Page 39 of Forged By Fire

Clint excused himself to grab a duffel bag from his patrol car. He always carried it with him in case he needed a change of clothes when he was out late or on a stake-out. He even included personal items like a toothbrush and deodorant. He happily changed out of his uniform and into a regular pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt.

Once the pizza arrived, they spent the evening eating and watching a funny movie they’d both seen before. The predictable plot and laughs were exactly what they needed.

It was after ten when Leslie covered a yawn at the same time Clint stifled one of his own. They both chuckled at the timing.

Leslie ran a finger under one of her eyes. “As much as I don’t want to admit it, I’m going to need to crash. Let me go get the pillow and blankets for you.” She turned and went to the cabinet at the end of the hall. When she came back, her arms were full of blankets with a pillow balanced on top. “This couch is actually really comfortable.” She waited for him to move, then started to arrange the bedding.

“Do you sleep out here often?”

She shrugged. “Sometimes. I did last night.”

She likely slept on the couch when she had trouble falling asleep, and it was no wonder why she might not have gotten much rest with everything going on.

They worked together in silence as Clint helped her straighten the bottom blanket and then spread out another one on top.

Leslie tossed the pillow onto one end of the couch. She yawned again and groaned.

He gently cradled her face with his hands. “Go get some sleep. I’ve got everything under control out here.”

“Promise you’ll wake me up if any new information comes in?”

“I promise.” He brushed a feather-light kiss against her lips before stepping back again. “Good night.”

A soft pink dusted her cheeks. “Good night.”

He waited until she’d walked down the short hallway and gone into her bedroom before he let himself flop back onto the couch.

Chapter Twenty-One

Leslie tossed the last bite of toast in her mouth and put the plate in the sink. She’d slept better last night than she had in days. Maybe part of it was because the body could only carry on so long on stress and chocolate. She wasn’t naïve, though. She knew it was mostly because Clint had been sleeping in the living room. Knowing he was out there, and that she wasn’t alone, was enough to put her completely at ease.

They’d both spent the morning bustling around her house getting ready for the day. He touched base with his brother. She called Cindy to see how the girls were doing. They’d fixed a simple breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast that was wolfed down in record time.

Clint ended his call and gave her an apologetic smile. “I had no idea that would take so long. We’re trying to get things planned for our parents’ anniversary in the spring. We were hoping for a cruise to Alaska. They’ve always talked about going.”

“Wow, that’s amazing. Are they going to be completelysurprised, or do you guys normally get them larger gifts like that?”

He laughed, and she loved the way the sound filled her kitchen. “We’ve never done anything like this before. I think they’ll be completely shocked. But it’s their fortieth anniversary, and we wanted to do something special.”

“Well, I’m sure they’re going to love it.”

Leslie opened her large backpack to make sure she had everything she needed for her twenty-four-hour shift. She always kept some necessities in her locker there, but the clothing she took back and forth, as well as any specific snacks she wanted to have on hand.

When she looked up, she caught Clint watching her, his expression somewhere between worry and admiration. She immediately knew what he was thinking about.

She finished zipping the backpack closed. “I can’t sit around here all day just doing nothing. Waiting for news about Danny or the case is slowly driving me insane.”

“I know.” He took several strides forward until they were toe-to-toe. He slid his fingers into her hair at the base of her neck, sending shivers racing down her spine. “Promise me you’ll be careful.”

“I promise…”

Her words, spoken barely above a whisper, were cut off when he kissed her with an intensity that had her grasping the fabric on the front of his uniform with one hand to steady herself. He poured his worries, along with a myriad of unspoken promises, into the brief kiss that left her catching her breath when he pulled back.

Leslie’s mind swirled with questions and uncertainties, but the affection and heat in his gaze quieted them all. They had a lot of things to figure out—about thecase and what was going on between them—and they would. But this morning wasn’t the time.

“We’d better get going, or we’re both going to be late.” His voice was gruff as he reached for her backpack with one hand and lifted his duffel bag with the other.

They got everything loaded into his squad car and headed for Station Two.

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