Page 188 of Hot Cops

A perky blonde, who was waiting tables, walked by at that exact moment. “I can make Screwdrivers. Who wants one?”

“Oh dear,” Gladys muttered.

“Not tonight, Sophie,” Jayne explained quickly. “Next week, Stephanie and her new friend Jarod are going to join the Romantic Hearts discussion. Do you think you could tend bar for an hour or so on your own?”

Sophie shrugged. “Sure. I mean, Stephanie will be close if someone orders anything too tricky. Might be fun to take over the party queen’s domain for a little while.”

“Party queen?” he asked.

Sophie giggled. “Stephanie is the ruling fun-maker around here. We all just follow her lead.”

“Very funny, Soph. I promised Elias a drink ages ago. Go pour it.”

“Oh,” Jayne said, perking up. “I’ll get it for him. I wanted to show him a new book that arrived this week.”

When Gladys took up Jarod’s cause, he knew the battle was won. “Carol, go grab two more copies of next week’s book. Oh my goodness, I can hardly wait for next Thursday.”

Carol arrived and thrust a book in his hands with a picture of a guy sporting six-pack abs and a gun.

“No pirate?” he teased.

“Next week’s story is a romantic suspense and it’s about a hot cop.”

Jarod closed his eyes to keep from rolling them as his earlier annoyance returned. He’d forgotten to add books to his list of things that romanticized his job.

Stephanie laughed. “Sounds perfect. I’m in. Might be nice to see a sexy cop for once.”

He opened his eyes and gave her a wicked grin that promised he’d show her a sexy cop right now if she wanted. Her eyes widened briefly before she gave him a smile that couldn’t be misconstrued as saying anything other than “come to mama”.

Game over. It was official. He wanted Stephanie Harper and he intended to bring her in. He’d pull out the cuffs if necessary. Hell, he’d pull them out regardless.

CHAPTERTHREE

Gladys and Carolsaid their goodbyes after saddling Stephanie with the unwanted reading assignment. Sophie went off to wipe up the tables the book group had just vacated, leaving her alone with her frustrating cop.

Stephanie sighed. “Wow. Where the hell did that all go wrong?”

Jarod didn’t seem a bit upset about the evening’s misunderstandings and missteps. In fact, the man had purposely led everyone down the wrong path. “What do you mean?”

She needed to put some distance between her and the hot cop. She couldn’t think when he was touching her. She walked toward the bar, lifting the panel at the end that allowed her to step behind it. He quickly claimed a stool across from where she stood, and she realized it didn’t matter if he touched her. Just being in the same room with him had her scrambling to recapture her wits. She’d never had a man get the best of her or affect her so strongly. This wasn’t good. She liked being in control, but she suspected Jarod did too. An image crossed her mind of two bulls ramming into each other headfirst—until one or both of them dropped dead of brain damage.

She tidied behind the bar. When she was stressed, she cleaned. “I thought we were supposed to be strangers?”

He shrugged. “They saw us kissing, so this works out better. Now I have an excuse to be here all the time. I’ll be your boyfriend.”

Stephanie shook her head emphatically. “Hell no.”

He seemed confused by her adamant refusal. While she suspected her attraction wasn’t one-sided, there was something about Jarod that made her uneasy. Not in a creepy way, but in a things-were-about-to-get-out-of-hand way.

“Why can’t I pretend to be your boyfriend? Are you dating someone else?”

She briefly considered lying. She could tell him about Hank the Tank. Instead, she said, “No. I’m not dating anyone.”

Jarod’s eyes lit up, and she got a sense he was relieved.

Great, I’m definitely in trouble.

Then she remembered his words. He’d “pretend” to be her boyfriend. “Areyoudating someone?”

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