The Shelter of His Arms (Harlequin Heartwarming) (18 page)

He took the stairs two at a time, ridiculously eager to be with her again.

When he reached the upstairs hall, she was standing in the apartment doorway—minus the cat.

He drew her inside with him and gave her a major kiss.

“So,” she murmured when he let her go. “The case is all wrapped up?”

“Wrapped up and tied with a bow,” he said, leading her over to the couch.

“And what will happen to Donna?” she asked as they sat down. “And the Ice Man?”

“Well, she’ll be charged with your brother’s murder. And for hiring the Ice Man to kill you.

“He’ll be looking at attempted-murder charges for tonight. And now that we’ve got our hands on him, we should be able to nail him for some of his past hits.

“Donna connected with him through someone named Giovanni, a guy she chatted up in a bar. And when we find him, he’ll probably be willing to plea-bargain—tell us everything he knows about the Ice Man.”

“So it really
is
over.”

“Your part in it is. Except for testifying at the trials.”

“Then I can go back to my normal life,” she murmured.

Travis brushed her hair away from her face. “I was thinking we should talk about that. About where your life goes from here, I mean. And my life.”

Celeste could feel her heart racing—the way it did every time she was near Travis. And all the things she’d been thinking she had to say to him didn’t seem anywhere near as important as they had while she’d been waiting.

But she knew that was just a function of his effect on her. When they were together, she didn’t want to even think about the possibility of not being with him.

Gathering her resolve, she quietly said, “This happened incredibly fast between us.”

“I know.” He took her hands in his, and when he caught her gaze she melted a little inside. “But I don’t think that falling in love fast makes it any less real.”

“I don’t, either. It’s just...it scares me, Travis. I made a mistake with Bryce, and—”

“I’m not Bryce,” he whispered, leaning closer and kissing her forehead.

“No, you’re nothing like Bryce. And I never felt about him the way I feel about you.”

That brought a smile to his lips. And man, she loved his smile.

“How
do
you feel about me?”

“If you haven’t figured that out by now,” she teased, “then you’re not much of a detective.”

He laughed. “So, you like me.”

“Maybe it’s a tiny bit more than
like.
”

“Good. And Snoops seems to be okay with me. And we already decided that my family is going to love you. So considering that I’m absolutely crazy about you, I really can’t see any problem here.”

“Oh, Travis, maybe you’re right. It’s just...when I’m not with you, I start thinking this can’t be for real. Then I
am
with you, and I can’t seem to think at all. Does that make any sense?”

“Of course. Celeste, I used to be totally convinced that I’d never fall in love. That I’d never
let
myself. Then I met you and discovered I didn’t have the slightest control over it.

“Yet that doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten
why
I wasn’t going to let myself. It still worries me that a lot of cops don’t do too well in relationships. We work shifts and have trouble keeping our cases from intruding on our personal life, so we have a high divorce rate.

“But the more time I spend with you, the less serious all that seems when it comes to
us.
”

“Because I have flexible hours?” she said, doing her best not to let him see she was only teasing again. “Because it would be easier for me to adjust to your schedule than for most women?”

“Very funny,” he told her. Then he pulled her close and gave her a kiss.

When he finally ended it, though, he looked so serious she felt uneasy.

“There’s one more thing I want to talk about,” he said.

Her heart stopped. Surely there couldn’t be another potential problem. One she hadn’t managed to think of on her own.

“What is it?” she made herself ask.

“Well...the theory that Bryce wanted to get his hands on your mother’s estate. I mean, I know we were wrong about that, but I keep wondering if you’re worried that
I...
Because I don’t want any part of it. In fact, I think you should put it in some kind of trust or something and—”

She draped her arms around his neck and went back to kissing him. That
was
something she hadn’t thought of on her own. But it was the last thing that would worry her.

In some respects, she felt as if she’d known Travis forever. And she just knew he wasn’t a man who’d marry for money.

When she’d kissed him thoroughly enough that she was sure he had the message, she eased back and smiled.

“It’s not really
that
much money, you know. I mean, it’s more than I’d have thought, but when you consider I’m a freelancer, with no company pension... Let’s just say it’ll keep me in my old age.”

He gently traced her jaw with his fingertips. “I was kind of thinking
I’d
keep you in your old age. That I’d marry you and keep you forever.

“I mean, if you think we should hold off on formalizing things for a while, we can. But I don’t want to spend even one more day of my life without you.”

“Oh, Travis,” she whispered. She didn’t want to spend even one more day of her life without him, either. And wasn’t that more important than anything else could possibly be?

“Is that a yes?” he said.

She smiled again, suddenly happier than she’d ever dreamed of being.

“If you haven’t figured that out by now...”

She didn’t get to add the
then you’re not much of a detective
bit. She couldn’t speak with Travis kissing her.

* * * * *

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ISBN: 9781460307366

Copyright © 2013 by Dawn Stewardson

Originally published as THE MAN BEHIND THE BADGE
Copyright © 2000 by Dawn Stewardson

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

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