Break, page 31
Scowling at the reminder that she’ll be moving at some point in the future, I’m more concerned about her thinking it’s us that won’t want to continue. “I don’t see that happening, dove.”
Mina raises a brow in question. “Me moving?”
“No, the part about us deciding we won’t want to continue.”
A hysterical laugh bursts from her, but she stops almost just as quickly when she notices none of us join her. Audibly swallowing, she looks around her at all of us. “W-What am I supposed to do then? Just choose?”
I feel Vincent’s shoulders shake with restrained laughter. “You could… Or just not.” Then he delivers a full smile with a hint of mischievousness behind it.
“O-Okay…” she trails off, sounding unsure.
Without concerning himself with anything other than her acquiescence, he slides his hand behind her neck and tilts her head back to look up at him. “Those two have gotten good kisses in.” He looks up like he’s considering what he said and then corrects himself. “Not that our first kiss wasn’t good. It was fantastic, actually. But you kissed me. I haven’t kissed you yet.”
Her mouth drops open, then closes, then opens again. Still sounding unsure, she just repeats herself. “Okay.”
I bite my lip when Vincent’s mouth covers hers because I don’t think Mina realizes what she’s getting herself into.
Chapter 42
It’s Miss Bardot
Vincent
If I could have spent the rest of last night kissing and making out with Mina, I would die a happy man. Unfortunately, after some fantastic tongue action, we all decided the evening needed to simmer down, since most of us had a few drinks and emotions were high.
I hate Ethan for pointing it out, but he’s also right. Fuck him and his G.I. Joe ethical behavior. I also hate him along with Max for disappearing with our girl this morning to do some much-needed shopping and leaving me behind. I have a ton of paperwork to catch up on for Cooper. It was a fair trade for technically working from home, but it doesn’t mean I wouldn’t rather be watching Mina pick out bras.
My ringing phone interrupts my pouting.
“Mercer,” I say after recognizing the station’s number.
“Morning. Where is Max? He’s not answering his phone,” Cooper rushes out, not beating around the bush with small talk.
Looking at my watch, I figure that they’re probably still in the store, so reception is likely shitty. “He and Ethan took Mina to the store to pick up some stuff. What do you need?”
His heavy sigh rumbles into my ear, and I pull it away slightly. “We’ve got a woman here with two kids that need relocation. Do you know where they’re at? I’ll send one of the guys down to get them.”
Fuck. This shit happens way too often for my comfort. “Don’t worry about sending anyone. I’ll swing by and bring them to the station.”
“Perfect. Thank you. You’re going now?”
“Yuuuuup,” I drawl out. “Grabbing my keys as we speak. Be there soon.”
“Perfect. Thank you.”
After saying goodbye, we hang up and I’m out the door within minutes. Checking Ethan’s location, I see what store they’re at and head over. It’s not long before I’ve found them in the women’s section and update the guys with what’s going on.
They’re standing back from Mina, giving her space to go through clothes and not feel like we’re hovering. She hasn’t seen me yet, so I sneak in behind her and slide my arms around her waist to pull her back into my chest.
Leaning down, I press my lips against her ear. “Morning, sweetness.”
The shudder that runs through her body has my lips curling up. “Hi, Vincent.” I love the fact that she knows it’s me without needing to verify.
Releasing her and stepping back, she uses the space to turn to me with a relaxed smile. Her relaxed mood tells me that maybe we’re doing something right, and she’s trusting us a little more each day. Rubbing my hands together, I give her a wink and laugh when she blushes before looking away. “What are we shopping for, beautiful? What’s left on the list?”
She looks amused by my antics, but more like she’s tolerating me like she would a child. “Actually, I think I’m all done.” Looking around the store quickly, she lowers her voice. “I’m also ready to get back to the house.”
My smile falls, concern overtaking the lightness of the mood. I follow where her eyes ran, but nothing stands out as suspicious. “Are you feeling uncomfortable here? Did something happen?” I’m ready to catch the guys before they leave, but her hand resting on my forearm stops me.
