Текст книги "Hearts of Blue"

Автор книги: L. H. Cosway

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Текущая страница: 5 (всего у книги 21 страниц)

God, he was such a smart-arse.

I shook my head. “Let’s talk about you. When did you leave school?”

“Around the same time Mum passed. Didn’t have time for schooling after that. Stu stopped going around that time, too. I kept Liam and Trev in until they turned eighteen, though.”

I had to admit, I was surprised by that, and it obviously showed on my face, because Lee went on, “I live for my family, Snap. I’d do anything for them.”

“So much so that you had them join the family business instead of sending them to Uni?”

Now he frowned. “I gave them a choice. Working at the garage was the one they picked.”

“You know, I saw Trevor free-running the other day. He’s really talented.” I left out the part that I’d seen him, too, because I knew it’d please him to discover I’d been spying.

“I know what he’s capable of. Your point?”

“He could be doing other things.”

“Fixing cars is hardly gutter work,” said Lee, and strangely, the more hostile he grew, the closer he got to me. I was growing incensed, too, as I dug my fingers into my palms. We were talking about Trevor, but maybe deep down I was really talking about him. Because he was just as talented, channelling all his energy in the wrong direction.

“I think we both know that fixing cars isn’t all you and your brothers do.”

Lee eyes turned fierce, and I got a fright at the intensity in them. “Nah, we don’t know that. In fact, you don’t know anything.”

“I know enough.”

Lee dragged his hand through his hair and surprised me when he rose swiftly from the couch, pacing back and forth. “Don’t come into my fucking house and judge me.”

I shot him a look like he was on crazy pills. “Um, if you recall, I never asked to come here. You invited me.”

“And you could give me a little respect by leaving your cop hat at the door.”

“I’m not wearing my cop hat. I’m just being myself,” I retorted, standing to face him. “You see, you think you like me, but you don’t. Not really. This is me, and look at you – you hate it.”

I had to tilt my head back to meet his gaze. His chest was rising and falling with his temper, and all of a sudden my skin felt too tight. Electricity pulsed between us like a living, breathing thing. Tingles radiated down my spine, his laboured breaths somehow reminding me of sex. I found myself staring at his lips, and he caught me looking. The tension between us grew thicker. He circled me like I was prey, and when he spoke, he was practically growling. I felt it right in the pit of my stomach.

“I don’t hate anything about you, Karla.”

The words had barely left his mouth when he reached out and grabbed me by the neck to pull me forward. He bent down and rested his forehead on mine, our breaths mingling.

Only a second passed before his lips sought my lips, gently at first, a light nip of exploration. I whimpered, and the sound did something to him, because a second later he crushed his mouth to mine and I trembled under his assault.

A pleasured noise rose from my throat. I felt crazed. My hands gripped his neck, feeling the corded muscles and warm skin. His tongue dipped inside, slick and wet. A second later he lifted me up, fitting my thighs around his waist and carrying me to the couch. He sat with me astride him, his hands wandering from my neck, down my shoulders and hips until he reached my thighs.

I felt so fevered right then that I barely had time to think, to step outside the moment and see the gigantic mistake I was making. As soon as Lee’s hands wandered around to palm my arse, I was gone, lost to sensation. I felt owned, claimed by his hands and mouth. He pulled back slightly, drawing my lower lip between his teeth and biting down hard. I fisted his T-shirt, muttering a feverish “please” into his mouth before we were kissing again. He broke away just long enough to whisper back, “Tell me what you need, baby.”

He squeezed my arse, and I jumped in fright when one finger slid between my cheeks, teasing me over the fabric of my pants. It felt shockingly good, forbidden, which was enough to jolt me out of my moment of weakness. I swore and climbed off him, then strode to the other side of the room. I was panting, and I knew my face must have been as red as a stop sign. Lifting a finger, I pointed between him, me, and the couch.

“This never happened.”

