“You know how I feel about certain things.”

  “About what things?” Fiona’s tone was low, dangerously low for Morgan’s sake. She wanted so much to know that tone in an entirely different situation.

  “You know how I feel about cheating.”

  “I didn’t cheat.” Fiona’s entire body language changed. She went from the seductress at ease to defensive in two seconds flat, which Morgan hadn’t wanted to do but she knew there was no way to avoid that unless she avoided the entire conversation.

  “You didn’t, but you were knowingly in a relationship with someone who is married.”

  “How did you even—”

  Morgan snorted. “I’m a profiler, Fiona. I’m an observer by nature. I think the only reason you were able to pull it over me for so long is because I had other things on my mind, especially these last few months when you and I really started to get to know each other. I didn’t want to see it. I didn’t want to believe it.”

  Fiona’s lips thinned. “I’m so sorry.”

  “You’re not. Pax has been my best friend for the better part of twenty years. He knows how I feel about this. He knows how the conversation I’m going to have with him is going to go. I won’t hold back with him.”

  “And you are with me?”

  Morgan sighed. “No. But I’m not as angry with you as I am with him.”

  “You should be,” Fiona muttered.

  Morgan turned sharply at that. “Why would you say that?”

  Once again, Fiona’s tongue was at her lips, but this time, Morgan didn’t feel the same desire licking at her. “Because I’m just as guilty as him.”

  “You’re not.”

  “How can you say that?” Fiona’s timbre rose. “I knew what I was doing just as much as he did. I knew he was married.”

  “Yeah, you did. But you’re not married. You weren’t breaking any vows. You didn’t share classified information with a romantic partner.”

  Fiona froze at that. “He didn’t.”

  “He did.” Morgan raised an eyebrow at her. “I know he did because of the things you asked me and told me. I should have seen it before. I always wondered how you knew something. It was never anything major, nothing that’s too bad, but God, Fiona, he put his family on the line but he also put his job on the line. He could lose his job over this.”

  “Taylor knew.”

  “What?”

  “Taylor knew. Pax told him.”

  Anger surged into Morgan’s limbs. She pushed up from the couch, her hands fisted on her hips as she spun around and faced Fiona. “What do you mean he knew?”

  “That’s why you were assigned to work with me on this task force instead of Pax. Because I couldn’t work with him.”

  “Fuck this.” Morgan clenched her jaw as she shoved a hand wildly through her hair. “I can’t do this.”

  “Do what?”

  “Be with you.” Morgan’s eyes were wide as she stared down Fiona. “I can’t be with you.”

  The tension in the room was palpable. Morgan wasn’t sure what she should say or do, but she knew she had to get out of there as soon as she could. She had to protect herself.

  “I introduced Mel to Pax. I knew her first. I am their kids’ godmother for Christ’s sake, and you’ve been…you’ve been fucking him all the while he’s played the perfect husband.”

  “He’s not the perfect husband.”

  “No, well, obviously not.” Once again Morgan’s hand found its way into her hair, and she tugged and the short brown strands. “He needs to be, and I cannot do this with you.”

  Fiona stood up and came over to Morgan, grabbing her free hand and twining their fingers together. Fiona reached up and cupped Morgan’s cheek. “Answer me this.”

  “What?”

  “Is it because it’s Pax or is it because I was the other woman?”

  Morgan hissed. She really wasn’t sure if she would be less pissed or annoyed if it wasn’t Pax. Her heart raced as she stared into Fiona’s eyes, the answer on the tip of her tongue, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to say it, wasn’t sure she could trust her gut.

  Fiona’s thumb brushed along her cheek, and Morgan turned into the touch. “Answer my question.”

  “Because it’s Pax.” Tears stung at Morgan’s eyes as she closed them, not daring herself to look at Fiona. She couldn’t. She wouldn’t. “He’s my best friend.”

  Fiona’s lips touched Morgan’s briefly in a tender and sweet kiss, a kiss that didn’t entice but comforted. Morgan’s heart raced. Her muscles ached. Her body felt like she’d been to hell and back a dozen times in the past week, and she realized just how old she was in the scheme of things and how young and adventurous Fiona was.

  “He’s my best friend, Fiona.”

  “Yeah, yeah, he is, and I suspect he and Mel are going to need you around as soon as he talks to her.”

  “He’s going to tell her?”

  “He told me he would.” Fiona looked up into Morgan’s eyes. “But you know him better than I do.”

  “I feel like I don’t know him at all, anymore.”

  “I can understand that, but Morgan, you know him probably better than anyone, and you may just understand why he did it. I just happened to be in that place and time for him as he was for me.”

  Morgan jerked her head up at that. “What do you mean?”

  “Sit down with me.”

