Page 108 of Surly Sheriff
The one they fixed together.
Where they loved, laughed.
Said their vows.
In her darkest moments, she had imagined another woman sleeping beside him in their bed, sharing their bathroom, storing clothes in their closet.
She opened her mouth to speak, but noticed his hooded gaze trained on her mouth. His eyes tracked up to hers and for a moment, raw need blazed in them. He blinked, stepped back, his stare once again aloof.
“Go shower, Raegan,” he growled and turned away.
Mouth gaping, Rae stared at his retreating back.
“You’ve got five minutes before I leave,” he called out, pulling the door closed behind him.
His words spurred her to action, and she made for the bathroom. She swallowed another mouthful of coffee and placed the mug on the vanity. Winding her hair into a twist, the material of her tee brushed across her jutting nipples. She glanced in the mirror with a wry look.Wonderful, Rae. Guess he noticed.Securing her hair with a clip, she cursed her body’s involuntary reaction to the man who still owned her heart. She pivoted and crossed the tiles. “But he wasn’t unaffected,” she said with fleeting satisfaction, reaching into the shower to start the water. She hadn’t missed the significant bulge confined behind his pants’ zipper.
Gah.The five minutes are now four, Rae.
She stripped and stepped under the water.
And purposefully thought of something distasteful. Like the upcoming trial. The FBI had taped the depositions she had made four years ago. That, with the evidence they had collected, was enough to put Vasily before a judge and jury, but Rae wanted her moment in court to look Vasily in the eye. Sheneededto face that monster. The man had dominated her life for so long, tormenting her dreams, destroying her marriage.
No. Get real.Youdestroyed your marriage.
By not giving Beau the benefit of the doubt, you robbed him of the choice to stand by you. You let yourfeardominate. He didn’t turn away from you in disgust when you told him about killing Sergei. No, he likened it to war and called you a hero.
“A hero,” she whispered, water mixed with body wash sluicing down her body. If only—
Stop.
She had no right to expect Beau to forgive her transgressions against him. Not after willfully stomping on his love,withholding his son from him. No rightat allto expect anything from the man other than to be a father to Jack.
And keep their son safe while she confronted her demons.
Getting Jack settled with Beau before she left for New York made sense. And having a security system would add another layer of protection around their son.
With that thought front and center, she stepped from the shower, dried her body, and dressed.
Beau was sitting at the kitchen table with Jack, the former with a mug of coffee before him, the latter a glass of chocolate milk. The dogs werebothcurled up on the mat in front of the stove. Neither stirred.
“I took longer than five minutes. Sorry.”
“Look, Momma. Mister Beau made me chocolate milk.” Jack grinned, stretching his chocolate-covered lips wide.
Mister Beau.
She dumped the now cold coffee in the sink. It splattered up the sides and a few drops landed on the front of her shirt. “Shit,” she muttered, reaching for the dishcloth.
“Momma!” He giggled. “That’s a bad word.”
She rubbed at the blotches, blinking fiercely.She really was turning into a crybaby.
A chair scraped back. Boots appeared before her. A hand closed over hers, stilling her frantic movements. He removed the cloth. “Walk me outside,” Beau said.
She nodded, unable to talk past the lump in her throat.
Beau gave a low whistle. Kismet lifted her head, giving him a disgruntled look, and placed it back on his front paws.
