Lure of Obsession (The Muse Chronicles Book 1) (18 page)

Her cell phone
buzzed. She squinted, stretching to turn off her alarm. It wasn’t even light out yet.

The joys of teaching…

She eased out from under Nate’s arm and got showered and dressed. Her legs were sore, but she smiled remembering the amazing workout she’d gotten the night before.

Yeah, it was going to be a good day.

She waited for her inner muse to cast a shadow over it or remind her that she could be pregnant, but there was no sign of tragedy.

Once she was ready, she came into the bedroom and found Nate awake. She frowned. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“How are you feeling?”

She started to smile. “Really good…” He looked concerned. A light bulb came to life over her head. “And definitely not feeling pregnant.”

The corner of his lips curved. “Probably too soon anyway, right?”

She nodded. “Way too soon.” Before she could stop herself, the words fell from her mouth. “Do you have any children?”

He grimaced a little and raised a brow. “I told you this is the first time I ever forgot a condom. And I’ve never been married.”

“Right.” Heat flushed in her cheeks. “I just… I was looking for a piece of paper yesterday and saw a drawing of you and a little girl. I just assumed…” She shook her head. “I better get to work. See you later.”

She scooted out before things could get any more awkward. And somewhere deep inside, her inner muse reveled in it.

Nate waited for
the door to close before he sat up. He hadn’t meant to keep Maggie a secret, but he’d also been hoping to protect Mel without having to share everything.

Old habits die hard. Part of him was still bracing for the fall out, protecting himself.
Oh shit. Maggie.

He had to go talk to her class.

Pulling up the calendar on his phone, he double-checked the time. Three o’clock. Then he was going to take her to get some ice cream. He fired off a text to Mel.

The little girl’s name is Maggie. She’s not mine, but she’s pretty amazing. I’m supposed to speak to her class at 3.

He hit “Send” and stared at his phone. His palms started sweating. He was getting in too deep, but it was so easy where Mel was concerned. Screw it.

Want to come?

He set the phone down and went to the closet. Before he had his shirt buttoned, his phone chimed. He picked it up and smiled.

I’m off at 2. Pick me up?

He shouldn’t have been so eager, but he texted back immediately.

See you then.

What the hell was he doing?

“Y
ou’re in a
good mood for a guy who lost his only lead last night.” John dropped off a Styrofoam cup of coffee on Nate’s desk. “What’s up with you?”

Mel’s face filled his head. He picked up the coffee and grinned. “Nothing. I figure the murder tells us I was right about everything being connected. We were getting too close.”

“And now we’re miles away again.”

“Nah. Belkin Oil is involved. I don’t know exactly how yet, but I’m going to find out.”

“Without a murder weapon and a suspect, it’ll be tough to make anything stick,” John said. “Belkin will have the ultimate legal team, too, I’m sure.”

“That’s why we need more evidence.” Nate sipped his coffee. “And we’ve got to find Lewis Gold.”

“If he exists.”

“He can’t hide forever.” Nate finished his coffee and dropped the cup in the trash. “I’ve gotta leave at two today.”

John crossed his arms. “Hot date?”

Nate shook his head slowly. “Maggie.”

John sighed. “Not sure if that’s better or worse. You’re still hoping she gets adopted, right?”

“Just cover for me, okay?”

He nodded. “You know I will.”

“Thanks, man.”

Nate worked through his lunch hour, eating a sandwich at his desk, trying not to keep checking the clock. Not that he was eager to see Mel. He just didn’t want to be late to Maggie’s school. Mostly.

When he got to Mel’s high school later, the parking lot was busy. The fact that many of the drivers had only been behind the wheel for a year or less also made it hazardous. But he only used the horn once.

Two students were still at Mel’s desk when he walked through the door. The girl looked up at him and then quickly away, her cheeks coloring. But the boy tipped his head. “This your new man, Ms. Jacoby?”

Mel chuckled. “Brian, this is
Detective
Malone
.”

Brian did a good job covering that he just swallowed his gum. Nate slid his sunglasses down a little so the kid could see his eyes. “Good to meet you, Brian.”

Brian grabbed the girl’s hand. “Come on, Carla. We gotta get to Chem Lab.”

Mel called after them. “Don’t forget to practice your poems for the slam tomorrow.”

Brian waved over his head as he and the girl crossed the threshold.

Nate grinned as he approached her desk. “I’m almost sorry I’ll be missing your slam poetry tomorrow.”

She rolled her eyes, but her smile was still addictive. “You are not.” She grabbed her bag and a flash drive, then straightened up. “So tell me about your presentation. Which grade is Maggie in?”

“Second grade.” He offered her his arm, ignoring the flush of electricity coursing through him from the simple touch. “I’ll be talking about being a detective to a bunch of seven-year-olds. Now you see why I wanted some backup?”

Mel laughed and squeezed his bicep. “And how did you get roped into this?”

He opened the car door for her and came around to his side. Once he was inside, he turned the key and glanced her way. “Maggie was the little girl I told you about, the one who lost her mom to her abusive father.”

Mel’s smile faded. “Oh… Did you arrest her dad?”

