Page 74 of Under the Radar

“That’s what I’m hoping.”

Cherry tossed her hair at something Hannah said, and I bit back another laugh. Cherry had a bite mark at the base of her neck, and Hannah’s eyes focused on the mark before she met my gaze with a WTF look. I winked at her, and she bit her lip, holding in her laughter.

“What?” Cherry asked.

“Ah, you have a little, um, mark,” I said. “On your neck.”

She brushed at her skin. “Where?”

“The spot I sank my teeth into,” Dom said calmly. “It’ll fade. Until next time.”

Cherry’s eyes widened, and she looked at Hannah.

“Mom…” Hannah choked out.

Cherry stood. “I’m going to get ready to head home. I have a million things to do.” She practically ran from the kitchen. Hannah began to stand, but Dom waved her off.

“I’ll go talk to her.” He paused at the door, turning to speak. “I like your mother, Hannah. She’s incredible. You should come have lunch with me. Get to know me. I plan on being around a lot.” He glanced down the hall. “If that stubborn woman will let me.” He flexed his shoulders. “I’m going in.” He flashed a smile. “If you hear screaming, no one is being hurt. Trust me. Don’t come in.”

Hannah and I looked at each other across the table.

“If I had known how interesting it was going to be having a roommate, I would have gotten one sooner,” I observed. “Brett was positively boring compared to you.” I winked at her so she knew I was teasing.

She picked up another cinnamon bun. “You ain’t seen nothing yet, Chase Donner.”

I grinned. “I’m counting on it.”

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Hannah

Monday morning, I was in a good mood. The station bustled, I went through reports and schedules, spoke with some people, and put everything on the chief’s desk to approve. I was pleased to see that Dan had nights again for a while, and he was on a three-day-on, four-day-off rotation. I wondered if he’d requested that so as not to run into me during the day while I worked from the station or if it was coincidence. Either way, I liked it. The nice guy I thought him to be no longer existed. He was acting like a petulant child who didn’t get his way, and I wasn’t fond of his actions or attitude.

I had lunch with some of the girls in dispatch and the 9-1-1 center. Things ran differently in a small town. Everything was in one place here, and there were fewer officers, people, and department heads, and the protocol was less severe. We were considered peacekeepers, and the RCMP was the main law enforcement. The fire station was right next door, and we shared staff rooms. The woman I was subbing for was like a regular office manager but with access to files and experience with the criminal system. Utmost discretion and privacy was upheld.

I had taken some business courses to please my mom before I became a cop, so that helped me understand the job and one of the reasons I was asked to help out. I found myself enjoying it. There was enough to do without being overwhelmed. I got to be with cops and other first responders, and I was still contributing. I didn’t want to admit it, but being behind the scenes, I felt safer than I did when out on patrol, even here in the small area.

I knew Chase and my mom liked the fact that I was working inside the station rather than out, although they had both been very circumspect with their comments. When I told Chase I was doing it again this week, he had smiled widely before schooling his features and telling me it was good of me to agree. Mom hadn’t hidden her relief quite as well, but she was also not really herself.

In Chase’s words, she’d been “Dom-inated.”

I wasn’t sure how I felt about my mom and Dom. The events of the weekend kept flipping through my head as I sorted some reports, getting them ready for filing. Her reaction to Dom was interesting. She admitted to me that despite trying not to, she liked him. A lot.

“He is so incredibly hot,” she whispered to me when I went to check on her after he had left on Sunday. She was sitting on my bed, her lips once again swollen, her hair a mess, and a dazed look on her face.

“Did you sleep with him?” I asked.

She blinked and looked at me, straight in the eye. “Not a lot of sleep happened, Hannah.”

I found myself laughing at her admission. “You like him.”

“He’s not my type,” she insisted. “He’s a reformed bad boy who hasn’t completely given up that edge,” she mused. “He’s bossy and determined. Dom is the right name for him. He gets what he wants.” She paused. “Everywhere.”

“I see.” I wasn’t sure what else to say. Mom and I had always been close. She hadn’t started dating for almost ten years after my dad passed. She’d tell me about failed date after failed date, laughing with me over some of the men she’d go out with. Boring. Dull. Too much. Too fast. They ranged in their differences, with one thing in common: Mom wasn’t interested.

I had a feeling even though she was fighting it, Dom was different.

“But he is so sweet,” she murmured. “Thoughtful. Giving. I haven’t felt like a sexy woman in years. Since your dad. Last night, I was reminded of the fact that I was.” She swallowed. “Several times.”