Damaged Goods (Don't Call Me Hero Book 2) (31 page)

“I’m irresistible, what can I say?” I chuckled.

“So. Cold Case Division, eh?”

“Who told you?” I’d told him at the pool about it being a possibility, but he hadn’t been around when I’d made the announcement.

“Brent. I think his feelings are hurt that you’re leaving him again.”

“It’s not like I’ve got a choice—I didn’t want to leave my beat. That was all Mendez’s doing.”

“I know. I think Viking’s just feeling a little left out these days. Everyone’s either got a girlfriend or a promotion—and you’ve got both,” he pointed out.

I nodded solemnly. “That’s a good point.”

Brent and Angie were arm wrestling on the picnic table while Adan looked on. I wondered if Brent or Angie had ever thought about dating each other. Besides the shared experience of being a cop, they were complete opposites. But I was living proof that sometimes dating your opposite brought out the best in you.

+ + +

Julia hooked her arm through mine as we left Angie’s house later that night and walked back to her parked car. The sun had sunk into the horizon hours ago and the streetlamps that lined the road threw out minimum light, but we knew the way.

“Did I pass your friends’ inspection?” Julia asked.

“I don’t see why not. There’s nothing not to love.”

My tongue felt clumsy forming the single syllable of my final word. She didn’t seem to notice my slipup or else she was wise enough not to comment on it.

When we reached her parked Mercedes, she rested her back against the driver side door. “So, your place or mine?”

Pensacola had wrapped up his clinical trial that morning and was on his way back to Michigan with his wife and newborn. I was sad to see my friend leave, but I was even more upset that it meant Julia no longer had to stay with me. I’d gotten far too accustomed to having her in my bed each night and waking up beside her. I’d even loved the more mundane things like watching TV while she read her lawyer books and the way she looked in leggings and a t-shirt.

There was that word again: Love.

“How about one more night at my place?” I suggested. “Your cleaning lady can scrub down your apartment tomorrow and then we can get it all dirty again.”

“Mmm,” Julia hummed. “I like the way you think.”

I leaned into her, gently pinning her body between mine and the car. She reached for my face and drew me in for a soft, sweet kiss that deepened the longer our mouths stayed connected.

A distant wolf-whistle had me jerking backwards. I spied Brent, Adan, and his girlfriend, Isabelle, as they left the party, too. Brent grinned and flashed two thumbs up in our direction.

Julia’s fingers tightened on the front of my shirt and she pulled me back in. “It’s okay. I don’t mind an audience,” she husked, fiddling with the buttons on the front of my shirt.

“Sorry,” I apologized. “Cops are the worst.”

“Oh, I don’t know,’’ she smiled. “My girlfriend’s a cop, and she’s not so bad.”

“Your girlfriend, eh?” It was the first time I’d heard the label from her, and my heart felt like it might burst. “I hear she’s a Detective, too,” I couldn’t help adding.

Julia dipped her head in embarrassment. “Was I that obvious?”

“Only to me.”

I tipped her head back up with my fingers beneath her chin. “So we still haven’t been on a second date yet—”

“Oh you and those damn dates,” Julia nearly growled. “I’m in love with you, and all you can think about is how many dates we’ve had.”

My mouth fell open. “I-I love you, too,” I sputtered out. “Fuck, I’m
so
in love with you,” I repeated in earnest.

“Good. And now that we’ve got that settled,
Detective
,” Julia said with some satisfaction, “why don’t you take me back to your apartment and show me just how much you love me?”

“Gladly, ma’am.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Eliza Lentzski is the author of lesbian fiction, romance, and erotica including
Bittersweet Homecoming
,
Winter Jacket 3: Finding Home
,
Fragmented
,
Don’t Call Me Hero
,
Winter Jacket 2: New Beginnings
,
Apophis: A Love Story for the End of the World
,
Winter Jacket
,
Second Chances
,
Date Night
,
Diary of a Human
,
Love, Lust, & Other Mistakes
, and the forthcoming
Winter Jacket 4
(May 2016). She also publishes urban fantasy and paranormal romance under the penname E.L. Blaisdell. Although a historian by day, Eliza is passionate about fiction. She calls the Midwest her home along with her partner and their cat and turtle.

Follow her on Twitter, @ElizaLentzski, and Like her on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/elizalentzski) for updates and exclusive previews of future original releases.

http://www.elizalentzski.com