“I am?”
“Well yeah. Since you shacked up with Hayden I figured he’d still have you handcuffed to the headboard or something,” Skye teased, taking a sip, I don't even know what that pink concoction she was drinking was.
Subconsciously I rubbed at my wrist before adjusting the silver bracelet I’d put on trying to hide the mark where his cuffs had bitten into my skin. When I’d suggested it, it was a silly remark. A joke even. When he followed through with the idea, suddenly I wasn’t the one laughing anymore. It’d been beyond hot and something I wanted to try again, just maybe next time with some handcuffs with a little padding.
“Very funny,” I managed to reply before hiding my smile, bringing my drink to my lips.
“So, what’s this super top secret mission I’m helping you with that had me getting up at the ass crack of dawn?”
“Ass crack of dawn? It’s already after ten.” I smiled.
“Are you forgetting that we usually work until well after midnight each night then find some diner or bakery or cookie factory or whatever is open to satisfy your sweet tooth?”
I poked my tongue out at her like an adult and took a bite out of my scone. It was delicious. Buttery and soft.
“We’re going house hunting,” I announced.
Ever since the cookout the other night with Hayden’s sister it’d been playing over and over in my mind. Something Mason had said about putting down roots grabbed me and I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it. Yesterday, while Hayden was in the shower, the first I’d declined to share with him because it seemed anytime we tried to “save water” I ended up getting dirtier than when I climbed in, I’d made a few calls and found out what my budget was. Turns out, I’d been doing well. I mean really well. Well enough to be looking at homes and not just apartments, something I liked the sound of. I spent enough time stuffed in hotel rooms, I wanted outdoor space and a big kitchen. Or a small kitchen with a big island bench Hayden could spread me out on. The memory of him doing exactly that was strong enough to make me shiver.
“House hunting? What for?”
“Because the market’s great and I’m looking for a great investment,” I offered, lying through my teeth and we both knew it.
“Right. Well, since the market’s so great, have you got a broker? Know what we’re looking for?”
That's what I loved about Skye. She didn’t buy my bullshit but played along with it anyway. The next thing I knew she had her laptop out and was scouring websites, trying to find something that fit. It seemed though everything she suggested, I turned it down. It was too far away or not private enough. I managed to find something wrong with almost every listing she pulled up.
But half an hour later, we’d found it. A beautiful 1890s house with six bedrooms spread over four levels and plenty of living space. There was even enough room to turn into my own private studio if I wanted.
While Skye called the agent and arranged a viewing, I stared out the window trying to decide if this was the right decision. It felt right in my heart, but maybe I should talk to Hayden about it first. Or was that moving too fast. So far our relationship seemed, at least to people on the outside, to have gone at warp speed, but it didn’t feel like that. If anything, it felt like we’d been holding back. Other than the few times he’d been able to sneak away or he’d managed to fly out to see me while I was on the road, most of the time we’d been dating, if you could even call what we’d been doing dating, it’d been over the phone. Sure the phone sex was off-the-charts hot and made things interesting, but I was loving just talking to him. Finding out about his day. Trying to help. I couldn’t arrest the bad guys and I couldn’t hide all the ugly the world had from him, but if each day I could make him smile, even if it was just for a minute, maybe the weight of expectations wouldn’t crush him.
“She can meet us in an hour.”
“Great!” I said perkily as I popped the last bite of scone in my mouth and wiped my hands.
“You sure about this? I mean, it’s not exactly cheap and the upkeep…”
“It’s what I want,” I confirmed with a shrug.
“Oh I see. You’re going to turn into one of those women.”
“One of what women?”
“One of those, I’ve met a man who knows how to curl my toes and now I’m going to get married, have babies and forget all about my career…”
“I am not!” I defended a little too loudly causing everyone still waiting in line to turn and glare in our direction. “I’m not,” I hissed, this time under my breath. “I’m just… I want to have somewhere to call home. So when I’m not stuck on tour buses or in hotel rooms, I can come home. I can have my space and just breathe.”
“And find a hot cop waiting in your bed? Look, Cass, I’m not judging. If anything I’m jealous as hell. Hayden’s a good guy and you’re really lucky. And he seems to like you for you…”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means, he doesn’t care about your money or your fame or how many followers he can add on his social media accounts if he attaches himself to you. So far, what I’ve seen of him, that man’s whole mission in life, besides saving the world one petty criminal at a time, is to make you laugh.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing?”
“Trust me, it’s not. It’s rare as fuck, but it’s not a bad thing. Now, if you can stop daydreaming about your hunk in uniform for five minutes, let’s get out of here and go look at this house so you can fill it with throw cushions or cats or I don’t know, kids.”
Skye was sassy and it seemed like she always had an opinion, but she was a good one. I trusted her with my secrets and I didn’t trust anyone really. I’d been badly burnt before, so I wasn’t in a hurry to throw my arms open wide and hope for the best.
