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Chapter Thirteen

GEORGIA

N eil sleeps peacefully next to me as I lie there watching him.

I’m totally being creepy, but no one will ever know.

It’s strange to wake up with a man in my bed.

My home doesn’t feel as quiet or empty. It’s nice having him here, and it’s really going to suck when it’s time for him to go or I’m tossed in the slammer.

I moved out of my parents' home a year ago, knowing I needed to grow up. It’s been great because I love it here and I’ve been able to put my own touches everywhere.

But if I’m honest, I hate living alone. Even now, there isn’t a sound, but it’s not quiet.

I don't have the usual restless feeling I get that makes me get up and blast music. Neil brings a sense of calm with him, and it’s kind of amazing.

Slowly I get up from the bed, doing my best not to wake him. I don’t want him to get up yet, plus, I need to go to the bathroom and check myself over. I have to be a hot mess.

When I see my reflection in the mirror, I cringe.

Then I pause when I see the insides of my thighs.

“Holy shit,” I whisper to myself. How many times did we have sex?

It must have been a whole freaking lot! There’s a rush of cum leaking down the insides of my thighs, and I realize I let Neil do it inside of me over and over.

My nipples harden at the thought, and my sex clenches.

Everything we did last night blurs together, but I remember how easy it was for him to get me off.

A few touches from Neil was all it took, and the intensity was unparalleled.

How do people have partners and ever manage to get anything done?

I want to hop back into bed with him right now, but there are things I need to take care of.

Neil told me everything yesterday, but I hadn't done the same. I still have stolen evidence in my cruiser I need to get rid of. I should have done it back when everything happened, but honestly, I'd forgotten about them. Now that this new investigation is taking place, it’s too risky to keep them.

I peek out of the bathroom and smile when I see Neil has grabbed my pillow and is cuddling it like it's me. The big bad FBI agent is actually really sweet. As amazing as he is, I can't help but wonder why he's helping me.

Last night I'd gotten so lost in Neil that I wasn't fully taking in what he told me. He said the man Simon's family sent might hurt me. No one but Rhodes and Quinn know about the pictures, and I don’t think either of them told a soul. The other thing is that when Rhodes shot Simon, it wasn’t purely in self-defense. Not in the true sense of the word.

Simon had taken Quinn to Rhodes’s home, with the plan of Rhodes coming home to find them there.

When Rhodes arrived, things came to a head.

In the end, Rhodes managed to get the gun from Simon, but he could have waited for the police.

He didn’t have to shoot Simon, but Rhodes wanted to make sure that Simon could never hurt Quinn again.

He did what needed to be done, and I know I would have done the same.

What happened that night wasn’t done by the letter of the law, but I've never done anything to others' standards.

My mom has always said that I follow my own path, but as long as my intentions are good, that's all that matters.

I don't have any guilt over anything that went down with Rhodes and Simon, or my involvement in helping to cover for him.

The only thing I regret is not getting rid of those pictures sooner, but I'm going to fix that right now.

As quiet as a church mouse, I get myself dressed. With every move and shift of my body, I can feel Neil's touch lingering. I ache in the sweetest way, which I didn’t know was possible.

Before I leave the house, I make sure my gun is loaded. I never know when I might need to bust out the bubbles. I slip out the front door, heading toward the station where I left my cruiser yesterday. I’m sure that’s spreading around town.

I debate what I should do about this new guy in town and if I should tell Neil the whole truth. The thing is, I’m kind of freaking out, but not my normal freak-out way. This one is more jarring and puts me on edge.

Neil is new, and although I’ve only known him for a short time, it doesn’t feel that way.

When he’s close to me, I’m connected to him in a way I can’t explain.

It’s been that way from the very start. Maybe he’s too good at his seduction game.

What if that’s all this is to him? Maybe this trip here was a game to trick me and I fell for it.

Can I trust him with these secrets? They aren’t mine alone and could destroy so many others. I know I can be na?ve and silly about something this serious. This isn’t the time for that, and I need to grow up. Even if I don’t really want to.

Thankfully there aren’t a lot of people out and about yet. I’ll grab the pictures, get rid of them, and then hit up the diner. I can grab breakfast to go with coffee for Neil. That’s what I plan on using as my excuse for sneaking out if he wakes up before I’m back.

When I get to my cruiser, I pop the trunk and pull up the covering for the spare tire. “What the hell?” I lift the tire but don’t see the pictures. Oh no, this is not happening. I dig around everywhere in the trunk but can’t find them.

Okay, maybe I moved them or put them elsewhere and forgot about it.

I check in the glove box and under the seats, but I can’t find anything.

My anxiety starts to rise the more I look, and then I double and triple check the same places again.

There’s nothing but a few Cheeto puffs and about seventy-five cents.

Think, Georgia! Where could I have put them? This is when I want to call my mom and ask her. She always knows where everything is. It’s a mom superpower that I don’t possess.

What the hell am I going to do now?