Page 155 of In Spades

Kristin collected her things from her locker with a jittery hand. After the whole termination debacle, Karina Miller—the assistant manager at the inn—gave her the day off with pay.

Apparently Rich getting arrested was an incentive for Karina to not quit.

Kristin hadn’t stopped shaking since everything went down in Rich’s office. I walked her to my truck with my arm around her trembling shoulders so everyone knew, without a doubt, that she was mine.

“Jokers?” I asked. “I think we could both use a drink.”

She nodded and offered a half-hearted smile.

It felt like it had been an eternity since I had Kristin at my side. Now that I had her back, I had no intention of letting her go.

“You okay?” I asked as I used the heel of my hand to turn my truck into the gravel parking lot at Jokers.

She hadn’t said a word since we left the inn. I couldn’t imagine the fear, shock, or relief she must’ve been feeling—maybe all at once. It was hard to tell where she was in the recovery process.

“I don’t know,” she admitted quietly, picking at a spot on her crisp white polo shirt. The corner of her mouth quivered. “I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t shown up.”

“I’ll always show up for you.”

In truth, she would have been fucked. Rich did an excellent job covering his tracks. We had the money trail, but not the perpetrator. Not until Brantley ‘fessed up. We would have eventually pinned the crimes to Rich, but not before he ruined Kristin’s life.

Still, I didn’t want her thinking about all that. I didn’t want her worrying about what could have been. What would have happened to the kids had she really ended up in prison for a crime she didn’t commit. What would have happened to the poker club if Steve and Chase had been there to arrest her.

I was damn thankful that Jokers served breakfast and lunch because I was starving. I rounded the hood and opened her door. Before she could slide out of the seat and onto the running board, I bracketed her waist and kissed her.

It wasn’t soft and sweet. No, it was hard and demanding. Full of all the pent of things I hadn’t been able to say. I sucked her lower lip between my teeth and swallowed the moan that escaped her lips.

Kristin arched her back as I swept my tongue into her mouth.

I slid my hand up her thigh and rested it on the crease of her hip, where her tattoo hid beneath those dark green pants. With my thumb, I stroked between her legs, teasing her center through the stiff fabric.

She threaded her fingers through my hair, tugging the strands as she pulled me closer.

“Kristin,” I growled, fisting her polo shirt.

She acknowledged me with a whimper.

“Are you going to let me love you?” I asked as I pulled away, resting my forehead on hers. She didn’t say anything, so I kept going. “I know you think that you don’t have anything to offer me, but the truth is, you’re everything I need. I don’t need something from you. I need you. All of you.”

“I’ll never understand why you want me the way you do,” she said softly.

I chuckled. “We’re not meant to understand love, sweetheart. The best and brightest can’t figure it out. It’s not meant to be studied and debated. I think it’s supposed to be a beautiful enigma.” I brushed my lips against hers. “Love is a natural disaster. The moment we think we’ve got our lives all figured out, love comes in with an unexplainable divine force and turns everything upside down. It’s one of the few things in life that can’t be calculated or controlled, and that’s the point. You just have to go with it.”

Kristin smiled against my mouth. “You have a way with words.”

“Enjoy it now because I plan on doing very little talking later tonight.”

She laughed, shaking her head as she slid out of the truck. “Promises, promises.”

“C’mon, Sunshine,” I said, taking her hand as we crossed the parking lot. “Let’s get you something to eat.”

Apparently, Jokers was not a popular spot on a Monday morning in December at lunchtime. Apart from Bridget, we were the only two in the whole place.

I pulled out Kristin’s barstool and helped her up before sitting on my own.

“Hey, you two,” Bridget said as she blew a stray piece of blonde hair away from her face. Her eyes darted between us. “What’s, uh… what’s new with y’all?” She twisted the bar rag in her hand.

Kristin shrugged, “Oh, you know. Same old, same old.”

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