Page 36 of No Second Chances

“I was coming to ambush you. To force you to tell me why you stayed away. To make you admit that you want to be with me.” I blush under his scrutiny. “I was coming to you, Linc.”

His forehead crinkles in slight amusement before his gaze narrows on my lips again. “You gotta get dressed before I take this too far, in a hospital no less.”

Linc backs away without saying anything to my admission, which I guess is fair since I didn’t say anything to his. When he hands me the bag of clothes and silently turns around, I think I fall even more in love with him than before. Plus, I could have kissed Parker. There isn’t a single doubt in my mind that she was the one to pack the bag. She sent yoga pants and a tank top instead of a bra, along with one of my favorite shirts. One that I got when I stole it from Linc the night we slept together.

“Okay,” I say once I manage to painfully maneuver into the clothes. Already out of breath, I’m dreading the shower I know I’ll have to take at home. Everything hurts. “I’m done.”

Linc turns around and I see his breath catch as he sees what I’m wearing. Still not saying a word, he holds out a hand for me to take.

“Thank you,” I tell him. “I meant it about Taco Bell on the way home, though.”

He snorts. “Of course you did. Let’s go.”

With our hands linked together, he leads me out the door.

“Oh shit.” I stop in the hall and he is forced to stop too or let go of me. “I need my phone and stuff from my car.”

“Dom was the officer assigned to your accident. I’m sure he grabbed it.”

Stalling, I hold his hand tightly and swallow down the knot in my throat. “One more thing.” My eyes are wide, definitely too wide. I can feel the craziness, and the headache is coming back, which I guess is normal since I have a concussion.

Linc stares at me, waiting for me to go on. But he doesn’t interrupt or try to make me leave until I’m ready. Admittedly, I secretly hope that my family is gone so I don’t have to deal with them.

Looking around, I try to keep my voice down so no one else hears, and I lean up to whisper in Linc’s ear, “Where’s my machete?”

16

LINC

Getting Kennedy’s machete back is a hell of a lot harder than driving to Taco Bell. In fact, a week after her accident, I still can’t locate the damn thing.

I also haven’t gotten to spend more than a few hours with the stubborn woman, either. Between her work schedule, mine, and the way our families keep interrupting, it is almost as bad as when I was avoiding her.

There are four minutes left of my shift, and I’m almost done with the paperwork from my calls for the day when the phone starts ringing in the front office. Immediately, I stop throwing snacks to Daisy, Remy’s patrol dog, who huffs and puts her head on her paws, ignoring my existence.

I hear Teri answer the dispatch phone and make a beeline for the bathroom before she can see that I’m still on duty. Remy watches me go with a suspicious look on his face. But he can’t really follow me, especially when I can see Teri’s head pop into the hallway as I vanish through the bathroom door. Daisy follows and whimpers when I shut the door before she can follow me in.

“I’m gonna get you back for that,” Remy calls out loudly. “Come on, Daisy.” I hear him stomp away.

A laugh is the only thing I leave him with, and I quickly change out of my uniform and back into regular clothes. Just to make sure I stay away long enough, I grab my phone to make sure that Kennedy is still planning on meeting me at my house for dinner.

L: If you want to grab Lotus Hill and head over to my place, that will keep either of us from having to cook.

K: Why don’t you just tell me you want takeout?

L: I want takeout. It means more time with you and less time cooking or cleaning.

K: And a movie, maybe?

L: Anything for you.

K: Kay. Xoxo

The bathroom door swings open and Remy props himself against the frame, barely catching the door with his foot before it slams back in his face.

“Close call,” I tell him while grabbing my duffel from the bench. “What was it?”

“9-1-1 hang-up. The phone has a history of accidental dials, and the owner has no idea why it does it. She’s not having an emergency.” He crosses his arms and glares at me. “You owe me for that.”

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