Page 129 of Liar's Point

Nicole reached for the phone on the nightstand and flipped it over. Eight forty-two.

She flopped back against the pillow and stared up at the ceiling as the night came back to her in cinematic flashes. Emmet sliding off her clothes. Hovering over her. Kissing his way down her body.

Emmet leaning over her and whispering goodbye before slipping out in the dark.

Another throb started up, deep inside her. What time was that? Had it been in the wee hours of the morning, after she’d drifted away in an orgasm-and-drug-induced haze? Or had he spent the night? And what had he said to her before leaving? She wished she could remember his parting words.

That was it, no more pills. She hated that her brain felt fuzzy, and hated even more that the details of her night with him were probably lost to her forever.

Sitting up again, she looked around her messy room. She grabbed a T-shirt off the floor and pulled it on, then collected her crutches from the nightstand and positioned them carefully before pulling herself up. Lucy got to her feet and stretched her spine before jumping off the bed and racing to the kitchen.

Three full days of no work. What was she going to do with herself? She stopped in the bathroom for a minute and then made her way into the kitchen, where the cloying smell of roses seemed to taunt her.

Her open laptop reminded her of what she’d been doing when Emmet showed up at her door and dragged her into an argument.

She glanced at the beer bottles sitting on the coffee table, and a cold feeling of dread settled over her.

Is this a mistake?

She remembered his face in the dimness.

Maybe.

It couldn’t happen again. That was a given. There was no way she could maintain any kind of professional facade at work if she was secretly sleeping with Emmet. And there was no way for them to have a relationship openly while working for the same tiny police department. It wasn’t only distracting, it was flat-out dangerous, and Brady would never stand for it. One of them would have to leave, and that definitely wasn’t happening. Both of them lived for their job.

A sour ball formed in her stomach as reality sank in. She had become what she’d never wanted to be, one of Emmet’s hookups.

Her phone chimed from the bedroom, and she looked back over her shoulder. She really needed coffee, but what if it was Brady calling to say he had reconsidered and he wanted her back at work?

Yeah, sure. Because the chief was so wishy-washy once he’d made a decision.

She crutched back to the bedroom and grabbed the phone off the nightstand.

Kate.

She connected the call. “Hey.”

“Is he still there?” Kate whispered.

“Is who still here?”

“Nicole.”

“What?”

“I swung by your place last night and saw his truck.”

Nicole sighed. “He left this morning.”

A squeal pierced her ear.

“Oh my God! Yes!”

“Calm down,” Nicole said.

“Are you kidding me? You slept with Emmet, and you want me to calm down? You did sleep with him, right?”

She hesitated. But there was no getting out of it. “Yes.”

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