Whiskey Rebellion (Romantic Mystery/Comedy) Book 1 (Addison Holmes Mysteries) (13 page)

I’
d pretty much seen everything in the eight years I’d been teaching. I’d seen students cheat their way through my class, dealt with parents who thought their children should be given a free pass in life, found used condoms in the teacher parking lot and caught students smoking weed in the bathroom. If I could find one student who would loan me a shot of whiskey to help me get through the rest of the day, I’m pretty sure my life would be complete.

I’d barely stretched my aching body out on the couch when I heard three hard knocks on my door.

“Come in,” I croaked. I wasn’t about to move from my spot on the couch. 

“Are you nuts? You can’t just leave your door wide open for anyone to come in and murder you. There
are
people in this world that are crazier than you are.” 

The sight of Nick walking though my front door was enough to make me forget about my injuries. He was wearing worn jeans with holes in them, a white t-shirt, and a navy blue windbreaker that said HOMICIDE in bright yellow on the front pocket. His gun was strapped to his hip and he looked good enough to eat. 

Lord, that was one fine man. He made my tongue swell up and my limbs weak, but I was made from sturdier stuff than to let a man like Nick Dempsey cloud my brain with lust. My brain had never been clouded with lust when I’d been with Greg, but he’d seduced me with his outgoing personality and intelligence. I should have realized he was trying to get me to buy insurance instead of getting me in the sack, but it was a mistake any woman could make.

“Damn, it’s you. I was hoping it was Jack the Ripper coming to put me out of my misery. You don’t happen to have your gun on you, do you?”

“Of course I have my gun,” Nick said, giving me a look that said,
why wouldn’t I have it, I’m a cop.

This guy was way too literal. I needed someone with a sense of humor. Nick was a great advertisement for Levi’s, but that was not enough to base a relationship on.

“Never mind,” I said. “Why do you keep popping into my life? And stop calling me crazy. I’m a perfectly normal human being. I’ve just had a rough couple of days.”

“Uh-huh. Every time I look at you the first word that comes to mind is normal. You look worse than you did last night. And that’s saying something. What happened to you?”

I shot him a look I reserved for students who were misbehaving and winced as he sat down at the end of the couch and put my feet in his lap.

“I fell out of a tree.”

I ignored his burst of laughter and closed my eyes. I really hated it when he laughed. It changed his entire personality. It made him
almost
likeable. 

“That would explain why you weren’t wearing pants and why there was grass in your hair when you got in your car last night.”

“I was wearing pants. There was just a big hole in them. You know what? Your words don’t even matter to me anymore. I am bliss. I am calm. I am—”

“You’re nuts.”

I shot him a look meant to shrivel a lesser man, but he just kept smiling at me. 

“I hate you.”

“Well, that’s good to know because the two of us are going to be spending a lot of time together. I need your help.”

“What?” I sat up too quickly and a muscle cramp seized my thigh in a vicious hold. “Shit, crap, I hate you. Nothing ever goes right when you’re around.”

“I didn’t think you’d take the news this well,” Nick said, massaging the tightened muscle. He worked at it a few more minutes until I began to whimper in relief.

“Do you still hate me?” he whispered much too close to my ear.

There were places on my body that were warming at an alarming rate. This man made me crazy. I wanted to strangle him every time he opened his mouth, but whenever he touched me I wanted to jump his bones.

“I wanted to
come by and apologize for scaring you last night.” His breath was hot against my skin, and I shivered in reaction. All I had to do was move my head ever so slightly and our lips would touch.

“You
—you’re apologizing?” I asked, surprised. He didn’t seem like the kind of man to apologize for anything. I was immediately suspicious, but forgot why when his lips started to feather the side of my neck.

“See how easy it’s going to be for us to work together?” he asked, seductively. “I think it could be a pretty life-altering experience, don’t you?”

My vision started to clear when I realized he was trying to make a point. Nick had ulterior motives. The rat bastard.    

The knock on the door saved me from telling Nick exactly what kind of experience he was about to get from my
knee to his balls.

“Ahh
—saved by the proverbial bell.” Nick put space between us but kept my feet in his lap.

“Come in,” I yelled, before Nick could get up and answer it himself. He rolled his eyes at me, and I watched closely as he placed his hand on the gun at his hip.

“Have I interrupted something?” Kate asked, seeing Nick and I looking more comfortable than either one of us felt.

“No—
”

“Yes—
”

I gave Nick a disgusted look and tried to move away from him, but my body wasn’t in any shape to move anywhere, and all I could manage was a groan.

“Geez, you look like hell,” Kate said.

“That seems to be the consensus,” I said, irritated.

“I’ve stopped by to drop off a couple more cases, and I wanted to see if you had any luck with Gretchen Wilder. I have a meeting with Mr. Wilder tomorrow morning.”  

“The camera’s on the table with the file,” I said, going back to the splendor of the best foot rub I’d ever had.

“Wow, looks like you got an education,” Kate said, scrolling through the pictures on the camera. “Mrs. Wilder’s my idol.”

“Yeah, mine too.”

“So how’d you get the bruises?  Did you get caught?” she asked.

“Nah, I fell out of the tree I used to look in the bedroom window. I didn’t realize how long they’d been going at it and my legs fell asleep.”

“Ahh—to be that young again,” Kate said. “Ice it down and then go take a hot shower. I’d almost say you did it on purpose just so you could get out of your date tonight.”

“What date?” Nick asked.

“Oh, shit! I forgot about the date. Look at me, Kate. I can
not
go out like this. I can barely stand.” I put a little extra whine in my voice so she’d get the point.

