She giggled.

“What about Scott? Is this going to create a problem?”

“Mac, all Scott wants is someone to talk to. He’d like to date again, get to know some women, explore whether the love of his life is really the last love of his life and he’s done now. He spent our two dates talking about his late wife. He lost her less than twenty-four hours after his three-year-old daughter’s birth. He’s still grieving. But he’s ready to move on and I’m sure he asked me out because I’m safe. Because he had some sense that I would listen to him.”

“Gina, honey, I think you have this counseling thing pegged.”

“And I think Scott’s a good man who’s going to be a friend. He’s kind. He’s generous. He has a mother and mother-in-law who are driving him batshit crazy and that’s one of the reasons he moved here.”

Mac chuckled. “Does he need one old-maid aunt to add to that cast?”

She nuzzled into the crook of his neck. “You smell good.”

“I used that girlie shower gel Lou bought me for Christmas. I figured I had one shot at this.”

“You waited so long,” she told him.

“Not on purpose. I wish to hell I had more to offer. I’m a cop on a low salary with three kids and an aunt. I’m looking at braces on two more mouths and three college educations. Gina, I’d really like to take you places, be alone with you, court you, but honestly, it’s going to be hard.”

“I guess we’ll make out on the beach a lot,” she said, not the least concerned. “Have you ever fantasized about doing it in the Sheriff’s Department SUV?”

“No!” he barked, making her laugh. “You know I’m too straight and narrow for that.”

She looked up. “That big moon just isn’t going away.”

“Are you warm enough?”

She put down her beer beside her chair, wrapped her arms around his neck and said, “I could be warmer.”

He pulled her close and covered her mouth in a hot, deep kiss. She opened her lips for him and let him in and he felt like he’d gone straight to another planet. Everything inside him was on alert. He plunged long fingers into her blond hair and held her head in his hands, moving her a little this way, a little that way, deepening the kiss. She moaned beneath his lips and he let out a growl. He moved over her mouth for long seconds that stretched into minutes.

“God, you taste good,” he whispered. “So this is why I worried about kissing you. I’m hard.”

“I’m that other thing,” she said. And he knew exactly what she meant. Soft where he was hard.

“I could do you right now, under the blanket, take ten years of stress off your life,” he offered.

She laughed at him. “Thanks for the selfless offer. I bet you don’t even have protection.”

“I do. I bought it in Coquille, too, so I wouldn’t find myself standing next to Cliff in the drugstore, buying condoms. I have one in my pocket. It’s the first time I’ve had a condom in my pocket in over ten years.”

“Maybe we can sneak away sometime this week, while everyone we live with is at work or school.”

“Tomorrow,” he said, kissing her some more.

“Ah, tomorrow. You call the sheriff and tell him you need a little personal time. I’ll tell Stu I need twenty minutes to run an errand.”

“Twenty minutes?” he asked.

“It’s been at least as long for me,” she said. “Mac, are you sure this time?”

He pulled back a little so he could look into her eyes. “Gina, I’ve been in love with you for years. I’m sorry about three years ago. You should’ve whacked me over the head with a frying pan.”

“I couldn’t, you see,” she said. “I thought it was possible you just wanted to be friends. As friends go, you’ve always been there for me. I couldn’t give that up.”

“I’ll always be your friend,” he said. “Your best friend, if you let me. But I want to be your lover, too.” He groaned and shifted in his chair. “Soon. I want to be that soon.” Then a look came over him. “Oh, Gina...I didn’t even court you! God, I should date you first before I beg you to take off your clothes!”

She pulled his mouth back on hers, kissing him soundly. “It’s okay, Mac. I’m ready. I’ve been ready for a long time.” She kissed him again. “And promise to use that sexy bodywash again.”

He leaned his forehead against hers. “Will you go steady with me?”

* * *

Less than twenty-four hours later, at two in the afternoon, a mere hour and a half before school let out, Gina was in Mac’s bed. They went to Mac’s house because his place wasn’t at the center of town like Gina’s. He was waiting for her when she pulled into his driveway and it took them roughly forty-five seconds to tear each other’s clothes off and fall onto the bed, exploring each other with hungry fingers and devouring each other with starving kisses.

And then she laughed.

“Okay, I’m a tough guy, but is this funny?” he asked.

“Hilarious. A week ago, we were driving our girls to practices, sitting next to each other at games, never so much as holding hands, and here we are, naked. About sixteen hours after you make up your mind that you can handle having a girlfriend.”

He ran a finger around the elastic of her panties. “Well, I’m naked, but you’re not there yet. And it only took sixteen hours because you wouldn’t do it under the blanket.”

“Those days of doing it under a blanket or in a backseat are long gone. I hope. Listen, if Aunt Lou has to sew a couple of buttons back on your uniform, promise not to tell her I was ripping your clothes off.”

He laughed then, too. “There are obviously things about Aunt Lou you don’t know. She’d probably give me a prize if she knew this was happening.”

