Page 199 of Hot Cops

J—

Thanks for last night. I had a NICE time.

S

Short,simple, to the point. She hoped he’d laugh at her inside joke about hownicehe’d been and forget to be annoyed that she’d left without saying goodbye. She wasn’t ready to wake up in bed with him. Wasn’t ready for what that could mean.

She wasn’t ready for any of this. Taking one last look at his sleeping form on the bed, she smiled at his mussed-up hair and devilishly handsome face, then willed herself to keep moving.

Down the hall. Out the front door. Home. Alone.

CHAPTERFIVE

Jarod walkedinto Books and Brew and claimed the same stool he’d occupied nearly a week earlier. Ever since waking to find Stephanie missing from his bed last Friday morning, he’d been busting his ass, working major overtime—five eighteen-hour days in a row. He’d been kicked by the old be-careful-what-you-wish-for curse. He’d worked as a beat cop for years, always reaching for the ever-elusive detective’s badge. Now he was sitting in the coveted chair, and paying for it. He’d been thrown into a big case the first week out of the gate, and he’d logged a shit-ton of hours as a result.

On the plus side, he and his partner had cracked their case, nabbing the pusher whose drug dealing on the local college campus had landed two co-eds in the hospital. For his efforts, he’d cleared the suspect he’d followed into the bar last week. Stephanie would be relieved to hear that.

On the downside, he’dclearedthe Books and Brew suspect. His excuse for hanging out at the bar—as Stephanie’s pretend boyfriend—had been swept away before he’d even taken advantage of it.

It was three o’clock on Wednesday afternoon. He had the next three days off, and he was ready to settle the score with Miss Stephanie Harper. He’d been pissed to discover her gone the morning after the greatest sex of his life, although he hadn’t been completely surprised. There was something about Stephanie that told him she would try to hold him at arm’s length.

She might try, but she sure as hell wasn’t going to succeed. While the timing on starting a relationship was all wrong for him, he wasn’t about to let the best thing to happen to him in years simply slip away. He may be starting a new job and on the rebound from a crappy relationship, but he didn’t give a shit. He suspected she didn’t want to start a relationship, either. However, Stephanie was going to have to give him a damn good excuse why not. He wanted to go out with her, take her on a real date and get to know her better.

He glanced around the room. Jayne was helping a customer find a book, but aside from that, the place was empty. He’d purposely come during the off-hours, determined to have a talk with Stephanie that wouldn’t be interrupted.

Stephanie wasn’t behind the bar and, for a moment, he worried she’d skipped town in her desire to avoid him. He chuckled. While their night together had made a huge impact on his life and plans for the immediate future, he wasn’t certain her feelings were as engaged—one way or the other. He’d have to work on changing that.

More likely it was her day off—a thought that hadn’t occurred to him. From their short conversation last week, he’d gotten the impression she practically lived at the bar. He envisioned her as a workaholic. While he admired her drive and commitment toward making the place a success, he was concerned she pushed herself a bit too hard at the expense of everything else.

The sound of clinking glass caught his attention, and he turned in time to see Stephanie emerge from a back room with a tray of clean glasses. She was halfway to the bar when she spotted him.

“Oh. Hey.” Her tone told him nothing. Damn, she was a frustrating woman. Was she sorry about running away last week or pissed off at him for not calling during the days between then and now? He’d picked up the phone a hundred times, but he wanted to have this conversation face-to-face. This was the first opportunity he’d had to make that happen.

He lifted his hand in a casual wave. “Hey.”

She walked behind the bar and placed the glasses on the counter. “What’s up?”

His temper sparked at her nonchalance. He’d been thinking about her 24/7, that’s what the fuck was up. Instead, he said, “Not much.”

“Been keeping the mean streets of Portland safe from double-parkers?” She gave him a friendly smile and his anger melted away.

“Something like that.”

She started putting the glasses away, hanging them by the stems on the rack above her head. It felt like she was trying to avoid making eye contact.

“You missed a helluva breakfast Friday morning.” He couldn’t resist getting in a little dig.

“Oh yeah?” She kept working.

“Yeah. Eggs, hash browns, bacon, the whole works.”

She cleared her throat uneasily, her gaze never wavering from her task. “I had to be here to open up. Early delivery.”

“Stephanie. Look at me.”

She glanced his way, a look of pure irritation on her face. He grinned. He liked her feisty side. “I’m sort of busy, Jarod.”

He looked around at the empty bar. “Yeah, I can see that.”

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