“Yeah . . . ’kay.”
I smiled and squeezed her knee. She just groaned and swatted at my hand.
“Oh my God!” she yelled suddenly, and sat straight up.
“What?” I’d been slowing for a red light but slammed on the breaks at her outburst.
“I have something for you at home! I almost forgot!”
“You . . . Jesus Christ, Rach! I thought we were about to get hit or I was about to run over someone!”
“Well, get over it! We didn’t. Come on light, turn green, go, go, go, come on we have to get home!” She bounced up and down in her seat and looked at the empty streets around us.
“Fuck, swear to God you’re going to be the death of me.”
She stopped bouncing and turned to face me. Her dark blue eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms. “Keep being an ass**le and you won’t get it.”
I couldn’t help it. A massive smile crossed my face. I put the car in park, unclicked her seat belt, and pulled her across the seat to me. “There’s my fiery girl. You’re such a cute little monster when you wake up.”
“I will cut you.”
“I said cute.”
“I hate you.”
“Liar.” I kissed her hard and trailed my hand in between her thighs, smiling more when her gasp filled the cab of my truck. She opened her legs wider and I moved my hand up her shorts; and just as my fingers touched the edge of her underwear, I removed my hand and pushed her back into her seat. “Put your seat belt on, the light’s green.”
“Kash!” she gritted as she angrily yanked at her seat belt.
I smiled and put the car in drive before taking off again. “There’s a word . . . I’m having trouble remembering it right now. Oh, right. Frustration . . . Enjoy that.”
She looked back at the road for a second, turned her body toward me, and released her seat belt. “Maybe you should learn to enjoy frustration.” Leaning over, she grabbed for the buckle on my belt and I grabbed her wrists in one of my hands.
“I don’t think so. This doesn’t go both ways, Sour Patch.”
“It’s about to.”
“Don’t make me handcuff you.” When she didn’t make another move toward me and didn’t say anything, I glanced over at her and I swear to God my jeans shrunk when I saw the heat in her eyes and the way she was torturing her bottom lip. “Shit. Put your seat belt back on.”
We need to get home. Now.
I pressed harder on the gas and forced myself to focus on the road rather than imagining Rachel cuffed. Jesus. Drive, Kash! By the time we got home, I didn’t have the patience to wait for her to get out of her own door. As soon as she had her seat belt off, I grabbed her and dragged her across the seat. Bending low, I pressed my shoulder into her stomach and lifted her out, kicking the door shut behind me.
“Your shoulders are still super uncomfortable!” She laughed, but didn’t make any other complaints as I unlocked the door and walked inside with her. “Okay, now put me down and go let Trip inside.”
I set her on the ground but slammed her body back to mine and captured her lips with my own. A soft needy sound rose up in her throat, and she gripped my shirt in her hands, trying to bring our bodies even closer together.
“Kash,” she moaned.
“Go get in the bedroom. I’ll be right behind you.”
She took off for the back of the house after I released her, and I locked the front door before going to the back to let Trip inside and feed him. Taking off my badge, gun, holster, and belt, I laid them on the breakfast table before putting the handcuffs in my back pocket and heading down the hall. I pulled my shirt off my body and let it fall to the ground, and awkwardly tore off my boots and socks without stopping my advance.
Turning the corner in the hall, I stopped dead when I saw things hanging from the ceiling between the bedroom doorway and me.
“What the hell?”
Flipping on the hall light, I walked closer to the pictures hanging and slowly turning from the air blowing through the vents in the ceiling. As I grabbed the first one, my eyes widened and my breathing quickened.
It was a picture of an August calendar, and Rachel’s engagement ring was circling August 23. Next to her ring, on that day, was a question mark.
Stepping quickly to the next picture, I stopped it from spinning and looked at the words I LOVE YOU ALWAYS in Scrabble tiles. In between the YOU and ALWAYS was a green Sour Patch Kid.
Letting go, I walked to the last picture and stopped it from spinning. It was the upper left half of Rachel’s back, and she was looking behind her, and down. Most of her back was bare, but she looked like she was wearing a dress. I flipped the picture over and read the words I had seen as the picture spun.
I’M READY FOR YOU TO SEE THE REST OF THIS DRESS. I’M READY FOR FOREVER WITH YOU. YOU’VE TAKEN MY HEART; CAN I TAKE YOUR LAST NAME?
Walking into the bedroom I turned and found her worrying her bottom lip as she leaned against the wall. Her blue eyes bounced between mine, and as she took in my expression, her face relaxed and a soft smile spread across her face. Stepping up to her, I cupped her cheeks and kissed her softly twice.
“You’re back.”
Her brow scrunched together, and she opened her mouth to respond before it shut and her eyes widened. “I’m sorry it took so long.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for, you took exactly how long you needed. I’m just so damn glad I have you back again,” I told her as I kissed her again. I pressed my knee between her legs and swallowed her soft whimper.