  Reluctantly, Morgan moved to sit on the couch with Fiona again, this time with a little more distance between the two of them. Fiona drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. She curled one leg under her body as she turned to face Morgan fully, grabbing her hand again.

  “I told you that I was engaged.”

  Morgan nodded.

  “Right, so I was engaged to a man, and we’d been together for six years. Everything had really gone to plan. Dating, moving in, ring, wedding planning.” Tears brimmed in Fiona’s eyes, and Morgan had to resist the urge to brush them away to make Fiona stop talking so she wouldn’t have to relive the pain of whatever she was feeling. “Well, it ended, rather abruptly. And I threw myself into work. That’s why I ended up attending your lecture about profiling, and it’s ultimately what led me to meeting Pax at that same conference.”

  Morgan desperately wanted to ask what happened, she wanted to know why the engagement was broken, but she couldn’t bring herself to say the words, to pry even deeper into something she didn’t feel was hers to know, but she knew it wasn’t because Fiona was a cop. Not after six years of being together.

  “I never thought he would leave Mel for me. I never wanted him to. I always knew it would end, and it did. You know that. I didn’t lie about that.”

  “I didn’t think you did,” Morgan whispered.

  “Good.” Fiona smiled. “You’ll have to talk to Pax to find out why he did it, that’s not something I can answer for him.”

  Morgan had planned on talking to him next. Better to get both tough conversations out of the way in one day than let them linger and drag on. She wanted to yell and scream at him though, but she was pretty sure it was going to end up in some ways very similar to the conversation she was having with Fiona.

  Fiona’s fingers skimmed against Morgan’s cheek, causing Morgan to look her in the eye again. “I plan on talking to him.”

  “Good. I would hate for your partnership and friendship to be in jeopardy.”

  Morgan smirked at that. “I can’t imagine having to find a new partner.”

  Chuckling, Fiona gripped Morgan’s hands and brought her fingers to her lips, kissing them lightly. “I do hope we can see where whatever we’re feeling goes, but I can understand if you want nothing to do with me.”

  Morgan groaned. She wanted so desperately to walk out Fiona’s door and never look back, but the months of building a friendship, getting to know her, toying with the idea of whatever relationship they might have become tortured her. She couldn’t just walk away from everything.

  “I don’t do relationships.”

  Fiona’s fingers rubbed circles on the back of Morgan’s hand. “I didn’t say I was looking for one, though should one begin, I wouldn’t be opposed to it.”

  “I don’t do them.”

  “Why is that, Morgan? Scared you might find out that love isn’t as scary as you think it is?”

  Freezing, Morgan eyed Fiona warily. “No.”

  Fiona laughed lightly as she leaned in, her lips brushing Morgan’s ear as she spoke. “Then you have nothing to worry about, do you?”

  It would be so easy for Morgan to turn and capture Fiona’s lips, to take the kiss, to give the kiss. She wanted to—desperately. They’d kissed before and Morgan could sparsely put words to it, but she wanted it again. Fiona was so close. It wouldn’t take much to find herself down that rabbit hole.

  “Fuck it.” Morgan grabbed the back of Fiona’s head and brought their mouths together.

  She had planned to not do this. She had specifically talked herself up to not do this, but God, she couldn’t resist what was right in front of her, wanton, sexy, desiring her just as much. Their lips moved against each other. Morgan’s hand touching Fiona’s waist as she brought her in closer until Fiona was nearly on top of her on the couch.

  Leaning into the couch, Morgan groaned under the weight of Fiona’s body, the heat from her skin, the pressure of Fiona’s breasts against hers. Morgan held tight, her hand tangled in Fiona’s hair as her other hand skimmed up Fiona’s back and then down, toying with the edge of her shirt and debating whether or not she wanted to reach up and touch the heat of her bare flesh—something they had yet to do.

  Fiona’s tongue pressed between her lips, and Morgan’s hips bucked up. Every nerve in her body hummed. She wanted more, so much more, but she knew she was going to have to stop them before they went too far, but she couldn’t. She wasn’t ready for it, Fiona might be, but she wasn’t.

  Twisting, Morgan pushed Fiona until she was underneath. Their hips pressed into each other, and Morgan moved her mouth from Fiona’s down her neck, nipping at the tops of her breasts through the thin cotton fabric of her T-shirt. Morgan didn’t want to stop. As much as she did, she didn’t. Conflicted, Morgan desperately tried to get a grip on herself, tried to rein her brain back into place where logic and reason would rule.

  Moving back up, Morgan swirled her tongue in circles against the hot and salty skin right at the nape of Fiona’s neck. Fiona’s nails dug into Morgan’s sides, and she was reminded, starkly, just how sore each of her muscles were. Kissing Fiona again, Morgan eased away and breathed heavily as she tried to center herself.

  “I want a date,” Fiona stated, her voice clear and firm.

  “What?”

