“No, I did. I’m not kiddin’.”

“Okay, if you say...” And that’s all I was able to get out before Nick grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me down as he rose to meet me for a kiss. He put his lips against mine and I felt a fire growing that had absolutely nothing to do with pepper spray.

I opened my mouth a little and he slid his tongue in between my teeth to tease me so I would open wider. He sat up completely and turned his head to the side so his tongue could dance a waltz with mine. He tasted like mint but with a hint of spice, sort of like pepper. The realization made me smile and I felt his smile in return against my mouth.

His hands were placed affectionately on each side of my face and I reveled in the moment because it was the kind of kiss I always long for. It was perfect in all ways but one. He was a total Playah.

I heard his dad start the car outside and I pulled away from Nick. How had his dad gotten past us? I didn’t even hear the door open.

He still held my face and I could feel his breath against my lips. “I’ve gotta go. Your dad is waiting for me.”

“He’ll wait,” he said breathlessly as he leaned forward to possess my mouth again but I stopped him by pressing my forehead to his.

“No, I have to go. It’s rude to keep him waiting.”

He rubbed his thumbs up and down my cheeks. “Okay. Can I call you tomorrow?”

I didn’t answer. I only nodded and he smiled because it was the answer he wanted. I halfway expected, and maybe even hoped, he might pull me back down for another kiss before I got up but he didn’t. I walked out the front door without looking back because I was afraid I might run back to him for another one of his peppery kisses.

I got my purse and Fair Bear from Nick’s car and then got into the squad car with Dutch. He looked at the stuffed animal and then back at me. “Nick won him for me at the fair.”

“I figured as much. What side of town do you live on?”

I felt bad telling him he was going to have to drive me all the way to Franklin. “I’m not from Collinsville. I live in East Franklin.”

He didn’t say anything and pulled away from the house in the direction of the highway leading home. “I suspected you weren’t from here but I didn’t want to make assumptions.”

I didn’t know what that meant so I didn’t know how to respond.

“If you don’t mind me asking, how did you and Nick meet?”

I doubted it was a good idea to tell him I met him on the way to see him street race since that was illegal. “I ran into the back of his car with mine at a red light and it just so happened that my friend in the car with me knew Nick so he introduced us.”

“You had an accident?”

Oops. “Sort of. I bumped him a little bit but it didn’t do any damage to either of our cars so we didn’t call it in.”

“He knows better than that.” I could see him shaking his head in the dark.”Who is your friend that he knew?”

“Jessie Boone. He used to live in Collinsville and he and Nick were in the same class. Do you remember him?”

“Hell yeah, I know that boy. He caused me more trouble than I like to remember when he lived here with his sorry excuse for a mother.”

“Yeah, he told us that he used to stay in trouble all the time but a good family took him in and he’s got his life together now. He got a full scholarship to UT in the fall and is going to be a lawyer.”

“A lawyer? Imagine that after everything that little shit has done. I’m glad to hear he’s made a turn in the right direction because I don’t usually hear about people making a change for the better when you’re in my line of work.”

“I would suspect not.”

“I don’t believe I caught your last name earlier.”

“Archer.”

He was silent and then suddenly blurted out, “Who are your parents?”

“Harrison and Vivian Archer.”

Everything seem to change the moment I said my last name and I didn’t understand why but discussion time was over because we were at Claire’s house.

“This your place?”

“No, sir. I’m staying with a friend because my parents are out of town. Thank you for the ride.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll wait here until you’re inside.”

“Thank you and have a goodnight.”

“You’re welcome and goodnight, Miss Archer.”

A car pulled up to let Claire and Jessie out as I was walking toward the house so I stopped to wait on them. Jessie took one look at the Collinsville police squad car and I could clearly see that he was pissed but he didn’t say anything. At least not until the car pulled away.

“What kind of trouble did Nick get you into and why are the police bringing you home?”

“You’ve got it all wrong and if you’d shut your trap for like two seconds, I’ll explain what happened, Kimosabe. But let’s go inside first because my dogs are barkin’.”