“No, nothing like that. It’s just been a long morning and I can’t stop the ‘what if he’s watching’ thoughts, you know?” She chews on her lip, worry etched on her features.
Trying to put her at ease, I pull the items she’s holding from her arms. “Are you getting these?”
Nodding shyly, she wrings her fingers together, eyeing the clothing like she’s unsure. “I shouldn’t spend so much, but I really could use it all.”
I reach out and grab her hand. “Then you’ll have them. Let’s get the rest of your stuff, checkout, and then go home. Think about what you want to do this afternoon. Max and Ethan may be late, so it’ll probably just be us until dinner.”
Squeezing my hand, she concedes. The whole purchasing process was much less stressful than I had expected, and we’re loaded up and pulling into the driveway at Max’s in just under an hour.
As the two of us are hauling out the last of the bags, we both turn simultaneously when we hear the sound of tires slowly grinding through the gravel driveway. I notice Mina’s easy smile falls into a frown once the squad car parks and Andy Harrow steps out of the driver’s seat.
I purse my lips when he slides his sunglasses off his face and looks slightly annoyed that I’m here. The workload is heavy at the station, no matter how many cops you have. I assume that a lot of these guys are annoyed at having to pick up some of the slack with my absence.
Not wanting to be a dick, I step forward and offer my hand. “Hey, man. What brings you out here today?”
“Mercer,” he greets me. “I had a few follow-up questions for Mrs. Reed here-”
“Bardot,” she corrects him quickly, interrupting mid-sentence.
His smile is forced, but he apologizes, which I appreciate. “Sorry about that. Would you mind going over a few things with me? It shouldn’t take long.” He looks at me briefly before focusing back on my girl.
My girl.
Grinning to myself, distracted by the thoughts of where we’re all heading, I lean down to brush my lips across Mina’s cheek. “I’ll grab these from you and take them inside so you and Officer Harrow can speak. Would you like me to join, or are you okay on your own?”
Harrow huffs with irritation, and I narrow my eyes at him to warn him off. Thank God, he catches himself quickly and holds his hands up in surrender. “Sorry, just been a shit day. Honestly, it’s not going to take long. She’ll be fine with me.”
Protective urges rise within me, so I don’t hold back my censure. “Shit day or not, keep yourself under control around civilians and victims. You know better than that.”
He nods his head once sharply, but I know I’ve annoyed him by the clenching of his jaw. I don’t give a fuck, though. This is his job, and if he’s as good of an investigator as Coop says, then he should be able to rein it in.
Mina’s sweet eyes look up to me, the surrounding skin crinkling when she squints against the sun. “Thank you for taking these in,” she says, handing over the bags and hanging them on my wrists, since my fingers are full. “I’ll be inside in a few minutes.”
Giving Harrow a warning look, I turn and walk inside, giving them time to speak alone.
Taking the stairs two at a time to her room, I deposit the rest of her purchases on her bed, looking over the massive pile of bags now threatening to slide to the floor. Max’s conversation with her this morning was entertaining as fuck. Ethan insisted she needed more things. Max insisted he pay. Mina insisted they were out of their minds if she would agree to it.
After Max explained Breaking Barriers would foot the bill, she started to come around to the idea, but still seemed uneasy. Ethan put his foot down when Mina tried to compromise by only getting a couple of items, and by putting his foot down, he simply said, “No.” The fact that she could scowl at him without worrying about backlash is what made me feel alright, finding joy in the whole argument.
Mina lost. I don’t want her to lose all the time. In fact, I want her to always have and get what she wants, but in this instance, I agreed with the guys. She needs to have more clothes. This living out of a single duffle bag is crap, especially when we can more than afford it.
Smiling once more at the mound of new clothes, I make my way back downstairs to join them outside. This time, I hold the door open for Walter so he can amble his way out.
