His Obsession Next Door (In the Line of Duty) (11 page)

Cole moved in beside her and he stuck his hand into Nana’s cage to give the old girl a pat. As Gemma watched his big palm brush over her black, molted fur, a hand with so much strength and power yet touched with such gentle care, her heart turned over in her chest. She cleared her throat and glanced up at Cole.

“What do you think of Nana here?”

He frowned and stepped closer. The way he crowded her, like he needed to touch her every bit as much as she needed his touch, filled her with a new kind of warmth. “Nana’s kind of old, Gems.” At the mention of her name, Nana wagged her ratty old tail, excited to finally be noticed and played with. “Has she been here long?”

“Yeah, sadly enough. I would love to take her home but I don’t have the room.”

Anger moved into Cole’s eyes. “How does someone abandon an old girl like her?”

“I don’t know. Some people shouldn’t be allowed to have pets.”

“Or kids,” he added with a disgruntled laugh.

“Or kids,” she agreed in a soft tone, knowing he was thinking back to his own childhood. For a brief moment she wondered more about Cole’s demons. Would he shy away from family and kids because his own upbringing had been less than loving? Or did the affection her brother and parents bestowed upon him show him caring families do exist?

Behind them Josh bent down to see a litter of collie and terrier mix puppies. They all started yelping in unison, each vying for the soldier’s attention. Gemma threw her hands up in the air. “Everyone wants a puppy.”

“Speaking of puppies,” Victoria said, coming into the back room. “Your two o’clock appointment is here.”

Gemma spotted a young girl accompanied by her mother and father following Victoria into the back room. She inched away from Cole and smoothed back her hair. “Go ahead and look around.” She handed Cole her master key. “Take them to the dog run and I’ll check in with you later.” She gestured with a nod to the young family of three and mentally went over their adoption file to remember their names before explaining to the men, “Larissa is here to adopt a new pet.”

Cole touched her arm to draw her back to him. He put his mouth close to her ear, his words for her and her only. “I’ll catch up with you later. There are some things we need to sort out.”

While his comrades examined the canines through their cages, Cole turned away from her and started to walk the length of the shelter. Gemma worked to get her focus on the task at hand and off the sexy soldier she wanted again in the worst way. She dropped down on one knee to face the young girl who couldn’t be more than four years old.

“How are you, Larissa?” she asked.

“I want a puppy.” Her big brown eyes lit with excitement as she clapped her chubby hands together.

“Well you certainly came to the right place,” Gemma said, laughing. She reached for the girl’s hand. As Larissa slipped her fingers into Gemma’s palm, her heart hitched, just a little. Seeing her sweet face had Gemma thinking how much she wanted to have a family of her own someday. Cole was right. She did want the house with a white picket fence. Maybe he did know her better than she knew herself. But it did have her wondering more about Cole, his demons and all the secrets he held close.

“Personally I’d like one that’s already house trained,” Larissa’s mom said, bringing Gemma’s thoughts back as the woman crinkled her nose in distaste.

“No, a puppy.” Larissa’s blonde curls flared around her head as she shook it.

Larissa’s father grinned and threw his hands up in the air in defeat. “I guess it’s a puppy, then,” he said, but from the warm, loving look in his eyes, she could tell he was happy about the choice and that he’d do anything to please his sweet daughter.

She guided Larissa over to the pen full of puppies and the girl squealed in delight. Gemma pulled open the door and when the child rushed in, the hairs on Gemma’s arms lifted. As an uneasy feeling moved through her, she glanced over her shoulder. She caught Cole watching the young family, a barrage of haunted memories brewing in the depths of his dark eyes. In that instant everything inside her went out to him and her heart squeezed painfully.

Jack stepped up to Cole and he turned away. She swallowed down the rush of emotions and understood that no matter how horrible his childhood had been, it had somehow shaped him into the incredible man he’d become today. But it didn’t change the fact that somewhere deep inside him, that little lost boy still existed. A boy who needed a family every bit as much today as he did all those years ago.

