Free For Love of Livvy by J. M. Griffin

way I can paint. My aunt and I used to air paint outside together."
    "You must miss that, then. Is the artwork on the walls yours?” His glance moved through the doorway and around the next room as he spoke. The kitchen doorway arched into a formal dining room where paintings adorned the walls.
    "Some of it is, but most of it is Livvy's. She sculpted as well. There's a beautiful piece in the living room, if you'd like to see it."
    At his nod, we went into the living room. He stared at the warm hued, three foot high lion. It stood on its hind legs with paws splayed as though in an encounter. The animal balanced on a tall carved wooden pedestal. I adored this piece of work and had been ecstatic when Livvy left it to me along with the house. It never occurred to me how important this lion would become in my life.
    "When did your aunt sculpt this?” His eyes took in every exquisite detail. It was as though he committed it to memory, while his hand stroked the smooth surface.
    "I'm not sure, I just know that one day it was here and I fell in love with it, so she promised it to me when she died. I never thought she'd die so soon, though."
    We wandered toward the kitchen and he stooped to pick something off the floor. I polished off the last muffin and stared when he laid the exquisite stone on the counter with a question in his eyes. My mind ran a hundred miles an hour to come up with a good lie when a rap sounded on the back door. It opened and Marcus stood in the doorway in jeans and a t-shirt.
    I watched as the two macho men take stock of one another. The room reeked with heavy draughts of testosterone or maybe I imagined it. While Aaron and Marcus measured one another, I slipped the stone off the counter and pocketed it.
    Introductions were made, but I left out job descriptions. As far as I was concerned, if they wanted to know that much information, they'd have to develop a dialogue. Speculation filled both faces, but neither asked about the other.
    Marcus sat astride a chair at the counter and eyeballed the empty coffee pot and my half filled cup. I pushed it toward him and he slurped it down while I made more. Aaron rose and with a glance at the empty spot on the counter where the stone had sat, he said he'd be upstairs. With uttered thanks for the help, he smiled and left.
    "He's a big guy, huh? What did you say he did for a living?"
    "I didn't say, but maybe he's part of the WWF.” A chuckle tumbled from my lips as I sat opposite Marcus who wasn't so small himself. His face was a study of disdain, which meant I'd probably annoyed him.
    "Huh,” was all he said, and I smirked as I poured fresh coffee. He swigged down a mouthful as I lifted the stone from my pocket and set it on the counter.
    "Did you find more of these stones?"
    I sobered and said, “No, Aaron found this one on the floor just now, but I haven't had a chance to look around."
    He nodded and left the subject alone.
    "What are you doing here? Is it your day off or what?” I asked.
    "Just came by to check on you. It wouldn't do to have anyone break in and accost you."
    "I may not be a match for a man, but I can give anyone a bit of trouble. You needn't worry about me, Richmond.” My training included assault defense techniques, although to be honest, I'd never had to use them.
    A chuckle escaped his lips and he nodded. “Yeah, I checked out your creds. You do have experience in hand to hand combat, so I'll keep that in mind."
    My smile matched his as he rose to leave. His knuckles stroked my face and then he was gone. I wondered if he realized my reaction to his touch as I went into the bedroom to pick the wreckage off the floor. My little voice kicked in again with a warning about romantic involvement with a cop, especially this particular chick magnet.
    With a depressed glance, I gazed around the room. Everything lay jumbled in a pile which I promptly stuffed it into the trunk. Damn, I'd spent so much time separating it, too. I started to clear debris