“Yeah.” He lowered his voice. “I was the lead detective on the case and testified in court to put him away for life.” He met her eyes, but again, there was no sign of judgment there. “She didn’t like me much at the beginning. I was the villain, not her dad.” He ground his teeth and tightened his grip on the wheel. “But now, other than her new foster parents, I’m all Maggie has left.”

Mel’s eyes brimmed with tears, but she blinked them away. “This must be Bring Your Parent to School Day?”

He nodded slowly. “She’s at a new school. I can’t let her be the only one who doesn’t have a parent come.”

She rested her hand on his thigh, squeezing it. “You’re a good man, Nate Malone.”

Hearing her say those words meant more to him than he could articulate. He cleared his throat and pulled into the flow of inexperienced drivers.

“She’s a great little girl.” He clenched his jaw keeping his eyes on the road. “She got dealt a tough deck of cards. She deserves better.”

Mel had never
met a man like Nate. He’d been raised by a bastard who made him feel ashamed and unworthy, but instead of being bitter, he did his best to protect others from his own fate. He would probably deny it, but she saw the way he loved others—Maggie and his partner—with tenacity and compassion. But he wouldn’t allow himself to commit to it, to really jump in with both feet. At least not when it came to her.

Sadly for her, she was already slipping in.

And she’d been glowing all day. Today, teachers and students alike commented on her smile, her skin, her hair, all without realizing the only thing that had changed was that she’d woken up in Nate’s arms.

Hearing about his loyalty to this little girl who had lost so much, only made her feel like she was falling faster. And without a safety net. She hadn’t admitted it out loud to another soul, but there was no denying it would be so easy to love Nate Malone.

He pulled to the curb in front of the elementary school and turned off the engine. “Thanks for coming with me today. I…” He stared at the dashboard. “I think Maggie will love you.”

Hearing him say the word set off a million butterflies in her stomach. Oh shit. Maybe she was further gone than she wanted to admit.

“Thanks for inviting me along,” she said.

She got out and walked into the office with him. When he approached the desk, the receptionist grinned up at him and played with her hair. “May I help you?”

Mel smiled watching the flirtation unfold. Nate saw his scars, but women saw a chiseled detective with eyes that could melt you where you stood.

“I’m here for Maggie Keen.”

The receptionist finally noticed Mel and toned down her smile a notch. “You must be her parents. Are you here to tell the class about your job?”

He didn’t bother to respond to the first part. “Yes. Do we need badges?”

She pointed to a clipboard. “Sign in here, please. Both of you.”

While they filled out the sheet, the receptionist wrote up two stickers that read M
AGGIE
K
EEN
. She offered one to each of them. “Put these on. She’s in room twenty—down the hallway and to the right.”

They stuck the badges on their shirts and headed for the classroom. Nate stopped outside the door. “Can you wait out here for a second?”

Mel nodded; worried she’d made a bad decision agreeing to come along.

He squeezed her hand. “I’ll be right back.”

True to his word, he came back, a little girl with a head of strawberry-blonde curls in tow. She gazed up at Mel but didn’t say anything. Nate cleared his throat. “Maggie, this is Mel. I invited her to come with me today so she could meet you.”

Mel knelt down, eye level with the girl, and held out her hand. “Great to meet you, Maggie.”

The little one looked up at Nate and back to Mel. She finally took her hand. “Mel is a boy’s name.”

Mel chuckled. “It’s really Melanie, but my friends call me Mel.”

“Maybe we can be friends…?” Maggie’s voice was still tentative.

“I’d like that.” Mel resisted the urge to hug this little girl who had seen too much tragedy in her few years. “I saw your artwork at Nate’s house. You draw much better than I do.”

Maggie flashed a smile, and the gap-toothed joy made Mel grin. “Thanks. I like drawing.”

“Do you mind if I come in while Nate talks?”

Maggie’s eyes sparkled. “You can sit with me.”

Mel straightened, her gaze locking on Nate’s. He smiled at her, but it was somehow different. Tender? She swallowed hard.

Maggie let go of Nate and took Mel’s hand instead. “Come on. I’ll show you my desk.”

Nate mouthed
Thank you
as she passed by with Maggie, and he followed them inside.

The teacher stood behind her desk. “Okay, everyone, come find a seat on the carpet up here. Maggie has brought her…”

“Uncle Nate,” Maggie announced formally. “He’s a police detective.”

The class came to life, racing to the carpet. Maggie tugged Mel after her. They found a spot, but Mel noticed that none of the other kids sat near them. As a teacher herself, it was easy to read their behavior. Maggie didn’t have any real friends here.

Nate started talking, and all the chatter faded away. He told them about his job helping people and solving crimes. He never pulled his gun free of the holster, but he did take off his badge and let the kids pass it around. When he asked for questions, anxious hands popped up.

He answered the first few, everything from have you shot anyone to does your car have lights on it. Finally, he called on a boy near the back of the carpet.

He looked over at Maggie, his eyes narrowing as he smiled and faced Nate again. “Why didn’t Maggie’s
dad
come to talk to us?”