Page 25 of Saving You

“I’m sorry, Bails, I couldn’t help myself.”

She rolls her eyes at my response.

“You here to do the flu shots?”

“Yeah, I’m managing the intake while the nurses and a doctor do the shots.”

“Okay, well I’m your liaison for the day. If you guys want to gather your stuff, I’ll take you back to get set up.”

She nods and turns to the group of people standing in a circle behind her. They pick up the bags at their feet and follow me through the main door after we’re buzzed in, and we head to the conference room.

“You guys can rearrange the room however is best for you. I’ll be staying in here with you guys today. If any of you need to leave the room, you’ll need to be escorted. Let me know if you need anything and I’ll get it for you.”

Everyone nods, and I grab a chair and take it to the corner. When they begin to move tables, I step in, having them tell me where they want them. I bring in another officer, and we get the tables into the proper spots. I take my spot in the corner and watch as they finish setting up. I can’t take my eyes off Bailey the entire day. I watchas the guys who come in for their shots smile and flirt with her and how she smiles back.

I clench my fists trying to fight this feeling rising inside of me. I want to go over there and stake a claim to her, tell all of these guys to fuck off, she’s mine—but I can’t. I don’t have that right, and I’m not going to overstep with Bailey.

I watch as Officer Cain sets up camp in front of the table Bailey is using. He’s a player. We’ve all heard about his escapades either directly from him or through the rumour mill, and I don’t like watching him flirt with Bailey. He leans over the table and moves like he might reach forward and brush the stray strand of hair that’s fallen from her ponytail behind her ear.

That’s it. I push out of my chair and stalk directly towards them. “Cain, either get back to work or get your shot. This is not a time to be flirting.”

He shoots me a cocky grin. “I’m just killing time until they’re ready for me, Sutton.”

I place a hand on Bailey’s back and feel her lean into my touch slightly.

“Why don’t you go take a seat in one of those chairs over there, Cain. I’m sure Bailey can call you when she’s ready.”

He stares at the placement of my hand before making eye contact with me again.

“Whatever you say, Sutton.”

He has this look like he now knows this major secret no one else does, and I don’t like it. I watch as he moves towards the empty chairs and takes a seat.

I lean over Bailey and whisper, “I’m not sure I enjoy sharing your smiles with all these fuckers, Bailey. You’re going to make me do something we’re both going to regret.”

She swallows audibly before her head turns towards me. She licks her lips, and my eyes track the movement. I hold back a groan as I think about otherplaces her tongue could be and just how good it would feel.

“I’m not sure we’d both regret it,” she whispers, and God if that doesn’t almost have me breaking my resolve.

“What am I going to do with you, woman?” I say before standing straight and making my way back to my chair.

For the rest of the shift, I watch Bailey. Her smiles are very professional with all the guys, and she looks over at me every once in a while, a blush spreading across her cheeks every time.

When they begin packing up, I walk over to Bailey. “I have your cookie container in my locker, why don’t you come and get it.”

She looks over her shoulder at her co-workers before she nods and places the batch of documents in her file. I pull another officer in to watch over everyone else then we make our way to the locker room.

CHAPTER 9

Bailey

The heat of Caleb’s hand radiates over the small of my back as he guides me towards his locker. My skin has felt like it’s on fire ever since Caleb scared me in the lobby. Watching him move the tables for us didn’t help. I almost drooled as his muscles moved under his shirt. I had to squeeze my thighs together to try to quench the ache building between my legs. I didn’t think I could be more turned on by him today. That was until he was behind me basically telling Officer Cain to fuck off. I can still feel his breath skate across my ear as he whispered that he didn’t like sharing my smiles with these guys.

For the rest of the shift, I kept stealing looks at him and making sure my interactions with the other officers were entirely professional. None of those men piqued my interest, anyway. No one seems to do that besides Caleb.

He pushes open the door to the locker room, holding it open for me. I follow behind him as he walks to the end of the aisleway and takes a left, stopping three lockers down on the right. He spins the lock and opens the door, reaching to the top shelf and pulling down thecontainer that Charlie and I delivered the cookies in.

A picture attached to the inside of the door catches my eye. I take a step closer and realize the photo is of Caleb and Charlie from the day he took her on the ice. He’s still in his hockey gear, and Charlie is wrapped around him. They both look so carefree with their heads tipped back, laughing. Charlie’s face is full of pure joy.

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