Page 29 of Beauty and the Cop
I take a breath, trying to calm myself down before I pull the door open for him. He looks too damn good standing on the other side with his badge hanging from a chain around his neck and a smirk on his lips.
"Did I wake you up?" he asks, his gaze doing a slow drift down my body.
"No. I was up." I hold the door open for him. "You coming in?"
"I wish." He grimaces. "I'm still on shift. I just came to check on you before we head back out."
"Oh." My brows furrow when I realize his SUV is running in my driveway instead of parked in his own. Jackson waves from the driver's seat, so I wave back. "Are you guys working a case?"
"Yeah. A robbery." He scowls. "Some jackass decided to hit up a convenience store."
"Oh. I'm sorry."
"It's fine." He snorts. "He wasn't very good at it. The idiot dropped his wallet in the parking lot. With any luck, he'll be in cuffs soon. We're just trying to get him there before he decides to run." He cocks his head to the side, scrutinizing me. "You good, baby?"
"Yeah, I'm okay. Why?"
"Because you were anxious as hell this morning," he says. "I don't want you thinking I'm avoiding you or any bullshit like that."
"I don't think that. Your job is important, Noah."
"So are you." He grins, leaning forward to touch my cheek. "I want to take you somewhere tomorrow."
"Uh…" I blink at him, my heart slamming against my ribcage. "You mean like a…?"
"A date, Dimples," he says. "I want to take you on a date. I should have done it weeks ago, but I had my own head in my ass. We're over that now, though, so we're going to do this shit right. And that means dates, orgasms, you sleeping in my bed."
My head spins, hope rushing through me in a flood.
"We'll go as slow as we need to go to make sure you're comfortable, but we aren't going back."
"I…" I lick my lips, reaching deep for a little courage. "A date sounds nice."
He grins like I just gave him a winning lottery ticket, and I feel like I just won the lottery. The hot cop lottery. Go me.
"Um, what should I wear?"
"Whatever you want." He strokes my cheek. "You'll look beautiful regardless, baby. You always do."
My cheeks blaze with heat at his compliment.
Jackson shoves his head through the window to shout at Noah. "Yo, Romeo! We've gotta go. Nelson has eyes on our suspect."
"Shit." Noah glances from me to him. "Be right there!" He turns back to me, regret heavy in his expression. "I gotta go, baby. You sure you're good?"
"Noah." I laugh quietly. "I promise I'm good. Go."
He growls a soft curse and then yanks me into his arms. His lips come down on mine, his kiss is hungry, possessive. I can't help but get lost in it, in him, in the cage of his arms and the sure way his body fits against mine. But it's over far too soon.
He breaks from my lips with a groan, practically launching himself off the porch.
"Tomorrow, Dimples," he rasps, his wild eyes meeting mine in the dark. "You're all mine for date night tomorrow."
I shiver in response, wrapping my arms around myself.
I am so ready to be his.
Chapter Ten
