anyone else, that might have been an expression of concern, from him it was an indictment. He hated tardiness more than he hated his phone.
"I'm in shit bag hotel in Arizona chasing down a lead."
"Fuck, he led you all the way across the state line? We have to turn it over."
I debated whether or not to remind him that I'd been recruited by the feds to help with this investigation. Even though I reported to Lieutenant Liverton, the case already belonged to Homeland Security, not LAPD.
"I plan to do surveillance, then wait for further orders." It was a given, but he liked spelling out the obvious and he was a stickler for protocol. He could never learn about the source of my information. He would frown on me fucking my informant, regardless of how hot he was.
"Good. And Roni, don't miss your fucking call -in time again. I was worried."
He might have been worried about the case, and he might have been worried about explain ing a lost undercover agent. Believe me, that shit happened way too often. But I seriously doubted he was worried about me personally. The guy had the emotional capacity of a salt lick.
Mateo walked through the door a few seconds after I disconnected the call. The timing was so perfect, it made me wonder if he'd been lurking outside listening through the door.
"Hey, this was all I could find." He dropped a pizza box on the dresser, and set the key next to it. This place was a throwback to the past with an actual metal door key that looked like an oversized version of the one that let me into my apartment, rather than an electronic keycard that beeped when activated.
I opened the pizza. He could have brought back week old sushi and I would have been thrilled. I was starved and pizza was like fucking bonanza. I pulled a piece out and the cheese stretched from the box to the flimsy paper plate Mateo provided. It was New York style, thin crust, mountains of cheese, and just the right amount of sauce and pepperoni.
I took a bite. "Oh my God," I spoke with my mouth full, sucking air to cool the cheese burning the roof of my mouth and my tongue. "I seriously love you right now." I swallowed too quickly, then took another bite.
He stood back and watched, a big, annoying smile on his face.
"Wha?" The word was garbled around my pizza.
"Hungry?" He ran his thumb over my bottom lip and said, "Sauce." Then he sucked it into his own mouth and I wasn't really all that hungry any more.
I set my plate on the table without taking my eyes off his mout h. He had the sexiest lips ever, plump and teasing and I knew what they tasted like, but I wanted to find out again just to be sure. I reached for him and he stepped away.
"Ah-ah-ah. None of that. You need to eat and gain your strength."
"But. . ." I followed after him, still focused on his mouth. I was an eye on the prize kind of girl, damn it, and I wanted to fucking kiss him more than I wanted to eat pizza.
"No buts. You're going to need all the energy you can get for what I have planned for you."
I was torn. I sure as hell didn't want to wait, but lust-fuelled intentions aside, I really was hungry. My stomach reminded me then with a delicate growl.
"Fine." Before I took another bite, however, I dished a slice for Mateo. "You're going to need your energy , too."
He laughed and took the plate. "Thank God."
"There's only one problem." I chewed off a piece of the slice before continuing. Middle of nowhere or not, this was some kick-ass pizza.
He bit off about half of the slice in one go and raised his eyebrow. He was in a hurry, too. Then he raised his other eyebrow and looked at me like "Well? Continue." He was too busy chewing to speak.
"We can't use the bed."
Mateo choked on his pizza. I pounded his back while he coughed. "What the fuck?" His eyes were watering and his voice was raw.
"Have you looked at it? I don't think the bedding has ever been washed." I
"I'm in shit bag hotel in Arizona chasing down a lead."
"Fuck, he led you all the way across the state line? We have to turn it over."
I debated whether or not to remind him that I'd been recruited by the feds to help with this investigation. Even though I reported to Lieutenant Liverton, the case already belonged to Homeland Security, not LAPD.
"I plan to do surveillance, then wait for further orders." It was a given, but he liked spelling out the obvious and he was a stickler for protocol. He could never learn about the source of my information. He would frown on me fucking my informant, regardless of how hot he was.
"Good. And Roni, don't miss your fucking call -in time again. I was worried."
He might have been worried about the case, and he might have been worried about explain ing a lost undercover agent. Believe me, that shit happened way too often. But I seriously doubted he was worried about me personally. The guy had the emotional capacity of a salt lick.
Mateo walked through the door a few seconds after I disconnected the call. The timing was so perfect, it made me wonder if he'd been lurking outside listening through the door.
"Hey, this was all I could find." He dropped a pizza box on the dresser, and set the key next to it. This place was a throwback to the past with an actual metal door key that looked like an oversized version of the one that let me into my apartment, rather than an electronic keycard that beeped when activated.
I opened the pizza. He could have brought back week old sushi and I would have been thrilled. I was starved and pizza was like fucking bonanza. I pulled a piece out and the cheese stretched from the box to the flimsy paper plate Mateo provided. It was New York style, thin crust, mountains of cheese, and just the right amount of sauce and pepperoni.
I took a bite. "Oh my God," I spoke with my mouth full, sucking air to cool the cheese burning the roof of my mouth and my tongue. "I seriously love you right now." I swallowed too quickly, then took another bite.
He stood back and watched, a big, annoying smile on his face.
"Wha?" The word was garbled around my pizza.
"Hungry?" He ran his thumb over my bottom lip and said, "Sauce." Then he sucked it into his own mouth and I wasn't really all that hungry any more.
I set my plate on the table without taking my eyes off his mout h. He had the sexiest lips ever, plump and teasing and I knew what they tasted like, but I wanted to find out again just to be sure. I reached for him and he stepped away.
"Ah-ah-ah. None of that. You need to eat and gain your strength."
"But. . ." I followed after him, still focused on his mouth. I was an eye on the prize kind of girl, damn it, and I wanted to fucking kiss him more than I wanted to eat pizza.
"No buts. You're going to need all the energy you can get for what I have planned for you."
I was torn. I sure as hell didn't want to wait, but lust-fuelled intentions aside, I really was hungry. My stomach reminded me then with a delicate growl.
"Fine." Before I took another bite, however, I dished a slice for Mateo. "You're going to need your energy , too."
He laughed and took the plate. "Thank God."
"There's only one problem." I chewed off a piece of the slice before continuing. Middle of nowhere or not, this was some kick-ass pizza.
He bit off about half of the slice in one go and raised his eyebrow. He was in a hurry, too. Then he raised his other eyebrow and looked at me like "Well? Continue." He was too busy chewing to speak.
"We can't use the bed."
Mateo choked on his pizza. I pounded his back while he coughed. "What the fuck?" His eyes were watering and his voice was raw.
"Have you looked at it? I don't think the bedding has ever been washed." I
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