Page 39 of Captivated

“Did you know there’s a fence full of locks in the park behind town hall?” I ask Jess as we eat our lunch between processing patients in the ER. I swear, the more I learn about this town, the more I fall in love with it and the thought of leaving one day makes my chest ache.

“Oh! Like the one in Paris?”

“Yes! We discovered it the other night,” I reply before popping a salt and vinegar chip in my mouth.

“We? You’re a ‘we’ now?” Jess grins over at me, taking a sip of her iced tea.

I let out a sigh, although I can’t fight the smile that graces my lips. “Ugh. Yes? No? A label has not been declared, but it was definitely one of the best dates I’ve ever been on.”

It’s been three days since my date with Cash and the first day I’ve seen Jess since. Even though we’ve spoken through text multiple times a day since then, I can’t stop thinking about how perfect the night turned out to be with him. Not only did Cash show me his romantic side, but he showed me his human side—the part of him that had to overcome obstacles thrown in his way while he was desperate to prove he was worthy of my time. The truth is, I never questioned whether he was worthy. My reservations in dating him stemmed from how I felt he could break my heart. His lack of a dating history is alarming, his treatment of women as nothing more than someone to warm his bed for sex, his confidence in his ability to sweet-talk his way out of anything that jeopardized his reputation—those are the things that made we want to run the other way.

And yet, I didn’t listen to my concerns, or rather, they were quickly blurred the more I got to know him. Cash Williams is an anomaly—the exception, not the rule. Men like him rarely change their ways for a woman. It happens in the movies, in a book, or on TV. But not in real life.

And yet it’s happening to me. Only the second man that I’ve ever had feelings for is breaking all the rules and flipping my world upside down, even more than it already has been in the last half of a year.

“He laid it on thick then?”

I laugh around a mouthful of food, chewing completely before answering her. “Actually, no. The night was one bump in the road after the other, but it was real. And in all honesty, that’s exactly what I wanted. I grew up around fake people, so I know what a façade looks like. And even though I knew Cash was desperate to impress me, I never once questioned how genuine he was or whether he was actually having a good time. Because we were both so immersed in each other, it felt easy, and made it very difficult to say goodnight.”

“Well, by the way you’ve been smiling like your face hurts since we started our shift, I’m going to say I’m happy for you. I’m surprised, for sure. But it sounds like maybe this is the start of something.”

“It’s so scary, Jess. But I feel like I get to see the real him, not the person he portrays to everyone else, or the personality his reputation lives up to. Don’t get me wrong, he’s cocky and sarcastic and oozes a level of confidence that definitely explains why women are drawn to him. But he makes me laugh and I don’t feel like I have to put up a front for him. I’ve done that before back home, and it’s exhausting.”

“Finding someone you can be yourself around is priceless, Piper. Just be careful.” She reaches for my hand.

“I will. I just can’t wait to see him again,” I say just as Jess leans her body to the side, scoping out something behind me.

“Seems like someone’s ears were burning,” she grins, causing me to turn around and instantly light up at the sight of Cash in his uniform striding towards me.

He looks so powerful and confident as his long legs eat up the tile floor, crossing multiple halls before arriving right in front of me with a light blue coffee cup in hand.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he smiles and my entire body heats up with his words and his proximity.

“Hey there, Deputy Williams.”

Leaning down to line his mouth up with my ear, he lowers his voice so only the two of us can hear. “I fucking love when you call me that.”

Tingles travel all over my skin. “Good to know. So, what are you doing here? Did you hit your head again and get lost?”

Cash chuckles. “Quite the opposite, actually. I came here with the sole intention of seeing you and bringing you an extra cup of coffee to get you through your shift.” Cash hands me the cup of coffee, labeled Skye’s Creations, a local coffee shop I’ve heard of in town but have yet to stop into.

“Well, that was thoughtful of you.” Reaching for the cup, I take a sip and close my eyes as the flavors of caramel and chocolate hit my tongue. “Oh, God. That’s delicious.”

“It’s a caramel delight flavored coffee, inspired by the Girl Scout Cookie. It’s my favorite thing she makes.”

“It might just bemynew favorite thing too now,” I say before taking another drink. A throat clearing behind us reminds me that Jess is still next to me, hearing our conversation.

“Sorry. Cash, this is Jess. Jess, this is Cash Williams,” I gesture with my cup in hand, formally introducing them even though Jess is all too familiar with Cash and his reputation.

“Nice to meet you,” Cash replies as they shake hands.

“Yeah, I’ve known of you but never formally met the infamous playboy deputy,” Jess snarkily replies. “If you hurt her, I know how to slip you something so it makes it look like you died in your sleep,” she threatens, leaning in closer to him while keeping a hold of his hand.

“Jesus, Jess,” I whisper.

“Point made and taken. Don’t worry though, Jess. I have no intention of hurting her. In fact, I think I’m the one that stands to be hurt more if she doesn’t let me take her out again,” he winks at me.

“Is that your way of trying to make plans for our next date?”

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