Chapter One

Pickleville was one of those blink-and-you'll-miss-it places. Main Street led to a bigger town, no matter if you went east or west. If you drove far enough—just two hours in either direction—you would get to a major city. The small town led everywhere but was in the middle of nowhere.

Andrew drove down the main street, passing the florist and the grocery store. He turned left at TJs Bar. Someone mowing their lawn waved when he passed. Andrew didn't know the woman, but they all knew him. The lack of anonymity was something he still needed to get used to since it came with being the chief of police. When he had taken the job, he hadn't known the lack went with the position. If he had, he might not have accepted it.

Andrew waved back and tried for a positive attitude.

He could see why Jaron had left. Knowing Jaron the way Andrew did, he would have stagnated if he had stayed. He had needed to meet people who didn't want to gossip, and he'd needed to know what it was like, living around others similar to himself.

He also understood why Jaron had moved back. The town was a good place to settle down. Folks moved slower and took the time to greet a person. Small talk on the sidewalk wasn't such a stretch.

Andrew knew Jaron had gotten both the good and bad out of life in the big city. He'd gotten both from Pickleville as well.

Andrew had seen the worst human nature had to offer and wanted something a little more friendly. Big city crime, and the dangers that came with it, didn't interest him anymore. He didn't need to see the bloated body of a teenage girl washed up on the shore of the river. He couldn't see the blunt force traumas and gunshot victims. Mostly he wanted to stop defining people based on their victimization. Give him the drunks who just needed a ride home and breaking up domestics. He would even take arresting the druggies if it meant he didn't have to see a body.

Some things stuck with a person, and Andrew had seen every single one of them. He didn't want to anymore.

Pickleville seemed like the right place for a quiet life.

He parked his car behind Travis and Jaron's truck and shut off the engine. He stared at the housewarming gift, which sat in the passenger's seat, for a full minute without really seeing it.

He shook his head and blinked away his thoughts, grabbing the mug filled with a bag of the best coffee beans he could find at Pickleville Grocery. The cup had a classic car on it. Andrew had never met the host of the housewarming party, but he knew the man's best friend because Greg worked for Travis. The host's name was Kyler, and Greg had told him he liked classic cars. Andrew also had it on good authority Kyler was a mechanic at the shop across the street from the police station. Andrew had seen three guys in the open bays a time or two but only from a distance.

The house was a small cottage-type place with a nicely mowed lawn and plants surrounding the front door. The plants would bloom in a few weeks, adding to the house's appeal. The white trim contrasted with the green siding. The house lit up the neighborhood in ways no other house did, giving color where everything else was ordinary at best.

Through the picture window, Andrew saw one of the prettiest men he had ever encountered. His long dark hair flowed down his back, and he wore a grin. He laughed at something Travis said. Andrew waved to Travis before stepping onto the front stoop. He knocked a couple of times and waited.

The pretty man answered, standing in the doorway with a smile. "Well, hello there. Coming to crash a party?"

Andrew sucked in a breath and blinked. It was one thing to see his smile through a pane of glass but another to have it directed at him. He cleared his throat and tried not to sound like a lust-struck idiot. "I'm Andrew. A friend of Jaron's."

He held out the gift.

"Jaron's best friend city cop, right? I'm Kyler." Kyler took the gift and held out his hand, which Andrew took.

The calluses made Andrew want to soothe some imaginary hurts that he had somehow associated with Kyler for reasons he couldn't explain. It made him hold onto his hand for longer than he should, and that was something Kyler noticed, if the raised eyebrows were any indication. Kyler's dark eyes softened, and he licked his lips.

He didn't want a relationship, especially not with someone so young. Kyler looked barely twenty years old, yet he'd bought his first house. Anyone willing to commit to homeownership probably wanted a commitment of other sorts as well.

And damn, he shouldn't be thinking about Kyler in romantic terms considering he'd just met him, but something about him set Andrew up for failure when it came to getting a grip.

"Jaron said you wouldn't mind if I came." Andrew tried not to flirt. He really did, but Kyler inspired him. And if he thickened his accent, it was unintentional.

"Greg has talked about you over the years. Nice to finally meet you." Kyler gave him the twice over. His dark eyes held a mischievous sparkle that hadn't been there before. "Very, very nice."

