Page 5 of Cop-Off

Zach: How did it go today? You two good now?

Cat. She was the last thing he wanted to think about right before he went to sleep. It was bad enough the smell of citrus perfume was still stuck in his throat. And the feel of her lips against his was imprinted on his mouth. Now he had to reply to his best friend and what, tell him he almost kissed her? The woman he’d spent the past two weeks fighting with? The woman his friend so desperately wanted him to get along with?

No. He couldn’t. It didn’t matter anyway. It was crystal clear that despite whatever happened in her apartment today, they still very much hated each other.

Cody: Sorry, man. Probably best to keep anything sharp out of reach next time we’re in the same room.

It was better Zach didn’t know. It would only invite questions that he didn’t know the answer to.

Zach: You said you were gonna be on your best behaviour. What happened?

Cody: I tried.

That was true. Sort of.

***

Cody’s body was on high alert. Any second now, Cat would walk into the yard. And he wasn’t ready. He wrongly assumed that by the time he’d have to see her again, he would have at least managed to work her out of his system. But no. Here he was, twodays later and he was back at Zach and Libby’s house celebrating their new home. System still fully clogged.

“You okay, man? You look like you’re about to pounce on a perp.” Zach slapped him on the back.

Cody took another swig of his beer, his muscles still worryingly rigid. “I’m good, just got shit on my mind.”

Cat. How she tasted. What she felt like. The noises she might make from beneath him as he pushed inside her.

You’re fucked up, man.

His brain was battling with his body. It had been for two days. And he still had no idea who was winning.

“Oh, yeah? What’s going on?” Zach’s brow furrowed with concern.

“Nothing a little fishing won’t take care of,” he lied. “You up for a trip down to Rainbow Creek next weekend?”

“Sounds good, man. I’ll talk to Libby and let you know.”

Of course. His best friend was now part of a ‘we’.

You’re just jealous.

Talking of jealousy, in walked the feisty feline who’d brought out a whole hell of a lot in him. Denim freaking shorts and all. It was like she was designed specifically to torture him. He had to suck it up, though. Pretend nothing had changed. Control his body and the urge to push her against the nearest surface and take what he wanted. He had a reputation to uphold.

His gaze flicked back to Zach and his heart sank. Libby had joined them and was curled up against his friend as he lay never-ending kisses on top of her head. Her presence meant only one thing. Cat had no other choice but to sway those curvy hips all the way over to them. To him.

Fuck my life. I need another drink.

Why he was pissed and excited at the same time, he had no idea. This woman was seriously messing with his head.

As the she-devil approached in her flimsy vest and tiny shorts, he watched quietly as she greeted and hugged everyone apart from him. A new sting made itself known in his chest, which didn’t make sense, as he should be used to this by now. It was her signature move— pretend Cody was invisible.

He stayed invisible as she passed over a brightly colored gift bag to the happy couple, a huge, mesmerising grin on her face that was hard to look away from. It wasn’t until a chorus of laughter erupted that the spell she’d cast on him was broken. Mentally cursing himself for staring, he finally looked over at Libby to find out what all the fuss was about. She was holding a brand-new toaster.

Figures. Who else but Cat would think that was a good gift? She was trying to be funny as usual. Yes, a toaster fire was how the couple had met, but did she really have to go there?

“What ya gonna do for their anniversary, kitten ... burn the house down?”

Those sapphire blue orbs snapped toward him. “Don’t youeverwork? I thought most cops were supposed to work weekends.”

“Cat,” Libby intervened. As if that would stop her.

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