I slipped off my wedges and walked barefooted to the house. Jessie walked ahead and opened the door for me and Claire like he always did. “Where’d you come up with that ugly bear?”

I cocked my head and looked at him like he had just insulted my own offspring. “I can’t believe you called Fair Bear ugly.”

“Good grief. Say it isn’t so.”

“Say what isn’t so?”

“Hawke did not take you to the fair in Collinsville?”

“As a matter of fact, he did.”

He was laughing at me. “Smooth move.”

“Well, I had a great time. That was until we got jumped by some thugs.”

Jessie stopped dead in his tracks. “What do you mean ‘we’ got jumped by thugs?”

I probably shouldn’t have said it that way. “It’s not as bad as it sounds.”

“Half as bad as it sounds isn’t good.”

I really wanted to go to bed, but I could see he wasn’t going to wait to hear my explanations so I conceded and we sat down at the table in the breakfast room. “Okay, here’s how the night went.”

I intended on giving him two minutes worth of story but he stretched it out to twenty with all of his questions about my night with Nick Hawke.

“And he didn’t try anything with you?”

That was the second time he asked me that. Again, I decided to not tell him about Nick kissing me. This flame needed no fuel. “I’ve already told you he didn’t. Besides, I’m fairly certain that sex wasn’t on his mind after taking a shot of pepper spray to the face.”

He laughed huskily. “Don’t be fooled. Sex is always on a guy’s mind, pepper spray or not, and he could have used his injury as a motivator for a sympathy screw.”

Well, he didn’t and Nick Hawke was harmless in my eyes because I was immune to his advances. My decision was made and we would never be more than friends. I admit I slipped a little, or maybe a lot, when I kissed him back tonight but my lesson was well learned and I wouldn’t let it happen again.

But wow...what a way to slip. It was a mistake I couldn’t afford to repeat because it was imperative I not forget who and what he was all about, otherwise I was in danger of becoming Hawke’s next prey.

10 That Archer Girl

Nick

Payton let me kiss her. Hell, she didn’t just let me. She threw everything she had told me out the window and kissed me back the way I wanted her to. That meant things between us were changing, right? Surely it did and what sweet change it was.

I was still on the couch when my dad rolled through the front door almost an hour after he left to drive Payton back. This should be interesting. I couldn’t wait to hear what he had to say about how great she was.

It was true. Payton was the first girl I ever brought home and I’m sure that alone shocked the shit out of my dad because he knew how I was. I didn’t do relationships but he got it and didn’t push me to talk about it. Connections with people just weren’t my thing, even with my own family. I guessed he and I were sort of alike in that respect.

My eyes were still closed when I heard my dad’s keys clank as he dropped them in the dish on the kitchen counter. “You awake, Son?”

“Yes, sir.”

“We need to talk.”

Are you kiddin’ me? Surely, he wasn’t about to try to have the safe sex talk with me after all these years. “Okay.”

“About that girl.”

“That girl’s name is Payton.”

“Right, Payton Archer. I don’t want you seeing her again. She’s not the right kind of girl for you.”

What the hell? Since when did my dad give a rip about who I saw? I sat up and tried to look at my dad because I needed to look him in the eyes for this conversation. “Not you, too.”

“Someone else thinks she’s wrong for you?”

“Yeah, Jake. He said I should forget about her. Said something about her being just like Mom, but she’s not. She’s nothing like Mom.”

“I know a lot more than you think and I’m telling you now that this girl will only hurt you. She comes from a lot of money and you don’t. Her family will never accept you and even if she goes against their wishes and chooses you over them, it won’t end well for either of you. Been there and done that, Son.”

“Payton is not Mom and I’m 18 in case you forgot. I can see anyone I want to see.”

I was looking at Dutch the cop, not Dutch the dad, as he pointed his finger at me. “I can’t keep you from seeing her but I can warn you. That girl will only break your heart. Mark my words.”

I had complete faith in my choices, so why couldn’t he? “Dad, you know how I am. I don’t let people hurt me and Payton is no different.” That was a total lie because she couldn't be more different. “Besides, I’ve asked her out twice and she told me ‘no’ both times. She says we can only be friends.”