Meagan’s smile faded as she bit down on her lip and looked away. “Um, I have to stop by my office. Maybe another day?”
I had no idea why she kept me at arm’s length all the time, but today I was bound and determined to show her exactly how I felt about her. After all, the chase would be worth it in the end.
“I’ll swing you by work. Do what you have to do and then you’re mine for the rest of the day.”
With a smirk, Meagan asked, “As friends?”
I held up my hands and nodded. “Friends.”
Meagan stood there and watched me intently before sighing. “Fine. I’ll spend the day with you, but I seriously doubt you can stay in the friend zone.”
“Is that a challenge, Ms. Atwood?”
With a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders, Meagan gathered up her things and looked at me. “I call it like I see it, Mr. Bennett.”
Ah hell. This is going to be a fun day.
Meagan
GRAYSON GAVE ME that damn sexy smile of his as he motioned for me to start walking across the street. “I’m parked in the lot around the corner.”
My heart fluttered at the revelation he knew exactly where I would be this morning. Then again, he was a cop. Finding people was his job.
Risking a peek over my shoulder, I took him in again.
Good lord.
No one should look that good in a pair of damn khaki pants. Of course, with the blue button down shirt tucked into his pants it really showed how fit he was. Then there was the badge hanging from his belt.
Did the Earth just spin faster or something? Fuck.
Grayson walked to the passenger side of his silver Toyota Tundra. Opening the door, he motioned for me to get in. Normally he would take my hand or my elbow and help me in. I looked at him for a second before realizing what he was doing. With a smile, I handed him my stuff. “Will you hold this please?” I asked as I climbed up into the truck. The black leather seats were cold, even through my jeans. I sucked in a breath. The weather outside was beautiful for it being the middle of January, but it was still pretty chilly. This winter had been mild with hardly any snow so far.
“Here’s your stuff,” Gray said as he plopped it down on my lap. Okay, so he was totally taking this whole friends thing seriously. As he shut the door, I smiled and decided if he even tried to make a play on me I would totally cut it off.
Oh yeah. I have this one in the bag.
Grayson headed toward where I worked as he made small talk.
“So how are things going with work?”
“Good I guess. I have one kid who I’m really worried about.”
Even I could hear the worry in my voice. Mitchell was a smart kid and had everything going for him. Unfortunately, he had become the subject of bullying. It was tearing him apart.
“What’s going on with him?”
With a frustrated sigh, I shook my head. “He’s had some bullying going on. They don’t do it to him at school very often, mostly online.”
“Really? Who’s doing it?”
“Another teammate. He plays football and just got accepted to Stanford to play.”
I could see Grayson look over at me. “That’s amazing. Why in the hell is someone bullying him?”
With a shrug, I looked at him while he was sitting at a red light. “Why does anyone bully?”
A look of compassion moved across Grayson’s face. My heart melted a bit with that small gesture from him. “That’s true. Hurt people tend to hurt other people.”
“Yeah,” I barely said as I looked away.
Grayson pulled into the parking lot of Helping Hands and parked as I quickly opened the truck door and jumped out. Rounding the front of his truck, Grayson winked and laughed. “I promise not to treat any part of today like a date, but I am still a gentleman, Meg. Getting the door for you doesn’t mean I want in your panties.”
With a tilt of my head, I decided to test Mr. Bennett. “You don’t want in my panties, Gray?”
Without so much as a flinch, Grayson shook his head. “Nope.”
Huh. He’s holding out strong. Impressive.
Grayson pulled the door open and motioned for me to lead the way. Jennifer, the receptionist, was sitting at the desk with a bright smile. The moment she saw Grayson her mouth dropped open.
“Hey . . . um . . . Meg.”
Jennifer worked part time for us. Three days a week and Saturdays. She brought such a lightness to the office with her amazing sense of humor. Something we needed now and then with the type of work we did. “Hey, Jennifer. This is my friend, Grayson.”
