Haynes, K. R. - The Light in Her Eyes [In Her Eyes] (Siren Publishing Classic) (3 page)

That was never going to happen. Her parents’ opinion of him had been set in stone long before he started dating their precious daughter. Their opinion would never change, no matter how much Chloe begged her parents.
However, Randall had never given Chloe the chance to plead their case to her parents, because he had walked away from her.

To this day, he forced himself to never look back on what he had left behind.

Even if he never looked back on the night he walked away from her, it didn’t stop him from thinking about her. Yeah, Randall had found himself thinking about Chloe a lot over the years. There didn’t seem to be a day go by where he didn’t think about her, didn’t ache to see her or to feel her naked flesh writhing beneath his once more.

At the time, he had known turning his back on love would be a huge mistake. One look into her parents’ eyes, seeing their disappointment in their only daughter’s choice of boyfriend, had given him all the reason he needed to walk away from her and from her love.

Now here she stood, unleashing all her pent-up frustration at him. Randall wanted to grin like a moron. He wanted to wrap his arms around her once again, to hold her close to him. Just hold her and let her soft feminine scent ease into his soul. He was pleased, though, that Chloe had the common sense not to say anything else, realising she may have said too much already.
Her eyes were lowered as she waited for him to respond to her sudden outburst, while she tried hard not to focus on the ache between her legs. The ache he knew she would have after lashing out at him.

“Chloe.” The gruffness in his voice as he addressed her had her eyes lifting up, seeking his. “You will not address me so poorly when you speak to me. I am an officer of the law and your safety is my utmost concern. I will be escorting you to get your car fixed. Then I’ll escort you back home. Are we clear?”

“Yes, Sir,” she whispered before lowering her eyes back down.

Randall couldn’t hold back the grin this time. Chloe, his little submissive, had found her way back to him after all these years that had passed between them.

Chapter Four

Twenty minutes later, Chloe found herself standing by her car at the officer’s buddy’s house. The two men were talking a few metres away from where she stood. Every so often the other man would shoot a glance her way. They were obviously discussing her, judging by the way he eyed her. The cop had his back to her so she couldn’t see his face. The other man slapped the officer on the back, and then ambled over to her.

Whoa, the officer’s buddy was every bit as hot as the officer himself with his short, dark, cropped hair, hard muscles and long legs encased in greased-up denim jeans. The ripped-sleeved shirt he wore showcased his muscular arms and the intricate tattoo he had on the upper right bicep. When he was standing in front of her he stuck out his hand for her to shake. Slowly Chloe reached out and took his hand in hers.

“Hello, gorgeous. I’m Mick Huon. Randall here seems to think you need some help with your car, so I’m all yours.”

Oh, hell. Why oh why did that have to sound so sexual to her ears? Shaking her head, she released her hand from his grip and took a tentative step back. “Ahh yes, the officer would be correct. My seat belt is stuck and a taillight is blown.”

“Don’t worry, gorgeous. I’ll have it good as new in no time at all.” Turning toward his buddy, Mick called out, “Hey, Randall, do you want a beer while I’m fixing sweet thing’s car here?”

“Nuh, I’m good. Still on duty,” Randall answered, pointing to his uniform.

Turning back to Chloe, he asked her if she wanted a drink. She shook her head no, leaving Mick to go about fixing her car.

Staring back at the officer, Chloe couldn’t help the hesitation in her step as she approached him. “So will we be here a while do you think?” she asked him.

“For as long as it takes for Mick to fix your car.”

Great, just bloody great, Chloe thought quietly to herself.

Turning her back to him, crossing her arms over her chest and sighing, Chloe stood there watching Mick go about working on her car while silent tension filled the air around her and the officer.
Officer Randall
. She knew his name now only because Mick had shouted it out to him. The officer hadn’t bothered to introduce himself to her at all.

* * * *

Studying her from where he stood, Randall watched in silence as Chloe moved from one foot to the other, trying to elevate the tension ever present in her muscles. He watched as she tried to hide yet another yawn from him. Even though she was tired and exhausted Chloe still refused to accept his help or to sit down and rest while they waited for Mick to finish up on her car.

Enough was enough. He wasn’t going to stand by and watch her fall asleep while standing up. Silently he stepped up behind her. Resting both hands on her shoulders he leant in slightly. He could feel the tension rolling through her stance.

“Come sit, before you fall asleep standing up. And no, I won’t take no for answer so don’t waste your breath by saying it,” he told her.

Chloe wanted to protest. Randall knew it, but he also knew she was too tired to fight him when he ushered her over to the chair on the deck. “Sit,” he commanded her before heading inside to grab a glass of water from the kitchen for her. After she tossed back the glass of water he took the empty glass from her hand, while she curled herself up onto the chair.

Setting the empty glass in the kitchen sink, running a hand through his hair, Randall gazed out the kitchen window. The backyard was shrouded in darkness as he stared out into it. He turned his gaze away from the window upon hearing heavy footsteps coming down the hall.

Mick leaned against the kitchen doorway, his eyes saying more than his mouth did. “Car’s all fixed.”

“Thanks, Mick. I appreciate it.”

“No probs, bro, you know you can count on me anytime, anywhere.”

Randall just nodded his head. He knew what Mick wanted to ask him, but now wasn’t the time, especially not with Chloe sitting within hearing distance of them.

“So how much do I owe you for the late-night call out?”