Kyler stepped aside, letting Andrew into the living room. He heard voices in other parts of the house and probably outside as well. Music floated around the room, and the smell of grilled meat hung in the air, even inside the living space.

The living room seemed like a typical man cave, right down to the video game console and large television. A photo of a pretty dark-haired woman sat on a small bookshelf in the corner. She had her arm around a boy. They were both dressed as if the picture was from the decade before. The boy had to be Kyler as a child. He was maybe ten or eleven years old.

"Since you're an ex-cop, maybe you could talk to the new chief."

Andrew reached out to Travis shaking his hand. "What would you have me say?"

Travis shook his hand and chuckled. "Kyler doesn't like that he can't use his fake ID anymore. You turn twenty-one in, what? Two months."

"Yes, but that's so not the point." Kyler rolled his eyes.

It was good to know his threat to the liquor store owner had worked.

Jaron came into the room and gave him a one-armed hug. He stood next to Travis, holding him around the waist. The moment of silence had Jaron scanning each one of their faces. "What just happened?"

Andrew grinned. "Kyler wants to know why the new chief shut down the sale of alcohol to minors."

"Now we have to wait for Greg to get here with the beer."

"Which, you will not be drinking, right, carino?" Andrew wanted to touch Kyler. Even if it were just to tuck his hair behind his ear, it would satisfy the urge. He kept his hands to himself, though.

Jaron raised his eyebrows at the endearment and gave Andrew a pointed look. They had been friends long enough for Jaron to know an endearment when he heard one.

The word had just slipped from his mouth without much thought. But Kyler was a cute piece of sweetness. He was also young and probably the local troublemaker, but none of that did anything to diminish the attraction.

Kyler pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes. He crossed his arms over his chest. "And why would that be any of your concern?"

Travis chuckled again but didn't speak, letting Andrew sink or swim. He enjoyed Kyler's ignorance way too much. And Andrew enjoyed Kyler's sassiness more than he should.

"I'm the new chief."

Kyler opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He took a step back and crossed his arms over his chest as the indignation set in. His recovery from the shock took less than Andrew had hoped, but it was still funny for long enough for everyone besides Kyler to get in a good laugh.

Kyler grinned and unfolded his arms, stepping closer. He ran a finger down the center of Andrew's chest, and his eyes lit up with mischief. "You owe me twice."

"Why twice?" Andrew put his hand over Kyler's, stilling it when it got to his sternum. Any lower and Andrew's dick would get fully hard, instead of the half-erection he currently sported. He didn't want to make it visible for the whole party.

Jaron cleared his throat and then pointed to the sliding glass door. "We're gonna leave you guys to get to know each other better."

Jaron gave him a look that Andrew couldn't decipher even as he grabbed Travis' hand and pulled him out of the room.

Andrew changed his focus. Their gazes met. Something about Kyler's teasing, coupled with the hard life visible in his big brown eyes pulled at Andrew's good sense, tugging hard enough to send it floating to the ceiling. He curled his fingers around Kyler's hand, holding him in place.

Kyler raised his free hand, holding up one finger. "Keeping the chief thing from me." Another finger went up. "And deactivating the fake ID."

Andrew grinned. "You are going to be a lot of trouble."

"How about you stick around after the party and I'll show you how much fun trouble can be."

Andrew found himself agreeing before he had a chance to think twice.

"Also, can you only talk in Spanish until tomorrow morning? That would be so sexy."

Andrew wasn't the sexy one, which was why he let the morning after comment slide. Something about Kyler made him forget himself. He ran his hand down the silky strands. "And you can let me play with your hair."

"So we're gonna play this game then," Kyler's deep voice was like syrup. "You have beautiful chocolate eyes. There, now it's your turn."

His body heated. "Your eyes make me think of sipping whiskey." They were light brown, which contrasted with his tanned skin and dark hair. "Eres un hombre hermoso."

"Okay, you win. Especially with that accent. Let's go to bed, and you can read to me." Kyler smelled like vanilla and coffee.

"I'll read whatever you like."

"God, I wish we could forget about the party." Kyler looked at Andrew's mouth when he spoke.

"Later." One night. He'd think about Kyler's status as the town troublemaker after he got him out of his system. And with that thought, Andrew went in for a taste. Just one sip of Kyler's lips stoked the fires for the rest of the evening.