“Look on the bright side. Maybe you two will hit it off and then you can spend the evening in bed.”

“Yeah, because I always sleep with guys on the first date.”

“True,” Kate said, shaking her head sadly. “You’re an inspiration to nuns everywhere.”

Kate downloaded the pictures onto her computer and gathered the files. “Make sure you’re presentable by seven, Addison. I’ll call your mother if I have to.”

“Why does everyone hate me today? Can’t you see I’m in pain?”

“Take some of that painkiller the dentist gave you when you had your wisdom teeth taken out. It’s not like you’ll be driving tonight.”

“Great advice, Kate,” Nick said. “It’s always
a good idea to go out with a complete stranger while you’re drugged. What if he’s a sex offender?”

“
Fine, stay home and be pitiful all night. But I’m telling you, you can’t let these things keep you down. You could be standing up your future husband tonight.” Kate pulled open my front door with much less trouble than I always seemed to have and looked back at me.

“Don’t forget the Officer’s Gala is tomorrow night. Mike and I can pick you up if you want
.”

How big of a loser would that make me to be Kate and Mike’s third wheel for a big party? So I did what any sensible girl would have done. I lied. 

“There’s no need to pick me up. I have a date.” I winced inside as I heard the words, but they’d just slipped out somehow. 

“Great. I can’t wait to meet him,
” she said with a wicked smile.

I lay frozen on the couch, trying to come up with a solution for the mess I just made.

“You are so lying,” Nick said. 

“Shut up. I’ll figure out something. If I hadn’t told her I had a date she would have set me up with another stranger.”

“She loves you and only has your best interest at heart.”

“Which is about the worst thing you can say about anyone. I’m perfectly comfortable going places without a man on my arm.” This was actually a lie. Having a male escort to big events was like a security blanket to me, and going without one made me feel like I was walking into a room full of people naked.

“Why are you even going to the Officer’s Gala?” Nick asked.

“I’ve gone every year since I was sixteen. My dad was a cop, and the gala always raises a lot of money. This will be the first year my mom doesn’t go.”

“Did your dad die in the line of duty?” Nick asked softly as he ran his hand down the length of my hair in a comforting gesture.

“No, he retired a few years back. He had a heart attack watching a Falcons game on the television last fall.”

“That’s pretty understandable considering how they played last season. I’m sorry you lost him.”

“Me too. He was a good man. A good cop. Which is why I go to the gala and support the rest of you.”

“Well, since we agree on that point, it only makes sense that we go together. I’ll pick you up at seven-thirty. Now, do you have anything to eat around here?” he asked, dislodging me off his lap with a grunt and heading toward the kitchen.

“Excuse me. Who are you? It’s like you’ve just invaded my life and now I can’t get rid of you. That’s the third time you’ve mentioned us working together, and I have to say I don’t remember agreeing to anything of the sort. I’m not sure I even like you.”

He just winked and went back to rummaging through my refrigerator. 

“You can’t stay,” I said loudly. “
I’m not in the mood for company.” I heaved out a painful sigh and slowly got up off the couch. He wasn’t going to ignore me in my own apartment. 

“Hey, you didn’t have to get up,” he said as I leaned against the kitchen counter and tried to look intimidating.

“Oh, I think I did. You’re sneaky, but I’ve got you figured out.”

“Oh, do you?” he said with his
heart-stopping smile again.

“Definitely. You’ve had too many sides since the first moment I’ve met you, ranging from serious cop to supreme asshole to the Boy Scout next door. Which one is the real Nick Dempsey, I wonder? The first words out of anyone’s mouth when your name pops up is that you’re a good cop. The compliments seem to stop there.”

He was watching me with an unreadable face, the corners of his mouth set, waiting for me to go on.

“You need me for something,” I said matter of factly. “You wouldn’t bother with me otherwise.”

He moved closer, like a hunter stalking his prey, and for the first time I really saw the quietly contained danger lurking within. My breath caught in my throat as he leaned in and put his face close to mine. Apparently the dark side was a huge turn on for me. Who knew?

“You’re right,” he whispered. “I do need you for something.”

I could feel the hardness of his body pressed to mine and the heat that radiated from it, and I realized I was holding my breath. 

I was still standing there turned on and confused when he backed away and grabbed his windbreaker.

“You did that on purpose,” I said. “Tell me what you want and then get out. I don’t have the time to play games with you, and more importantly I don’t
want t
o play games with you.”

“You are such a liar,” Nick said, giving me that devastating smile. “Your refrigerator is emptier than mine.
I’m not sure how that’s possible.” He seemed baffled for a moment but was back to his no-nonsense self in short order. “What I want from you is work related, but we can talk about it another time when you’re not so—injured. I’ve got to get out of here. Don’t forget the Officer’s Gala tomorrow. Make sure you wear something sexy. Maybe no underwear.”

I was pretty sure my mother wouldn’t like Nick Dempsey. 

“Oh, and Addison,” Nick said, trapping me against the counter with his body again. “I might not have been completely honest earlier. I want something else from you too.”

And then he kissed me. This
was not a kiss meant to tease. This kiss was serious business, with tongue and everything. I remember thinking I should protest just a little so he wouldn’t think I was easy, but then all the thoughts leaked out of my ears, and I found myself wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing him back. My head began to buzz and heat shot to all my favorite places.

Fortunately, Nick had more control than I did and he pulled back before I could embarrass myself by begging. He gave me a perfunctory kiss on the cheek and then he was out the door.   

I learned two things from the whole experience. One: I’ve never had good sex. Two: I really wanted some.