Her Lawman Protector. Patricia Johns

He had a darker complexion compared to her creamy paleness. And the way he’d pulled her into his arms accentuated his bulging biceps. She was used to feeling bigger than her dates—even than her husband! But in this picture, she looked nothing but soft and feminine next to Jack’s latent strength.

      “Nice,” Liv said, her voice sounding a little strangled in her own ears.

      “Right?” Tanya grinned. “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow morning. I’ve got to go make Gerard and Marie look loving.” She made a face. “Jack, it was a pleasure to meet you.”

      Tanya headed off with a wave, and Liv looked up at Jack nervously.

      “You didn’t have to be quite so convincing,” Liv said, brushing a tendril away from her face.

      “She dared me. What can I say?” He shot her a roguish smile.

      “My grandmother has dementia, so I can’t even explain this one to her and have her understand the humor behind it,” Liv retorted.

      Jack winced. “Sorry.”

      “Whatever. I’ll talk to Tanya tomorrow morning and get her to delete the picture.”

      “You sure you want to do that?” Jack asked. “You looked really good.”

      “I always look really good,” Liv shot back. “Whatever. We knew this would be eggshells, right?”

      “We knew it,” he agreed. “Besides, if I were a real boyfriend who didn’t work out, there wouldn’t be any shame, would there?”

      “No, but eventually, they’ll all hear the truth, and I’d rather they didn’t pull up that photo to stare at when they do. I’ll look...pathetic.”

      “You couldn’t look pathetic. You’re gorgeous.”

      “Fine, then I’ll feel pathetic.”

      “That’s fair,” Jack agreed. “So how long are we staying?”

      “We’re leaving now.”

      “Is there time for more of that potato salad?” Jack hooked a thumb toward the bowl that was already half empty.

      “No.” She shot him a baleful glare. “You’ve caused enough trouble.”

      Jack scooped her hand up in his and pulled her close again, grinning down at her with a low laugh. “All right, Ms. Hylton. Time for our exit.”

      Jack was playing a part—smitten boyfriend. That’s what she’d asked for, wasn’t it? But she hadn’t expected to find herself falling into her role, too. The sooner they caught whoever was threatening her, the better. Because any more of this, and she’d find herself enjoying her fake boyfriend a little too much!

      After some goodbyes and some lame excuses about a prior engagement, they headed back toward the car. She’d leave her extended family to gossip about her behind her back.

      It sure beat Poor Liv.

      * * *

      THAT EVENING, JACK sat at Liv’s tiny kitchen table, feeling in the way. Liv’s apartment was small, so the kitchen table was on the far side of the living room, and from where he sat, he could see into the kitchen on one side, and then through the living room to the bathroom and bedroom.

      Not a lot of privacy, he realized ruefully. He was the one crashing into her personal life, so it wasn’t really his place to be looking for some space to himself, but this was a decidedly feminine apartment. Everything smelled faintly of lavender, and for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out how. But it did.

      There were some pillar candles standing on a decorative plate on one side table, and under the window there was a radiator with some women’s delicates draped over it—drying, no doubt. It was either a slip or a nightgown—a silken ivory color that shimmered in the soft light of a nearby lamp. He felt out of his element here—an obvious intruder into her personal space. Women were different creatures, and Liv was somehow more feminine than he was used to.

      Liv stood in the kitchen making a pot of tea. She bobbed a metal diffuser in a teapot and then hooked the end over one side.

      “Do you want sugar?” she asked.

      “Sure.” What he actually wanted was a strong cup of coffee, but yeah, whatever.

      Jack was in a bit of a bad mood this evening already. He’d done his part and acted the doting boyfriend, but this case was going to be harder than he’d thought. Liv’s family were a complicated bunch, and they’d take a bit to untangle. Then there was Liv herself. She was too soft, too pretty, and reminded him a little too strongly of the things he was missing in his life. And he didn’t want to take the lid off that.

      Liv deposited a brimming teacup in front of him—gold-rimmed and floral. It looked so delicate that he was half afraid of crushing it. She sent him a fleeting smile, then sank into the chair opposite him. She buried her nose in her own teacup—similar to his, but with different-colored flowers—and took a lingering sip.

      “Hmmm...” She sighed. “This is good.”

      Jack lifted his own cup and took a sip. It was piping hot and sweet, but other than that, tasteless to his palate. He took another sip, then let his gaze move around the apartment.

      “Tell me more about your family,” Jack said, pulling his attention back to the woman across from him. “Tanya...she’s your cousin, you said?”

      “Yes, my father’s sister’s daughter,” Liv replied. “We grew up together, Tanya and I. We’ve always been close.”

      “How did she feel about your divorce?” he asked.

      “Oh, I don’t know. She was shocked—just like everyone else. They didn’t see it coming. Evan and I put up a really good united front, so when I said we were splitting up... Well, you can imagine.”

      “So she was against it?” Jack probed. “On his side? On yours?”

      “On mine, of course,” she said.

      “Where are your parents? I didn’t see them—”

      “In California.” She smiled faintly. “They’re retired, living in their RV.”

      “Hmm.” He nodded slowly.

      “So my turn, then,” Liv said, leaning forward. “Tell me about your brothers. Brotherly dynamics are always interesting.”

      He sighed. It wasn’t wise to share too much personal information, but every case was a unique job, and Liv was making this one harder than it had to be. “Do we really have to do this?”

      “Yes.” She took another sip of tea, but her gaze didn’t leave him.

      “Fine. One’s an accountant and the other is a plumber.”

      She nodded. “Are you close?”

      “Yeah, we’re close. I was closer to my cousin when I was a kid, though. My brothers are both younger than me, so I hung out with my cousin.”

      “Like me and Tanya,” she said.

      “Yeah, I guess.” He could understand her close relationship to her cousin. Kids were lucky to have family to grow up with.

      “So your cousin—what’s his name?” she asked.

      “Berto. He’s, uh—” Jack gave her a pained smile. “We aren’t in contact anymore.”

      “Why not?” Sympathy swam in those green eyes, and she leaned toward him so that her soft perfume tickled his nose.

      “He associates with known criminals, so as a cop I have to keep my distance,” Jack replied gruffly. Would that be enough to make her back off? Berto had a criminal record of his own, so it went deeper than he was about to admit. But keeping his distance didn’t mean that Jack wasn’t hell-bent on setting a few wrongs right.