“Your shout next time we’re at the pub. A few beers and some grub should do it. How’s that sound?”

“Shit. Mick, I owe you more than a few beers and some food.” Glancing past Mick to the hall behind him, Randall was more than eager to leave now. “Fine. Beer and food, my shout, and you better bring your damn appetite with you.”

“No worries there, mate. Now you better go wake up gorgeous out there and take her home.”

Clapping him on the shoulder as he passed by him, Randall uttered, “Thanks again, Mick.”

“No probs.”

Leaving Mick in the kitchen, Randall headed out the front to find Chloe sound asleep. She was curled up on the chair, with her knees tucked up to her chest and her head resting on top of them. Her caramel locks lay loosely down her back. Reaching down, Randall feathered his fingers through the long, soft lengths.

Seeing her stir awake, he took a step back from her. Her sleepy eyes latched onto his. “Is it fixed?” she mumbled sleepily to him. When he nodded his head, Chloe sat up straighter in the chair, dropping her feet to the floor. “So I can go home now?”

“Yes, Chloe, you may go home now.”

Chapter Five

Finally, she was home.
Switching on the hall light after locking the front door, Chloe sighed as she dropped her purse and keys down on the hall table. Never in her life had she been more grateful to be home after the day she had had. Her day had been made even
longer by being pulled over by Officer Randall and then having to wait around to get her car fixed. Something the officer had insisted on getting done tonight
of all nights.

“What a day,” she mumbled to herself, walking into the kitchen.

A long, hot shower then bed was her plan of attack after guzzling down a glass of milk. Seeing her answering machine flashing on her way out of the kitchen, letting her know she had one lone message, probably from her parents, Chloe hit the play button. The voice that came over the answering machine was so not her father’s, though. Chloe didn’t know who it was. The menace she heard in his voice alone made her shudder. There were only two words uttered in his message left for her. “Die, bitch.”

Chloe didn’t recognise the voice of the unknown caller or who the caller could have been. She hoped to god it was a case of wrong number, which would mean it was left there by mistake somehow. She decided not to erase the message just in case it was required later and saved it to the answering machine’s memory bank before heading down the hall to her bedroom.

She was still shaken after hearing the menacing threat left for her to hear when she walked into her bedroom.
She thought about calling the police about the voice message, or at the very least calling Officer Randall about it. Not that there was anything to really report other than the message itself. And there was not a lot the police could do with that alone.

Could her night get any worse?
Chloe still couldn’t believe the night she had. Not only had Officer Randall gotten her car fixed for free, as it turned out, he also hadn’t given her the hefty fine she’d expected him to do. No, Officer Randall had surprised her by giving her all of his contact details instead of a fine. And not just one number, mind you. He had given her all his contact numbers, including his desk number at work and e-mail addresses. So the next time she found herself in a situation, no matter how small or large, she was under strict instructions to call him. No matter what time of the day or night it was.

Stepping into her bedroom, she was hesitant about whether to call him now about the message. After all, they both had had a rather late night and even longer day. The last thing Chloe wanted to deal with tonight was another run in with Officer Randall. No, she would call him only if she got another message. It was not like he could do much about it anyway.

It was a relief to know Officer Randall was all but a phone call away if or when she needed him. It was good to know she had someone she could count on here in her new hometown of Kingston, Tasmania. Chloe hadn’t had much of a chance to go out and meet many people since her job relocation three months ago. Other than a few work colleagues, she didn’t know anyone else here.

The officer’s parting words to her were still ringing loud and clear in her head when she crawled into bed after taking her long-awaited shower. “Call me, whether it’s to change a flat tyre or kill a spider. Whatever, whenever. If you need me you call me and only me.” She shivered again at hearing his words. “Only me, Chloe,” he had warned her. “Only me.”

Laying her head down on the pillow and tugging the blankets tight around her, Chloe let the exhaustion of the long day take hold of her and fell asleep.

* * * *

A couple of days later,
Chloe sat behind
her work desk staring for what must’ve been the millionth time today at the business card Officer Randall had given her. She still hadn’t called him about the voice message she received. She hadn’t received any others since the other night, either. The only other reason she had to call him was her burning desire to see him in the flesh again.

Over the past few days her imagination had run wild with images of him. The images her mind concocted of him naked left her more than wanting, to the point that even her little silver bullet couldn’t alleviate the ever-present ache in her core.

Ugh!

Why him? What was it about Officer Randall that had her coming undone, she wondered. Taking her mobile from her purse, Chloe scanned the office to see how many colleagues were still at their desks. Too many, she thought, for this type of phone call. Sighting the door leading out to the stairwell and gathering her mobile, the business card, and her security tag, Chloe slipped out into the stairwell.

With the door closing quietly behind her, she took a few deep, calming breaths before dialling Officer Randall’s mobile number first. It went straight to voicemail. Hanging up, she dialled his desk number and prayed he answered the phone and no one else did. Chloe only hoped she wasn’t interrupting him, either.
However, when her call went unanswered she decided to give him a few minutes before trying him again. She only hoped the next time she tried dialling his number he would pick up.

Chapter Six

After having the past two days rostered off, Randall strolled through the front doors of the Kingston police station ready for yet another long shift on patrol. At least today’s blessed shift had been rostered for daylight hours instead of the dreaded graveyard shift. Stopping to say a quick hello to Kayla at reception and to sign in, Randall headed down the long, vacant corridor toward the row of offices and desks which were located at the rear of the building.