Pulling the front door shut behind us, my gaze jerks to Walt when a low growl rumbles out of his heavy chest. He’s picked his speed up, quickly finding his way to Mina’s side, with his eyes focused on Harrow.
I tense up as I walk toward them, watching the two of them closely. Stepping next to Mina with Walter between us, I place my hand on his back to calm him down. “Walt, easy,” I murmur, trying to rein him in. “It’s okay.”
Harrow gives the dog an uneasy look, but he hasn’t backed away. “That your dog, Mercer?” he asks, looking at Walt warily.
Mina’s hand settles on Walt’s head, and I can feel his muscles instantly relax under my hand as he leans into her. It’s like the damn dog just swapped personalities as he tilts his head back to look up at her, tongue hanging out and tail thumping on the ground behind him. She answers Harrow’s question. “Walter is Max’s dog.” Then, speaking directly to Walt, she pats his cheek. “He’s a good boy, aren’t you, Walt?”
I’m still not feeling great over Walt’s reaction, my eyes shooting back and forth between Mina and Harrow. “Is everything okay here?”
Mina’s smile is forced, but it’s Harrow that answers me first.
“I just wanted to wrap up a few loose ends with the investigation. Mrs. Reed here has been very helpful.”
“Bardot,” Mina corrects him for the second time, voice firm and a hint of irritation behind it. “It’s Bardot, please.”
He looks a bit irritated at being corrected, but he doesn’t say anything. Instead, he clears his throat and shoves his hands into his pockets. “Right. I’ll get out of your hair. Thank you for your time. I’ll see you around Mercer.”
The two of us watch him climb inside the squad car and back out of the driveway.
“He was in a mood,” I grouse under my breath.
Mina is still staring after him, her brows pinched, and nose wrinkled like she’s thinking through everything. I don’t like the look on her face, so I move to step in front of her, blocking her view of the taillights as they disappear down the road. “What’d he want?”
“I don’t even know. He asked me a few random questions that I had already answered the last time I was at the station. Then he wanted to know about the status of my divorce proceedings. That was it.” Shrugging her confusion away, her eyes find mine. “I suppose I should go upstairs and start going through the bags and get them into the washing machine.”
Making a mental note to ask Cooper about Harrow’s visit, I flash a smile down at Mina. “There is a lot to go through, but why do you need to wash it all? It’s all brand new.”
I walk in step with her as we head back into the house, and her giggle has the rest of my uneasiness from Harrow’s visit disappearing. “Vincent, you have to wash the clothes after you buy them.”
“But why?” I’ve never done that before or ever heard that you were supposed to. When I buy clothes, I pull the tags when I’m ready to wear them and throw it on.
“Because people try clothes on in the stores, and you don’t know what could be left on them. It’s unsanitary to wear them right off the racks. Skin cells, germs, hair, all sorts of body things could be hiding away in the seams or inside of them.” Her nose wrinkles in a cute way, and I’m not going to lie, I’m pretty fucking grossed out now. Her description of the nasty that could be left behind by other shoppers has me feeling like bugs are crawling on my skin.
“Fuck. Damn it, Mina, that’s going to fuck with my head now.” I let a shudder ripple through my shoulders, and she lets out a full body laugh at my reaction.
Christ, the sound of her laughter makes me want to spin her around and kiss the fuck out of her. Unfortunately for me, she’s already distracted by the mountain on her bed as we walk into her room. Planting her hands on her hips, she studies it as she tries to come up with a plan.
“I guess I should start cutting off tags and separating by colors,” she muses to herself.
Picking up a bag from the top, I peek inside and grin when I see it’s filled with panties. “I’ll take care of this one for you,” I say, not hiding the teasing tone of my words.
Stepping up next to me, she peers inside and then rips the bag from my hands. Her face is almost maroon with the blush that’s radiating from her skin as she shoves it behind her back, hiding it away from me.
