The party was over. Detective Kyra Lyons sighed and started gathering and dumping dishes in the sink.
As much as she adored her "brothers," fellow officers of the law, she was glad they had finally gone out the door. She had enough of being recognized for making a break in the Henley murder case that ultimately led to the arrest of that con Kit Mason.
It had been her partner, Detective Chase Hanson, who recommended hosting the event at her apartment. She would have to beat him later for suggesting the whole idea to begin with. In the three years they'd been working together, the blonde young man always was looking for an excuse to relive his college days.
Kyra heard someone clear his throat and whipped around.
Her boss, Captain Sean Renard, stood tall in the kitchen doorway, his dark eyes as dark as his hair. He wasn't smiling, but then again, he rarely did.
"Sir, I didn't realize anyone was still here," she stuttered, immediately standing at attention.
"Geez, Kyra, it's your own place. Besides, we're off duty. At ease," Sean said as he joined her in cleaning up.
Kyra tried to remind herself to breathe. From the moment she'd laid eyes on him, she found herself drawn to the brooding man. His command style, his firm yet gentle leadership of those on the squad, his lean looks … She had no business thinking along those lines, she scolded herself. He was her boss. He also was a good 10 to 15 years older than she.
Unbeknownst to her, Sean was thinking along the same lines. He was immediately attracted to the young woman the moment she sauntered into his office. Her feisty, dogged style of apprehending criminals, her detective skills, her soft curves … He reminded himself he had a rule of fraternizing with his people, a strict policy he didn't date anyone under his command.
Sean glanced at Kyra's back as she began running soapy water in the sink. She had clammed up when he entered the kitchen.
He had ordered himself to leave when the boys headed out, but ended up lingering in the off chance he'd get time alone with her. He mentally kicked himself. What was he thinking? Why the hell would a beautiful woman like her want an old man like him anyway?
"I thought I'd stick around and help clean up," Sean finally said. "The guest of honor shouldn't be left alone to pick up after her own party."
Kyra flashed him a smile as she put food into Tupperware containers and into the fridge.
"Remind me to kill Chase for this," she said. "It's all his fault."
He chuckled; the first time she'd ever heard him laugh. It was a deep sound just like his voice and it made her insides melt.
Stop it, she chastised herself.
Kyra felt like the kitchen was getting smaller with his presence. She excused herself and wandered into the living room to gather up the beer bottles scattered around on the coffee table and end tables. After she deposited them in the recycle bin in the laundry room, she returned to the kitchen to find her boss washing dishes.
He had hiked up the sleeves on his hunter green long sleeve shirt, revealing tan arms. Out of habit, he still had his service gun and holster and badge on his hip. His cell phone stuck out of his back pocket.
"Sir, er, Captain, you don't have to do that," she said, moving to stand near him, prepared to take over.
"Kyra! I told you we're off duty. Call me Sean," he said, glancing sideways at her. "And I know how to wash dishes. You can dry if you want."
Oh, boy. All of Kyra's senses told her to run. Being in the same room as him, alone in close quarters, was giving her hot flashes. She nervously tucked her hair behind her ear before reaching for a dishtowel.
Sean, on the other hand, hoped she didn't notice his jeans were getting a little tight.
They worked in silence and soon the task was finished. He reached for the dishtowel in her hands to dry his, brushing her fingers with his. She nearly jumped at the electric current she swore passed between them and forced herself to calm down. She was sure he didn't notice how tense she was.
The thing was, he did. He wanted her. Bad.
Enough is enough, Sean said to himself. At his own risk, he tossed the towel aside and hauled her into his arms. Kyra grabbed the front of his shirt to steady herself.
Sean lowered his head and covered her mouth with his. Kyra softly moaned and leaned into him. She immediately noticed the hardness of his frame, feeling an ache in her own. His tongue ravaged hers. She slid her arms around his neck; his hands slid up and down her back.
Breathing hard, he broke the kiss and laid his forehead on hers.
"I'd better go," Sean forced himself to say. He knew if he let this go on, he'd end up taking her to bed.
Kyra started to protest. She had wanted this for so long!
"I don't want us to do something we will regret," he said, gently stroking her cheek with his thumb.
Sean reluctantly released her and made himself step away from her. Kyra leaned against the counter for support, looking at him with a frown.
"Don't look at me like that," he said.
"Like what?" she replied. "You kiss me and then push me away. How am I supposed to react, Captain?"
He winced at her use of his rank and ran his hand through his hair.
"Look, Kyra, I don't want us to rush into anything. If we kept that up, I'd be spending the night in your bed tonight."
She had the good grace to blush.
"I want you. I won't pretend I don't," Sean said, shifting his weight to ease the strain. "But I'm not interested in a one-night stand. We haven't talked about this, us, what we want in a relationship, if we …" He trailed off.
Kyra took a deep breath and nodded. He was right. Did she really want to jump straight into the sack with him? She hadn't prepared for this moment; she'd dreamed about it, she admitted to herself, but she'd not done anything more than that. She hadn't imagined her fantasy would become reality.
"Would you like to meet for dinner tomorrow?" Sean asked. "We can figure out where to go from there."
Not trusting herself to speak, she nodded again.
He gave her a half-smile. If he didn't leave soon, he was going to lose his self-control and cross a line.
"I'll see you at work in the morning, Kyra. Goodnight." Sean quietly vacated the kitchen and the apartment, leaving Kyra to wonder if she had dreamed the whole thing.