Broken Bonds (Lizzie Grace 3)

I couldn’t

help smiling. “A little cosseting never goes astray, but I’m not about to break, Aiden.”

Not once I’d consumed the second lot of whiskey, anyway. I knew from experience this stuff was very good at keeping all manner of fears at bay—and, at least in this particular case, it only had to bat away imagination and “what could have been.”

“I’d still like to cosset.”

I waved a hand to where Frank, the paramedics, and the other rangers were all now standing. “Don’t you have to look after that mess? Take statements and stuff?”

“I was on late last night. It’s someone else’s turn tonight.”

“But what about my statement?”

“I can take it later, after I’ve cossetted.” He hesitated and then added softly, “Will you come home with me?”

“Yes—as long as the cossetting involves chocolate. A girl can’t recover properly from such a scare without it, you know.”

“The fridge is now well stocked, let me assure you.”

“Good. But I’ll need to shower first. I’ve been working all day and I stink—”

“You smell just fine,” he said, voice bland, “and you can shower at my place.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Alone?”

“If that’s what you want, yes.”

I grinned, even as anticipation stirred. “I’ll just go grab some things then.”

I leaned forward, dropped a kiss on his lips, and then headed up the stairs. It didn’t take long to pack—I still had some stuff sitting in a bag in his bedroom so I didn’t need all that much more.

I grabbed the spare set of keys then clattered back down the stairs. “Jaz, would you mind locking the place up once you’ve finished?”

“Sure.” She accepted the keys with a grin. “Least I could do after all the brownies you feed us.”

“Thanks.” I spun around, grabbed my handbag from under the counter, and then walked toward Aiden, who was now standing midway between the counter and the door.

He grabbed the bag from me, slung it over his shoulder, and then waved me on. I paused outside, looking right and left. “Where’s your truck?”

“Still in the parking lot behind the station.”

I glanced at him. “You ran here?”

“Yes. I would have wasted too many minutes getting the truck out. It was much faster to run, given how close you are to the station.”

I smiled and tucked my arm through his. “Anyone would think you were worried about me.”

“I don’t think I’ve been that scared about anyone since we found Katie’s note and realized what was about to happen.”

It was a statement that warmed me deep inside—and that was very dangerous. “You sure it wasn’t the possibility of losing your brownie supplier that you were actually worried about?”

He glanced down at me, amusement creasing the corners of his bright eyes even if the rest of his expression was serious. “Anyone with any brains can see I much prefer you over the brownies. For a start, it’s impossible to seduce a brownie in the shower—they just fall to pieces.”

“It’s very possible I’ll fall to pieces if the seduction is done right.”

“Is that a challenge? Because I’m very up for such things.”

I let my gaze slide down his length. “So I can see.”