Jake
Evie and I had a quickand mostly quiet breakfast at the local diner, then I dropped her off at her house and headed into the station. She looked much better after eating. I tried to convince her to have dinner with me after she closed the shop, but once again she shot me down. I reminded myself to be patient and give her time to come around, but it was getting harder and harder. Now that I’d tasted her, I only wanted her more.
As I drove back through town, I tried to puzzle out what was going on with the two of us. It was clear to me that I loved her, that I had loved her since the moment I laid eyes on her, but she was also the most stubborn and frustrating woman I’d ever dated.
If we could call what we were doing dating. I guessed one hate fuck and eating her out on the counter didn’t really make a relationship. The attraction between us was nothing short of explosive. And waking up with her in my arms had been incredible, despite her grumpy disposition. I wanted to do it again every morning for the rest of my life. But I was at a loss on how to move forward with her and break down her walls.
What I hadn’t told her is what else she said to me last night. After telling me that she liked me, she’d added, “It’s too bad Jake’s a damn cop or I would totally fall for him.”
I’d asked her to tell me why she hated cops, but she passed out before I could get any more information. Clearly she’d had a bad experience with a cop before, but without knowing what happened, it was hard to put her mind at ease. I wondered what it would take to get her to open up to me.
My cell phone buzzed later that morning with a message from Wyatt. The billionaire and I met when I was helping him with a security issue not long after I became police chief. We’d clicked and become fast friends, often getting together to grab a beer or watch sports. I hadn’t seen as much of him the last two months since he’d fallen in love with his nurse, Emma, after having an emergency appendectomy.
Wyatt:How about meeting for a drink tonight?
Jake:I’m off at seven.
Wyatt:I’ll meet you at our usual place at seven-thirty.
When I got to the bar, Wyatt was already there, an open stool by his side. We shook hands and I ordered a beer.
“How were your drunken patients?” I asked him.
Wyatt chuckled. “They both felt better after they puked. I told them they are too old to be drinking like that.”
“What did they say?”
“Emma told me to fuck off and Dawn gave me the finger without lifting her head off my kitchen table.”
I laughed. “Sounds like you have your hands full with that girlfriend of yours.”
“I was going to say the same thing to you, man.”
I groaned, remembering how I’d had to carry Evie away last night as she flailed around with her broom, screeching, and swearing.
“Yeah, Evie seems to hate me, except sometimes she doesn’t. She’s it for me, I’m totally in love with her, but she so independent and prickly, it’s getting frustrating. I think it has at least something to do with my job, because she keeps telling me she doesn’t date cops.”
“Did she tell you her father was a cop?”
My head swung his way. Evie had told me next to nothing about herself, probably because we were usually fighting. “No.”
Wyatt took a drink of his beer, his expression thoughtful.
“I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but I overheard Emma and Dawn talking this morning. They were debating about whether Evie hated you as much as she says she does, or if she’s just trying to hide how much she’s into you.”
“She’s hiding it pretty well,” I said miserably.
“Then Dawn said that no matter how much she likes you, Evie could never be in a relationship with a cop, after the way her father was so abusive to his wife and kids. It’s a hard line for her.”
My blood ran cold. “Her father abused her?”