Page 186 of Hot Cops

She rolled her eyes, but he could tell she wasn’t angry any longer. “So you’ll tear up the ticket?” she asked hopefully.

“I never turned it in. I would have torn it up on the street in front of you, but you took off too quickly. Let’s just say I’d had a very bad day and you sort of caught the brunt of it.”

She laughed and his earlier suspicions were proven true—she had a loud, full-body laugh. He found it difficult not to join in, even though he wasn’t sure what she found so funny.

“Oh my God,” she said after several mirthful moments. “I think I’ll take your bad day and raise you one super-shitty one.”

“You too, huh?”

She smiled at him. “You have no idea.”

“What do you say we start over? I’m Jarod Nolan.” He reached out, offering his hand.

She took it—then surprised him by using the grip to pull him closer. “I’m Stephanie Harper and it seems to me we’re beyond the handshaking phase.”

Her words, as well as his hand in hers, drew him still closer. He bent, intent on placing another soft kiss on her lips. They were virtual strangers, but he’d have been hard-pressed to resist her allure. A gun pointed at his head couldn’t have kept him from stealing another kiss.

She met him halfway. Their lips touched briefly before the light went on for both of them. This wasn’t normal behavior. He pulled back as she took a step away.

“Sorry,” she muttered. “I’m not sure why?—”

He shrugged good-naturedly. “I’m not sure either, but it’s too good to fight.”

She chuckled and shook her head. “So you’re seriously on a case? There’s some bad guy in my bar right now as we speak?”

Now it was his turn to roll his eyes. Another woman enamored of the glamour of crime and detective work. Strangely enough, he didn’t mind it coming from Stephanie. She sounded more concerned about her business and the safety of the patrons.

He wasn’t sure how to burst her bubble. It was his first day in his new position and he’d been given a lame case. He was ninety-nine percent sure the person he was assigned to follow was innocent, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to do his job.

“There’s a suspect in the bar, but I don’t think anyone is in harm’s way. I’m just keeping an eye on things.”

She released a relieved breath. “Well, that’s good. I don’t suppose you can give me a hint of the type of crime we’re talking about here. It’s not a murder suspect, right?”

He grinned. “No murderers inside as far as I know.”

“Good. Tell you what. Why don’t you come back in and I’ll buy you a drink. I feel like celebrating a surprisingly good end to a horrible day.”

“Sounds great, but I think it would be better if you let me buy my own drink, a non-alcoholic one. We aren’t supposed to know each other and I’m on duty, remember?”

“Yeah, well, if we’re strangers, that kiss is going to be tough to explain. But we’ll try it your way. I’ve never seen you before.”

He followed her into the bar without replying. She didn’t feel like a stranger and God knew he didn’t want her to remain one. He would definitely be coming back to Books and Brew again, and next time, he would be off-duty.

As they entered the bar, Jarod noticed the book group was finished for the night. Several of the ladies were putting on their jackets, settling their tabs and gathering their things.

Two women approached Stephanie with big grins on their faces.

“So,” the older lady said, “are you going to introduce us to your new boyfriend, Stephanie?”

Stephanie was quiet for a moment and Jarod could see she was searching for an answer. It was clear the entire reading group had witnessed their make-out session by the bar.

“Jarod Nolan,” he said, wrapping his arm around Stephanie’s shoulders and pulling her closer.

Stephanie gave him her now-familiar WTF glance and he grinned.

“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friends, sweetheart?” he prompted.

“Um, this is Gladys and her niece, Carol. They’re part of the Romantic Hearts book club. They meet here every Thursday evening.”

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