Lee smirked, his lips slightly redder than before. I felt a deep sense of embarrassment at how hungrily I’d attacked his mouth. I knew he’d been the one to initiate things, but I’d been a more than willing participant.

“Which part, babe?”

“Every part. And stop ‘babe-ing’ me. I’m not your babe.”

“A second ago you felt like you were,” Lee murmured darkly before moving across the room. My back hit the wall when his chest met my chest. Then his mouth was at my ear. “You wanted it,” he whispered.

I was staring at the hardwood floor, my fluster getting the better of me when I replied shyly, “I just don’t get how that’s your first port of call.”

His eyes searched mine for a second, his brows furrowing, and then he burst out laughing. His hands cupped my cheeks before he pulled me into a hug. “God, you’re cute.”

 In spite of myself, I sank into his hold. He took a deep breath, like he was smelling me, and there was something about it that made my stomach do a flip-flop. The whole situation was just ridiculous. And I was drunk. Yes, that’s why I was bringing up anal play like a flippin’ weirdo. Levelling my hands on his chest, I pushed him back and stepped away to put some distance between us.

“Look, you can quit the nice-guy act. It’s fooling no one.”

He regarded me tenderly. The affection in his voice was making me feel things I didn’t want to feel. “There’s no act.”

 “You, me…us, it would never work, you know that, right?”

“Not sure I agree.”

“Yeah, well, you’re not the one with a reputation to uphold.”

“Oh, really? What do you think my boys would say if they knew I was sleeping with a cop?”

I cocked my head and put a hand on my hip. “I don’t know, Lee. According to you, they wouldn’t have a reason to say anything.”

He stared at me for a long hard moment, not speaking, the stoniness in his eyes giving me chills. I felt like our conversation had come full circle, rounding back to the argument we’d been having before he kissed me. Thankfully, the tension was broken when the door opened and Alexis stepped inside. Her hair was wild and her makeup smudged. In fact, she was still putting her clothes back to rights and looked like she was fleeing the scene of a crime.

“Lee, can you give us a lift home?” she asked in a rush.

He shot her a perplexed expression. “Sure.”

I frowned and shook my head at him. “Don’t put yourself out. We’ll get a cab.”

“We don’t have time to call for a cab. We need to leave now,” Alexis insisted.

“Why?”

I didn’t have to wait for an answer, because Stu stormed into the room.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” he demanded.

He wasn’t wearing a top, and the fly of his jeans was still open, which meant I was copping quite the eyeful. Stu was ripped, and honestly, I totally got why Alexis sought him out for company. I mean, if you were going to have meaningless sex, you might as well do it right. I tried to keep my eyes fixed at twelve o’clock, rather than veering toward six. Okay, so maybe I took a quick peek at five. Oh, who was I kidding? My gaze was headed straight for six, and I didn’t even feel guilty about it.

Hello.

Aaand, back to the matter at hand. Judging from the angry look on Stu’s face, I thought that maybe he wasn’t as great at keeping his emotions out of his sex life as Lee said he was.

“I told you this was just sex,” Alexis muttered, her slumped posture showing me she was disappointed in herself.

“But why? That prick left you, Lex. I’m here. I want you. Give us another chance.”

Oh, wow. I never thought I’d see the day that Stu Cross showed his emotional side.

“You don’t get it,” she replied, turning away. Stu reached out and grabbed her shoulder.

“What don’t I get?”

“Hey, don’t be rough with her like that, she’s….” I stopped myself right before I finished the sentence. It didn’t matter anyway, because a second later Alexis let the cat out of the bag.

“I’m knocked up, okay? And before you ask, no, the baby isn’t yours. Now will you just let me leave?”

Stu stared at her, frozen in place. Alexis turned and walked out the door. Lee shot his brother a stern look that told him not to follow her. Then he touched his hand softly to my lower back and led me out of the house. A minute later, both Alexis and I were in the back seat of his car as he drove us home. It was quiet until Lee announced sarcastically.

