Page 67 of Sergeant O'
But as she slid between the cool sheets next to me, I wasn’t feeling like this was my shot. Instead, I was thinking about all the ways I’d already fucked things up, and how making a move now, after telling her we could share a bed without any concerns, would be slimy. Not to mention I’d be guaranteed sleeping on the couch for the rest of the time we were here.
She glanced my way while she straightened the comforter around her and found me watching her.
Her soft hand touched my biceps.
“Do you need anything? More pain medication? How’s your bandage?”
“My bandage is still in place, so I think it should be fine until morning. And I found some ibuprofen in the medicine cabinet, so I took four.”
“Just make sure you’re alternating that with acetaminophen. You don’t want to take too much. It’ll wreak havoc on your stomach if you take too much for too long.”
I couldn’t help but smile.
“Are you always in nurse mode?”
She countered with, “Can you just shut off being a cop?”
“I’m going to try really hard while we’re here, where everyone is a stranger. It’s different when I’m in Haven Springs. People know me, so even if I’m in jeans and a t-shirt, they have an expectation that I’ll keep the peace if something happens. Or that I’ll still arrest them if they break the law. I mean, people on the road see me in my Silverado, and immediately slow down, like I’m going to pull them over in my personal vehicle when I’m in my gym clothes.”
“I hadn’t thought about that. I’ll bet that can get exhausting.”
She slid down the mattress, then rolled to her side with her head in her hand, her elbow bent. The way her other arm laid on the bed in front of her caused her tits to mash together.
I had to force myself not to stare. Or imagine my face buried in her cleavage.
“I’m sure you have stuff like that happen to you all the time. People stop you and tell you their symptoms and want you to diagnose them.”
“I think it’d be worse, though, if I could prescribe meds, but I guess I’ve had my fair share of, “Hey, can you look at this,” when I’m at the post office or Lainey’s bakery.”
“Ms. Myrtle stopped me at the grocery store last week and demanded I arrest Ms. Blanche for stealing her cookie recipe.”
She laughed out loud. “What’d you tell her?”
“I told her that it sounded like a civil matter, and she should call her attorney.”
“Just think,” she said wistfully as she snuggled under the covers. “We get to spend the next ten days not worrying about running into anyone we know.”
“I can’t wait. What do you want to do tomorrow?”
“I think we should get up and go to the store for groceries, then come back here and be a pair of beach bums for the restof the day. Then, we’ll see if we feel like going out to dinner or eating in. No schedule.”
“Sounds like a perfect day.”
With the perfect girl.
Maybe I’d figure out a way to make a move tomorrow.
“Well, goodnight then.” She reached over and switched off the lamp on the nightstand next to her.
“Goodnight,” I replied as I did the same and the room went dark. I rolled on my side and faced the wall. If I looked at her back, it would be too tempting to pull her into my arms.
Tonight, I needed to be on high alert and not cross that imaginary line dividing the bed.
I hadn’t even considered what I’d do if she was the one who went over the invisible boundary.
~~~~
The room was still dark when something pulled me from my slumber. For a few seconds I couldn’t make sense of it—the shift of the mattress, a warm body pressing against me. My head cleared enough to realize Jade was draped across my chest and a sense of dread immediately overcame me.
