Hetch (Men OF S.W.A.T #1)(15)

“Holy shit, Lib.” Payton pounces as soon as sexy-as-sin cop walks out of earshot.

“What the hell, Fee?” I ignore Payton and set my scowl on Fee.

“Sorry, I slipped.” She doesn’t look sorry; in fact, she looks satisfied.

Uggh.

“You can’t be angry.” Sophie comes to Fee’s defense. “If the roles were reversed, you would have done the same damn thing.” She’s not wrong. I probably would have.

“Yeah, besides,” Fee pipes back up, “maybe you were too busy eye-f*cking cocky McCocky pants, but did you see his friends? A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.” She fans herself with the bar coaster. I turn in my chair and catch a glimpse at the rest of the guys sitting at the bar with Dimples.

Jesus, she’s not wrong.

“Ugggh, fine. But you owe me.” I turn back, reach out, snatch the coaster from her grasp, and start waving it in front of my face. The light fan of air does nothing to cool me down after the encounter, so I drop it back to the table.

“Please, by the end of the night you’ll be thanking her.” Payton raises her glass in a toast, encouraging us to follow suit. “Here’s to saying f*ck the sabbatical, and hello wild sex to piss our neighbors off.”

Jesus, why did she have to go there?



“And then what happened?” I ask Hetch, more enthralled in his story than anyone else sitting at the table. Thirty minutes, three drinks, and one interesting story later, my sabbatical is more in danger than I care to admit.

After Dimples had returned to the table with his water and friends, he offered me his name.

Liam Hetcherson.

Hetch.

Ugghh, even his name is worthy of abandoning a sex ban.

“We had to wait it out. Then I was able to talk him down. We got there in the end.” He shrugs like it’s no big deal while I’m left looking at him in a different light.

Hetch is a badass.

A sexy-as–sin badass.

I’m officially ruined.

“So, what do you do, Liberty?” he asks, taking the attention off him for a minute. Since the moment he sat down, he’s had my full attention, walking me through the craziness of his work. I think it’s part of his game plan, since talking about a day in the life of a SWAT officer equals panties melted.

“Well, I can’t say it’s anything as exciting as your line of work, but I’m a youth worker. I’m the program director at Boys Haven.” There’s a slight shift in the tilt of his head, before some kind of understanding flashes in his eyes.

“The big house over on 5th, right?”

“Yeah, you been there?”

“No, but I’ve driven past it a few times.” The easy smile he’s been wearing twists into a grim line.

Ignoring his shift in attitude, I continue to chat about the kids I work with and how much I love it. He listens intently for the most part but doesn’t engage with any questions. Eventually, I fall quiet, the silence between us growing more awkward than comfortable.

“You okay?” I finally ask, wondering where I lost him.

“Ah, yeah.” He clears his throat before taking a sip of his drink. “Just remembering someone.” I don’t push on his weird reaction; instead, I let the silence grow between us and take in the rest of the table’s conversation.

Payton has been in deep conversation with one of Hetch’s workmates, Hart, since they joined the table. He’s the oldest of the team, not that you can tell. Other than a few gray flecks around his hairline, you wouldn’t know the gentle-looking giant is almost forty years old.

I’m not surprised Payton and Hart are getting on. As soon as he said he was a single father, he and Payton had a level ground. Though they seem to have hit it off, I know it’s an innocent conversation. As much as Payton likes to play the outrageous friend who acts like she’s into everything, and anything, for reasons still unknown to me, she’s still madly in love with my stupid brother.

If only he wasn’t such an idiot.

Sophie has been talking with Tate, the cute younger member of the team. Tate is quiet, a little shy, Sophie’s type down to a T. Add in his blond hair and blue eyes, I wouldn’t be surprised if something more ends up happening after tonight.

And Fee has been sharing her attention between Sterling and Fox.

If ever there were two men polar opposite, these men would be it. Where Sterling is light, Fox is dark.

Clean shaven, to a full beard.

Green, gentle eyes to brown, assessing ones.

Soft smiles to deep scowls.

Sterling ticks all the boxes for a good guy. Fox screams f*ck-your-checklist; I am the ultimate bad boy. In fact, I’m still not sure how to take him. He’s barely said a word, other than a few grunts, but it hasn’t slipped my attention the few times he’s thrown one of his scowls Payton and Hart’s way.

I’m not sure how to read him, considering he seems to be the type of guy who looks pissed off all the time, but I’m definitely getting a vibe.

“So, is the tactical team a full-time unit?” Fee asks the guys, still interested in their line of work.

Sterling answers first, and I listen to him rattle off how they technically are a part-time unit, but practically train and work as a full-time unit, until I feel Hetch’s gaze on me. I try harder to stay engaged in the conversation, nodding along like I’m taking in everything he’s saying, but after a few more minutes, the soft touch of Hetch’s finger starts to glide over my jean-clad thigh.