I couldn’t believe how fast she jumped up and reached her hand out for Grayson’s. “Hi there,” she said with a purr.
Turning back to me, she asked, “Friend?”
My eyes darted between Grayson and Jennifer. “Yep. Just friends.”
That was her signal to flirt mindlessly with him. “Well hello there, handsome. Please tell me you’re single.”
Grayson laughed as he took Jennifer in. She was about five-six with flaming red hair. She gave me hell for two weeks when I dyed my auburn hair brown, along with my father who questioned why I wasn’t happy with my original color. I loved my new color though and planned on keeping it.
“I am single. Yes.”
The growl that came from Jennifer caused me to look back at her as I made my way to my office. “The things I could do to you.”
With a chuckle, Grayson headed down the hall. “Behave, Jennifer, or I’ll have to put the handcuffs on you.”
I rolled my eyes and made a gagging face as I unlocked the door to my office and headed in. Grayson followed me in and sat in a chair as I fumbled with my jacket. I looked through a few files, looking for Mitchell’s, as Grayson sat there watching my every move.
Finding the file, I sighed as I sat down and opened it. I flipped through the paperwork as I read over my notes from yesterday when I met with Mitchell.
“Grayson, would you mind if I made a phone call? I won’t be long.”
With a slap of his hands on his legs, Grayson stood up. “Sure. I’ll go flirt with Jennifer.”
He was out the door before I even had a chance to protest.
With a shake of my head, I typed in Mitchell’s number.
“Hey, it’s my shrink!”
I smiled as I pulled up Facebook. “How are you doing today?”
“Personal phone calls, wow, Ms. A, do you have a thing for me?”
This kid reminded me of someone.
Jennifer laughed as my eyes traveled to my office door.
“Very funny, Mitchell. Did you still want to meet today?”
“Nah, I think I’m good. I think we can wait and meet this Wednesday.”
I heard a lightness in his voice. “Did you ask her out?” I asked, hoping he would say yes.
“I did. She said yes.”
With a smile, I did a fist pump. Mitchell had been a star quarterback at his previous high school. He moved to Durango a few months back and obviously his instant popularity threw a few of his teammates off. What started off as innocent teasing by other players was slowly becoming something more. An observant teacher was the one who notified Mitchell’s mom which led to our weekly meetings.
“Good. Take her somewhere nice. I’ll see you Wednesday.”
“Thanks, Ms. A. Later!”
I made a quick note in Mitchell’s file, closed it and then grabbed my jacket and slipped it on before heading out of my office. As I locked the door I could hear Jennifer giggling. My stomach turned at the idea of Grayson flirting with her.
I rounded the corner and saw not only Jennifer standing in the main lobby, but my boss, Melissa was also standing there. Both were staring at Grayson with puppy dog eyes. He had them eating out of his hands.
Gag me.
“Gray, are you done here?”
Grayson looked up and smiled. “Yeah, I was showing them a video.”
I lifted my eyebrow and gave him a quizzical look. With a s
mirk, he shook his head. “It was a kitten we got out of a tree yesterday.”
My eyes widened. Here I imagined him to have this badass job where he hunted down bad guys and he was saving kittens from trees.
“Wow, your job isn’t boring,” I said.
Jennifer snapped her head up and glared at me. “I think it is sweet that they saved this kitten.”
I forced a smile. “Oh, I do too, Jennifer. Far cry from his last job.”
Grayson cleared his throat and took a step away from both women.
“Well ladies, it was nice chatting with you.”
“Bye, Detective Bennett. Be safe!” Jennifer called out as Grayson held the door open for me.
“Bye, Grayson! Come back and visit anytime!” Melissa called out.
As we walked over to his truck, Grayson stopped and opened the door for me. “They were nice.”
I didn’t say a word as I climbed into the truck. By the time he walked around the front, Melissa had run back out and handed him something. My mouth dropped open when I saw him kiss her on the cheek.
