Unauthorized Affair (Unauthorized #1)(31)

When the noise of the pups calmed down enough for them to talk, Jen looked at Kyle. “Where did they all come from?”

“Area beaches. They come on shore to warm up. And we get called when there’s no mother nearby. We come check them out and if they are small enough and don’t look like they are getting enough food we bring them here to feed until they are big enough to survive on their own. It happens every year.”

“What happened to their mothers?”

“We don’t know. They may have just been separated. Or mom could have gotten sick or been eaten.”

Jen looked down at the slick ball of fur and fat in her lap and felt sad for it.

“But don’t worry. We track a few of them every year and most of them do great once we release them. They have babies of their own even.”

Jen smiled down at the pup in her lap, feeling a rush of elation. She loved animals, especially the babies. And now she was getting to feed a baby sea lion. She glanced at Coleton, who was wrestling with his own pup, and tipped him a wink, feeling a confusing mixture of emotion when she did so. A glance down at the phone in her pocket told her it was still peeking out, so Hunter and Sgt. Sadler were getting a eyeful of sea lion pup. Good, at least they wouldn’t be worried about her. Although the feeling that there was absolutely nothing to worry about when she was with Coleton was even stronger now. As long as you stay away from his dad.

An hour later, after every pup was fed and the tiny room had been cleaned and each pup had gotten a pet from Jen, Coleton offered to take her on a behind-the-scenes tour of the aquarium. She accepted, and when she felt his hand touch hers, she folded her fingers into his willingly enough, feeling half-guilty, half-sad, as she did so. Don’t forget half-fascinated and half-happy, she chided herself.

“Kyle must be a good friend.”

“Yeah, we’ve been friends for a long time. Since we were eight. Every time I come back here I go see him first.”

“Come back here?”

“I moved away when I was 12. I always come back though. This is where my mother and sisters are.”

“You didn’t move away with your mother?”

They were walking along the back side of a huge aquarium. Jen made a show of studying the fish inside, so she didn’t have to look at Coleton’s face. She tried to keep her questions light, like it didn’t matter if he answered them or not.

“No, I—” From the corner of her eye she saw Coleton drop his gaze to the floor. “I ran away.”

She squeezed his hand and looked at him.

He looked back, deeply. “I ran away and when they brought me back kicking and screaming I refused to live with my father. So they sent me to San Fran to live with one of my mom’s sisters. Since I’ve been an adult I’ve lived here off and on, but I don’t like to stay too long. My dad lives here. And he’s not a nice man.”

Jen tried to think of something to say to respond to that, but Coleton took two steps forward until he was right up close to her. “But I don’t want to talk about him. I want to talk about you, Jen. And how beautiful and sweet you are. And how glad I am that you are here with me.”

Jen took a step backward, then another, but didn’t let go of Coleton’s hand. The thick glass wall behind her stopped her retreat. Coleton slowly took another step, until he was only inches away. Even more slowly, he lowered his face to hers, giving her plenty of time to pull away, step to the side, or tell him to stop. She did none of those things. His lips touched hers and she felt her body melt. Her traitor lips kissed him back. Her condemnable hand snaked behind his neck and pulled him closer. And her stupid brain watched it all, never offering so much as a token protest.






Chapter 16





Fiore Savoy puffed his first cigar of the day, still enjoying his number 2 house with its sweeping views and quiet landscape. As he thought the word quiet, his glance flicked to his neighbors to the left. That useless yapping rat with a collar had barked its last bark the day before. And wasn’t that fine? Now if his telephone would stay quiet, he could enjoy his morning.

As if thinking of it had summoned a call, the damn thing buzzed beside him. Fiore cursed and picked it up, pressing the stupid little button to answer the call.

“Boss. I have, ah, news.”

Ah, shit, Fiore thought. This sounds bad already.

The voice pushed on, a tiny tremor in it. “The first thing I’m going to tell you might sound like bad news, but I think you’ll like it. I think you’ll like it a lot. But the second thing …”

“Just f*cking spit it out!”

“OK, OK sorry. The undercover unit has an officer dating your son. He met her and liked her so they are just taking advantage of an opportunity.”

Fiore fought an urge to chuck the phone over the railing. This was what he was supposed to like? This f*cking stronzo thought this was good news?

“But look, you know how you’re always pushing me to f*ck with him, right? To convince him that he’s better off working for you, with you, than not? This might be what does it finally. If he figures out the police aren’t going to leave him alone, even though he aband— even though he hasn’t been working with you, the cops still harass him? So then what choice does he have but to come back to you? To do what the cops think he’s doing anyway.”