  “A date. I want you to take me on a date.”

  “I—”

  “You said you don’t do relationships. You didn’t say you didn’t date.”

  “I date.” Morgan swallowed. “I date a lot. I just…really? A date?”

  “Yes.” Fiona’s fingers cupped both of Morgan’s cheeks and drew her in for a kiss. “I want a date before we go any further, and I want you to be sure of what you want from this.”

  Stunned, Morgan nodded her agreement. “Okay.”

  “Good. We can set it up.”

  “Yeah.” Morgan shifted to sit up straight. She glanced at the clock on the wall and knew she only had another twenty minutes before she’d have to leave to go meet with Pax. She’d set up the times like that on purpose. Running her hands through her hair, Morgan let out a breath. “Yeah, we can go on a date.”

  “Good.” Fiona smiled and sat up, leaning into Morgan’s side and pressing her lips to Morgan’s cheek loudly with a satisfied smirk.

  Fiona curved her hand around Morgan’s cheek and drew her back in for a heated kiss, although it didn’t last as long as the last one or have quite the same burn to it.

  “When are we going out?”

  “Huh?”

  “When are we going out?” Fiona asked again.

  “Uh…tomorrow? Neither one of us are cleared yet, so we both have the time.”

  “Good.” Fiona kissed Morgan again. “I suppose you need to go talk to Pax.”

  “Yeah. I’m supposed to meet with him at Frankie’s in twenty minutes.”

  Fiona hummed and kissed Morgan again. “I like kissing you.”

  That brought a smile to Morgan. “I will admit that I like kissing you as well.”

  “Just like you like me?”

  Morgan tensed, remembering their conversation last December when Morgan had been flying back from Wyoming and capturing a serial killer. “Yes, just like I like you.”

  “Good.” Fiona kissed Morgan again. “Now, you better get going before I take you to my bedroom and you’re late meeting up with Pax, because I really think he needs his best friend, Morgan.”

  Tensing again, Morgan nodded. “We’ll see. I’m still pissed.”

  “You need to look past your personal experiences and look at what he might be going through. It might surprise you.”

  “Like I said, we’ll see.”

  With one last lingering kiss, Morgan found herself leaving Fiona behind with a date to figure out for the next day. She left Fiona’s and went straight to the pizzeria. As soon as Morgan parked, she gave herself the same pep talk that she’d given before she’d walked up to Fiona’s third floor apartment.

  Frankie was behind the counter, but he didn’t have his normal pep in him when he greeted her. Instead, he knocked his head toward Morgan’s normal seat. “He’s in there.”

  “That bad?” she asked.

  “Probably worse than what you’re thinking.”

  “Great.” Morgan stepped around the side and toward the back booth that was her favorite. Pax had even saved her favorite spot to sit in. Siding into the booth, Morgan put her hands on the top of the table, knowing Frankie would bring her coffee and her standard order soon enough. She started, “Hey.”

  “Hey,” Pax answered.

  “Been awhile since we’ve talked.”

  He didn’t dare look her in the eye. “Yeah.”

  “So talk, Pax. Tell me all about it.”

  “You know?”

  Morgan sighed. “She didn’t tell me, if that’s what you’re worried about. I figured it out. Though I wish you had talked to me before it even started.”

  Pax nodded. “Yeah. I probably should have.”

  “So tell me now. I’ve got the damn time.” Chuckling, Morgan grabbed the coffee from Frankie as he brought it over and thanked him. Focusing on Pax, she took a sip of her coffee and stared him down. “Come on, Pax. Tell me what happened. You’re not the cheating type.”

  “Apparently, I am.”

  “We’ll figure it out. Promises.”

  “You’re not going to request a new partner?”

  “I’ve kept shit from you and you didn’t. We can work through this.”

  Just her saying those words relieved him. Morgan sipped at her coffee and settled in for a long conversation. Surely they would be able to find some balance and trust again. A twenty-year partnership and friendship wasn’t something she wanted to give up so cavalierly. Fiona had been right. They could and would work through it.

  About the Author

  Adrian J. Smith has been publishing since 2013 but has been writing nearly her entire life. With a focus on women loving women fiction, AJ jumps genres from action-packed police procedurals to the seedier life of vampires and witches to sweet romances with a May-December twist. She loves writing and reading about women in the midst of the ordinariness of life. Two of her novels, For by Grace and Memoir in the Making, received honorable mentions with the Rainbow Awards.

  AJ currently lives in Cheyenne, WY, although she moves often and has lived all over the United States. She loves to travel to different countries and places. She currently plays the roles of author, wife, and mother to two rambunctious toddlers, occasional handy-woman. Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, or her blog.

  Table of Contents

  Front Matter

  Stone’s Homefront

  About the Author

 

 

  Adrian J. Smith, Stone's Homefront

 

 

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