“What the fuck?” I whispered as Melissa glanced into the truck and gave me a quick wave. Somehow my hand lifted as I waved back with a stunned smile.
Grayson jumped into the truck and started it up. “What in the hell was that all about?”
Grayson shot me a confused look. “What do you mean?”
“Seriously? You’re showing them kitten videos and kissing my boss on the cheek?”
Grayson threw his head back and laughed. “She gave me a brownie. It was nice of her. Besides, she’s like the age of my grandmother. I was being polite.”
I rolled my eyes and sighed in disgust. “Whatever. And she isn’t that much older than us you jackass.”
“Are you jealous, Meg? Do you want a kiss on the cheek?”
I shot him a smirk. “Friends, remember?”
Grayson’s head pulled back. “Isn’t that where you kiss friends, on the cheek? I mean I wasn’t about to lay one on Melissa’s lips.”
“Whatever, Gray. What are we doing today anyway?”
With a chuckle, he reached down and turned the radio on. “I need to change so first stop is my place.”
My heartbeat sped up. Oh shit, alone at Grayson’s place. The things we’ve done at Grayson’s apartment. My face blushed as I thought about all the places we’ve had sex in that place. The feel of his hands moving up my skirt as we rode up the elevator after a night on the town. Grayson pushing me up against the wall in the entrance hall as he ripped my panties off because he couldn’t wait a second longer to be inside of me. Grayson slipping a condom on and—
“You okay over there?”
My head snapped over to look at him. His blue eyes commanded mine. It’s almost like he knew what I was thinking about. “Yeah, why?”
“Your face is flush.”
My eyes darted to the heater as I pointed to it. “I guess I’m just hot.”
Grayson reached over and turned the heat off. Good thing I had a light jacket on since it was still rather chilly outside and with the truck heater off now, I was surely going to get cold.
“So, where are we going after your place?” I asked, trying to change the subject quickly.
An evil smile spread across Grayson’s face. “You’ll see.”
I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest as I let out an annoyed sigh.
Grayson tittered as he placed his hand on my leg and gave it a quick squeeze before pulling it back away. My body instantly came to life. It’s getting hot in here again.
“Don’t be a baby, Meg.”
With a pout, I said, “I’m not being a baby.”
Grayson’s smile caused my heart to skip a beat. I wanted to dream of a future with him, but who was I kidding. The moment I open my heart he’ll stomp on it and move on to Claire.
I decided to stop talking as I pulled out my phone and began checking emails.
“It’s Saturday. Put your phone away.”
“I’m just checking my email.”
“Not today. It’s a technology-free zone today.”
My laugh was somewhere between a yeah right and a hell no as I continued to look at my phone.
Grayson pulled into the parking garage and whipped into his spot. He had two reserved spots for his unit. I couldn’t help but notice the light-blue BMW parked in the other spot. My heart raced as a memory popped up in my head.
I wiped the tears from my face as I quickly walked away from the two guys who had followed me out of my class. Each one had asked me to meet them later this evening. I wasn’t sure how much longer I’d be able to take this. “Come on, Meg. We heard you were the girl to go to for a good sucking.”
Glancing over my shoulder, I yelled, “Fuck you, assholes.”
“I’ll take that as you’re booked up!”
I walked as fast as I could back to my dorm as I fought like hell to keep my emotions in check. Stepping off the curb, a silver BMW pulled in front of me causing me to stop. The tinted window rolled down and Claire Watkins smiled at me.
“Having a bad day, Meg?”
“What in the hell did I ever do to you, Claire?”
Her smile dropped and was replaced with a pure evil look. “You took something that was mine. I don’t play nice when sluts take what is mine.”
My mouth dropped open as I stared at her. “You’re sick. You have a serious problem.”
“Rumor is so do you.” Her tongue pushed against her cheek as her two flunky friends laughed.
I took another step closer and leaned over, causing her to pull back from me. “Some day, Claire, karma is going to come around and I pray like hell I’m there to see it when it happens. Meanwhile, you can spread all the rumors you want, you will never break me, bitch.”