“Well, Clarky, that’s some stunt you just pulled. You should be real proud of yourself.”

“Don’t talk to her like that,” I warned him.

His eyes caught mine in the overhead mirror, and I was the first to turn away. I couldn’t look at him right then, not when I could still taste him in my mouth, still feel his hands on my body. What had happened lingered between us, heavy and unspoken.

“No, Karla. He’s right. What I just did to Stu was shitty. And I’m not proud of myself, not at all.”

“I’ll tell him you said that,” Lee responded, looking slightly appeased.

“I thought you said that Stu was emotionally uninvolved when it comes to women,” I said. “He didn’t seem that way tonight.”

Alexis pulled a face. “Oh, my God, Lee, you corny bastard. I didn’t know you were dealing in clichés now.”

He suppressed a smirk. “What? It’s the truth, though he’s always had a soft spot for you. Maybe you’ll be the one he finally decides to turn over a new leaf for.”

“Yeah, because I’m such a special snowflake. That shit only happens in rom-coms, and my shit stinks the same as everybody else’s.”

“Ugh, you had to go and make it gross,” I complained.

“Hey, you’d better get used to it. I’m going to be a single mother, and I’ve decided you’ll be godmother. That means lots and lots of nappy changes.”

Even though we were joking around, what she said made me emotional, and my voice got a little scratchy. “You want me to be godmother, seriously?”

“Who the hell else would I ask?! Of course I do.”

I reached over and grabbed her hand, forgetting for a second that Lee was in the car with us. “You know that means a lot to me, right? I’ll never take it for granted.”

We shared a meaningful look, and I squeezed her hand before letting go. The car fell silent, and when I looked up, I found Lee watching me again. I swallowed and glanced away, staring intently out the window. A few minutes later, we’d reached my and Lexie’s building. She got out first and hurried toward the door entry system. I hovered, looking back to Lee. There was something about his expression that made me think he wanted to say something, but he didn’t. Instead, he shot me a sober nod and restarted the engine.

“See you around, Snap,” he said right before he pulled away from the kerb.

I stood on the path, watching his black car disappear into the black night and worrying about how my life was changing, all because he was in it.

Five

“Oi, Burrows, where’d ya get the shiner?” Tony called after Steve, who’d just stepped inside the break room. Steve flicked his attention to Tony, a face like thunder and a black eye to boot.

“Your missus wanted to try something a little different in the sack,” he sneered, and Tony bristled. My workmate wasn’t an easy man to rile, but what Steve had said got his back up. He went silent, and believe me, since he was normally a happy, chatty sort of bloke, Tony was at his scariest when he was quiet. Steve gave him a snide look before going to sit on the other side of the room from us.

“Don’t listen to her – she’s just crabby because she got into another catfight. Handbags at dawn, it was,” I said, grinning at my friend. “She needs to learn how to act like a lady.”

Tony let out a loud laugh, and Steve scowled. He kept quiet, though, which was out of character. Normally, the man had a mouth on him that Niagara Falls couldn’t shut up. This niggled at me, because if Steve had gotten into a fight on the job, he’d be bragging about it with endless talk of “you should see the other guy.” The fact he was keeping schtum was worrying, and it reminded me of Lee’s threats when we’d visited the garage. Maybe Steve tried to pay another visit, and Lee had made good on his promise.

Hmmm.

Tony and I had just finished eating, so we packed up our stuff and left Steve to sit out the rest of his break alone.

“Have you ever suspected he might be up to something dodgy?” I asked my friend once we were out of earshot.

Tony shot me a cynical look. “Is the sky blue?”

I sighed. “He needs to be dealt with.”

“You’re telling me. As soon I have even the slightest bit of evidence, I’m turning him in.”

I nodded, wondering how long it’d take Steve to slip up. A little while later, we were on the beat, walking down the high street, when I caught sight of a disturbance outside a greasy spoon.

