The Promise He Made Her by Tara Taylor Quinn

Author:Tara Taylor Quinn
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Harlequin (UK) Ltd
Published: 2016-07-02T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

“IT WOULDN’T BE a crime if you were, you know.” Chantel was putting the clothes she’d washed and folded in the small duffel she’d carried in from her car.

Sam would be home soon.

Well, home to him. Not to Bloom. To Bloom he’d be back soon. She made certain the distinction was clear in her mind.

On the couch with Lucy beside her, Bloom sipped from the glass of wine she’d poured at dinner. Why she craved the extra relaxation that night in particular she had no idea. But she would rather use a glass of wine as a sleep aid than take anything. After spending six months recovering from what Ken had done to her, she was not going down that road again.

“What wouldn’t be a crime?” she asked, starting to feel lethargic enough to face being shut in the bedroom for the rest of the night. And maybe even fall asleep within an hour, instead of sitting up in Sam’s bed, against his pillows, listening to him move around in his home.

“If you and Sam—how’d you put it?—if your nightgown and his underwear had contact.”

The image obliterated any relaxation she’d gained. Sexual desire, hot and undeniable, flared in her lower region. Bloom didn’t move.

“Of course it would be wrong,” she said aloud, when the alarming sensation didn’t immediately subside.

She’d put voice to intention and then it would happen.

“Not really,” Chantel told her. “Being a cop isn’t like being a doctor or lawyer. We don’t have clients. Or, if you want to look at it that way, everyone, including our spouses, our children, even our parents, are our clients. We are sworn to protect all citizens.”

Yes. Fine. But...

“I can’t believe they tell you in the academy that it’s okay to get involved with a victim.”

No! Why was she even entertaining the conversation? It was a moot point.

“I met Colin while working undercover. Did you know that?”

“No.”

She’d known that Chantel had been pretty much solely responsible for exposing a corrupt police commissioner. And that she’d been promoted soon afterward.

“I was posing as his girlfriend.” The woman perched on the arm of the couch.

Bloom was enormously interested. Because she was coming to care for Chantel like a friend. No other reason. “And you fell in love with him?” She had to admit, the idea was romantic.

If a bit over the top.

“Not willingly,” Chantel told her. And then shrugged. “As an officer of the law we’re sworn to protect the community. We’re given a lot of discretion, to determine what needs further investigation, what doesn’t. Who to pursue, who not to pursue. A lot of what we do...we have to make split-second decisions that can cost us our lives. You learn to listen to your gut...”

She had Bloom’s full attention.

“It’s all about integrity,” Chantel said. “If you take advantage of someone for personal gain...you shouldn’t be wearing the badge.”

She’d never counseled a cop, but could see where doing so would be interesting. And rewarding...

“We’re human beings,” Chantel said. “And we’re encouraged to interact socially with those we protect.

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