That’s when I saw two squad cars, lights flashing, sirens whirring, speeding toward Smithie’s.

I watched them fly by us and kept turned in my seat, looking out the back window, hoping they’d also fly by Smithie’s.

They turned in.

Luke pul ed forward through the now green light and, half a block up, he slowed to let another squad car take a left onto our road and it flew by us too.

“Shit,” I muttered.

“You were sayin’?”

Jeez.

* * * * *

I let us into Hank’s and Luke made me stand at the door while he checked the house. Once he was done, we flipped on a bunch of lights and he took me to the backdoor where he let out Shamus. We stood together silently at the backdoor while Shamus did his business and then moseyed back into the house. Luke closed and locked the door and turned to me. Shit.

Alone with Luke.

“You want coffee?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he answered.

We walked back to the kitchen and I ground the beans and made a pot of coffee.

I had no idea how long Hank was going to be and Luke was obviously staying until Hank got home. It might be a long night. We’d need a lot of coffee.

When it was set to brewing, I turned to Luke and he was leaning with h*ps against the counter, arms crossed on his chest, watching me with his eyes half-mast.

Shit.

I decided to start an unsexy conversation.

“Where were you shot?” I asked.

“Gut,” he answered.

Holy cow.

Even I knew a stomach wound was serious business.

“Are you okay now?”

“You already asked me that.”

He was right, I had.

I found myself getting angry. I don’t know why.

“Wel that just sucks!” I snapped. “They get the guy who shot you?”

“Yeah.”

“Good!” Then I found myself getting mother hen. “You should wear protective stuff, like one of those vests. You should probably be wearing one now. Who knows what could happen in your line of business. It should be standard issue.”

“I was wearin’ a vest. They were armor-piercing bul ets.” I gaped at him.

“Aren’t those il egal?”

“It wasn’t exactly a law-abidin’ citizen who shot me.” After he said that, his eyes dropped to my legs and I realized Shamus was sitting on my feet and I was absently stroking his head.

“The dog’s claimed you,” Luke said.

“He’s a friendly dog, he likes everyone,” I told him.

“He isn’t sittin’ on my feet.”

This was true, he wasn’t.

I looked down at Shamus. Shamus looked up at me. I gave him a ful head rub with both hands. He licked my wrist then leaned into my legs.

When I straightened and looked at Luke, he had on one of his half-grins.

“What?”

“Hank doesn’t stand a chance.”

“What does that mean?”

“Not that he’d want to,” Luke went on as if I hadn’t spoken.

“Excuse me?”

Luke pushed away from the counter and came at me.

I braced, not knowing what to expect.

He got in my space, reached around me, opened a cupboard and pul ed down a mug. He set it on the counter beside me and tilted his head down to look at me.

I was holding my breath.

“You can go to bed,” he said.

“I can?”

“Yeah.”

“But what about you? What are you going to do?” No answer.

I went into good hostess mode.

“I can’t go to bed with you awake and forced to hang around. That’l be boring.”

“I’m used to it,” he told me.

“Stil ,” I replied.

“Go to bed,” he commanded. Definitely commanded, no other way to put it.

I wasn’t the kind of girl who listened to a command.

“I’l keep you company,” I offered.

“Babe,” he said, his eyelids lowering again. “Hank’s got no worries with me movin’ in while things are good between you two. I don’t move on another man’s woman.” Wel , that was good to hear.

He went on. “If I were you, I wouldn’t push it.” Good God.

“I’l go to bed,” I said.

“Smart decision.”

I slid out from in front of him, said good night and Shamus and I went to the bedroom. I took off my clothes and makeup and then was left in a quandary about what to do next.

Hank told me he wanted no clothing obstacles when he got home and the way Hank spoke to me that afternoon, I didn’t want any clothing obstacles either. But, I wasn’t sure it was a good idea to be na**d while Luke was in the house. What if something happened and he had to come in?

I compromised, put on my lilac nightie with the black lace but no underwear.

Then Shamus and I got into bed and after tossing and turning for a while (both of us), we fel asleep.

Chapter Twenty

Gray as the North Pole

Shamus jerked and jumped off the bed.

Automatical y, I moved into the warm space he left behind just as I felt the bed depress when Hank settled into it.

His hands came to my body immediately and pul ed me to him.

I felt like I’d been asleep for hours. I opened my eyes a crack and it was pitch dark so I closed them again.

Hank’s mouth touched my shoulder.

“Whisky?”

“Yeah,” he said, his lips against my shoulder. His hand was at my waist, skimming down the fabric of my nightie to my hip.

“How did your thing go?”

His mouth moved down my shoulder, effectively pushing aside my hair and his tongue touched the skin at the back of my neck. I trembled and my body warmed.

“We got ‘em,” he said against my neck.

“That’s good,” I said on another tremble.

He pul ed the fabric at my hip up and then his hand moved, his thumb pressing in to tag my underwear except it wasn’t there so his hand slid across my na**d hip.

Then it froze.

“Jesus,” he muttered.

It didn’t freeze for long. His fingers gripped me. He turned me and pul ed me into him with his hand at my bare ass.

Then he kissed me, not a lazy-necking kiss, he went whole hog.

I was breathing heavy and my body was in ful throb when his lips disengaged from mine.

He rol ed us over, got on top and his h*ps fel between my legs when I opened them.

He kept his mouth on mine, making me dizzy with his kisses while his hand slid between us, his fingers finding me, making me dizzier. I wrapped a leg around his waist, my arms around his back, using them as an anchor to press my h*ps into his hand.