“Pot, meet Kettle.”

“Good thing we’re both attracted to cocky, then, huh?”

“Good thing.”

We smiled intimately at one another before turning our attention back to our food. Over the last few weeks, our relationship had grown pretty intense. It was already intense before so that was saying something. People were right when they said sex changes things. For Jake and me, it had brought us closer but had also added this edge of possessiveness that I wasn’t expecting. On both sides. If I saw him laughing with another girl, I’d feel a pang in my chest I didn’t like and I had to remind myself that Jake loved me. It became pretty clear, however, that Jake was as susceptible to those emotions as I was. Case in point, his attitude toward Alex. I still talked to Alex at school and two weeks ago when Jake came upon us laughing at my locker, he’d made it clear on the ride home that he hadn’t liked it. We argued. There was shouting and yelling and even some growling. My intention had been to jump out of Hendrix angry and without saying goodbye, but Jake hadn’t liked that, either—proving so by yanking me across the cab and practically into his lap so he could kiss the anger right out of me.

I talked to my mom about our arguments but she said she’d been the same with Dad when they were just starting out. They butted heads quite a bit and their “discussions” could get heated, but it was all in passion, not volatility. They were just trying to figure each other out.

They still butted heads and were still crazy about each other, so I wasn’t going to worry about petty clashes between Jake and me.

It was far better putting my thoughts toward the next time and place we could use to be alone. Sneaking around to have sex was not easy when both sets of parents took preventing that very seriously. However, it wasn’t quite impossible. Since our first time six weeks ago, we’d had sex seven times. Yes, I was counting. We managed to find alone time at least once a week, but since the sex just kept getting better and (oh my God) better, it was difficult to focus on anything other than sex with Jake.

Andie had come home from Dublin for Christmas break, taken one look at Jake and me together, and knew. I’d gotten the safe-sex talk from her and now she was urging me to go on the pill, something I knew Jake wanted me to do too. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to—it was just that in a small town like Lanton, these things had a way of getting back to parents.

The thought of having to discuss my sex life with my parents?

They may call me Supergirl, but I wasn’t that brave.

I’d have to do it sometime soon, though. I knew that.

Fun.

“Did you tell your mom and dad about Edinburgh?” Jake asked, wiping his mouth with his napkin. I knew that satisfied look on his face. He was such a liar when he said he didn’t like Hub’s food.

“Yeah? Did you?” Just before Christmas I’d told Jake that I wanted to spend my third year of college abroad. Andie was having such an amazing time in Dublin and she promised me that it was an experience that would change me and help me grow up a little. I’d always wanted to travel, so a year abroad sounded awesome. My aunt Cecilia had visited Scotland years ago and when she came back, she showed us all her fantastic photographs. The ones of Edinburgh and its awe-inspiring castle resonated with me and I’d never let go of the idea of visiting someday. Why not for a study abroad? The University of Edinburgh had a fantastic reputation as an international school and Cecilia’s money was sitting in the trust fund waiting for me to spend it.

As soon as I’d mentioned it to Jake, he was all for the idea. After a ten-second conversation, it was decided he was coming with me. This was similar to the discussion we had regarding the schools we were applying to back home. We’d decided to apply to Northwestern, Purdue, and the University of Chicago. It depended on who got in where but we were planning to either attend the same college or go to the colleges that were closest to one another. At least with those three, we were talking a few hours at the most.

“Yeah,” Jake answered, “they think it’s a great idea. They like the influence you have over me.” He winked at me, and I so wished his winking wasn’t as hot as it was.

“My parents are resigned to the idea as long as I apply for pre-law.”

“They’re still on about that huh?”

Delia and Jim Redford just couldn’t get to grips with the idea of their daughter becoming a cop. I think they were now just beginning to realize that this wasn’t a phase I was going through. Now they were pushing hard for law school. My mom had even downloaded brochures.

“I think they’d be okay with it if my intention was to be a deputy here.”

Jake smiled affectionately. “But of course, you want to join the illustrious ranks of the Chicago PD.”

“I do. I want the chance to advance, you know. Specialize.”

This caused a little furrow between Jake’s eyebrows. Although I’d talked at length with him about being a cop and he’d spoken at length about getting into engineering, we both just listened in that I’m-there-for-you-and-I-care-that-you-do-what-makes-you-happy-but-I-have-no-idea-really-what-you’re-talking-about kind of way.

“You’ve never mentioned that.”

I shrugged. “It’s just something I’ve been thinking about more and more lately.”

“Well, specializing to what?”

“I don’t know. Homicide, maybe.”

Jake tensed and then moved back in his seat. “What?” I noted the concern in his voice and hoped to God I wouldn’t have him to contend with as well as my parents when it was time to apply to the academy. “Do your parents know this?”

I nodded, sighing. “I told them a few nights ago. Please don’t tell me you now agree with them?”

Jake rubbed his eyebrow in thought and then shook his head. “You should do whatever will make you happy, but Charley … a homicide detective in a place like Chicago? You’ll see things you can’t erase. Ever. Why would you want to see that shit every day?”

The reason was something that had been in the back of my mind since it happened. It wasn’t something I’d shared yet with Jake because it was pretty sad, but I wanted him to understand me like no one else did. “I’ve always wanted to be a cop, ever since I knew what one was. I just …” I smiled ruefully, “I wanted to do something that mattered, that makes people feel safe. Working in homicide? Well … three years ago my big cousin Ethan was shot and killed in his Miami apartment for his laptop and some cash. The police never caught the guy. My aunt and uncle don’t have any closure. It was a mindless crime and there’s no one to perpetrate justice on. You can still see that in their eyes.” My throat constricted and I felt that same rawness inside of me that I’d felt last summer when I spent a month in Miami with them. They got through each day for my cousins Emily and Seth, but it was like something was weighing them down, something eating at any chance of contentment they might have. “I guess if I can’t give them closure, I’d like to try and do that for other people. And I know that I’ll see some really horrific stuff, Jake, but I also know I want to at least try to see if I can handle it.”