“Morning,” he says when my eyes make their way up to his.
“Morning.” I take a seat next to him, lifting my feet up to the wooden rail. “Thanks for last night. I—”
“You don’t have to keep thanking me, Gia. I don’t mind looking out for you,” he interrupts, and my stomach dances, but I ignore the feeling and take a sip of coffee. “Are you cold?”
“No, I’m good,” I tell him honestly. Even though there is a chill in the air, the sun is shining down on us and the warmth from it is enough to keep me comfortable. “Do you know what time it is? I didn’t see a clock anywhere to check.”
“It was eight when I came out a few minutes before you did,” he replies as I lift my mug to my lips to take another sip.
“This place is really beautiful,” I say, watching a small boat pass on the lake.
“I enjoy it.”
Looking over at him, I smile. “You fit here.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, if I didn’t know you and just saw you once, I’d think you’d live in a place like this, surrounded by trees and quiet, someplace peaceful, where the rest of the world was kind of out of focus.”
“I’d think the same about you too,” he responds, and my head tips to the side.
“You wouldn’t think I came from a big city?” I ask, and he shakes his head.
“I can’t picture you living in the city. You’re too soft.”
“I’m not soft.”
“Dimples, you’re softer than putty,” he mutters, but the way he says it doesn’t make it sound like a bad thing at all.
Ignoring his nickname for me I shake my head. “I always wanted to come here to visit Grandma, but my dad always had an excuse for why it was better for her to come to us. And my mom loved my dad, so she always gave him what he wanted. I wish she wouldn’t have,” I whisper the last part, thinking not for the first time that my dad was a jerk for keeping not only me but my mom from her mother and her home.
“I’m sorry about your parents,” he says quietly, and I turn to look at him, surprised that he knows. “Ma told me about what happened to them.”
“It—”
“Don’t say it’s okay,” he cuts me off, shaking his head. “Losing them had to be a blow.”
“It was,” I agree, holding my cup a little tighter.
“Do you have any other family?”
“My mom was an only child. My dad has two sisters, Holly and Christen. They both live in Oklahoma. Neither of them have ever been married and they don’t have kids.”
“Are you close?”
“I love them. We talk, not often, but they always call to check in and I do the same. But they have their lives there.”
“Did you have any family close by when you lost your mom or after you lost your dad?”
“No… well, my dad married Colleen not long after my mom passed away, and I stayed with her after my dad died, but we’re not close.”
“How long after your mom did he marry her?” he asks, and the question sounds growled.
“Not long. A few months.”
“Jesus.”
“It is what it is,” I reply, and he shakes his head but doesn’t say anything, which I’m thankful for.
“You gonna be okay going to the hospital by yourself today?”
My heart sinks that he’s not going to come with me, but I remind myself that he has a life and a job. He can’t be with me all the time, even if a part of me wants him to be. “I’ll be okay on my own.”
“I have to work or I’d be there with you.”
“I know,” I assure.
“When are they going to admit your grandma into the nursing home?”
“I’ll find out today when I go to the hospital,” I answer, still not happy with the idea of moving her there, even if it is for the best.
“Let me know and I’ll make time to be with you when it happens.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I know I don’t have to. I want to, Gia. I want you to let me in. I want you to let me be there for you when you need me.”
“Colton,” I start, but he pulls his feet off the rail and stands.
Leaning over me, he wraps his hand around my jaw, forcing me to look into his eyes. “Let me in, Gia,” he urges, before bending at the waist and pressing his lips to my forehead.
My eyes close, and before I know it, he’s gone and I hear the door open and close. Opening my eyes back up, I can’t see much through the tears clouding my vision, but I don’t need to see anything, since I’m feeling everything.
CHAPTER 6
Sleep
Colton
ROLLING MY NECK ON my shoulders, I try to get rid of the tension gathered there while hot water pours over me. It’s been a week since Gia moved in with me. A week of having her in my space, under my roof, playing with my dog, making food in my kitchen, and taking up my every waking thought. I wanted her from the second I saw her, and that want has only gotten worse, meaning this last week has been torture. Resting one hand on the wall of the shower, I lean forward, closing my eyes.
Last night I was lying on the couch, when she came out to get some water before going to bed, she was wearing my T-shirt, the one I gave her the day she got here. I’m sure she had shorts on under it, but I couldn’t see them. All I could see was her tan legs and her thick thighs. Thighs I want to bury my face between.
“Fuck,” I growl, wrapping my hand around my cock when it throbs. Picturing her, her mouth, her eyes, her hair, the way she smells like vanilla and home, I stroke faster. She sets my blood on fire and makes me want more, more of whatever she will give me. “Gia,” I groan as I come. Opening my eyes, I blink against the water running down my face, knowing I can’t take much more of this.
