Page 9 of Enticed

“Jesus, Clara! Sex toy parties at breakfast?” Perry chastises me while Amy chuckles.

“Ha-ha, very funny, but I’m sorry that my fiancé’s birthday is getting in the way of your sexual activities. Speaking of which, I was thinking of doubling his party as a gender reveal. We have an appointment Monday to find out the sex, but I think finding out in front of everyone would be so much fun! Doing a surprise gender reveal is all the rage right now…” Olivia beams and then looks over at Perry for validation.

“Yes! Oh, let’s find the cutest way to reveal it!” Perry squeals, knowing she gets to help plan yet another element of the party makes her eyes light up. On top of running her blog, Perry insists on helping plan any event in our lives. She’s a Pinterest fanatic and makes planning a birthday party look like a task she can accomplish in her sleep. She flips her blonde hair over her shoulder and unlocks her phone, pulling up her app to show Olivia a list of ideas.

The four of us commence filling in the details of our lives over the last few weeks, but I never mention my drunken escapades. I’m not even sure my friends know about my new habit of drowning my memories from time to time. And with all of the other monumental things going on their lives and their families, the last thing I want is for them to be worried about me. I’m handling things just fine on my own—I attempt to convince myself, just like I have for the last three months.

We all stand, full and satisfied from our meal, before saying our goodbyes and vowing to see each other again soon. As I make my way to my car, my phone rings in my pocket. Swiping across the screen to answer it, I’m startled by the voice I hear since I didn’t bother to see who it was that was calling.

“Hello?” I answer, fumbling with my keys to unlock the door with the remote.

“Clara?” The voice asks as my entire body comes alive from the sound.

Cooper Walsh is callingme, which he hasneverdone—and I can’t deny that I’m more than curious to see what he has to say.

Chapter 4

Cooper

The sound of my feet pounding the pavement beneath me barely breaks through the music in my ears. Pink is telling me to raise my glass as I sprint the last stretch of my morning run, seeing my driveway getting closer and closer as I speed along.

Yes, I listen to Pink while I run. And Britney Spears sometimes. And hell, NSYNC may find their way onto my playlist as well. Don’t judge me! Pop music has some of the best beats for catching a stride during a five mile trek.

As I close in on my house, my shoulder starts to sting, just like it does every time I go out. The pull of my German Shepard, Roark, doesn’t help the pain either. The movement of the swinging of my arms irritates the nerves and makes the entire muscle around my joint tighten, but it’s not as bad as it was a few months ago. The pain is still there, but it’s subsiding. I just wish I could say the same for the memories in my mind.

When I close my eyes, I can still see her there—lying on the ground, unconscious, while he hovered over her, reaching for his dick in his pants.

I shake the thought from my mind as I slow my stride and stop right in front of my driveway, yanking Roark to a stop beside me. The sun casting down on us provides just enough warmth to cut through the chill of the spring morning, but gets hidden behind the tall trees lining the sidewalk. The weather is finally starting to turn in Oregon, but it will still be months before we can thoroughly enjoy consistent heat and it will be too hot for Roark to run with me.

“Good run, boy,” I reach down to pet him, rubbing his neck beneath his thick fur and collar before standing and heading back up to my condo. I lead Roark inside where he instantly finds his water dish and starts lapping up the reprieve while I unhook his leash.

Stumbling into the kitchen—my legs feeling like jello but burning from the intense workout—I fetch a glass from the cupboard and fill it up with water, quenching my thirst as well. Pink is still singing in my ears before I realize I should probably stop the music.

I reach into my pocket and retrieve my phone, pausing my playlist and seeing a message from Cash to remind me of the meeting at the station before my shift starts. Not wasting another minute, I strip off my joggers, shirt, and beanie, throwing them into the washing machine, before making my way upstairs to my bathroom.

After taking my shower and dressing in my uniform, I style the thick head of hair I inherited from my dad—long on top, but shaven closely on the sides—grab my belt including my gun, and head for the station for my shift—an earlier than normal shift for me, which I’m not complaining about. I’ll be off before midnight, which is unheard of compared to my normal 6 a.m. end time.

The Captain stands at attention in the front of the room where the rest of the staff has gathered, waiting for the meeting to commence.

“Hey, Coop. How’s it going?” Cash Williams comes up beside me, a fellow deputy in our station, and one of my best friends.

“Can’t complain, man. How about you?”

Cash’s bright blue eyes meet mine. “Kinda curious what Captain called this meeting about. I’m sure it’s about the fallen deputy fundraiser in a few weeks, but we all know how that goes. Why would this year be any different?”

I shrug. “Beats me. Any interesting calls last night?” Cash is just ending his shift as I begin mine. Some nights we end up working together. He’s single like me, a few years younger than my twenty-eight, but very sharp for a newbie.

“Just one. We had a drunk woman stripping on the side of Main street. The woman was older than dirt, but that didn’t stop her from showing every one of her hard earned wrinkles.”

“Aw, fuck man. Really? You had to give me that visual this early? I’m gonna up chuck my protein shake now…”

Cash laughs beside me, patting me on the shoulder. “I just wanted to share the wealth with you, man. If I have to live with that image for the rest of my life, I didn’t want to deprive you of that joy as well.”

I punch him in his arm just as Luke Henderson—another deputy and good friend on the force—comes walking up next to us.

“How’s it hanging, Luke?” I ask as he comes to a stop.

“Short, shriveled, and always to the left,” he winks, making Cash and I chuckle and nod in agreement.

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