When Cole and the others disappeared out back with a handful of dogs, Gemma turned her attention to Larissa. She spent the next hour helping her find the right dog for her family. Once done and the papers were signed, she saw them off and made her way to the back shelter to check on progress.

She found Victoria standing in the doorway, watching the men toss tennis balls to the animals in the grassy pen out back.

“How’s it going out there?” Gemma asked.

Victoria released a long sigh. “I think I’m in love.”

Gemma laughed. “Which one?”

“All of them.” Victoria cast her a curious glance, her green eyes dreamy. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Oh come on, Gemma. I don’t know who you think you’re fooling. The heat in Cole’s eyes when he looked at you nearly set off the fire alarms.”

“We’re friends. We go way back,” she said, not wanting to share a single detail with anyone. She wanted to keep the memories deep inside her, where she could savor them in their entirety.

Victoria huffed. “Yeah, well I want a friend like that.”

The bell over the door jangled once again. “That’s my three o’clock,” Gemma said. “Will you see to it that the guys get what they need?”

Victoria arched a playful brow. “Oh yeah. I’d be happy to give them anything they need.”

Grinning, Gemma left the back shelter and went off to finish her afternoon appointments. By the time she was done, the guys had left and she was sorry she hadn’t gotten a chance to speak with them. She was curious to see if they’d had any success.

Knowing it was quitting time and Victoria and her other staff had already left, Gemma made her way to the front lobby. Danielle was just arriving as she reached for her purse.

“You’re a bit early,” Gemma said to her night assistant.

Danielle frowned. “There’s a storm moving in and I wanted to get here before it hit.” She glanced out the front window. Worry darkened her brown eyes when she turned back to Gemma. “They’re calling for thunder and lightning.”

Gemma nibbled her lower lip, and considered the animals. “Maybe I should stay.”

“I got this, Gemma. You’ve been here all day and need to go home to rest.”

“Okay, but if you need me you’ll call, right?”

“I will.”

Gemma stepped outside and listened to the lock click in place as Danielle locked up behind her. Once she reached the sidewalk, she glanced at the overcast sky. Heavy clouds threatened, and she hugged herself. There was no denying she hated thunderstorms as much as the animals in her shelter did. She hurried home, and when she reached her stoop, she spotted a package on her front doorstep. She glanced around. Who could have left her a parcel?

As cool mist fell over her body, she gathered the package and rushed inside. Stallone greeted her at the door. Before she could tear into the paper, she had to take him for a walk. She hurried back out the door, but when the rain started picking up Stallone looked up at her, his big brown eyes conveying without words how much he hated storms. She rushed him to the park where he could do his business in a hurry. Once finished, they raced back home before the skies opened up.

Inside, she fed and watered him, then turned her attention to the package. She flipped it over in her hands, but there was no return address or any markings to indicate where it had come from. Having no idea who would have left something on her doorstep, she tore into the brown paper and couldn’t help but laugh at what she found inside. Big. Oversized. Granny. Panties. So this was what Cole had in mind when he said he’d replace the ones he’d ripped.

She held one pair up in her hand to examine them, then padded to her window. She inched open her curtains and spotted Cole watching her. From her distance, not to mention the fact that he was standing in the shadows, she couldn’t make out his features. She did, however, suspect he was standing there with that familiar grin on his face, one that said he’d won the battle. Okay, she’d give him this one, but she still had every intention of winning the war and getting him back into her bed again. She laughed again, loving that youthful, playful side she hadn’t seen in so long.

She twirled the panties around her finger as a mischievous idea bounced around inside her brain. Deciding she would wear his gift and little else, she tore off her pants and thong and stepped into the huge pair of panties, drawing them up until they nearly doubled as a bra.

