Page 2 of Whatever You Need

I blinked, feeling my mouth hang open in surprise. “That’s an awfully long time.”

“She wanted marriage and kids, but I’m still building my career. We’re both at different points in our lives.”

“So, you’re a workaholic?”

“I wouldn’t say that. I would describe myself as ambitious. I believe that there’s nothing wrong with wanting to succeed in life.”

No, there wasn’t. It seemed Parker and I had more in common than I realized. The life I presently lived on autopilot wasn’t very fulfilling, but it was all l had and ever known. I was a no-nonsense, go-getter who worked hard in an industry filled with power hungry men. My career was something I could control and dictate. It didn’t allow me time for relationships. I had tried a few times over the years, but I could never find the right balance between the two, so I gave up and fell in love with my career instead.

Parker sat on the edge of the bed, scrolling through his phone when a knock sounded at the door. He pushed himself off the mattress and went to answer it. It was difficult to hear their voices from the other room, so I stretched my head forward in time to watch two officers walk into the bedroom.

One was wearing a traditional blue patrol uniform and the other was dressed in all black. Black pants and black polo shirt with a black bomber jacket. The sight of him had my heart beating faster in my chest. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that if I had seen him before tonight, I would have noticed him.

His dark hair was swept in a tight wave along the top, falling down onto his forehead. I couldn’t tell if he was Mexican or Italian, but whatever nationality he was, it worked for him, and he looked like the type that knew that too.

His eyes did a quick scan of the room as if he were looking for any sign of trouble. My gaze caught on the top button of his shirt. It was open enough to reveal a sliver of tan skin and draw attention to the gold rope chain dangling from his neck.

They both assessed me, and it took every ounce of self-control I had not to fidget under their scrutiny. I swallowed, feeling my muscles go tense. The one in uniform with a mustache reminding me of a younger Tom Selleck spoke first. “Good evening, ma’am. I’m Officer Peterson.” His eyes did a sweep across my body as if he were making sure I was okay. “If you just give me one second, I’ll get you out of these things.”

He was polite and professional, and I was grateful for his calm demeanor. While I appreciated his attempt to put me at ease, I was still praying that the ground would open up and swallow me whole. This had to be the most embarrassing thing to ever happen to me.

Once Officer Peterson unhooked the handcuffs, I brought my wrists to my lap and started rubbing small circles along the red marks bruising my skin. Despite my fingers feeling slightly numb, it felt good to use my hands again.

I sneaked a peek at the hot cop. He stood tall, his jaw was clenched tight and his eyes were aimed straight at me. His stare was intense, and I was suddenly very aware of how hard my heart was pumping in my chest.

He pulled his gaze away from mine and narrowed it on Parker. “Are you going to help her?”

“Uh…” Parker glanced down at me. “Yeah, of course.”

It took all my effort not to roll my eyes at his flimsy attempts to help me. I blamed it on his tall, lanky body. Where Parker’s build resembled a swimmer’s frame, the hot cop was filled out in all the right places. They were like night and day in every way possible, right down to caramel-colored skin versus ivory white. One was blond and boring and the other dark and dangerous. Now, if I had to guess who the rescue pilot was, it sure as hell wasn’t “cuff boy.”

I snagged my clothes from the end of the bed and practically ran into the en suite bathroom to change. I yanked on my jeans and sweater and shoved my feet into my high-heeled boots. If I thought I could quickly slide past the three men in the room and avoid eye contact, I couldn’t have been more wrong.

All three heads snapped up at the sound of the door creaking open. Well, shit!

For some reason, there was only one set of eyes that I was focused on. The hot cop made me uneasy, an effect he probably had on most women. There was a good amount of confidence oozing off him without coming across as arrogant. But I really didn’t like the way he studied me. His expression held too much sympathy and concern. As if I needed another reason to rethink my actions tonight. I could only imagine how bad this looked.

I straightened my shoulders and went directly to the chair to gather my things. I didn’t know what my problem was, but I knew that I didn’t want to stick around and find out.

I drew my scarf tight around my neck, trying to cover up as much exposed skin as possible. “Thank you,” I said to Officer Peterson.

He gave me a kind smile. “Of course, before you leave, ma’am, I have to ask you a few standard questions. Let’s start with your name.” He reached inside his pocket to pull out a notepad and pen.

I forced a smile and pretended to be on board with answering these questions. I tried not to get too worked up thinking about this police report ending up in the wrong hands. Everything I’ve worked for over the past eight years would be gone in the blink of an eye. That was a risk I couldn’t take.

Thankfully, the questions were pretty basic: name, age, address, birthdate.

I spoke slowly and carefully and did my best to not show how nervous I was. When the questions ended, I breathed out a sigh of relief.

Hot cop observed me from across the room. He barely said two words since he got here and I was questioning why he was even here to begin with. He stood a couple feet away, letting Officer Peterson do all the talking.

He looked like he was trying to figure me out, no doubt assuming the worst of me. He probably thought I was some kind of floozy who has casual sex with strangers all the time. Nothing could be further from the truth.

He turned his attention to Parker. “Next time you might want to be more careful.” His voice was stern and sharp as he spoke.

His eyes shifted to mine and they softened. “Is there anything else we can help you with?”

I shook my head. “No, but thank you.”

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