Page 20 of What's Left of Us

This woman wreaks of materialism.

Not usually my type, but a guy can look.

And I am. Thoroughly.

“Are you finished?” she asks, taking another slow sip of the top-shelf drink, her lips wrapping along the edge and pulling my attention back to their fullness.

I flash her a grin, unfazed by being caught.

Beautiful and sassy.

A dangerous combination.

“What’s your name?” I ask instead of indulging her.

“Georgia,” she drawls, the southern accent she uses either watered down or fake. There aren’t many southern belles that settle near the city because it’s a different atmosphere here in Middle Point. You’d have to do well or know the right people to live on the outskirts of the Big Apple.

Those amber eyes lined skillfully with makeup flicker between my fresh buzz cut, the same style I’ve worn since getting out of the military, and my lopsided grin. “Georgia Del Rossi.”

All I do is watch her. The last name rings a bell, but I can’t place it.

Her eyes lift to my hair again before she dismissively turns forward in her seat, picking up the glass and glancing at the dive bar’s TV, playing a sports game I’m sure she doesn’t give a shit about. “Why do you ask, Officer?”

This time, I flash her a grin that she ignores completely.

“What gave me away?” I ask, still impressed that she’s drinking her whiskey neat without so much as making a face as it goes down. Not even my friends can handle doing that without bitching about the burn.

Her eyes stay trained in front of her, her body stiff as she watches the game. “I can spot a cop a mile away. You all look the same.”

Swiping at my lips to hide my growing smile, I nudge her arm with my elbow. “Familiar with law enforcement?”

Finally, her gaze shifts back in my direction, those eyes absentmindedly raking over me. Their path warms my skin thesame way my third IPA does, and I like it. Way too much. “I’d wager to guess that I’m better acquainted with Captain Chamberlin than you are.”

I’m impressed that she knows the captain’s name, and I’m not entirely sure that’s a good thing. “In this profession, that’s probably not a bad thing, sweetheart,” I muse, knowing any officer who’s had a run-in with the captain probably isn’t going to be employed for much longer if Chamberlin can help it. “And, for the record, I work for the sheriff’s office, not under Chamberlin with the State Police.”

Her tongue darts out, dragging along her bottom lip as she nods once. “Ah. So you’re on the low end of the totem pole then,” she answers plainly, lifting her drink to her lips to hide a secretive smile.

The challenge in her eyes only sparks my own, and I can feel my dick twitch from the banter. Damn, I need to get laid. Hallman, one of the deputies I work with, has been hounding me about letting him set me up with his girlfriend’s friends, but I never take him up on it. I’ve been set up before where the outcome isn’t desirable for anyone, and all it does is make things awkward when it doesn’t work out.

“I don’t know if I’d say that,” I reply with a flirty smile. “Our handcuffs work the same at the end of the day. Care for a personal demonstration?”

Even under the dim lighting, I can see the faint pink settle into her cheeks that has nothing to do with the makeup she caked onto that pretty face. It’s a reaction that only encourages me.

Leaning in to crowd her personal space, I drop my voice. “I think you’d like that, Georgia Del Rossi.”

My eyes go to where her throat bobs, half of my lips curling upward at the way she leans into me almost subconsciously. “Who likes being put into handcuffs?”

“You’d be surprised.”

Her cheeks turn redder as her body shifts closer. I don’t think she realizes she does it, but I do. You can always figure out if somebody is interested based on their body language. Her legs are slightly turned toward me, angled in a way that invites more.

“You haven’t asked me for my name,” I point out, taking a swig of my beer.

“I don’t care what it is.”

Humming thoughtfully, I watch as her eyes dip to my mouth and back. When she realizes I caught her, her bottom lip draws into her mouth.

I bump her foot with mine. “I think we both know that’s not true.”

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