“Just so we’re clear...”

“We should go slower,” he said.

She wiggled against him. “I think that ship has sailed.” She glanced over at his bedside clock. “We’re down to an hour and fifteen minutes.”

He must’ve taken that as invitation because he pulled off those panties and was poised above her, ready, stirring her up with the tip of his erection. Her response was to open her legs a little wider for him.

“Tell me what to do, honey,” he said. “Tell me where to touch you. How to touch you. Because the most important thing in my life right now is making you come hard.”

So she did as he asked, pulling him inside, directing his fingers to her clitoris. And he said, “Oh, God. Oh, my God.”

He stroked her and thrust exactly twice and she exploded, gripping him so tightly she hoped she didn’t actually hurt him. And what a blessing, because he followed her immediately, emitting a large groan and shuddering with his release. As he regained control he said, “We’ll never get work making porn films.”

She held him close, trying to breathe evenly.

“I love you,” he said. “I love you, baby. I’ve loved you a long time.”

And she cried. Laughing one minute, crying the next.

“Honey?” he asked, brushing her hair back.

She tried to cover her face because she was mortified. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “So emotional. I never thought I’d cry.” But tears ran from her eyes into her hair.

“What’s the matter, sweetheart? Was I too rough? Did I hurt you?”

“No, Mac, no. I...” She needed a few moments to compose herself. “I’m sorry, it was just that...I thought I might never have this in my life.”

“Been a long time, huh, baby?”

“Ha.” She sniffed. “This is the first time, Mac. There have only been two guys in my life—Ashley’s father, who only said he loved me to get in my pants when I was all of fifteen and one other guy I dated for a little while, but we both knew immediately we weren’t right for each other. I’ve never had a man I loved like this. God, I wondered if I ever would.”

He wiped the tears from her cheeks, smiled and held her close. “You have one now.”

“Everyone will know,” she said.

“It’s that kind of town. Will that bother you?” he asked.

She shook her head. “I got Deputy Yummy Pants.”

“Oh, so you want to add spanking to this tryst,” he said. “Who knew you were kinky...”

“All these girls and women want you, and you really want me?” she asked.

He nodded and brushed back her hair again. “Because you’re the best.”

* * *

Mac was resting in his quiet room, a Lab on each side of his chair, fire lit, his feet up and a book in his lap. A book he wasn’t reading. He was feeling more at peace than he had in years and just prayed his cell phone wouldn’t buzz or chime with some problem in town, because he just wanted to float on this cloud for a while. The afternoon was too short. He wanted more of Gina. He wanted to whisper to her, make love to her, feel her beautiful trim body close to his....

“Dad? Got a minute?” Eve asked.

He opened his eyes. “Sure,” he said, sitting up in the recliner and closing the book that was little more than a prop anyway. “What’s up?”

She sat down on the sofa right across from him. “Ashley called. She said you and her mom...” She bit her lower lip.

“What, Eve?”

“She said you and Gina are now going together. Boyfriend and girlfriend.”

“Ah,” he said.

Well, one of the things they’d talked about before getting back into clothes was that their families shouldn’t be the last to know. But also that they didn’t need to know everything.

“I guess that’s right,” he said. “I think that’s been coming a long time. Gina and I have been really close for years. We decided if we’re honest, we’re more than friends.”

“What does that mean, exactly? More than friends?” she asked.

“It means we like each other more romantically than just neighbors. Kind of like Landon isn’t just a friend, he’s your boyfriend.”

“Are you sleeping together? Having sex?”

He actually felt his cheeks get hot, but he’d be damned if he’d cave in to a sixteen-year-old girl. He valiantly held his ground. “Are you sleeping with Landon? Having sex?”

“Dad!”

“What?” he asked.

“Of course not! But I’m sixteen and we’ve only known each other since school started. You’re thirty-six and—”

At least she didn’t say she’d had sex years ago. “And?” he asked, lifting an eyebrow.

“And I don’t think you’ve ever had a girlfriend! Or even gone on dates.”

He laughed a little. “You’re right, Eve. But Gina and I have been friends for years, know each other very well, and I think she’s a good woman. I hope to start taking her on dates. Is there a problem?”

“Well, how are Ash and I supposed to act with this new thing going on?”

He shot her a perplexed look. “Same as always?”

“But it’s weird!”

He leaned back and put his feet up. He tried not to laugh. “You’ll get used to it.”

“And what if you get married and divorced?” she asked.

He sat up straight again. “Oh, for God’s sake, Eve! Can we go out on two dates before you have us married and divorced?”

“Well? What if?”

“By the time all that can happen, you’ll probably have already had your own marriage and divorce!” he blurted.

“That is not funny!”

“I thought it was kind of funny,” he grumbled. “I’m just saying, aside from the fact that I hope to spend a little more time with Gina, there are no plans in the works to change the lives of everyone in our families.” He snorted. “You’d think a person could get a little support around here.”