With a raised eyebrow, Claire glared at me. “We’ll see about that.”
“Meg? Earth to Meagan. What’s wrong?”
I swallowed hard as I slipped out of the door Grayson was holding open for me. “Whose car is that?”
Please don’t say Claire. Please.
“Derrick’s. He bought it for his wife for their ten-year anniversary. He’s keeping it here for a couple of days.”
Feeling silly for where my mind had taken me, I grinned. “That’s sweet of him.”
Grayson reached for my hand and laced his fingers through mine. I knew it wasn’t a second thought on his part and a part of me wanted to point out our friend status. Instead, I let the warmth from his touch move across my body.
“Yeah, he’s a good guy. They’ve been trying for a baby for a few years. He’s taking her on a ski trip in a few weeks to some romantic cabin or something. He’s hoping this will be it.”
I didn’t even know this couple and my heart broke for them. “Wow. Is everything okay with both of them?”
“Yeah, he’s thinking it’s the stress of her job and trying for a baby.”
We stopped outside the elevator as a cold breeze blew through, causing me to shudder. Grayson must have realized he was holding my hand because he dropped it. “Sorry,” he said with a wink.
Missing his touch, I gave him a silly grin. “Friends hold hands.”
The elevator opened as Grayson guided me in. I backed up against the wall as he leaned ever so close to me. My breathing began to increase as his eyes searched my face. He was going to say something when he quickly stepped back and practically stood on the other side of the elevator. Letting out the breath I didn’t even know I was holding, I wrapped my arms around my body.
This was going to be one hell of a long day.
Grayson
FOCUS. FOCUS ON anything but her.
Meg wrapped her arms around her body and I knew she was trying to push away the same feelings I was. I needed to prove to Meg I thought of her as more than just a fuck buddy, and I couldn’t do that if I told her how much her touch drove me crazy.
The door opened and Meagan practically raced out of the elevator. She walked quickly to
my door and plastered on a fake smile.
Pushing the door open, I motioned for her to go in first.
“It’s freezing in here, Gray!”
“Damn. The heater must have quit working again.”
Tossing my wallet and keys on the coffee table, I pulled my phone out and called the manager of the building. After telling her the heater was out again, I set my phone next to my keys. “I’m going to get out of these clothes I’ve been in for two days and take a quick shower if you don’t mind.”
Meagan looked at me with a confused look. “You didn’t come home last night?”
I could see the panic in her eyes. She probably thought I spent the evening with some girl.
I began unbuttoning my shirt as I made my way into the kitchen. “Derrick and I worked all night on a case.”
“What? Gray, you must be exhausted. Why in the world do you want to spend the day with me if you’ve been up all night?”
I shrugged my shoulders as I took a drink of water. “I got a few minutes of shut eye last night. Besides, I want to spend the day with you.”
The look of happiness that passed over Meagan’s face made me smile. I knew I was going to be exhausted later, but that one smile was worth the misery I would go through later this evening.
“Help yourself to anything. I’m going to jump in the shower.”
Before I walked into my bedroom, I saw a sweatshirt sitting on the sofa. I picked it up and tossed it over to Meagan. “In case you get cold.”
With a laugh, Meagan took her light jacket off and slipped the oversized sweatshirt on. My dick jumped seeing her swallowed up in it as she pulled her brown hair up and twisted it in a bun.
Turning before I jumped her, I headed to take a cold shower.
“It’s snowing!” Meagan said as we pulled out of the parking garage of my apartment building. I’d showered and quickly got ready for our day.
Perfect. I knew a cold front was blowing through and there was a chance for some snow. It’s about damn time. The last week was mild for January in Colorado.
“Well this makes the first thing on our list even better.”
Meagan glanced over and I could practically see the smile beaming off her face. If there was one thing I knew about this little Texas beauty, is that she loved snow.