Page 18 of Handcuffed Hussy
I rounded the hood of my car to find Jack leaning up against my door, arms crossed over his chest.
"What are you doing here?" I blurted out.
"I could ask you the same thing. Playing Santa Claus?" He smiled at me, but clearly still expected an answer.
I huffed. "No, Detective Ramirez. Last I checked, giving clothes to the needy was still legal in California." I moved to open my door, but he didn't budge.
"Quite noble of you, Ms. Smith." He pulled me into his body, his hands tight on my arms, but not enough to hurt.
"Everybody needs a hand now and then. It's not a big deal. I'm just paying back what was given to me years ago. Balancing the scales, so to speak." I was uncomfortable having this conversation. He was thinking I was some kind of do-gooder, which I guess I was, but it was through some shady means I was certain he wouldn't approve of had he known.
He stood up straight, still not releasing me. My eyes fluttered closed as his lips floated across mine. The kiss wasn't like our heated kisses the other day. This was warm and sweet, like the smell of pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving morning. The slide of his lips felt like all the warmth of coming home to someone who thought you hung the moon. The kiss made me want.
I always wanted his body, but this want was new. I wanted the man. All of him. I wanted him for all he was and all we could be together.
This kiss was the one that would wreck me.
Jack
I told her I'd call her, but found I couldn't stay away. I had to see her again. Feel her soft skin and see what ridiculous things that mouth was saying now. I was pulling into her work parking lot when I saw her leaving. I followed her, assuming she was going home, but she changed course and went closer to the beach.
Her behavior was odd, which made me stay further back, now wanting to figure out what she was up to. When I saw her park and hand those jackets off to some women on the street, I couldn't identify what I was feeling. Awe at her selflessness. Protective caution at her interaction with people who may not be good citizens. Irritation at her silence on the matter when I'd asked her specifically about those coats.
And then it was all urgency. I figured out earlier today I needed to work to win her over, but now I felt desperate to make it happen before she was out of my sight.
I pulled my lips away from hers long enough to rasp out, "Go on a date with me, Bae. Tonight."
I felt, more than heard, her quick intake of breath. "What? I thought we were ignoring each other?"
I smiled right before I pulled her back into me and deepened our kiss. She melted into my body the minute our lips touched so I knew her words were just a flimsy wall of protection.
"Does that feel like I'm ignoring you?" I whispered against her lips, my hands trailing down her back to grab onto that ass I'd gotten a peek of and couldn't stop thinking about. "I'm done ignoring you, done texting but not talking, done watching you flirt with men at a bar. Go on a date with me."
She sighed, her eyes unfocused, her fingers gripping the back of my hair. "Okay."
"Okay?"
"Yeah, Detective. You won me over. I'll go on a date with you." She smiled, and I wondered how I never saw the sweetness before. Then she frowned, and I remembered. "But no interrogating, you got me?"
"I'll try, that's all I can promise." I kissed her again before she could argue. I could bet I'd be kissing her a lot more in our future if this tactic worked.
I pulled back and swatted her ass, making her jump. "Get in the car and I'll follow you home. I assume you'll want to change before dinner?"
She looked down at her outfit. "Good call. I can't go on our first date in flats."
I screwed my face up in feigned horror. "No, not that!"
She pushed me away and narrowed her eyes at me. "Go on, get!"
"I'll be right behind you." I pointed to my car several spaces away. I smiled again, feeling lighthearted for the first time in who knows how long. Playful, even. "This is me not ignoring you."
She leaned out of her car and rolled her eyes at me. "Oh good Lord, this is gonna be annoying."
I chuckled.
She flipped me off.
