Page 160 of Hot Cops

Then Blake stepped around her brother, leaving without another word. Chloe released a long breath when Blake slid the door closed behind him.

“Does somebody want to confirm that’s who I think it is?” Ned asked.

Ned Kinnaman had been Justin’s best friend since their freshman year in college. They were assigned as dorm roommates and they’d been inseparable ever since. In truth, Ned had become a member of the family, another damn overprotective brother. Just what Chloe needed.

“My old boyfriend, Blake,” she answered, realizing the simplicity of the answer would never satisfy either man.

“Are you sure he’s not a current one?” Ned asked with a wicked grin.

“What the hell was that, Chloe?” Justin threw his hands up in disbelief. She didn’t blame him. She’d been pretty cold to Blake at Sunday dinner. Now, forty-eight hours later, she was boinking the guy on her couch.

“I don’t know what that was.”

“The guy’s a thief,” Justin added.

“He gave Mama the money back on Sunday.” Chloe wasn’t sure why she was saying that as if it forgave all. She certainly hadn’t felt that way two days ago.

“Oh. Did he tell you why he took it and ran off?”

Chloe shook her head. “No. I didn’t ask.”

“Why not?”

She couldn’t explain why she hadn’t asked Blake. Not even to herself. The question had been on the tip of her tongue every single time she’d seen him since his return, but something always caused the words to get lodged in her throat. “What difference would it make, Justin? We know he did it. Can you think of a good reason why he would steal Mama’s money and disappear without a trace for nearly a decade?”

Justin considered the question briefly, and then shook his head. “No, I can’t. Which is why I don’t understand your reason for playing hide the salami with the guy again.”

She blew out an annoyed breath. “Don’t be such a juvenile.”

Her brother grinned, used to her admonishing him for his colorful, somewhat vulgar nicknames for sex. Justin wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close and placing a sweet kiss on her forehead. “Just be careful, pipsqueak. Maybe the guy has changed. But maybe he hasn’t. Keep your eyes open this time. Okay?”

She nodded. Eyes open was her initial intent. Then Blake had fucked her into a state of delicious delirium and she’d allowed it to blind her once more.

“So, tell Ned all about this idea you had for him, a bed, a box of chocolates and no clothes.”

Ned crossed his arms and scowled. “I told you, Justin, I’m not doing that.”

Justin’s face reflected pure mischief as he ignored his friend’s complaint. “And listen, Chloe, don’t waste a bunch of money on the big heart-shaped box. A small sampler will be more than enough to cover his?—”

Justin didn’t get to finish his joke as Ned punched him in the arm.

Chloe laughed, grateful for their timely interruption and the welcome distraction. She spent the next hour plotting with Ned over possible locales and poses, while Justin cracked jokes at both of their expenses and made a general nuisance of himself.

It was exactly what she needed.

For now, it was her turn to escape.

CHAPTERFOUR

Chloe had postponedher dinner date with Blake, putting him off for four straight nights. She hadn’t intended to skip out on him, but she’d been knocked down by a killer case of the flu. The illness had put her in bed for two days before she graduated to resting on the couch for two more. As a result, she was days behind on her shooting schedule and scrambling to make up for it.

Blake had offered several times to take care of her, but she’d refused, claiming she didn’t want him to catch what she had. Even so, that hadn’t stopped him from making little deliveries outside her apartment door. One day, he’d left flowers, the next a quart of homemade chicken soup. Two days ago, she’d found an erotic romance novel. Inside Blake had written an inscription, telling her he hoped it would inspire her for the next time they went out. All it had done was leave her hot and bothered. And she’d been too worn out to use her vibrator to nip the problem in the bud. She’d read him the riot act for that after he called to see if she’d gotten his gift. Asshole had just chuckled and told her to hurry up and get better.

Chloe ran a comb through her damp hair and sighed. She’d gotten a shower first thing this morning, hoping it would wake her up and give her some sort of energy. She was tired of being…well…tired.

She dragged herself to the kitchen counter, fired up the coffeepot, then sat down to look at her calendar. If the models could be a bit flexible with their schedules, perhaps she could double up on shoots and still hit the publishing company’s deadline. She hated missing deadlines and refused to see the fundraiser lose even a single dollar due to her illness.

She picked up her cell and for the next hour, rearranged everything until she managed to fit in every single model. While Chloe was laid up in bed, her mother had managed to find guys for the last two months, so they had a full year’s worth of hotness ready to roll. All Chloe had to do now was dash from one end of New Orleans to the other every day, then spend her nights choosing the best photo for each month and enhancing it.

---