Page 42 of All You Want
“I wasn’t texting.” This, I’m confident of, since I was in the process of calling Evan, although I didn’t finish keying in his number. Quickly, I swipe to the texting screen. “See?”
He frowns and sweeps his finger up and down.
“Hey, no snooping my messages.” I yank the phone from him.
“I can get a search warrant.” His greedy eyes skim down from my eyes to my lips.
“I already told you I wasn’t texting.”
“I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to book you.” He licks his lips and grins. “Speeding, negligence, reckless driving due to conditions, probable animal abuse, and let’s see, assaulting a peace officer.”
“Liar! Todd will never believe you,” I huff. “I never touched you. How can you say I assaulted you?”
“Lashing with that pretty pink tongue and resisting.”
“Resisting what?” I gape at his brazenness. “No one will believe you.”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” he snickers. “Guess not if you have dinner with me. I’ll forget everything I saw.”
“I will not—” I start to protest, and then an idea tickles my brain. “Why, Officer Donnelly, let’s have a picnic dinner at the station tonight.”
“It’s my night off,” he says. “I’d rather take you somewhere nicer, more upscale, say Whiskey Moon in Tahoe City.”
“That’s quite a drive,” I protest, mainly because Todd would never happen to see us there. “I’m more of a Joe’s Diner type of girl.”
“You’re too upscale for this town.” He quirks an eyebrow and tilts his head, this time letting his eyes feast over my heaving chest. No cleavage for him since I’m wearing my raincoat.
“Upscale or not, I’m extremely busy with the upcoming opening of my fine hotel,” I reply in a snooty tone. “It’s a picnic at the station, or nothing.”
“Fine, a picnic at the station, but I’m warning you, I’ll need to pat you down for weapons. No resisting. You promised.”
“Why should I resist when there are no citations, no charges, and no arrest?” I make a move to roll up my window. “I will need my picnic basket back. Do me a favor and ask Todd to drop it off at my house, and we’re on for tonight.”
“Why would Todd have your basket?” His voice lowers to a grudgingly dry tone.
“You’re not the only guy I pack for.” I turn the window crank and leave him frowning as I drive off.
Sixteen
~ Todd ~
“Tami.” I try to speak to her while she’s kissing me, and my tongue gets all tangled up with hers. Why is it I can’t get a word out or even know what to say?
The chair I’m in tilts back with a heavy creak, and I snap out of it. I’m at the police station with my feet on the desk.
Another dream. That’s all it was.
Blinking, I rub the drool from my lips and look around, glad Molly isn’t lurking around. The last thing I need is a snapshot of me asleep at my desk when there’s so much to be done.
The phone clangs when I’m stirring cream into my coffee, and I bang my hip on the counter when I go to answer it.
“Yeah? CCPD.” I catch my growly voice and put on a more professional one. “How can I help you?”
“Todd? You have to get over here quick.” It’s Tami.
“Where? What’s the matter?”
“I’m at my hotel, and someone stuffed a dead raccoon in the mailbox. A window’s broken, and all the electricity’s dead, even though I have a generator. I’m afraid to go inside. Evan’s supposed to meet me here, but there’s no one around—not even Vinnie, my groundskeeper.”