“I’m not letting you spend time with Jonathan until you clean up your act!” a woman yelled, levelling her hands on some tall guy’s chest and pushing him away from her. A kid stood in the doorway to the café, his thumb in his mouth and tears running down his face. I’d only seen her once before, so it took me a second to recognise Lee’s cousin, Sophie. The guy she was arguing with was about her age. He was tall and thin, and, if I was being honest, sort of slimy-looking. I was guessing from the nature of the argument that he was her son’s father.

“Is everything all right here?” I asked, stepping up to them as Tony went and bent down in front of the boy. He spoke to him quietly, asking if he’d been hurt.

Sophie turned to see who was interrupting and frowned when she saw me. “You again.”

I nodded. “Is this man bothering you?”

It took her a second to answer, as she glanced between me and the man. “Yes, he is bothering me. I want him to go.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, I turned to the guy and gestured down the street. “Sir, I’ll have to ask you to leave now. You’re upsetting this young woman.”

“That’s only because she’s trying to keep my kid from me,” he spat.

“Yeah, and can you blame me when this is the kind of attitude I have to deal with?”

“Maybe if you’d quit being such a fucking bitch, I wouldn’t have an attitude.”

Tony stood and shot the man a hostile look.

He bristled, his posture stiffening, before he backed away a few steps. “This is bullshit. I’m outta here,” he said, and skulked off.

A moment passed before Sophie glanced up at me, her cheeks red with embarrassment. “Thanks for that. I promise I don’t normally go around having domestics out on the street, but David showed up unannounced and tried to take Jonathan.” She turned back to her son, who hurried to her side and buried his face behind her leg. For some reason, my eyes went to her left wrist, where she was tugging her sleeve down as far as it would go. A small bruise peeked out, and I knew she was trying to hide it.

I stepped closer and lowered my voice, speaking softly as I asked, “Has he ever tried to hurt you?”

She stared at me, unshed tears shining in her eyes, and I knew the answer was yes. She didn’t say anything, and a moment later she sucked in a deep breath. “We should get going.”

I stepped in front of her, blocking her exit. “I can help you, you know. All you have to do is file a report. We can have a barring order put in place so that he can’t approach you or your son.”

She shook her head. “No, I don’t want to do that. Come on, honey, let’s go.” She took hold of Jonathan’s hand and walked away. I let out a breath, my eyes meeting Tony’s. We both knew there wasn’t much we could do if she wasn’t willing to cooperate.

For the rest of the day, my encounter with Sophie was stuck in my head. I wondered if Lee had any idea what was going on between her and this David character. I couldn’t imagine he did, judging by how fiercely he told me he’d do anything for his family. I doubted David would’ve gotten within ten feet of Sophie if Lee had known.

I was so preoccupied by these thoughts that I almost forgot I’d organised a girls night for Alexis. I’d invited Reya over, and Alexis’ friend, Bradley, who was an honorary girl. We were going to watch chick flicks, order pizza, and, well, try to make her feel better about being pregnant. She thought she was alone, but she really wasn’t. I planned to be by her side through all of it, but I was worried about her falling deeper into depression. It wouldn’t be good for her or the baby.

Everyone was already at the flat when I arrived, so I said some quick hellos and went to take a shower. I always liked to wash after a shift; it was almost a compulsion. Somehow the water felt like it cleaned away all the crap I’d seen that day, leaving me fresh and new.

Alexis was scribbling down a list of everyone’s pizza orders when I came out, my hair in a towel and wearing a pair of clean pyjamas.

“Can I have a meat-lover’s pizza, chicken tenders, potato wedges, and some coleslaw?” said Reya. “Oh, and a diet Coke.”

I couldn’t help teasing her. “Yeah, because that’ll undo all the damage.”

“Hey! I actually prefer diet,” she argued, and Bradley chuckled.

“Can’t get enough of that sexy chemical taste, huh?”

I laughed and leaned forward to give him a high-five.

“You two, stop ganging up on little Reya,” Alexis butted in, throwing her a sympathetic look. “Don’t mind them. They’re a pair of bullies.”

