Page 15 of Hard To Stay

“But you’re in Internal Affairs now, correct?”

He picked up his glass and sucked back the rest of his wine. “That’s correct. Not my first choice, but I’m hoping to transfer back into my old unit soon.”

“I don’t understand. Why would you take the position if you didn’t want it?”

“That’s a loaded question. One that would take too long to answer.” He gave me an uneasy smile. Something about his response struck me, but I let it slide and moved on to the next one.

I cleared my throat trying to choose my words carefully. “You mentioned earlier that you were in a long-term relationship. What happened?”

Brad coughed into his hand, then draped his arm along the back of the couch looking uncomfortable. “Wow, you go right for the jugular, huh?” He laughed, but there wasn’t a trace of humor in his voice.

“I’m sorry, it’s really none of my business. I was just curious that’s all.” Truthfully, I was more than curious, I was digging, but I couldn’t help myself. He was like a big 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle that you couldn’t wait to figure out and put together.

Brad averted my gaze, and I suddenly wished I could take my question back. “Let me ask you something. Do you like talking about your ex?”

“No,” I said immediately, almost automatically.

Without even blinking he replied. “I don’t like talking about mine, either.”

The rawness in his voice struck me in the gut. That one little sentence pretty much told me all I needed to know. The entire mood in the room shifted from playful to serious. It was clear that this was not a topic he enjoyed talking about. My guess was that it was a very painful breakup. My heart grew heavy as I watched the deep frown lines settle into his expression.

I quickly tried to change the topic before the entire evening was ruined. After a couple awkward exchanges, we managed to get things back on track and talked all through dinner. We talked about his job, his friends, his family, and his love for the New York Giants. I opened up about my high school years, being away at college and the family vacations we took. The conversation and the wine flowed easily. Four hours and two bottles of Chardonnay later, it felt like we had only just started talking. The effects of the alcohol had settled in—it was just enough to take the edge off and keep the conversation flowing. Even though we had been drinking over a number of hours, my head felt a little cloudy.

When he leaned in to place his empty glass on the coffee table, the scent of his cologne and the heat radiating off his body hit every single one of my senses. I hadn’t wanted for many things in my life, especially a man. But with Brad, I found myself wanting many things, namely him. In what capacity I still wasn’t sure. All I knew was that his presence just drew me closer. Even though the cards were stacked against us, my heart still tightened and fluttered whenever he was near me. It gave me hope and left me wanting more, even as I put up verbal barriers to keep him away.

He pushed himself off the couch and carried the empty wine bottles to the kitchen. After putting the bottles in the recycling bin, he glanced at his phone, taking note of the time. “I can’t believe I’ve been here all night.”

A yawn escaped as I stretched my arms out over my head and stood up. He smirked at me. “I think I’ve kept you up past your bedtime.” There was a twinkle in his eye.

I smirked back. “I think you’re a bad influence on me.”

The glimmer in his eyes disappeared and his face turned serious. “Lexi, listen, there’s no good way to say this, so I’m just going to come right out and say it.”

A brief flicker of nerves traveled through me. My defenses started to mount as panic built up in my chest. Brad took a step towards me. “I don’t know your ex very well, but from what I can tell he doesn’t strike me as the type that will just walk away. I want you to be careful.” He placed his hands on my shoulders and stared into my eyes. “Promise me you’ll be careful.”

“I promise.”

“Good.” He sighed and squeezed my shoulder before he removed his hand. My shoulders slumped in protest from the loss of physical contact. “In the meantime, if you need to leave for lunch or whatever… please make sure you always have someone with you. Never leave your house or the office alone.”

I snapped my head up to his. “How do you expect me to do that?”

“For the time being, I’ll escort you to and from work, and on occasions that I can’t I’ll make sure someone else does.”

Was he serious?

“Brad, I appreciate your concern but don’t you think that’s a little extreme?”

He sighed again, looking uncomfortable. “I got a bad vibe from him and I don’t want to take any chances. And besides, your office is on my way to work so it will be no trouble at all. Plus,” he added, rubbing his flat stomach that looked like it was crafted in steel. “If I’m going to be eating meals like that I’m going to need to burn off the extra calories.”

Normally, I might have laughed or followed up with a smart-ass remark but his serious tone reminded me about how unpredictable Colton could be. I started to feel a bit overwhelmed by everything.

“Why are you doing all this? I mean you barely know me.”

A glimpse of hurt flashed in his eyes as if I offended him, but he responded immediately. “I told you. It goes with the territory. Protect and serve, remember? Plus, I like you and I think you’re a good person.” He paused for a moment choosing his words carefully. “You deserve a hell of a lot better than what you’ve had to live through so far.”

There was a degree of intensity in his eyes that I couldn’t discern, but the sincerity in his words left a lasting impact on me. It had been a long time since I felt a connection to anyone. For years, I’d lived emotionally alone, but his caring ways sprinkled a little hope back into my life without me realizing it.

Just as the heaviness of my thoughts started to settle in, he broke out into a smile. “Besides, you and I are friends now and I always help my friends out. Even if they are a pain in the ass sometimes.” He smirked taking some of the seriousness away from this conversation which I was eternally grateful for.

I looked at him one more time before he turned to leave. I admired his gorgeous backside and tried to ignore the tingles running through my body. Brad stepped forward then stopped, with his hand pausing on the door.

When he turned around our eyes locked. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Lexi.” He turned to leave then called over his shoulder. “And, lock the door behind me.” He commanded, pushing the door shut until I heard the handle click in place.

I sucked in a breath and stared blankly at the door. Brad had evoked feelings in me that I wasn’t ready to deal with. No matter how much I tried to quiet those thoughts, the excitement was too much to for me to ignore.

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