caught said his partner skipped town." Jake's voice turned deadly serious.
"Good. I don't want you playing policeman any more. Those guys are sociopaths. You could get killed."
"Huh. If that second guy ever shows his face around her again, I'll be the ruthless one."
Vivian stopped, threw her arms around Jake's neck, and hugged him so tightly that he coughed. She pulled away quickly, ducked her head to hide the tears in her eyes, and walked on.
This time she didn't pull away when he tucked his big hand firmly under her elbow as they went down the concrete steps to the sidewalk. They stopped in front of her tiny silver hybrid. He chortled. "This must fit real good on your kitchen counter. I bet you plug it in right next to the charger for your cell phone."
She snorted as she retrieved the keys from her purse, and Jake immediately took them from her hand. She looked up at him in mild rebuke. He didn't say a word as he unlocked and then opened her door. He politely returned her keys. 58
Just a little Bit Guilty
by Deborah Smith
She arched a brow. "You think all this mannerly crap will make me kiss you again?"
He put his hands on his lean hips. "Yeah."
"You're right." She slid her arms around his neck. He drew her into his arms, bent his head over hers, and bestowed a long, intimate kiss on her parted lips. She kissed him back hungrily, and her body edged closer to his. They held each other for a long moment, in which Vivian analyzed her tangled emotions and found equal measures of love at first sight and fear that he was too good to be true.
"G'night," she said breathlessly, and pushed him away. As she slid behind the wheel of her car, her eyes never left Jake's face.
"Y'all come back now, you hear?" he said with a grand drawl, grinning crookedly.
She gave him a pensive half-smile that made no promises.
* * * *
Vivian's office was small and cramped, overflowing with law books and memorabilia from three years as a public defender and two years as a judge. She cleared a valley in the mountains of paperwork and began tugging at the plastic shell around her standard lunch—a vending machine package of peanut-butter crackers. She sighed with fatigue, having had enough burglary, prostitution, and assault cases to last a whole week—and it was only Monday. A hearty knock interrupted her wrestling efforts to open her lunch.
"Come in, and bring a shovel," she ordered loudly. She put a corner of the little package between her short, strong teeth 59
Just a little Bit Guilty
by Deborah Smith
and gave a sharp jerk. The door opened and Jake stepped inside, a wicker basket in his arms. Her package ripped open, and crackers flew everywhere.
"Nice to see you, too," he said happily. "Have a nice weekend in Florida?" He kicked the door shut with the heel of his work boot. Vivian distractedly rounded up crackers, thinking that he looked, if possible, even more attractive than ever. His reddish hair was windblown, and his sheepskin coat sat on his wide shoulders as though it were tailor-made. Despite herself, she felt as giddy and flustered.
"Look at my lunch!" she protested weakly. "Get that cracker from under the bookcase over there!"
"That's not lunch, that's parrot food." He settled the basked on the edge of her cluttered desk. "Look here. I thought I'd surprise you. If I'm acting like a stalker, kick me out. Blame Barney Washington—he's the one who got me through security up here to your office. He's a big ol'
romantic, that man."
"Jake, I don't do lunch dates..."
"This isn't a date. See, I'm not stayin'. I'm just deliverin'." He quickly set out plastic containers and a single plate. She scowled and spluttered, waving her hands. "What ... you can't leave all this food here ... where are you ... you're not really leaving..."
"Yep. Me and Roberto got a meeting with a plumber. Trying to get all the commodes running." He grinned and tipped an invisible hat to her as he backed out of her office. 60
Just a little Bit
"Good. I don't want you playing policeman any more. Those guys are sociopaths. You could get killed."
"Huh. If that second guy ever shows his face around her again, I'll be the ruthless one."
Vivian stopped, threw her arms around Jake's neck, and hugged him so tightly that he coughed. She pulled away quickly, ducked her head to hide the tears in her eyes, and walked on.
This time she didn't pull away when he tucked his big hand firmly under her elbow as they went down the concrete steps to the sidewalk. They stopped in front of her tiny silver hybrid. He chortled. "This must fit real good on your kitchen counter. I bet you plug it in right next to the charger for your cell phone."
She snorted as she retrieved the keys from her purse, and Jake immediately took them from her hand. She looked up at him in mild rebuke. He didn't say a word as he unlocked and then opened her door. He politely returned her keys. 58
Just a little Bit Guilty
by Deborah Smith
She arched a brow. "You think all this mannerly crap will make me kiss you again?"
He put his hands on his lean hips. "Yeah."
"You're right." She slid her arms around his neck. He drew her into his arms, bent his head over hers, and bestowed a long, intimate kiss on her parted lips. She kissed him back hungrily, and her body edged closer to his. They held each other for a long moment, in which Vivian analyzed her tangled emotions and found equal measures of love at first sight and fear that he was too good to be true.
"G'night," she said breathlessly, and pushed him away. As she slid behind the wheel of her car, her eyes never left Jake's face.
"Y'all come back now, you hear?" he said with a grand drawl, grinning crookedly.
She gave him a pensive half-smile that made no promises.
* * * *
Vivian's office was small and cramped, overflowing with law books and memorabilia from three years as a public defender and two years as a judge. She cleared a valley in the mountains of paperwork and began tugging at the plastic shell around her standard lunch—a vending machine package of peanut-butter crackers. She sighed with fatigue, having had enough burglary, prostitution, and assault cases to last a whole week—and it was only Monday. A hearty knock interrupted her wrestling efforts to open her lunch.
"Come in, and bring a shovel," she ordered loudly. She put a corner of the little package between her short, strong teeth 59
Just a little Bit Guilty
by Deborah Smith
and gave a sharp jerk. The door opened and Jake stepped inside, a wicker basket in his arms. Her package ripped open, and crackers flew everywhere.
"Nice to see you, too," he said happily. "Have a nice weekend in Florida?" He kicked the door shut with the heel of his work boot. Vivian distractedly rounded up crackers, thinking that he looked, if possible, even more attractive than ever. His reddish hair was windblown, and his sheepskin coat sat on his wide shoulders as though it were tailor-made. Despite herself, she felt as giddy and flustered.
"Look at my lunch!" she protested weakly. "Get that cracker from under the bookcase over there!"
"That's not lunch, that's parrot food." He settled the basked on the edge of her cluttered desk. "Look here. I thought I'd surprise you. If I'm acting like a stalker, kick me out. Blame Barney Washington—he's the one who got me through security up here to your office. He's a big ol'
romantic, that man."
"Jake, I don't do lunch dates..."
"This isn't a date. See, I'm not stayin'. I'm just deliverin'." He quickly set out plastic containers and a single plate. She scowled and spluttered, waving her hands. "What ... you can't leave all this food here ... where are you ... you're not really leaving..."
"Yep. Me and Roberto got a meeting with a plumber. Trying to get all the commodes running." He grinned and tipped an invisible hat to her as he backed out of her office. 60
Just a little Bit
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