Page 12 of Recklessly You
He shrugs. “Doing my job, grenade. I am an officer.”
Grenade?
Whatever, my ass. He’s doing his job? It sounds more like he’s jealous—Don’t be ridiculous, Sophie—and the man is a sex God. Why would he be jealous of me? He hardly knows me.
“Liam, are you ready to go?” Officer Desperate asks, bringing me back to reality.
“I’ll be right there, Ashley. Just hold tight in the SUV.” His voice is soft and gentle. The scent of him brings warmth and comfort.
He leans in to close the gap between us, his face close enough I can feel the warmth of his breath on my skin. The aroma of ivory and a hint of spice coming off him is mesmerizing, and I have to remind myself to stay focused despite my heightened senses.
“I’ll grab your coat.” His voice is smooth as velvet.
I fist my hands on my hips and raise my brows. “I can get my own coat. I don’t need your help.” I’m determined to stand my ground. His offer is sweet, but I’ll be damned if I allow him to think he can boss me around. I puff out my chest and hold my head high, hoping he will get the message. “Besides, I’m not leaving. I’m finishing my date.” A slight smirk tugs at the corner of my lips as I spin on my heels.
He grabs my arm gently. “That’s not happening, grenade. He’s getting in his car, and I wouldn’t have let you either way.” He points to Milo, who really is leaving the date without saying a word. Well, that’s not embarrassing.
I huff and my breath condenses in a cold cloud between us. “You’re to blame for pulling me away for no reason.” Not that I care. Milo smelled like mothballs and only talked about himself.
Liam licks his lips, surveying me with lust in his eyes. “If he were man enough, he would have come looking for you.” He turns on his heels and walks into the restaurant.
My gaze goes straight to his buns of steel, and I swallow hard.Damn.
He returns with my coat and slips it on for me, taking me by surprise.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
The cold has chafed Liam’s cheeks, and the tip of his nose is pink. He takes a heavy breath. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he looks at me, puzzled.
“Stay away from dating strangers,” he says flatly.
I massage my temples. I swear, this man is going to give me high blood pressure. “The next date I have, I’ll make sure to let you know so you can do a background check. Have a good day, Officer.” I walk to my car with a smile. I’m pretty sure I heard him growl. For some reason, it irks him I’m going on dates, which I like.
* * *
As I arrangethe props and equipment I need for a family photo shoot, my thoughts drift to the attractive police officer with muscles bulging out of his uniform.
My stomach grumbles. Milo and I didn’t finish our lunch because of Casanova. Liam could have at least gotten me a take-out box or even brought me my side of pickles. I grab a granola bar from my desk and pop it into my mouth.
My mind wanders to Liam and how his eyelashes fluttered, how his icy breath brushed against me. I felt something inside my chest I’ve never felt before, not even with Eric. Did I react that way because of his visible jealousy? Or was it his chiseled, clenched jaw and his eyes dancing with lust?
He reacted so weirdly. Why does he care who I date? Of course, he said it was his duty as an officer of the law, but does he go around pulling all women on dating apps away from their dates? Of course not. He simply enjoys pestering me in the hottest way possible. I met Liam months ago at the studio. We stared at each other for a hot second before I turned and walked off to grab lunch for Mila and me.
My phone buzzes—it’s Eric. He’s been calling and texting me for months, and I’ve not answered a single one. Until today.
“Eric, stop calling and texting me,” I say sternly.
“Sophie, please let me explain.”
“You don’t need to explain. I caught up quickly when I found you in bed with her.”Fucking asshole. I hang up the line. It rings again, and I silence it.
The door chimes. Mila walks in with a cage full of baby chicks.
“Don’t tell me we are going to have a baby chick in our apartment. Are these Dante’s new pets?” I ask, wide-eyed. Dante has been asking for a pet pretty much nonstop lately.
She giggles. “No, I borrowed them from a feed store. I needed them for a photo shoot. A client wants to do a farm setting with her toddler. I think it’s adorable.”
I agree. Itisadorable. My best friend smiles sweetly. My phone vibrates. Thankfully, it’s not Eric. I haven’t spoken to Mila about Eric’s phone calls. She’s had plenty of drama going on in her life since Dominic returned. It’s my mom, and I smile at the silly photo I have of her.
