to the main road and back to her house. She’d have to leave her car at Jake’s and get someone to run her back for it tomorrow. So much for her grand take-it-easy-tonight plan. A two-plus-mile walk was not on the agenda.

She was halfway across the bridge when she realized she’d left without paying her bill.

Oh, it was bad enough she’d accepted his drink, but to get up and walk out and leave him with the tab? That was inexcusable even if it had totally been unintentional. She could carry on home and tell herself that it served him right for being so presumptuous.

Just her luck she had a massive conscience that would nag her incessantly for pulling such a trick. She would pay her own way. She was going to have to turn around and go back and square up with Jake. And hope that Matt hadn’t covered her bill already.

At the edge of the parking lot she saw Matt come outside, his hands in his pockets. She froze. Unless she darted about twenty meters and ducked behind a car, there was nowhere to hide, and chances were he’d see her try it and she’d look like an idiot.

She would just turn and walk back towards the bridge. She pulled an about face and started hoofing it back the way she’d come. She’d find out what happened tomorrow when she came back for her car. If Matt had paid, she’d give Jake the proper amount and tell him to put it on a tab for Matt to use later.

Five steps. Fifteen. Twenty. His route was in the opposite direction, so she might actually be in the clear…

“Hey, Lindsay.”

Dammit.

She heard his steps as he jogged towards her but she kept walking, her pace absolutely even.

“Lindsay,” he called again, coming up beside her. He couldn’t even do her the courtesy of being out of breath. Bugger.

He put his hand on her arm and pulled her around. “Hey,” he said.

She struggled to find something to say even as the touch of his fingers seemed to sear her skin. Several seconds ticked by where the words all jumbled up in her head until they finally came out in one big mess.

“I didn’t mean to stick you with the bill and I hope you didn’t pay for it, but if you did I’ll pay you back if you tell me how much it was.”

He burst out laughing. “For God’s sake, don’t worry about it. I was intentionally pushing your buttons and it made you mad. Least I can do is pay for your mushroom sandwich.”

“It was a grilled Portobello burger,” she pointed out tartly.

He grinned. “Whatever. Anyway, isn’t that your car back in the parking lot?”

She swallowed. “How would you know what my car looks like?”

“The bumper sticker was a dead giveaway.
Dogs have owners. Cats have staff.
”

“You noticed it that fast?”

He shrugged. “I’m a cop. Occupational hazard. So how come you’re walking? You didn’t even finish a single drink. I’m sure you’re fine.”

“I’m a lightweight,” she confessed. “And I’ve had a long day.”

“And you only got as far as the parking lot?” He fell into step beside her.

“I realized I’d left you with the bill and was coming back.”

He chuckled. “You’re really something, you know that? Most women would figure they got a free meal out of it and not give it a second thought.”

“I’m not most women.”

“Clearly.”

She wasn’t sure if he meant it as a compliment or not. “Look, most of the women
I
know wouldn’t have done that, so it’s obvious you’ve been hanging around with the wrong sort of people.”

“No argument there,” he said easily, but his jaw tensed just the slightest bit. Her observation bothered him on some level. Lindsay knew she should not waste time wondering who the wrong sort of people were. She was not getting involved.

They reached the bridge crossing the river and she paused. “Well, see you later.”

He laughed again. “I can walk you home, you know.”

She frowned. “That makes no sense. You live that way…” she pointed back towards the pub and the streets beyond it, “…and I’m a good couple of miles this way.” She hooked her thumb over her shoulder, motioning towards Wolfville.

“It’s a nice night. I can use the walk. Good for clearing the head.”

He was like a bad rash she couldn’t get rid of. More so because she agreed with him. The fresh air and warm sun were great at blowing away the cobwebs of work stress that still lingered, even after the relaxing effects of the wine. Still, for all his flippant charm he had an uncanny ability to correctly peg her behavior, and that was unsettling.

“But you’ll have to backtrack,” she insisted.

“Maybe I don’t want you to walk alone.”

“It’s broad daylight.”

“Things happen then too, you know.”

“I should feel very protected being escorted home by our detachment’s finest,” she commented, adding a healthy dose of sarcasm while secretly pleased on some mysterious level that he was walking her home.

“But you don’t?”

She looked up in his face and couldn’t help grinning at last. “My, Grandma, what big teeth you have.”

He laughed, hanging his head a little as if he was totally busted. She had to admit it was slightly adorable. “I am not the Big Bad Wolf.”

“That’s what he said. Just before he pounced on poor Red.”

Their steps grew lazier. “So, is some big woodsman going to come racing around the next corner, determined to do away with me?”

Was this his way of asking if she had a boyfriend? She wasn’t sure if she should be flattered or terrified.

“No,” she answered. “No woodsman. I can take care of myself.”

They ambled along in silence until they reached the main road heading into town. It was odd how the lack of sound wasn’t awkward. It was comforting. There was no pressing need to say anything at all simply to fill in the silence. They just walked and felt the sun through their clothes and caught the scent of a nearby rose garden.

When they got closer to the heart of town and the houses and businesses were nearer together, Lindsay spoke up. “So, how do you like it in the Valley? Where were you before this?”

“Wolfville’s nice. A peaceful little town. Just what the doctor ordered.”

“Really? Why?” She looked over at him. The cocky, sideways grin she’d come to expect was completely absent. His jaw had tightened and the brilliant blue of his eyes was now darker and more imposing.

“I worked in Vancouver for a long time. Did some undercover and ERT time.”

“ERT?”

