Page 24 of A Dead Man's Pulse
Dakota stared out the tinted window of the SUV she and Logan had been using to covertly observe the members of Heat coming and going each night for the past week. Stakeouts were the most boring part of undercover work, but although she wouldn’t admit it to him, she’d been enjoying the shifts, sitting across the center console from him. After the first few training classes, and the club stakeouts that started two days later, she’d become more relaxed around him. They spent the hours in the parking garage across the street from the private club talking about all sorts of things—their careers, movies, books, and the lifestyle, among other topics. They also busted each other’s chops, experienced spirited arguments, laughed over funny experiences, talked about the case, and even had moments of comfortable silence. The only subject Dakota had avoided was her family. She’d told him the bare minimum, hoping to satisfy his curiosity—her father was a retired cop, her mother had passed away, and she had one brother—end of story.
Although Logan had been talkative about his time with the Marines and Trident, she had a feeling there was a lot he hadn’t told her. Well, he’d mentioned he’d been in the elite Raiders and couldn’t talk about most of his missions, just like the Navy SEALs and the Army’s Delta Force, which she understood, but she got the feeling he was holding something else back. There’d been times his voice had strayed from its normal, relaxed tone to a tense one, before he cleared his throat and changed the subject.
“I’m hungry,” he said, reaching for the cooler filled with drinks, sandwiches, and snacks they’d been stashing in the back seat after their first tour outside the club. “Want your turkey club, Koko?”
Drumming her fingers on the armrest, she nodded, not even bothering to correct him, yet again. She was actually getting used to the nickname he’d been calling her the past few days. He’d said it sounded more personal, something her Dom and lover would be calling her, for when they started going into the clubs. “Yeah, sure. As long as you’re back there. Thanks.”
“No prob.” He had to lean toward her to rummage around and grab the sandwiches, and Dakota inhaled his scent as subtly as possible. Damn, he smelled delicious. To hell with the sandwich, she’d rather eat him.
Oh jeez, I did not just think that.
Yup, she had, and the thought made her damp between her legs and started her clit throbbing. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his soft, brown hair and longed to thrust her fingers into the strands.
Get a grip, Dakota. He’s your partner and off-limits.
Yeah, trying to convince her body of that fact was getting harder each day—hell, each hour.
Trying to get her lust under control, she forced her mind to think of something else. Unfortunately, what popped up was what her father had been bitching about earlier in the day. One of his buddies still on the department had told him she was on loan to SOD.
“What are you doing in SOD? It’s not like patrol where you’ve got a partner sitting next to you to bail you out of trouble. You’ve got to think fast, otherwise you can blow a whole investigation, not to mention getting yourself killed.”
“What’s that frown for?” Logan asked.
She glanced at him to see he was holding the sandwich out for her to take. “Thanks . . . um, nothing really.”
“Didn’t look like nothing. Talk to me, Koko. It’ll feel good to get whatever it is off your chest. It’ll also kill some time. A lot of my intel missions had to be done in radio silence, so it’s kind of nice having someone to talk to.”
“What part of ‘no tomatoes’ did they not understand?” She picked them off and dropped them on the white butcher paper the sub had been wrapped in. When he didn’t answer her rhetorical question, she shrugged. Before she could stop them, the words flew from her lips. “My father’s an ass.”
“In general, or about something specific?”
“A little of both, I guess.” Why she was telling him this, she had no idea, but it felt right, having a strong shoulder to dump on. “I’ve been trying to prove to him for years that I’m good enough to be on TPD, but he wanted my brother to be the cop. Me? I was supposed to marry a guy who could take care of me, because I obviously can’t take care of myself.”
Swallowing a bite of his roast beef Logan snorted. “Not from where I sit. There’s only two other women I’ve sparred with over the years who could throw me on my ass. You’re number three, and I’m man enough to admit that. You can cover my six anytime.”
As long as I can keep my eyes off your fine ass and on the task at hand.
“Thanks, that means a lot.” She paused. “I just wish for once he’d say he’s proud of me, you know? Things got worse after my mother passed away. Instead of her death bringing us closer, it pushed us further apart.”
Reaching over, Logan gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. “I’m sorry to hear that. Death screws different people up in different ways, whether it’s from guilt or grief or whatever. I know from personal experience.”
Taking his hand back, he stared out the windshield, and she immediately missed the intimate connection. “Friend or family member?”
“Friends—plural. Teammates. People I knew like the back of my hand and others I had only known a few hours before seeing them blown to bits or shot down. That cliché ‘war is hell’ is one of the biggest understatements out there.”
“I’m sorry.” He shrugged at her sympathy, and seconds of silence ticked by. They’d had enough of a downer conversation for the night, and she searched for a topic they hadn’t discussed yet that would lighten the mood. “So, being from Virginia, does that mean you’re a Baltimore Orioles fan or Washington Nationals fan?”
“Baseball, huh?” He smirked. “You know what they say when people start talking about baseball? What they’re really talking about is sex.” He waggled his eyebrows at her, and she almost choked on a bite of her sandwich.
“Think again, Cowboy. I really am talking about baseball—smart ass.” She rolled her eyes which drew a throaty laugh from him, and just like that her hormones started raging again.
The rest of the shift was filled with mindless but fun chatter as they got to know each other better. With each hour that passed, she found herself becoming more and more attracted to her partner, which scared the heck out of her and turned her on at the same time. When the last of the employees of the club locked the doors for the night, Logan started the SUV and drove her back to the condo complex, parking in a spot closest to her unit. Dakota allowed him to climb out of his truck, walk around to her side, and open the passenger door for her, as any good submissive would do.
In the past, she’d found it difficult to let a man open doors, pull out a chair for her, situate himself between her and the road on a sidewalk, or perform any other act of chivalry, not wanting to appear the weaker sex. In the clubs and bedroom, it was fine, but out in the real world, she was always trying to prove to her father, co-workers, and anyone else that she was as tough as nails and didn’t need their help. God forbid her fellow officers thought she couldn’t handle being their backup. But with Logan doing those things, Dakota felt . . . well, pampered. He truly seemed to enjoy doing them— he was a natural Dom, not giving things like that a second thought. She found herself wondering about his parents. They sounded like a great couple from what he’d told her, and they’d obviously done a great job raising him and his sister, who Dakota had learned was an elementary school nurse.
As she took the hand he offered to get out of the truck, she felt that tingling and awareness she always did from his touches, which was never more than innocent, despite his occasional flirting. What the hell was it going to be like when they entered the club and there would be a lot more physical contact for their cover?
When they reached her temporary condo, Logan took the keys from her hand and unlocked the door, before handing them back to her. He’d been uncharacteristically quiet during last night’s tour, but tonight he seemed back to normal. She was curious about what had caused the personality shift.
