Page 201 of Hot Cops

When Jarod pulled away, Stephanie raised a suspicious eyebrow. “Shutting me up again?”

He shrugged. “Nah. Just sealing the deal with a kiss. I’ll see you at six.”

He left the bar feeling optimistic. It was turning out to be a very good day.

* * *

Stephanie laughedas Jarod dissected some of the lamer parts of the movie they’d just watched. Neither of them had been anxious to see the evening end, so when Jarod suggested they hit a local all-night diner for dessert, she’d happily agreed.

As far as first dates went, she wasn’t sure she’d ever had more fun on one. Jarod was far too easy to be with. They shared a similar sense of humor, relying heavily on cutting wit and sarcasm. He also didn’t take himself too seriously, which was a nice break from the last few yahoos she’d gone out with. Men like Hank, who lived by the I’m-a-stud-worship-me belief. While Hank masked his insecurity with muscles and bravado, Jarod didn’t put much stock in his looks, even though he was incredibly handsome and totally built. He had a quiet confidence in his sexuality that was refreshing and completely attractive.

“So you solved the case already?” Conversation over dinner had been relatively safe—both of them giving the well-rehearsed life-history stories. Standard fare for first dates. However, there was something about sharing a cup of coffee at midnight that invited more personal revelations.

“Yep,” he admitted. “Thought you’d like to know your guy was cleared.”

“Guy? I thought you were following one of the Romantic Hearts ladies.”

Jarod shook his head. “Nope. It was that fella in the corner, drinking the scotch.”

“Elias?” Stephanie couldn’t help it. She laughed. “Oh my God. I wish you’d told me who you suspected that night. I could have saved you some trouble.”

Jarod grinned. “I’m not sure he was ever a serious suspect, but it was my first day on the job, and the lieutenant of the drug task force simply assigned me a couple of long shots to ease me into the case.”

“Yeah, well, he’s about as long a shot as you could get. Elias, the drug pusher.” She snorted.

“He’s a professor at the university where the two girls ODed. The only thing they had in common was his class. Like I said, he wasn’t ever a serious suspect. We were just dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s. What’s the deal with that guy anyway?”

Stephanie shrugged. “He’s a regular at the bar and a true gentleman. I think Jayne has the hots for him.”

“Big age difference, wouldn’t you say?”

“I don’t know how old Elias is.”

“According to the information I gathered on him, he’s forty-two.”

“Oh. Wow. Well, it doesn’t matter. He’s never asked Jayne out or expressed any interest. So you had to follow him around all week?”

“Actually, no. I only tailed him that one night. He was cleared immediately when we caught a big break on the case the day after you and I met. That’s when things sped up. We set up surveillance for several days and then a sting operation. Made the arrest late last night and spent my morning wrapping up the paperwork.”

Stephanie took a sip of her coffee. “Good for you. Although, I must admit I don’t think I’d like your job. Paperwork and I don’t get along. I drive Jordan nuts because of my lame record-keeping. I think I’ll leave the law and order stuff to you.”

He studied her face for a long time and she finally caved under the unreadable expression. “What?”

“I just gave you more details regarding a case than I ever shared with Cheryl, and believe me, she would have been hanging on the edge of her seat and begging for more.”

“Into cops, was she?”

He shrugged. “I guess. Problem was I always ended up feeling like I needed to embellish the story to make it interesting for her. It was irritating.”

Stephanie took the last bite of ice cream and wiped her mouth with her napkin. “Sorry, but Cheryl sounds like a tool.”

“Let’s just say I appreciate the fact that you don’t place the same importance on my stories of work. I love my job, though I’ll admit certain aspects of it annoy me. The paperwork ranks pretty damn high on the aggravating list. But being a cop is only a small part of who I am.”

She nodded, understanding his frustration with his ex. She felt the same irritation with her mother. “My mom does the same shit to me. She’s this high-powered executive and a major workaholic.”

Jarod grin. “Guess the fruit didn’t fall far from that tree.”

She knew he didn’t intend to insult her. He didn’t know about the animosity between her and Beverly, but his words still grated. “Meaning?”

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