I step out of the shower, turning off the tap, grab a towel, and wrap it around my waist. I go over to the railing that overlooks the living room and check to see if Gia’s gotten up yet. She hasn’t, and I know she hasn’t, because Loki is still lying in front of her bedroom door, where he’s been sleeping every night for the past week. My dog has fallen in love with her. It could be because I’ve seen her sneak him human food when she thinks I’m not looking, but I doubt that’s the reason. I doubt that’s the reason, because I would sleep outside her door if I could too. Actually, I’d prefer her sleeping upstairs with me in my bed. On that thought, I push back from the railing and head to the closet to get dressed.
Yesterday, the doctor admitted her grandmother into the nursing home, and today we’re meeting with the fire chief to see about her gaining access into the house. He called two days after the fire and told Gia they were still looking into the source of the fire and that his investigators would need more time. Yesterday, he called and asked if Gia could meet him at the house, and since I have the day off, I told her I would go along with her.
Pulling on my jeans, I grab a thermal from the basket of clean laundry in the corner of the closet—clean laundry Gia washed and folded when I was working late one night. She’s always doing stuff like that, cleaning, doing laundry, and cooking, no matter how many times I tell her she doesn’t need to. Once I’m dressed, I head downstairs to the living room. Loki looks up when he hears me, but he doesn’t move from his spot. He won’t get up until Gia opens her door, and then he’ll only get up to follow her all over the place.
“Loki, you big lug. One day, you’re going to kill me,” I hear Gia say, and turn just in time to watch her bend at the waist to pet Loki, who is now up on all fours with the side of his head pressed into her stomach.
“You should just let him sleep with you,” I tell her as she comes into the kitchen, with Loki following. Like I said, my dog loves her.
“I would, but the bed’s not exactly big,” she points out, grabbing a mug and pouring herself a cup of coffee.
“True, but he could sleep on the floor. Just drag his bed in there.”
“You wouldn’t mind that?” she asks, and I frown, leaning bac
k against the counter with my own cup.
“Why would I mind?”
“I don’t know; he’s your dog. He doesn’t sleep upstairs with you in your room?”
“He’s not in love with me, Dimples,” I insert, and her eyes drop to Loki, who’s sitting at her side and leaning into her.
“If you don’t mind, I’ll start doing that. I always feel bad when I go to bed and he gives me his sad puppy face as I shut the door,” she says, rubbing Loki’s head as she speaks.
“You sleep okay?” I question, taking a sip while studying her. She looks tired but still beautiful, with her hair tied back away from her clean face, a long-sleeved top, this one dark peach, that looks good against her complexion. The scooped neck shows off some cleavage, but just a hint. She also has on jeans, these black and tight.
“Yeah, like a baby, actually.” She leans back against the counter opposite me. “Are you sure you want to come with me today? I know that yesterday was a long day and—”
“I told you already I’m coming,” I cut her off. “And Tide is going to meet us there with his truck after they let us in, so we can load it up with anything you want to keep and put it in the garage.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Are you hungry?” she asks, pulling down a bowl that I know she will fill with Golden Grahams, something she eats all the time.
“No, I’m good,” I mutter, and she shrugs like “your loss” before making herself a bowl of cereal and climbing onto one of the barstools. Knowing I can’t watch her eat, because it’s just one more form of torture—yes, even the way she eats cereal turns me on—I head for the door, saying, “Loki, come.”
“I’ll be out when I’m finished.”
“Take your time.” I leave, grabbing my coat and taking my coffee with me out the door. Snow fell overnight, not a lot, but enough to cover the ground and Gia’s Jeep. Going to the garage, I punch in the code then grab one of the snow removal brushes out of the barrel in the corner, to clean off her windows. Once I have that done, I rearrange a few things in the garage so she can park inside from now on, and then go about finding the spare door opener for her.
“It snowed,” Gia observes, coming around the corner through the open garage door right as I locate the second opener. “I didn’t think it would ever snow. It hasn’t since I’ve been here even though it’s been cold enough a few times.”
“When it snows, it’s normally not much, but we do get it from time to time. Do you like snow?”
“This?” She waves her hand toward the open door. “I can totally handle this much snow.” She smiles. “I used to hate winter in Chicago, because all it did was snow and snow and snow. Me and Nat had to clean our own driveway and the sidewalk in front of our house, even though we were renting. It was a big driveway, and Nat is smaller than me, so it sucked. Sometimes it would take us all day to get it cleaned up,” she finishes, looking out the door, then her eyes come back to me filled with softness. “You cleaned off my car.”
“Catch.” I toss her the extra door opener and she catches it. “From now on, park in the garage. That way you don’t have to worry if it snows.”
“You really are too good to me,” she says softly, getting closer. “I will never be able to repay you for everything you have done.” She reaches out, resting her hand on my bicep, that small touch skimming through me causing my blood to heat.
“Like I told you before, I don’t mind.”
“Still, thank you. I don’t know what I would do without you.” She squeezes, and my hand balls into a fist to keep myself from wrapping it in her hair and kissing her. Her eyes flare like she knows what I’m thinking, and her hand drops away.
“I’m ready to go. Are… are you ready, or…?” she stutters out looking away from me.
“I’m ready.” Her eyes come back to me. “Go get in your Jeep,” I urge, and she licks her lips, not moving except to drop her eyes to my mouth.