Turning from the window and making the decision to carry on as she always would, she caught her reflection in the living room mirror and cringed. Now how was that for attractive? But she’d play it his way. For now. She went to her kitchen to prepare dinner, answered the phone when her mother called and went about her night as usual. Every now and then she’d glance across the street to give Cole a knowing, seductive smile.

By the time her bedtime rolled around, the rain was coming down harder, pelting against her window in a steady pattern. Stallone rushed down the hall to her bedroom with her. She discarded the granny panties and pulled on a cotton nightgown, then climbed between the sheets. Drawing them to her chin, she listened to Stallone whine as he dropped down beside her bed.

“It’s okay, boy.” She soothed her hand over Stallone’s head, even though her insides were wound tighter than the pups during a full moon.

She lay in her bed for a long time, the heavy rain sending her memories back in time, specifically to the overcast afternoon when she was fifteen. She’d taken her horse, Mandy, out for a long run and had somehow gotten off the beaten path. Soon day had bled into night and a storm moved in overhead. When thunder rumbled, it spooked her horse. Catching Gemma off guard, a frightened Mandy had gone up on her hind legs, knocking Gemma to the ground. Gemma had found shelter beneath a tree, but not too far from where she’d been sitting, lightning struck a branch and the forest flared to life around her. Panicked, she’d found herself surrounded by flames, and it was then that Cole had found her. Alone. Wet. Horribly frightened. He’d packaged her in his arms, brought her to safety and refused to leave her side until she’d fallen asleep. If it wasn’t for him, she hated to think what might have happened.

Gemma tossed and turned until exhaustion finally took over and she drifted off. She had no idea what time it was or how long she’d been asleep when a rumbling sky and a brilliant flash of light outside her window pulled her awake with a start. Heart pounding, she sat up in her bed. Stallone started howling.

“It’s okay, boy.” She flicked on her lamp and sank down onto the floor beside him. Rubbing his ears, she tried to pacify him as best as she could. She pulled a blanket down with her and covered them both as another flash lit the sky. She counted the seconds in between flash and roar. Her heart raced faster when she discovered the storm was directly overhead.

She thought of the animals down at the shelter and how agitated they’d be. Nana would need her. She reached for her robe and her hand stilled when a loud knock sounded on her door.

Cole.

Her heart pounded wildly as she climbed to her feet, pulled on her robe and opened her bedroom door. Despite the storm, her protector Stallone barked and rushed down the hall in front of her. Gemma followed, hugging herself as lightning lit up her condo with noonday brilliance. She peeked out the side window and when she found a soaking wet Cole standing on her doorsteps, she unlatched her bolt, relief racing through her.

“Cole,” she rushed out, her words swallowed by the thunder overhead. Not knowing whether to laugh or cry she grabbed his wet shirt and hauled him inside. Charlie came rushing in after him.

Instantly stepping into the role he performed so well, Cole put his arms around her and held her tight. “Are you okay?”

The second she felt his strong embrace, she realized how
not
okay she was.

“I saw your light.”

“Cole,” she murmured. “I just don’t like…”

“It’s okay, Gemma. I’m here.” He stroked her hair and pressed his lips to her forehead. His kiss, far more emotional than physical, took her by surprise. “You’re safe. Nothing is going to happen. I promise.”

With her insides reeling, she sagged against him. He held her tight, and when she wrapped her arms around his waist, it occurred to her how right it felt to be held by him. Cole was the only man who ever made her feel warm and safe. She breathed in his familiar scent and let it calm the storm inside her.

“Is Charlie okay?” she asked.

“He’s fine,” he whispered into her hair. “He’s a bomb expert and is used to loud noises. He might even be able to help calm Stallone.” As if on cue, Stallone whined and Charlie nudged him with his muzzle.

She lifted her chin to meet his eyes. When she saw the tender concern in his gaze as it met hers, her heart turned over in her chest. God, she was in so much trouble. “We need to get you out of these wet clothes.”