In a big way.
Not to mention, Eddie told me last night that the Denver Police Department told him they also frowned on our current arrangement. This meant Eddie wasn’t going to win Detective of the Year. Since Eddie frequently went his own way, he’d likely never even be nominated (not that they actual y had a Detective of the Year award). I knew Eddie was okay with that, he wasn’t big on politics and working the system, he preferred to focus on the job or, at least, his way of doing it.
Eyes stil glittering, Eddie answered, “Wil in’ to do just about anything to see you safe.”
I knew what he said was true. He’d proved it more than once.
This earned him a smile and when he saw my smile, as always, his eyes went soft. This was because Eddie liked my smile, like, a lot.
I felt warmth spread in my bel y, this time it was a different kind and I dropped my head and nuzzled my face into his throat.
Eddie did an ab crunch, lifting us both, he yanked the covers from between our bodies and I swung my legs around to help him. Then he laid back, me stil ful on top of him, and he flicked the covers over us.
His hand went back into my panties, this time with intent and his other arm wrapped tight around me.
My face stil in his throat, I whispered, “Tel me about Mace.”
His hand stopped.
“Not a good idea, cari?a.”
He sounded serious so I snuggled in closer and kissed his neck to soften him up (and because I liked to kiss his neck, he smel ed good everywhere but especial y his neck).
I had to soften him up because, for whatever reason, al the Rock Chicks had an alternate Hot Bunch guy. Indy’s was Eddie. Roxie’s was Vance. Jules’s was Luke. Ava’s was Lee.
Mine was Mace.
Mace and I had a connection. A connection Eddie didn’t like but he no longer tried to stand in the way. I knew that Mace had witnessed his sister’s murder. Our connection started when Mace saved me from getting murdered in the same way.
At first, Eddie thought Mace wanted to move in on his action but this proved not to be the case. After my trauma was over, Mace and I stayed connected. This meant, every once in awhile, Mace came over to Eddie and my place for dinner, sometimes when Eddie was there, other times when he wasn’t.
Mace didn’t talk much and he never shared but I knew he liked listening to me and he definitely liked my chil i and my meatloaf but his favorite was my roasted chicken and cheesy-garlic mashed potatoes.
Mace and I were a weird kind of friends. Because of what we shared (him saving my life, me being alive), he obviously meant a lot to me and, for some reason, I knew I meant a lot to him.
When you knew those kinds of things, you didn’t have to talk about it.
Eddie had told me about Mace’s sister but he didn’t go into detail.
Now, seeing as Mace was my alternate Hot Bunch Guy and next in the Rock Chick Firing Line, I needed to know and next in the Rock Chick Firing Line, I needed to know and I knew I could never ask Mace.
So I asked Eddie.
“I’d like to know,” I pushed.
“No, you wouldn’t.”
I lifted up on a forearm and looked down at him.
“Yeah, I would.”
“Jet –”
“His sister got murdered, Eddie. I know the story doesn’t have a happy ending.”
He watched me a beat then two then he sighed and I knew he was giving in.
I didn’t smile. Since my drama was over, living with Eddie, my sister back in Denver after spending years in LA, my mother happy, healthy again after her stroke and dating Tex, I had lots of smiling moments not counting, of course, being the target of a kil er.
But this wasn’t one of them.
He rol ed, forcing my arm out from under me until we were on our sides, face-to-face.
His hand came out of my panties but his arm stayed tight around my waist.
Then he started talking.
“Mace comes from money. Lots of it. His Mom and Dad divorced when he was young, his Dad had the money, kept it, didn’t share and went on to acquire a string of trophy wives. Mace stayed with his Mom, they moved from LA to her native Hawaii and their standard of living changed in a serious way. His Dad had another child, Mace’s half-sister, with wife number three of five. He moved on to wife after wife, leavin’ the women and kids behind with less than they were used to havin’. Mace was close to his Mom and established a long distance bond with his sister but he didn’t have much to do with his father.”
I wasn’t surprised. By the sounds of Mace’s Dad, I wouldn’t have much to do with him either.