I pull my eyes away when I see her take a seat at a computer. The blue light on the screen lights up her face, giving me a glimpse of her blue eyes shining brightly, her plump lips turned up into a smile. I feel like a creep for watching, so I pick up the pace and double my speed, putting her place behind me. Even though she’s nowhere within my view anymore, it doesn’t stop me from thinking about her.
I see myself placing my hands on her hips and picking her up with my mouth on hers. I set her on my desk and tug at the button on her shirt that’s been begging to come undone all day. I picture the body she’s hiding under her nice dress suit. Just thinking about it has my dick twitching. This is getting a tad ridiculous. I haven’t been able to think of anything but her since I met her. I know I can’t go there. Why am I torturing myself?
I push her from my mind, and instead, I focus on the beat of the music, on putting one foot in front of the other as I run and push myself to go faster and faster. My watch beeps at me, and I see that I’ve run four miles up the mountain. I slow to a stop, crack my neck, stretch my arms and legs, and then take off back down the mountain.
I run down the two miles and then slow to a jog for a mile. The final mile is a walk to cool down. It’s dark when I walk back into the house. I lock the door behind me, take out my earbuds, and go for a shower. My clothes are wet from sweat, and they cling to my body, making them even harder to get off. I toss everything into the corner since I don’t have a hamper in here yet and climb behind the hot water.
Twenty minutes later, I get out and pull on a pair of sweatpants before heading to the kitchen to prepare something for dinner. I haven’t fully stocked the kitchen yet, but I grabbed a few things from town last night when I arrived. I pull the cast-iron skillet out of the oven and put it on the gas burner to heat up. I spray it down with Pam before tossing in a steak. While it sizzles, I work on steaming some vegetables. I flip the steak a few minutes later and leave the vegetables until the steak is done. Once the steak is done, I plate it up and let it rest, allowing the juices to settle before taking my dinner to the couch.
My laptop is on the coffee table in front of me, and I open it and play an old movie I had laying around since I don’t have any cable or internet set up yet. After eating, I quickly clean up and head to bed, wanting to beat everyone to the office in the morning.
In the morning, I swing by the bakery and load up of coffee, donuts, muffins, and scones to take into the break room. As everyone arrives, they all beam and smile when they find a treat waiting for them. Nina is one of the last to arrive, and just like everyone else, she comes straight to the break room for coffee.
“Morning,” she says, walking in and setting her things on the table to pour a cup of coffee. She picks up the pot, but it’s empty. “Everyone load up on coffee already?” she asks, but I’m too lost in what she’s wearing today to answer.
She’s wearing a tight black pencil skirt that has a slit up the back, up past her knees. Her white dress shirt fits snug, just like yesterday. It’s tucked into the skirt with a wide belt over it. She’s wearing a blazer, but this one is so tight that I bet she couldn’t button it even if she were paid to. It’s also shorter than a usual blazer. This one ends just below her breasts, giving me the perfect view of that tiny waist of hers. Her blond hair is down today, lying in soft curls across her back. She’s wearing a bit more makeup, but not a lot. Just enough to make those blue eyes shine brighter. Her thick lips are painted a deep red. What gets me, though, are those black-framed glasses. She’s like a dirty librarian fantasy come to life.
She stares over at me when she realizes I never replied her question.
“Oh, I brought in coffee and some baked goods for everyone today. Help yourself.” I point at the counter in the corner.
She turns with a smile. “Look at you schmoozing your way in here.”
I shrug. “Glasses, huh?”
She wrinkles her nose as if she hates them. “Yeah, I dropped my last contact this morning and couldn’t find it. I’ll have to order some more. I hate these things. I feel like an old lady.” She laughs as she takes a cup of coffee and a scone.
“You don’t look like an old lady,” I start but stop myself there. I was going to go on and compare her to a dirty librarian who needs to be punished by the town sheriff, but I manage to catch myself before it came out.
She smiles as she grabs her things. “That makes two of us,” she says with a grin, walking past me.
Her scent floats by me, and I can’t help but close my eyes and breathe it in deeply. She smells like a mix of fresh fruit, clean linen, and a hint of smoke—probably from the wood-burning fireplace she has.
I follow her to her office and lean against the door frame as she sets her things down. She looks up at me with confusion.
“I bought a house in the mountains, and I was out running last night and noticed your car. You live in that little cabin by the lake?”
She smiles and nods. “I do.”
“I noticed your yard needs some upkeep. I’m more than happy to volunteer if you need some help.”
Her smile falls just a bit, and I wonder if I’ve overstepped. “Thanks, but I like to employ the kids around town to do it. It gives them some money and keeps them out of trouble for a little while. They’re just busy this time of year with all their exams. It’ll get done soon.”
I nod. “Okay, just wanted to offer.”
“Thank you for thinking of me.”
“Oh, hey. I was wondering, what do you do to get internet and cable up there? Everyone I’ve called has practically laughed at me.”
She grins, making her blue eyes light up. “I’ll send you some links. It’s pricy, but I work with computers, and having the internet is a must.”
“Thank you. I guess I’ll let you get to work.” I step away from her door and turn and walk back to my own office, wondering if our conversation was weird or if anyone overheard.
A little while later, I’m sitting at my desk with my attention on the computer when someone knocks on my door. “Yeah?” I ask, finally tearing my eyes from the screen to find one of the guys on the force that I haven’t gotten to know yet.
“Hi, sir. I hope I’m not interrupting.”
“Of course not. Come on in and have a seat.” I stand up and shake his hand. “What can I help you with?”
“Well, sir, I know you said you have an open-door policy and that you want us to talk to you about things.”
I nod my head as I watch this kid. He couldn’t be any older than twenty or so. He seems nervous.
“Well, I wanted to come to you and be honest. I’ve been thinking about moving, and I’ve applied to some stations around the state. I listed this as my place of employment and wanted to let you know so that if any of them call, you wouldn’t be caught off guard.”
“Well, thank you for the heads up. Where are you thinking about moving to?”
He shrugs and smirks. “Anywhere, really. I was born and raised in this small town. I just want to get out. See what else is out there, you know? I really want to move to the city. You were working in the city, weren’t you?”
I nod. “I was. But I am the opposite of you. I wanted out of the noise and somewhere a little quieter. The city is…” Immediately, my mind goes back to the night of the shooting.