I found it funny how Alexis called Reya little, since she was more woman than us two put together. I guessed we considered her little because she was six or seven years younger than all of us. I didn’t know her exact heritage, but I thought I remembered her telling me once that her parents were Spanish, which was where she must’ve gotten her dark looks from. She was actually quite statuesque, with skin the colour of honey and curves that went on forever. I mean, Alexis did plus-size modelling, but she had nothing on Reya.

Once the food was ordered, Bradley hit play on the DVD. We were watching a movie called He’s Just Not That Into You. Needless to say, I hadn’t been a part of the selection process. The title was so fucking condescending it kind of made me want to hurt someone. Thankfully, it didn’t take long for our food to arrive, distracting me from my daydreams of grievous bodily harm.

It was later on, while Bradley and Reya were chatting in the living room, that I managed to corner Alexis in the kitchen. I knew she was going to give me endless amount of stick for this, but I had to put my pride aside for a minute. I just didn’t have it in me to ignore the fact that Lee’s cousin was being hounded by her ex. If he’d been violent with her in the past, then I had to do something to prevent it from happening again.

“Do you have Lee’s number?” I asked quietly as I washed dishes and she dried.

She gave me a shrewd look. “Maybe I do. And why, pray tell, are you looking for it?”

“It’s complicated. But I assure you, I have no romantic designs on him whatsoever, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“I dunno, you’d make a good cougar.” She smirked. “They’d call you ‘racy red’.”

“Shut your face,” I whisper-hissed, trying not to laugh. “I’m way too young to be a cougar. And he’s way too old to be my boy toy. If I was going to go down that route, the guy would have to be in his, like, late teens or something.” Good grief, I was rambling.

Alexis full-on chuckled. “Ooooh, I didn’t know you were into the barely legal scene, Constable.”

I grew impatient. “Do you have his number or not?”

She sighed. “Yes, I have it. And just so you know, if you were thinking of hitting that, I’d be in no position to judge, especially after the shit I pulled with Stu the other night. However, being in your line of work, it’s probably not the best idea.” Her brows rose meaningfully on the none-too-subtle hint.

“It’s a good thing I have no intentions of hitting anything,” I said, drying my hands and returning to the living area.

“Well, you’ve got to hit something every once in a while,” she called after me.

I turned back around long enough to give her an Italian chin flick that said something along the lines of, “piss off.”

***

For the next couple of days, Lee’s number burned a hole in my pocket. Alexis had given it to me and I’d programmed it into my phone, but I was hesitant to call him. Depending on the person you were talking to, a phone call could be kind of intimate, and I knew for a fact it’d be that way with Lee. He had this way of making me feel strange and tingly, and I couldn’t deny he had a sexy voice. It was all deep and rough around the edges.

Anyhow, I was working the late shift, or the early morning one, depending on how you wanted to look at it. Keira and I were driving through town, keeping an eye on things. Sometimes it felt like I could wax lyrical about Camden at 2 a.m. on a Saturday. Litter covered the streets, blowing back and forth like waves in the ocean. People fell over drunk, scrambling for a connection they weren’t brave enough to seek sober.

Okay, so maybe not so lyrical.

The radio went off with a request from dispatch for us to go check out a violent disturbance outside a nightclub just a few minutes away. Keira hit the sirens, and within seconds we were on our way. When we got there, we found three men involved in a scuffle, two of whom were beating the crap out of the third. He lay on the ground, crouched in the foetal position as the other two laid into him. I didn’t hesitate to pull out my Taser, and the threat of incapacitation was enough to get them to back off. Before long, we had the attackers cuffed and sitting in the back seat of the patrol car, ready to take down to the station, while the bloke they’d beaten was being carted off in an ambulance.