“Emergency response. You know, the guys who get sent in when things are really hinky. Most of it ends up being gang related or organized crime. Doing Givens’s mat leave is a walk in the park compared to that.”

There was a weariness in his voice that surprised her. For the second time that evening warning bells sounded. She hadn’t meant for the conversation to turn heavy. It was supposed to be small talk. It had been an innocent query.

“Do you miss it?” She couldn’t resist voicing the question.

He looked at her, surprise lightening the tension in his face. “Why would you ask that?”

She shrugged. “I kind of got the feeling that the guys who do that sort of thing are, I don’t know, adrenaline junkies or something. That they’d get bored doing something else.”

There was a hard edge to his voice when he replied, “I’m not bored yet.”

Lindsay couldn’t help but wonder what had precipitated making the change. Had he gone looking for something a little lighter in duty or had it been imposed upon him for some reason? Not that she was going to ask. She didn’t want to know any dark details. She was no one’s shrink. Not anymore, anyway.

“This is me,” she said, pointing towards an old grey two-story home. The roof was going to need replacing soon and there was a slight droop to the front porch, but she had loved the building on sight.

“How old is this place?” he asked, pausing on the sidewalk.

“Over one hundred years old,” she replied. “Back in the nineties the owners did a lot of updating—insulation, new windows, heat and plumbing, that sort of thing. The last owners weren’t so kind to it, and it ended up in foreclosure, which is how I was able to afford it. I’m fixing it up bit by bit.”

“Cool.”

“Thanks for walking me home.”

“You’re welcome.”

“And for dinner.”

He grinned. “Now’s the part where you say ‘next time it’s on me’.”

He was unusually close at the moment and she took a step back. “I don’t think that’s wise.” She started down the stone walk to her back door and he followed her. “Seriously, Matt. I don’t need to-the-door service.”

“My mother taught me good manners,” he answered.

She fumbled in her purse for her key. When she had it, she turned her back to him and attempted to fit it into the lock. “I’m not going to ask you in,” she said, but it was funny how the words came out all tight and slightly breathless. She wasn’t going to invite him inside. She meant that part. But his persistence was only partly annoying. Another part of her was wooed. Probably because no one had made an effort with her for a long, long time. A certain part of her female vanity was flattered.

“Goodnight,” she said, turning around to offer him a platonic smile.

But when she turned his body was right there and she was caught in that crazy blue gaze, drowning in it, listening to her words go floating away on the air as if they were nothing. He lifted one hand and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear while shivers erupted over her skin, raising goose bumps on her arms. Still she couldn’t bring herself to look away, until she saw his gaze drop to her mouth. Involuntarily, her tongue slipped out to wet her lips. A muscle ticked in his jaw while he curled his strong fingers around the back of her neck.

He was going to kiss her. After one meal together and one walk home, he was going to kiss her, and she was going to let him.

She’d lost her mind.

His lips were soft, warm, seductive, and a pleasured sigh slipped out as she melted against her still-closed back door. The hedge and garden kept them shielded from any neighbor’s curious eyes as Matt took one small step closer, just enough so she could feel the gentle press of his hard body against hers.

The kiss went on and on, unhurried and incredibly thorough. She’d pegged him as a man who would be focussed on the mission and end result, but instead he seemed perfectly happy to simply delight in exploring her mouth. Like it was pleasure in itself. Like they had all the time in the world.

The contact broke—only slightly, she could still feel the tingle of his lips a fraction of an inch from hers. “I’m still not going to invite you in,” she whispered, her eyes closed.

His mouth was touching hers now and she felt his lips curve in a smile. “Okay,” he agreed, coming in for another round. This time he wrapped his left arm around her and pulled her close. His palm contoured to the curve of her bottom while she wound her arms around his neck from sheer need to remain upright.

“Mmm,” he murmured, the hum vibrating over her lips. “For an uptight control freak, that was mighty impressive.”

She wanted to retort that for someone who was an arrogant jerk, his dedication to patience and thoroughness was a surprise too, but she doubted it would have the same insulting bite to it. She had nothing to say. He’d kissed all rational thought out of her head.

“I’d better get going,” he said, his eyes glowing at her with an impish gleam. “I’ve got a long walk ahead of me.”

She nodded dumbly.

He was halfway up the walk when he turned. She was still standing with her back pressed against the door.

“Oh, and, Lindsay? Next time dinner really is on you.”

She heard him whistling his way down the street.

Once inside, she shut the door and shut out the sound of his infernal whistling. It was early. There was time for a hot shower, maybe a second glass of wine and a good book.

The only trouble was that she could still taste him on her lips. And she was relatively sure that any fictional hero would be no competition to the reality that was Matt Parker.

Dammit.

Chapter Two

Matt followed the shelter truck into the parking lot at the vet clinic. The smell of the afternoon seemed to cling to his clothes and permeate his nostrils, making him slightly ill. There was a distinct dog scent, but it was mostly masked by two other aromas that he knew well and despised—depravity and disease.

The conditions in the kennels had been deplorable. Wire cages, crammed conditions, excrement everywhere. The SPCA had the authority to go in and seize the animals, but he’d been sent to attend the call as the owner wasn’t being cooperative. Thankfully his presence had settled things down and it had gone without incident and the appropriate charges had been laid.

That wasn’t what was bothering him.

It had been too much. Too similar to that day when he’d walked in the back room of the warehouse and seen them. The girls. He swallowed and tasted bile in his mouth. There were some things a person should never have to see. And things a human being should never have to endure. Something had broken in him that day and he wasn’t sure it could ever be fixed. He thought he’d let go. He hadn’t.