“You’re making it really fucking hard not to kiss you, Gia,” I tell her honestly, and her eyes shoot up to mine.
“We can’t,” she whispers, unmoving. “With us living together, that wouldn’t be smart.”
“You’re probably right,” I reply, seeing disappointment in her eyes when I agree with her. Fuck, why did I agree with her? “Go get in your Jeep and pull out so I can do the same.”
“Right.” She shakes her head before spinning on her heels and heading for her Jeep. Getting in, she starts it up then backs out, and I get in my SUV and do the same, then hit the remote for the garage, closing the door.
Following her down the driveway and then through town, I wonder why the fuck I didn’t kiss her. I could have; she wanted me to. I could see it in her eyes that she wanted it, but I didn’t pull the trigger.
“Idiot,” I tell the windshield, as I pull in and park next to her at her grandmother’s. Getting out, I meet her at the hood of her Jeep, but she doesn’t acknowledge me. Her eyes are glued to the house.
The place looks bad, but it could be worse. Half the roof is gone, the yellow siding melted and stained with black soot, with broken out windows on the side and front of the house where the kitchen was, and “Caution” tape is stretched across the front door. “I’ll call Dad when this is over and have him bring down some tarps and wood from his place. He and Tide can help me cover the roof and board up the place while you’re visiting your grandma. That way, if it snows again, it will be protected.”
“I didn’t realize it was so bad,” she whispers, and I reach out, taking her hand after hearing pain in her voice. “We were in there.”
My stomach muscles bunch. I don’t need the reminder that she was in there when it was on fire, or that she had to drag her grandmother’s limp body outside, passing out herself after getting them help. When Mom called to tell me what happened, I couldn’t get to the hospital fast enough. I needed to see for myself that she was alive and breathing.
“You two are safe.” I turn her toward me and wrap my arms around her. “That’s all that matters.”
Hearing a car, I look over her head, feeling my muscles bunch for a different reason when I see Lisa drive by, her narrowed eyes on us. She’s come by the bar a few times since our last encounter, the one when she told me about stopping Gia when she was out with her grandmother. I couldn’t believe she’d done that. Then again, she’d been doing shit like that since we were fifteen, scaring chicks off, even if they were only friends. I used to think it was cute when she got jealous, but now it’s just fucking annoying. Especially since I want not one goddamn thing to do with her.
I give Gia one more squeeze before I let her go then take her hand and pull her toward the sidewalk, when I see the fire chief pull up in front of the yard and another car park behind him.
“Colton,” Chad, the fire chief, greets as he walks toward us with a clipboard in his hand. I’ve known Chad and his wife most of my life. His wife is a dispatcher for the police station, and they both come in once a week, if not more to kick back and have a beer at the bar.
“How’s it going?” I stick my hand out toward him and he shakes it once firmly.
“All right,” he says, then he looks at Gia who’s standing at my side. “Miss Caro.”
“Hi.” Gia gives his hand a shake then looks over his shoulder when the officer walks up carrying a roll of yellow tape. This one says “Crime Scene,” unlike the tape already across the door with “Caution” stamped on it.
“Nick,” Chad starts, turning toward the man and shaking his hand when he’s close. “Colton, Gia, this is Detective Nick Preston,” he introduces.
“Nice to meet you,” he says, shaking both our hands.
“Nick’s here because of the things I need to discuss with you,” Chad explains, looking at Gia, and my body goes on alert. “We found evidence that the fire was not an accident.”
“What?” Gia whispers, her body rocking back a step.
“The fire spread quickly, from the stove, ac
ross the floor, to the back door. We thought there might have been an accelerant used, but didn’t know for sure until the chemical test I got back yesterday confirmed our suspicions.”
“Are you saying it was arson?” I ask, just to make sure I’m hearing him correctly.
“That’s what I’m saying,” he verifies, looking at me.
“But… Grandma, she was there in the kitchen. I found her in the kitchen, on the floor. The stove was on fire,” Gia whispers.
“We understand that, and we also know she has dementia. We did a search, and we couldn’t find the container carrying the accelerant, which leads us to believe that whoever used it took it with them when they left.”
“Someone was in the house?” Gia asks with fear in her voice. “Did they… Did they hurt my grandmother? Is that—”
“We’re still investigating,” Nick cuts her off. “We know from talking to the neighbors that no one saw anything. They didn’t even know the house was on fire until they heard the fire trucks and ambulance. I’ve been to see your grandmother at the hospital, but as you know she’s in no state to make a statement,” Nick continues, and I feel Gia stiffen at my side. Her grandmother hasn’t spoken or even called Gia by her mother’s name, and I know that is worrying her more than anything else.
“So what needs to be done?” I question, and Chad’s face changes in a way that makes me brace.
“I’d like Gia to take a polygraph to clear her name,” Nick says, and my back gets straight.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I bark. “She could have died dragging her grandmother out of that”—I shoot my finger over my shoulder—“goddamn house. She didn’t fucking start the fire.”