Page 55 of Outlaw Ridge: Hayes

Now, she smiled. “Well, if you’re not working…”

She pulled him down for another long kiss. The heat came. Mercy, did it. And she might have escalated things a whole lot more if something hadn’t popped into her mind.

“Was the meeting with Owen about police business?” she asked.

He nodded, getting her complete attention. Just because she was on a leave of absence, it didn’t mean she didn’t want to be kept in the loop. Yes, the killer had been caught and was dead, but there were still plenty of follow-up hoops that had to be jumped through.

“I’m no longer a deputy,” Hayes said, doing the smile thing yet again. “I’m back to being a Strike Force operative.”

Judging from his expression, he was pleased about that. So was she. While Jemma loved the badge, she knew that Hayes wasn’t a blue blood at heart. His heart was with Strike Force.

“Owen managed to hire three new deputies, all veteran cops with plenty of experience,” Hayes explained. “You probably know two of them since they were raised here in Outlaw Ridge. Callie Brandon and Lexa Mullen.”

She did indeed know them. Callie had even dated Jemma's brother, Nico, back when they had been in high school. Callie and Lexa had left shortly after graduating and then had both become cops in San Antonio.

“Owen must have offered them a bundle to lure them back home,” she commented.

Hayes shrugged. “Owen can be persuasive.”

Yes, he could be. And efficient. In two weeks, he’d managed to get the repairs done on the police station and add gobs ofmuch more modern equipment. Now, he was on a hiring spree to bring in deputies, techs, and other support staff.

“Did Owen find a replacement for sheriff yet?” she asked.

“No. He’s still looking, and Ruby’s helping him with that.”

Jemma didn’t doubt that. Ruby was probably anxious to have Owen’s and her lives as back to normal as they could get.

“Owen also mentioned that all the paperwork on Cordelia has been processed,” Hayes went on. “As expected, she’s been charged with murder.” He paused, still studying her. “How’s your dad handling that?”

“Better than I expected.” Jemma had had a long conversation with him just the night before when he’d come to Hayes’ for dinner. It might be a while before the Rattler was back in true form, but he was getting there.

So was the town.

Of course, Outlaw Ridge would never fully recover from the massacre that’d taken place, but Owen was helping everyone find their new normal.

Jemma was doing the same thing.

And her new normal included Hayes. Or rather she hoped it did. She wanted him in her life for…well, forever. But she hadn’t quite managed to find a way to broach that particular subject. Or that pesky l-word stuff. She was hopefully, desperately in love with him, but that likely wouldn’t be something he’d want to hear.

“Come on,” he said, taking her by the hand and easing her out of the bed.

This, too, was part of their morning routine. Minus the sex, that is. He woke her with kisses, sex, and then coffee and breakfast. Actual cooked breakfast that he made himself. Apparently, he wasn’t just a hot, sexy face but a decent cook as well.

Also as part of their routine, she was wearing one of his t-shirts, and she didn’t take the time to put on anything else. Hayes’ house was on the outskirts of Outlaw Ridge, far off the beaten path, and if they got any unexpected visitors, the security system would give them plenty of notice.

He led her down the stairs into the open plan living, dining, and kitchen area, but when she started toward the kitchen, he tugged her toward the other section of downstairs—to his library/den. She’d already seen it, and like the other rooms in the massive house, it was impressive with its floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and reading area furnished with leather sofas.

They stepped in, and he shut the door behind them. When he gave the “lights on” voice command to his household app, the antique-style lighting flared on from the ceiling and the stained glass lamps positioned around the room.

Jemma smiled, wondering what the heck Hayes had in mind. Whatever it was, she was pretty sure she would enjoy it. She only hoped it included more kisses and maybe some morning sex.

“Game in play,” Hayes told the app.

There was a snick of the locks on the door and a lamp on a corner desk turned on, highlighting an envelope. She had no trouble seeing what was written on it. And she laughed.

Escape Room.

Jemma was still laughing when she came up on her toes and kissed him. “Plan on recreating our first date?”

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