Aunt Claire looks relieved. “Thank you, Serena. And I am sorry, Leo, it completely left my mind when I said I could help.”
“It’s fine.” The words are directed at my aunt, but my eyes are fixed on Serena. “Serena, can I walk you to the studio?”
At her nod, I stand up, kissing Violet’s head. “See you tonight, kiddo.”
Once we’re outside, my hand finds Serena’s lower back again as we head down the street the block or so to her studio. I don’t say a word and neither does she until the door is open and we’re inside, away from prying eyes. Only then do I cup her face gently, and at last, kiss her.
“That’s how I wanted to say good morning to you,” I murmur against her lips, feeling them tip up in response. I kiss her again, deeper this time. “And that’s to say thank you for saving my ass this Sunday.”
Serena tilts her head to the side and twists around to look behind me. Her hands squeeze the globes of my butt tightly as she smirks at me. “Well, you know, I kinda like you, so… ”
“Jesus Christ, woman,” I groan, letting my head drop to meet hers. We kiss, and kiss, and kiss some more. I lose any sense of time and place, captivated by her mouth.
Her hands slide around my waist, pausing when she reaches my handcuffs. Drawing back slightly, Serena’s eyes flash down to the cuffs, then back up to me, an unreadable expression in her eyes.
“Have you ever, umm, used these with someone?”
My eyebrows raise up to my fucking forehead. “Are we talking while I’m on duty or off?”
“Off duty.” Her pupils dilate. “Definitely off duty.”
“No,” I reply hoarsely. “Never had a woman I wanted to use them with. Why? Do you want me to cuff you, baby?”
Serena draws in a deep, ragged breath. “I…I don’t know. I’ve never trusted anyone enough to give them that kind of control.”
Fuck. Me.I want to earn that trust. I want her to give herself to me. But only when she’s ready.
The alarm on my phone goes off, warning me of my upcoming meetings and shutting down any opportunity to talk about this further. But make no mistake, I want to talk about it. Because I don’t think I’ll get the mental image of Serena cuffed to my bed out of my head anytime soon.
Chapter fifteen
Serena
“She’s only a kid. You spend time with kids all day long. This is going to be fine.Youare going to be fine.”
My pep talk monologue is doing nothing to calm the butterflies in my stomach. There’s a huge difference between teaching a class of twelve for an hour and spending an entire day with one child. One very special child whose father just happens to be the man I’ve been in love with my entire adult life.
I pull into Leo’s driveway a few minutes early and just sit in my car, staring at his house. It’s cute. Perfect for a small family, and I can see evidence of Violet everywhere, from the chalk scribbles on the driveway to the abandoned toys in the front yard.
“Come on, Serena. You like Violet. Heck, you probably love that kid more than any other. You’ve got a plan, and worst case scenario, you take her to the farm to play with Layla and the animals.” I run through my list of activities one more time. I don’t think we’ll make it out to Abby and Reid’s farm, but it’s a good backup if I need it.
A knock on my window makes me shriek in surprise.
“Sorry, babe, I thought you saw me.” Leo is laughing as he helps me out of my car and kisses me softly.
I don’t think I’ll ever get over the sight of him in uniform. I mean, he’s always sexy, whether he’s in shorts and a T-shirt, pajamas, or nothing at all. But Leo in full police uniform? That makes my panties wetter than anything.
Maybe it’s seeing him living his dream, maybe it’s the confidence in himself and his career, or heck, maybe it’s just the innate sex appeal of a man in uniform.
“How long were you watching me talk to myself like a crazy person?”
“Long enough to know you’remycrazy person.”
He kisses me again, long and slow, and I feel any worry or stress about today melt away under his touch. It’s always been this way. He’s the calm to my storm. He says I fill him with joy and energy, I say he balances me out with a deep, peaceful stillness.
“Violet’s just eating breakfast. She’s really excited to spend the day with you.”
I tilt my head back so I can look at him, and the look shining in his eyes melts me even further. I didn’t realize I could love this man more than I did when we were younger, but I do.