I was exhausted beyond belief by the time I got home, dropping my keys on the coffee table and flopping down onto the couch. I could hear Alexis snoring lightly in her room as I closed my eyes and let out a weary sigh. I wanted to go to bed, but Lee’s number was still calling to me. I couldn’t sleep soundly until I’d let him know that his cousin might be in trouble.

Dialling his number, I waited tensely for him to pick up. It rang for so long that I began to wonder if he was going to answer. Then, just as I was about to hit “end,” his voice filled my ear, tired and sexy.

“Whoever this is, it better be important that you’re calling me at….” He paused, and I thought he must have been checking the time. “Five-ten on a Saturday morning.”

I cleared my throat. “Hi, uh, this is Karla. Alexis gave me your number.”

“Snap?” Lee asked, sounding surprised.

“Yes, I’m, eh, sorry for calling you so early. I wasn’t thinking. The late shift does weird things to my brain.”

There was a smile in his voice when he responded low, “You can call me whenever. Excuse the tone, thought you were Liam or Trevor looking for a lift home or something.”

“A lift home at five in the morning?”

“The young’uns like to party hard.”

I laughed involuntarily. “Oh, and what are you now, an old dog?”

“I’ve definitely got some city miles going on.”

I laughed, again. Man, he was charming even when he’d been woken up at an ungodly hour. “Pfft, you have zero city miles, and we both know it,” I blurted before I had a chance to think it through.

“Oh, yeah? You been checking out my miles?” he asked flirtatiously, and I heard the sound of sheets rustling. That reminded me he was more than likely in bed. I did not need to be visualising that.

I bet he sleeps naked, the dirty side of my mind mused, causing a tiny shiver to trickle down my spine.

“Anyway, I called you for a reason.”

He sounded amused. “My apologies. Go ahead.”

More rustling of sheets. God grief, what was he doing over there?

“Could you stop moving around for a second? The noise is distracting me.”

Lee let out a deep, raspy chuckle, and I swear it did me in. I found myself reaching for my shirt collar and undoing several buttons, feeling hotter by the second.

“Mm-hmm, easily distracted, are we?” His voice was pure sex, and I just knew that he was bare-arse nekkid. Nobody spoke like that when they were clothed.

I swallowed and tried to summon a steady tone. “Quit it with that voice.”

“What voice?”

“The distracting one,” I practically shouted and heard a gap in Alexis’ snore. It started up again a second later, and I exhaled heavily. For a second there, I thought I’d woken her up. Lee chuckled down the line, and the sound of it was so delicious that I felt it in my long-neglected lady parts.

“Again, I apologise. Now go on – tell me what’s on your mind, baby.”

I let the “baby” slide, because honestly, we’d be on the phone all night (or morning) if I didn’t get on with it. “Okay, so, the other day while I was working, I bumped into your cousin, Sophie. She had her little boy with her and his dad was there. They were arguing. I wouldn’t normally stick my nose in like this, but I think he’s been hitting her. When I asked if she wanted to report it, she brushed me off. I just thought you should know.”

Lee went deathly quiet on the other end of the line, and I could almost sense the anger radiating off him. A long moment passed before he spoke. “This was David, yeah? Tall skinny prick, hair like he dipped it in a deep fat fryer?”

“That’s the one.”

“They split up months ago. Sophie never mentioned he was back on the scene.”

“Well, from what I saw, he is.”

Lee let out a slow breath. “Thanks for the heads-up. I’ll make sure he stays away from her.”

“Good,” I said, and a silence fell. I should have hung up then, but something prevented me. I didn’t want to end the call, because as much as I hated to admit it, I was a tiny bit addicted to interacting with him.

“Is that all you wanted to say?” Lee asked, his voice quiet, almost a whisper. I could imagine him inside me, talking to me like that, like I was the centre of his world.

“Um, yes. I mean, no.” I paused for a second before continuing, “Do you remember Steve? The guy who came with me to your garage the other week?”

“Hard to forget a prick like that.”

“Mm-hmm, you wouldn’t happen to know anything about the black eye he’s been sporting?”

