“Where were you last night, Josh?” Adrian asked. I was glad he did, because I wasn’t sure I could.
“Home alone,” he replied, then swallowed hard. “Am I suspect because of Georgia yelling at me? I didn’t take it personally. I knew she was just upset and I didn’t blame her. She and I would’ve kissed and made up.” Josh sounded so certain. “I know not many people liked Georgia, but I really did. I could be myself and didn’t have to tiptoe around her.” His lips trembled again and tears escaped his eyes before he could blink them away. “I would never hurt her or anyone.”
He turned his wounded gaze on me. I wanted to reach for his hand and tell him I believed him. I did believe him, but I kept my mouth shut and my hands to myself. Fuck! This guy had me all twisted up inside and damned if I knew what to do about it. Truth was, even if I could make all of my feelings for him go away, I wasn’t sure I would.
“She just wanted to be loved,” he repeated.
“I don’t have any more questions right now. Do you, Gabe?” Adrian asked.
“No, not right now.” I couldn’t tear my eyes away from his.
“You’re free to go, Mr. Roman,” Adrian said, “unless there’s anything you want to add.”
He stared back at me for a few long moments and I wanted to know what he was thinking. He closed his eyes briefly and shook his head. “No, nothing,” he said when he reopened his eyes.
I could tell he was trying hard to keep it together in front of us and I truly felt bad for him. He’d been through a lot during the last few months. First, his neighbor, and friend, Bianca, was killed. Her killer tried to murder him when a sketch with his image was given to the press and broadcasted. Now, another person he obviously cared about had been killed.
Josh got out of my car without another word. I watched him walk toward his teal Mini Cooper. He walked tall and proud like he normally did, but he wasn’t fooling me. Beneath that confident veneer hid a lot of vulnerability that I wanted to make go away.
“Careful, buddy,” Adrian said from the back seat. “You look like you’re awfully attracted to him despite your claim that he’s not your type.”
I had said that once and I meant it at the time. A lot had changed since then and I wasn’t sure why. All I knew was that Josh Roman got to me on so many levels and I didn’t know what to do about it. “I’m not sure that I even like the guy,” I told Adrian honestly.
“Well, ‘like’ doesn’t always have anything to do with it,” he replied with a chuckle. “Just wait until the case is over before you scratch that particular itch.”
Adrian was right to caution me, but it was too late for that. I had already done the scratching and all it did was make me want him that much more. Instead of confessing the truth, I said, “I hear ya, buddy. I promise to behave.”
Early that evening, I stood on the sidewalk in front of Josh’s salon and home, willing myself to keep my promise to myself and my partner. Yet, I knew I’d break it if Josh gave me any indication that he wanted me as badly as I wanted him.
I was a grown-fucking-man not some horny, hormonal teenager that popped wood every time the wind blew. It was time I started acting like it. I looked over the front of his home while trying to get my body and breathing under control. I had to say that Josh’s home was the most unique I’d ever seen.
The two-and-a-half story home had a Victorian feel to it with a turret on the right side of the house. The home was painted a soft gray color that seemed to contrast with Josh’s bold personality. My favorite parts of the home were the huge porch on the front that rounded at both corners and the black metal roof. The porch invited you to sit and drink lemonade while you watched the world go by. The roof made me think of lying in bed on a rainy day and listening to the music the rain made on the tin.
I stood outside for so long that I started to feel like a creeper. I needed to decide whether I rang his doorbell or just walked away. The smart thing to do would be to walk away, but my traitorous heart wanted to be certain he was okay after he learned about Georgia’s death. I couldn’t forget the sadness I saw in his expressive eyes.
“Are you just going to stand out there all night or are you going to grow a pair and ring my doorbell?”
I looked up to the second-story window where I knew his bedroom was and found him leaning out his window. I could see the challenge written all over his face even in the fading sunlight. I started up the walk to his house even though I knew I should’ve walked away. I headed around to the back of his home because I knew business was in the front and personal was in the back – sort of like an 80s mullet.
He was waiting for me at the back door when I climbed the steps. I told my heart to settle the fuck down when his lips turned up in a smile slash grimace. I reminded the dumb organ that he didn’t like us much and trying to get close to him was like hugging a porcupine. The frustration and hurt wasn’t worth all the hot and cold vibes he sent me, yet, I couldn’t turn away.
“Evening, Detective Dickface,” Josh said, stepping aside to let me in.
So, not worth the abuse,but that didn’t stop me from wanting to kiss him until he begged to be fucked.
GEORGIA WAS DEAD.THOSEwords played through my head all day long while I tried my best to function for my client on her special day. My salon had been booked for Jessie Miracle’s bridal party for months and I couldn’t let her down. Jessie’s joy and happiness was contagious and it was exactly what I needed to be able to push my sad thoughts aside while we got the bride and her party ready.
Once they left, my heart felt very heavy and I was grateful to have the next two days off so I could hide inside my home and try to come to terms with Georgia’s death and the fact the police felt they needed to ask me for an alibi. Seeing Gabe again rattled me more than it should. I might’ve only been in his car for ten minutes or less, but the smell of him and the sound of his voice seemed to be permanently etched in my brain. Every time I thought I had worked him out of my system, he reappeared and sent me reeling all over again.
I locked up the salon once everyone left and headed upstairs to my private residence. As with the first floor, I had the entire second floor remodeled also. There had been four large bedrooms and one bathroom. I left the original bathroom alone, but I knocked down the wall between the master bedroom and a spare bedroom so I could convert it into a master bedroom suite complete with a large bathroom and a walk-in closet. I also tore down the walls between the third and fourth bedroom and turned it into an open concept living room and kitchen. The contractor had tried to talk me into leaving a guest bedroom in place for resale purposes, but I rejected him outright. I planned to live in this house until I took my last breath. Besides, the third story attic was huge and could easily be converted into a guest suite.
I took a very long, hot shower and let the water ease the aches I had in my shoulders and neck from a long day of blowouts, updos, and applying makeup. I hadn’t eaten anything except for a small pastry for breakfast and my blood sugar was letting me know it. I wasn’t a bit hungry, but I knew I had to eat or I’d end up with a massive headache.
Speaking of headaches, I happened to see one very sexy and frustrating detective standing on the sidewalk in front of my house. Gabriel Wyatt. I could tell by his body language that he was very hesitant about knocking on my door. Could I blame him? I wanted to; I truly did, but I knew I was the reason he hesitated. I ran hot and cold with him and I knew it had to fuck with his mind. It wasn’t something that I did intentionally, but I doubted he would believe that.
I stood in my window and just looked down at him while my mind replayed every run-in I’d had with him over the last few months. I had seen him around our small town plenty of times, but we never spoke until Bianca was murdered. I had heard my friend’s screams and called 911. That night, Detective Dark and Dangerous showed up at my house to ask questions. I felt something sizzle and spark inside me the first time I looked into his eyes.
My attraction to him died a quick and painful death when I followed him and his partner out of my sitting room downstairs to ask a question about Bianca’s death. They didn’t know I trailed them, so they felt free to talk amongst themselves, and what I heard left no doubt in my mind that the dark-haired, dark-eyed detective was no different than the rest of the guys I mistakenly fell for in the past.
