Page 64 of Wrecked
Or was it something else, something more?
Until he opened up, let her in, there would always be this thing, a distance between them. Yes, he’d told her he’d lost his partner in the crash, that when he’d died he’d left behind a wife and son. She also knew it had affected him deeply. How could it not? There was more to the story, though, she just knew it. But every time she brought up what happened that day, he changed the subject.
She understood not wanting to talk about a subject that caused pain, she did. But whatever troubled him was causing just as much harm as the physical injuries he’d sustained from that terrible accident.
She knew from her brother that Cole had turned down a desk job with the NYPD before moving back to Miami. She also knew through Alex that he was seeing a counselor.
Before she could second-guess what she was doing, she typed his name into the search engine and pressed enter.
What am I doing? If he wanted to tell her about that day, he would—when he was ready. She was about to exit out of the screen, when a headline popped up. Officer dead after high-speed chase.
She couldn’t stop herself and clicked the link. The news article opened, and she read it from start to finish.
Cole had been driving when his patrol car crashed during a high-speed chase. His partner of five years, Adam Connors, had died almost instantly. Information he had already told her. Frustration pumped through her. What aren’t you telling me, Cole?
Did he blame himself for his partner’s death? She was no counselor, but something like that, it had the ability to tear you apart. She did an image search and came across several pictures from the funeral. The woman she’d seen with him at his office, Kate, his ex-partner’s wife, stood with her son clinging to her, the rawness of her grief distorting her lovely face. There were also pictures from the wreck, the mangled police car. Jesus.
She clicked the window shut and released a shuddery breath. It didn’t feel right looking at the images, public record or not. It felt like she’d invaded a private moment.
And though she’d seen his scars, it brought home just how close Cole had come to losing his life as well. The thought sent panic racing through her, twisting and curling in her belly.
It had been a horrific accident. But it was an accident. Anyone could see that. The affection and concern on Kate’s face when Piper had seen them at the office together made it clear she didn’t hold him responsible.
Before she could change her mind, she searched Kate Connors’s phone number and keyed it into her phone. A woman’s voice echoed down the line a few seconds later.
“Is this Mrs. Connors?”
“Yes.”
“This is Piper West. We, ah…I saw you with Cole at his office the other day?”
Piper was putting in some extra hours, making adjustments on the Chevy’s V8 when the side door to the workshop opened and Cole walked in.
The double-wide roller doors were already down for the night, and seeing him standing there, after what she’d done—calling Kate, speaking to her about him—the walls suddenly felt like they were closing in.
She straightened from the engine, wiped her hands, and closed the hood. “Hey.”
A small smile lifted the corners of his lips. “I just realized I haven’t seen you like this in a long time.” He came toward her, gaze moving over her body as he walked. “I’ve seen you here, of course. I’ve seen the end result after a day working on cars, the grease on your skin, your clothes.” His pale blue eyes darkened, and his voice got deeper. “I like it. You look good bent over an engine like that.” He moved closer. “It’s a serious turn-on.”
She grinned up at him, couldn’t help it. That light was shining from within, a lightness she recognized. Seeing that part of him again, a part she thought might be lost forever, made her heart skip a beat.
There was no one else around. It was just the two of them. She stepped closer so her breasts brushed his chest. “You like it when I’m dirty?”
He dragged the pad of his thumb across her cheek. “Yeah, I like it.” His gaze moved over her shoulder to the Chevy. “This the car you’ve been restoring?”
“Yep.”
“Looks good, baby.” He rested his hands on her hips and gave her a squeeze.
“Wait till you hear the engine.”
He grinned. “Can’t wait for you to take me on that ride you promised.”
The center of her chest warmed. “You and me both.”
She had every intention of owning up to what she’d done earlier, but before that happened, she wanted to please him. It may be cowardly and, okay, a little manipulative, but it couldn’t hurt to make him feel good before she turned around and pissed him off. Because he would be angry, she knew that much.
She also knew they could work through it, together.