“Nope.”

“Oh, well, I just thought I’d ask.”

Lee moved again, like he was trying to get into a comfortable position.

“You sound tired,” he commented.

“I am. I told you I was working tonight. Well, last night and this morning.”

“So what’ll you do today, just sleep and hang out?”

“Pretty much. Maybe head to the gym later.”

“I could come over and cook for you. A working woman should have a man to take care of her needs.”

I could just imagine his cheeky grin. And honestly, that sounded good, too good. I had to laugh at his brazenness. “Never took you for a feminist.”

“Oh, but I am. In fact, I think they should bring in a new law that says all women should receive several orgasms a week. I’d be more than happy to support that,” he said, and against my own will, I chuckled.

“I’m sure you would be.”

“Yep. Hey, did you know they had these doctors back in the day who women visited to be treated for hysteria? The doctor literally jilled them off to relieve the tension, then sent them home happy as clams. Excuse the pun. Saw that shit on a documentary.”

I laughed loudly, unable to help it. “You’re crazy.”

“God’s honest truth. Google it if you don’t believe me. So, you gonna let me come over?” Lee purred.

“I don’t think so.”

“Aw, but I was going to bring my baked cheesecake. You haven’t lived until you’ve tried my baked cheesecake.”

I had to admit, I found it hilarious to imagine Lee baking, tattooed ne’er-do-well that he was. I shouldn’t have indulged him, but I couldn’t seem to help it. “What flavour cheesecake?”

His voice dipped low. “Whatever flavour gets you to say yes.”

“You’re such a flirt.”

He chuckled, and I got up from the couch, heading for my bedroom. “I’d better go. It’s been a long night.”

“Don’t go yet.”

I was yawning as I replied, “I have to. Otherwise, I’ll fall asleep while we’re talking.”

“I don’t mind. Stay on the line.”

I closed the door to my room. “Okay, well, I’m going to put you on speaker for a minute because I have to change out of my uniform.”

I heard him groan just as I hit “speaker” and placed the phone on my bedside dresser. “Forget talking on the phone. I should come over.”

I laughed. “Nice try.”

“No joke. I can be there in fifteen minutes, maybe less.”

“You’re incorrigible.”

“Oh, that’s fightin’ talk. Where’d you learn those fancy words, Constable?”

“Lee, you’re flirting again. Quit it or I’ll hang up.”

“Okay, no need for drastic measures. I’ll behave.”

A quiet fell as I pulled off my shirt and tie, then unbuckled my belt.

“So, are you naked yet?”

I huffed a breath. “I thought you just said you were going to behave.”

“I will, but at least give me something. I’m trying to visualise here.”

A second later my trousers were off, and I threw all my clothes in the laundry basket. I was too tired for my usual shower, so I just put on an old T-shirt and climbed into bed. “Sorry to burst your bubble, but nothing even remotely sexy is happening over here. I’ve been working for the past ten hours, and I stink. Go put that in your spank bank.”

Lee groaned again. “You can’t say ‘spank bank,’ Snap. It’ll give me ideas.”

“Don’t you dare,” I warned him.

His laugh was devilish. “For all you know, I could’ve been rubbing one out this whole time.”

“For all you know, so could I,” I countered.

“Fucking hell. Okay, you win that round.” He swore and moved away from the phone for a second. I thought I heard him scratching his stubble while muttering “Jesus Christ” under his breath.

I tried my best to change the subject. “So, have you got any plans for the day?”

“Other than coming over to yours?” he asked confidently. When I left him in stony silence, he added, “Kidding, kidding. No big plans. It’s a friend of mine’s birthday tonight, so I’ll have to show my face.”

“Oh, well, I hope you have a good time,” I said sleepily as I snuggled into my pillow and we were both quiet for a minute. I could hear him breathing on the other end of the line, so I knew he was still there.

“You nearly gone?” Lee asked softly. For a moment it felt like he was there beside me, whispering in my ear.