“You are kind of bossy. Aren’t you?” I ask, cocking my head to the side. I assess him a little more, like his appearance will give me an insight into his mind.
“You have no idea, love.” A heavy silence settles between us while we continue to stare at one another. “Go take that shower, Abby.”
I swallow thickly before mumbling an “okay” and walking away. I turn back to face him from my front porch. “Bye, Linc.”
He doesn’t say anything but nods in my direction.
Inside my house, I press my back to the closed door, trying to catch my breath after whatever the hell that just was. Linc is quiet, but his presence is all-consuming. It would be far too easy to get lost in him.
I shake my head, desperately needing something to distract me. I pull out my phone and dial Hadley’s number.
She’s a wonderful person, and she just so happens to be the mayor of Aspen Springs. She’s the youngest person to ever hold the title here, but she’s damn good at her job.
She picks up the phone after only a couple of rings. “Hey, girl.”
“Hey. I need your help with something.”
“Yeah, of course. What do you need?”
“I might need you to use your mayoral superpowers.”
“You know I’m always down to use my powers for good. It would be for good, right?”
“The best,” I say, pacing back and forth through the first floor of my house.
“Well… you got me. Shoot.”
“My neighbor wound up in the hospital last night because her boyfriend beat the crap out of her.” She gasps, but lets me keep going. “They haven’t caught him yet.”
“Fuck,” she curses.
“Yeah,” I say dryly. “The new motorcycle club in town is keeping her safe, but I was wondering if you could maybe put a little pressure on the PD to make all of this move a little quicker.”
“I don’t know how much good it will do, but I’ll do everything I can. I knew those guys were going to be a good thing for this town. They might be all tatted up and look tough as nails, but they all had kind eyes.”
My mind flashes to the three unique pairs of eyes she’s talking about, and I know exactly where she’s coming from.
“I’ll make some calls and see what I can do.”
“Thank you.”
With nothing to distract me, my mind wanders back to the very attractive man leaning against a motorcycle just a few feet away from my front door.
I have no idea how I’m going to get anything else done today when I’m peeking out the window every three seconds.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Abby
The hardwood flooris cold under my bare feet as I pad out of my room and into the kitchen. I usually go to sleep with socks on but end up kicking them off at some point through the night.
I swear, half my selection of socks ends up trapped between the mattress and the sheets at the foot of the bed. I was too tired to track down a pair this morning, though, before coming in search of caffeine.
I pop a pod into the machine and stare into space as the building aroma eases me into a more solid state of consciousness.
Being a nurse and a mom, I’m pretty dependent on caffeine. I’m fully aware it is not the healthiest way to live, but you do what you’ve got to do.
I pull my cinnamon creamer from the fridge, pouring a healthy dose into my cup. The first sip is pure heaven sliding down my throat.
