His face wore a conflicted expression. “I don’t think it has anything to do with not trusting you, Hunter. I think…” His voice trailed off.
“What?” I asked.
Clearing his throat, he said, “I don’t think she thinks that. I don’t want to make guesses or assumptions, Hunter. The main thing is, she’s letting you back in.”
I smiled. “She told me she never stopped loving me.”
Kyle returned the expression but didn’t say anything.
The door to the office opened just then, and Chris Smith, a fellow police officer and the head of our K9 training department, walked in.
Jack sat up like the well-trained dog he was, while Cat ran so fast toward Chris, she tripped over her own feet again, tumbling and landing in a sitting position. Kyle smiled like a proud father, while Chris slowly shook his head and sighed.
“Christ. We’ve got a lot of work to do with her,” Chris mumbled as Kyle reached down and picked up Cat. Her ears were starting to stand up, and she looked adorable.
“What are you talking about?” Kyle said. “She’s already a genius. You ready to show Chris what you know, girl?”
Cat barked, and Chris laughed.
“Let’s go, officers, I’ve got everything set up,” he said.
It was training day, and Cat was going to get to see how a real police dog was supposed to act.
I gathered up my stuff and grabbed the duffle bag that held the bite suit. “Come on, Jack, let’s show Cat how it’s done.”
Jack walked alongside me while Cat took off between Chris’s legs and damn near knocked him down.
“Goddammit, Larson! Leash! Where is her leash?”
Hunter
I shook the snow off of me, and so did Jack, before we both walked into the house. It was the first week of February, and needless to say, Mr. Winter was making sure it was cold as fuck.
I sighed and tossed my keys on the table by the front door. To say I was exhausted was an understatement. It was a long day on patrol, and then Jack and I were called in to help the State Police with a drug suspect who had run from them during a home invasion. We normally didn’t get calls like that, but we were the closest K9 unit to the scene. Boggy Creek was still a small town, and crime wasn’t anything like in Boston, but we did have our fair share of it. As more people moved out of the city and into the country, crime came along with them. There was for sure an uptick of drugs in the Valley, no doubt about it.
Jack ran into the kitchen, sat at the refrigerator, and looked at the freezer drawer. Laughing, I gave him a scratch behind his ears, then spoke in a higher-pitched voice like I always did when I praised him.
“Dats a good boy-ya. Who got that bad guy today? Who is da best puppy on the force?” Even Jack most likely realized he was the only dog on the force. Well, besides Cat.
Jack barked and stood as I pulled out a Frosty Paws frozen dog treat and opened it. I set it in his dog bowl and he picked it up and headed to his bed in the living room to eat it.
I started to take my gear off when the doorbell rang. Jack looked up, then at me.
“You just keep enjoying that treat, buddy.”
When I opened the door, I grinned. Bella stood there with the sweetest smile on her beautiful face. It had been nearly a week since we’d been able to see each other. One of the guys at work had the flu, so I’d taken his shifts. “Bella, what are you doing here?”
She looked nervous as she gave me a good once-over. “Are you and Jack okay?”
I frowned. “Yeah, why wouldn’t we be?”
Chewing on her lip, she looked toward Jack and smiled before focusing back on me. “I heard you got called out to help the State Police, and that Jack took down a robber or drug dealer or something like that.”
I lifted a brow. There was no way the town gossips had picked up on that so quickly. “And where did you hear that?” I asked, motioning for her to come in.
Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink as she walked in, looking everywhere but at me.
“Arabella Adams, are you listening to the police channel?”
Her eyes finally lifted and met mine, and her blush deepened—and shit if that didn’t turn me on.
“Maybe.”
Laughing, I shut the front door and headed back toward the kitchen. I turned to ask her if she wanted anything to drink, and caught her red-handed checking me out.
“Are you checking out my ass?” I asked with a wink.
Bella’s eyes went wide with shock. “What? No! I mean, yes—no, I was just looking at your pants and they fit… No wait.” She slammed both hands over her mouth and closed her eyes for a moment.
I laughed and started to pull off my vest. God, it felt good to just kid around with her. Talk to her. Hear her voice. Her laughter. See that stunning smile of hers.
Her eyes watched my every move as I took off all my gear. “It’s just…well…you look handsome in your uniform.”
Fucking hell.
I groaned internally and had to fight the urge to pull her into my arms and kiss the shit out of her. “Think so?” I asked with a lighthearted tone.
Bella nodded. “I’ve always thought so, I just never told you.”
I paused for a moment. “I’m glad you did.”
She smiled that sweet smile of hers, and I swore I fell even more in love with her.
“Have you eaten dinner?” I asked.
“No, I haven’t.”
Walking over to the refrigerator, I opened it and did a quick scan. “I don’t have a whole lot of food, but I can whip us up something if you want.” When I glanced back at her, she was looking around my place. “Want a tour?”
Her head jerked back as she faced me. “I’d love one. But first, how about you go change and I’ll find us something to eat.”
“Are you sure?”
Bella nodded and moved next to me to survey the food I had. The heat from her body caused my heart rate to pick up.
Focusing on the contents of my fridge, she said, “I’m positive.”
“You don’t mind if I shower, do you?” I asked, reaching for my pistol. I always kept my firearm locked up.
Bella’s eyes were on my gun as I picked it up and held it. She shook her head as if shaking away some thought, and then looked up at me. “I don’t mind at all.” Her eyes drifted down to my mouth, and I couldn’t help but remember something my father had told me once.
If a woman stares at your mouth, you best kiss her right away.
I leaned down and gently kissed her. She reached up onto her toes and wrapped her arms around my neck, prompting me to deepen the kiss. I could get lost in it real quick if I wasn’t careful.
When Bella finally broke the kiss, her chest rose and fell quickly. She was just as affected by the kiss as I was.
“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about your kisses, Hunter.”
Reaching up, I tucked a piece of her blonde hair behind her ear and smiled. “Anytime you need them, they’re yours.”
Our eyes met. Something about the way she looked at me told me exactly what she was thinking.
“They’re only yours, Bella.”
A soft exhale slipped from her barely parted lips before she whispered my name. “Hunter.”