Page 14 of Holding Holly
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean?—”
“Baby, it’s okay. Don’t worry about it.” He sweeps my legs up and over his to hold me closer. “New job, new town, new hours. No surprise that you’re tired.” His eyes are warm, almost glowing. Of course this mellow guy understands.
My fingers thread through the back of his hair to pull his mouth to mine, and I tremble at his low groan. Our lips part, tongues exploring, as the kiss grows deep and steamy. My breath catches when he grabs my hip firmly, turning us so that he’s lying partly on top of me.
This feels so right, this spark between us taking hold. I can’t wait to see where it leads.
It’s almost impossible to hold back a moan as his hand casually lifts my shirt to caress my side. “So soft,” he murmurs against my lips. “My sexy, sexy girl.”
His?Yes. That’s exactly what I want.
I arch my back, pressing my breasts against his hard chest as we both groan softly. This is happening. He’s going to take me to the bedroom any minute, I can feel it. As my legs splay open, James groans again…
And his phone rings.
We straighten up as he reaches for it on the coffee table, giving me a look of apology.
“Yes?” There’s a pause. “Okay, Mrs. McKinley, I’ll be there in under twenty minutes. Please stay inside until you hear me at the door, okay? Good.” He ends the call, pure frustration in his eyes. “I’m so sorry, I?—”
“It’s your job!” I leap to my feet, fixing my shirt. “Please don’t apologize for being a good police officer.”
“I’ll follow you to make sure you get home safely. It's on the way.”
It’s a quick drive and an even quicker goodbye kiss on the doorstep. After he leaves, I lock the door behind him feeling that I’ve made an important point. Maybe two.
One, that I understand that sometimes he’s going to have to take off at a moment’s notice, and I’m not going to be a clingy little girl about it. And two, that as long as I’m here in Old Hemlock Valley, I want to be with him.
Even though I know we shouldn’t be a couple in public, I want him…privately.
Just as long as I don’t ruin his reputation in the process.
7
JAMES
The air is particularly crisp as I slowly drive around Old Hemlock Valley. It’s busier than usual for a Thursday morning: with Christmas only days away, more people are taking time off work to catch up on shopping and visiting.
I’m not surprised my date with Holly was interrupted last night. Things were going too smoothly. I have no idea how the universe knows to balance itself, but it always seems like a run of good luck is quickly followed by a dash or two of bad, awkward, or downright ridiculous.
Last night’s call fell into the “ridiculous” category and would have been considered a waste of resources by big city police officers. For me, it was one of the many little moments that make the townspeople feel safe here.
It turned out the attempted burglary that I bravely thwarted was just some branches being blown against Mrs. McKinley’s basement window. But with her husband away visiting his brother she was alone, and obviously on edge. I removed the branches, did my usual sweep of the house checking all the windows and locks, and assured her that all was clear.
She thanked me profusely. There may have been a homemade lasagna involved in the thanking process, but that is cop-townsperson information and highly classified.
I park in front of City Hall, waving to everyone on my way into the office. Corina, who runs an amazing coffee shop on the next block, is grabbing a box of the latest tourism brochures to replenish the pile that she always keeps next to her register. “Hey, James.”
“Hey. How’s the coffee game?”
She grins. “Great. Everyone’s home for the holidays, so business is booming.” Then she laughs. “Plus I’m gearing up for the Austins coming back in a day or two. When they’re in town, they are super regular customers.”
I can feel my face practically falling to my boots. “Coming back? I thought they were gone for several more months.”
She shrugs, setting the box on the counter. “Dunno about that. I just happened to hear one of their cousins reading a text from them to a friend this morning.” Corina’s eyebrow lifts. “Wait, is that a problem? I thought you liked the Austins. Everybody likes the Austins.”
“Oh, I like them just fine. Wonderful people. it just means that their house-sitter is…” I hold up my hands. “It just means I have to take care of something extra today.”
She flashes me a wink. “There’s a free coffee in it for you if you bring me down another of these boxes in about two weeks. Everyone’s been grabbing these new flyers.”