Page 184 of Hot Cops

For what?

“How about outside? The city street is private enough for our conversation, but public enough you don’t have to worry about me overpowering you and taking advantage.”

She heard the humor in his tone, but she also sensed there could be some truth to his admission. Of course, she wasn’t so sure she’d kick up much of a fuss should he try that overpowering thing.

She looked at his quiet, serious face and just like that, she knew she’d be perfectly safe with him.Damn it.“Street’s fine, but make it quick. I’m working.”

He grinned and her stomach lurched unsteadily at the sight. Detective Asshole, as she’d taken to thinking of him in her mind, was gorgeous. Stunningly so. With deep, rich-brown hair and eyes so dark they looked black, he also had a small cleft in his chin that added a bit of interest to his perfectly put-together face.

“You work here.” His words didn’t seem to be posed as a question so she didn’t answer. Instead, she followed him as he headed for the front door. He’d released her face, only to reach down and grasp her hand. She felt foolish and ridiculously happy to be holding his hand as they walked to the sidewalk, standing right outside Books and Brew. She noticed he was careful to make sure she was still in sight of her friends inside. She appreciated that small, thoughtful gesture.

So much for first impressions.

The detective was quickly becoming an enigma—asshole, sexy, arrogant, confusing. He pushed every button inside her and poked at every emotion. This was not good.

Jarod turnedto look at the woman he’d issued a ticket to earlier in the day and forced himself not to gloat over her kiss-swollen lips. He’d come to the bar while shadowing his first suspect as a detective. When he spotted the double-parker, he knew he was in serious danger of having his cover blown.

When she started to speak, her voice about to loudly call him “detective”, he’d acted out of desperation, instinct and desire. Christ. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Stephanie Harper all day. He’d looked up her tag number as soon as he’d clocked into work. He’d found her name, address and the picture on her driver’s license. Her face had haunted him as he considered what a jerk he’d been.

“Well?” she prompted when he failed to speak. He shook himself. He must look like a jackass. He’d used the kiss to silence her, but the ploy had backfired. The pressure his now-erect cock was putting on the thick, unyielding material of his jeans was painful.

“Guess now I know why you bought all that liquor. I thought you were having a party.”

Jesus. As far as opening lines went, that was probably the dumbest of all time. He tried to will his hard-on away. His brain needed a bit more blood flow.

She gave him what he was coming to recognize as her standardwhat the fucklook, and he tried not to groan.

“I want to apologize for kissing you like that, but it was the quickest way I could think of to shut you up.”

“Oh my God. You really are insane.”

“No, wait,” he said, when she turned to walk away. “Let me explain.”

She crossed her arms accentuating the full breasts in her tight T-shirt. He wished she’d put them back down. She wasn’t making this very easy on him. Standing face-to-face, there was no way for him to covertly adjust his cock without her noticing.

“You have two minutes and then I’m going back inside. If you attempt to follow me, I’m calling for cops who aren’t fucking lunatics.”

“I’m undercover.”

“So?”

“So you were about to blow my cover by yelling out my name in there.”

“I was hardly yelling.”

He wanted to laugh because right now, she was definitely yelling. She had a rather boisterous way of speaking. He’d noticed it this morning when they stood outside. She wasn’t overly loud. She just had a strong, powerful voice. He bet her laughter was the same. Unfortunately, all he’d managed to provoke from her was disapproving scowls. And red-hot kisses. He could still taste her on his lips. The woman was sexy as hell.

“I’m on duty and it’s imperative that no one in the bar know my real profession. I was hoping to come in and have a quiet drink without drawing any attention to myself.”

Stephanie looked over her shoulder, peering through the window of the bar. “Who the hell could you be watching in there?”

He grinned at her curiosity. “I can’t tell you that.”

“So you’re undercover in my bar and you think the best way to silence me is to kiss me?”

He shrugged. She could act as annoyed as she wanted, but he knew better. “I didn’t hear you complaining.”

“You were holding my mouth hostage.”

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