Police Protector

“No.”

He held her at arm’s length, still breathing hard. “I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry.”

Why not? she wanted to ask, but before she could get the words out, he’d reached past her and dragged a chair forward, pushing her into it.

“Did your wound open up?”

“No.”

“Are you sure?” He reached for the band of her sweatpants, and she scooted sideways.

“Yes, I’m sure. I’m fine. Why—”

He stood up, backing away from her. “We came here to make sure you were safe. That was...that wasn’t part of the plan.”

Heat raced up her cheeks, this time from embarrassment. He kissed her like that and then told her it wasn’t part of some plan? If it weren’t for his use of the word we, reminding her that Luke was in the other room and had surely heard exactly what they were doing, she would have kissed him again.

Instead she nodded silently and got to her feet, holding up her hand when he tried to help her.

“We’re friends,” he said quietly. “I don’t want to mess that up.”

Shaye gave him a halfhearted smile, hoping the fact that she wanted to cry didn’t show on her face. Because she could tell he was lying.

“Shaye—”

“Good night, Cole.”

* * *

HE WAS AN IDIOT.

It was something Luke had been all too quick to tell him when he’d joined his partner in the living room after Shaye had headed to bed. As if he didn’t already know.

He’d had Shaye Mallory in his arms, and he’d pushed her away. That was about as stupid as a person could get.

Except while everything about that kiss had felt right, he’d known it was all wrong, for a laundry list of reasons. He was here to protect her. She was injured. They were friends. But most of all, she wasn’t the kind of woman you messed around with.

And there could never be anything long-term between them because they came from different worlds. She was smart and educated, with the kind of earning potential he’d never have. She might have picked law enforcement for now, but Cole knew that if they weren’t already, private-sector companies would be seeking her out soon, with huge salaries and perks. And she deserved that sort of life, one far from the bullets and crooks he dealt with on a daily basis. She deserved a man who was just as smart and educated as she was, someone who could give her things Cole never could. And he wouldn’t pretend otherwise.

He cared about her too much to lead her on.

But was that exactly what he’d been doing for the past year? He’d known she had a crush on him when they met, and instead of staying away, he’d sought her out. He’d hover by the door each day before work, waiting for her arrive to start his day off right by chatting with her. He’d let her wait for him each day after work, let her beautiful smile and soft voice soothe away some of the crap of his shift.

He needed to take a step back, try to treat her like any other civilian who might need police protection. But no matter how many times he told himself that, he couldn’t get that kiss out of his head. Hours later he could still taste the mint of her toothpaste, still feel the imprint of her lips on his. For someone who was normally shy and reserved, she’d been a firecracker in his arms. And he wanted more.

Luke had claimed the couch after Shaye had disappeared, leaving Cole with the big recliner in the corner. He’d slept in far worse, but as the sun seeped through the curtains, he realized he hadn’t slept at all.

“Get over it, or do something about it.”

Luke’s voice startled him, and Cole glanced over, seeing his partner had one eye open. Luke’s ability to sense movement even with his eyes closed was an asset in stakeouts, and the way he seemed to read people’s minds was great for interrogations. But right now it was pissing Cole off.

“What am I supposed to do?”

When Luke raised an eyebrow, Cole snapped, “Don’t be crude. This is Shaye we’re talking about. I can’t...”

“What?” Luke prompted. “Sleep with her? Date her? Tell her you’ve been obsessed with her since the day she walked through those station doors? Why not?”

Cole shot a glance down the hallway that led to Shaye’s bedroom. Her door was closed, and he hoped she was still out cold. “We’re friends. Let it go.”

Luke shrugged. “I will if you will.”

Grumbling under his breath, Cole gave up on sleep and trudged into Shaye’s cheery red-and-blue kitchen. He dug around until he found the coffee, then started up a large pot. Before he’d made it back into the living room with his first cup, he heard Shaye come into the room and prayed she hadn’t overheard his conversation.

But one look at her face, her chin up high, her cheeks tinged with red, her gaze daring him to bring up any of it, and he knew she had. A thousand curse words lodged in his throat, and he held them in, instead handing her the cup of coffee as a peace offering.

She cradled it between her palms and drank half the cup before she lowered it again, but he wasn’t surprised. He’d heard her tossing and turning last night, probably the result of the painkillers not keeping up with the sting of her bullet wound. Or maybe the events of the night playing over and over again, all the possible outcomes racing through her mind the way they had in his. They were lucky she was alive.

“I’m going to get myself a cup of coffee—”

“And me,” Luke interrupted, popping to his feet as though he’d slept ten hours.

“And then we’re going to go through yesterday’s timeline, make sure we’re covering all of our bases,” Cole finished.

Shaye nodded, but her hands shook around the coffee cup. “If this is going to turn into an interrogation, I need some breakfast first.” She started to limp toward the kitchen, and Cole put a hand on her arm to stop her. She pulled it away fast, like his touch burned her.

Trying to pretend he hadn’t noticed, Cole said, “I’ll make breakfast. Just relax a little.”

“There’s nothing to make,” she replied, pushing past him. “It’s cereal and coffee. All my groceries are in Roy’s parking lot. Unless you want frozen burritos for breakfast, that’s what I’ve got.”

He followed her into the kitchen more slowly, while Luke disappeared in the other direction, toward the bathroom.

She slowly set a few boxes of cereal on the counter, keeping her back turned to him, like she was waiting until her embarrassment fled. But when she finally turned, her cheeks were still flushed.

Shaye had never been good at hiding her emotions. After dealing with criminals day in and day out, he found it one of her most charming attributes, but he knew she hated it.

“About last night—”

“Don’t.” Her cheeks went from rose pink to fire-engine red.

“Shaye—”

“Just let it go.”

Luke rejoined them at that moment, so Cole did. Instead of apologizing yet again—which probably wouldn’t get him anywhere—he focused on her safety, and not the fact that he might have ruined their friendship. A ball of dread settled in his stomach, but he kept his mind on what he could do something about: eliminating the nagging feeling that this had been a hit.

“Let’s go through your day yesterday, from the moment you woke up.” Cole set down his spoon in cereal he’d barely touched. “Did you drive straight to work?”

“Yes.”