Page 112 of Sweet as Sin (Bad Habit 1)
His brow crinkled. Even his dimples looked confused.
I sighed. “What I’m saying so badly is that sometimes less is more. With massages, and also with . . . kissing.”
There was a beat of silence before he got it. Then, like a glass being filled from the bottom, he turned red from his chin to his hairline and groaned. He covered his eyes with his hand. “Oh, geez. Oh, boy. Ouch.”
“I’m so sorry. This is awkward. I shouldn’t have told you.”
He waved my apologies off. “No, you’re doing me a favor, trust me. That’s not the first time I’ve heard it.” He grimaced. “My last girlfriend dumped me after three months because she said she couldn’t imagine having to eat my tongue for every meal for the rest of her life.”
“Oh, God. That’s terrible!”
He shrugged, looking at his feet again. “I kinda thought she was just being mean, but apparently it’s an issue.”
An uncomfortable silence followed. I shifted my weight from one foot to another, eager to end the conversation. “Look. I know Chloe really likes you, okay?”
He looked at me with big puppy-dog eyes. “She does?”
“Yes,” I said emphatically, nodding. “She does. She said you two have a lot in common, and you make her laugh, and she thinks you’re really hot.”
He beamed and stood up a little straighter, puffing out his chest.
“And I really think that if you just, um, make an effort to be a little more, uh . . . ”—holy hell this is so freaking uncomfortable—“gentle, everything will work itself out. Maybe you could even let her take the lead. Let her show you what she wants.”
By this time, my face was as red as his had been moments before, but I thought it would all be worth it if he and Chloe could figure out a workaround to this problem.
God knew there were worse things they could be dealing with.
Officer Cox held out his hand. Surprised, I shook it.
“Thank you, Kat. I appreciate you telling me about this. And now that I know what it is, I promise I won’t tell her we had this conversation, if you still don’t want me to.”
I could tell by the look on his face he was hoping no one would ever bring it up again. I made a zipper motion across my mouth. “My lips are sealed.”
He grinned, and I had to admit he was handsome. And charming. And sweet. I really hoped they could work it out, because he seemed light years better than any other guy Chloe had been with.
“Deal. And I owe you one.” He dipped his head in farewell, and turned and walked to the squad car and his waiting partner, a new spring in his step.
Barney ambled over as they drove away. Watching the back of the squad car disappear down the long slope of the driveway, he said mildly, “Well. He seems like a good sort. And it never hurts to have a cop who owes you a favor.”
A cop who owes you a favor.
A thousand unsaid things screamed out around those few, simple words. I felt the weight of every single one of them, and knew what they all really meant.
This, too, was a test. Barney wanted to know where my loyalties lay. He wanted to know if he could trust me. If Nico could trust me. If they both could trust me to keep the secrets that had held them together for so long.
And how far I was willing to go to do that.
Though unspoken, the question had been asked. My gut responded with an answer. Instantly, without fanfare or much emotion, I knew something about myself I hadn’t known before.
“He’s the one who did me a favor,” I said, still looking at the empty driveway. My hand lifted to the gold charm nestled in the hollow of my throat. My fingers rested on it, feeling its shape and solidity, my pulse beating softly beneath.
“How’s that?”
I turned my head, meeting Barney’s intense gaze. “He just taught me what my priorities are. With how I chose to answer his very first question. With what I chose to put in, and leave out.”
He studied me. “And what are those priorities, Kat?”
Without hesitation, I pointed at the door. “Every single one of them is inside that house.”