My eyes automatically go to her chest, now thrust out from her position, and I look away quickly. Thoughts of what she’d look like wearing what I just spied inside that bag race through my head, and I have to turn away slightly to hide my now fully erect cock from her.
More cautious this time, I use one finger to open the next bag and peek inside, then blow out a sigh of relief when I see it’s just shirts. “I’ll do this one since you’re going to hide away the good stuff.” Looking over at her, I chuckle as she drops the bag she was holding and quickly kicks it under the bed. Her cheeks are still bright, but she’s fighting off a laugh as she grabs a couple pair of scissors for us.
We spend the next hour clipping tags, separating clothes, and her laughing while I entertain her with funny stories of the guys and me after we moved away from home.
That untouched bag stays at the edge of my thoughts the entire time. My dick, alert and looking for some attention, is just as interested in that bag as I am.
Chapter 43
Monopoly
Ethan
“Will you go on a date with me?”
The half-folded paper Mina is holding in her hands slides to the tabletop, and her eyes are wide as she looks up at me from where she’s sitting on the floor. “W-What?”
I bite my cheek to keep from smiling at her whispered question. Clearly, I’ve surprised her. Most likely because she had no idea I was standing in the entrance to the living room, watching her concentrate on her newest creation.
Moving further into the room, I squat down next to her, her eyes following my every movement. Brushing away a piece of hair that’s fallen into her eyes, I smile gently. “A date.”
Her mouth forms a small ‘oh’, then she slowly repeats to me, “A date…”
A small part of me feels proud that I’ve essentially rendered her speechless, but the other part of me wants her to feel comfortable with the idea. I have a feeling that she hasn’t been on many. Maybe I’m a little more old-fashioned, but I really want to take this woman out on an honest to God date and get to know her more.
“Yes. Would you like to go out with me?”
Her head nods up and down quickly, assuring me she would like to go out. Her mouth is still hanging open in shock and I can’t stop myself from tucking my knuckle under her chin to help her snap it shut.
“Perfect. Can you be ready in half an hour?”
Her head nods again, more slowly this time, still unable to speak.
“Why don’t you head upstairs while I let the guys know I’m taking you out?” I stretch up to my full height and hold my hand out to help her up. Her hand sliding into mine feels right, and I hold tightly as I pull her up to her feet.
Staying where I’m at, I let her go as she goes straight toward the stairs to get ready. Stopping herself before she leaves, she turns around, giving me a wobbly smile. “I’ve never been on a date before.”
My smile drops when my brows furrow in confusion. “How have you never been on a date? You and Danny were together for a year before you got married.”
Her smile is sad when she says, “Danny never took me out on a date. You know that our relationship was more arranged than anything.”
Even if it was arranged, I would have expected him to take her out at some point. “What about before him?”
She laughs like I’m being ridiculous, then covers her mouth to stop the sounds from escaping her. “No. Never.” Her truth rocks me to my core. How the hell hasn’t anyone ever seen her for the incredible person she is and wanted to get to know her better?
Swallowing deeply, I run my eyes over her body. Excitement is starting to swell in her over the prospect of having her very first date. “I’m honored to be your first. Go. Get ready.”
“What should I wear?” she whispers, bouncing slightly on her toes.
Walking toward her, I place my hands on her shoulders and turn her toward the stairs. “Something you’ll be comfortable sitting outside in, but nothing extravagant.” With those words, I urge her up the stairs and wait until she shuts her door before putting together a small bag.
“Fuck you, Ethan. I’m so goddamn jealous of you right now I could spit,” Vincent says as I walk into the kitchen to grab some bottled water.
Smirking at him, I raise a brow. “You were listening?”
“Of course he was.” Max scowls without looking up from the documents in front of him.
Sighing, Vince drops into the chair next to Max and taps his fingers on the table. “Never been on a date before. How the fuck does that happen?”
I don’t have an answer for him, so I stay silent as I pack a cooler.
