Cop Appeal Read Online Free PDF Page B

been
like they were sharing an inside joke. “I am feeling better. Thank
you.”
    She peeked a quick glance at Luke, afraid
he’d be glowering at her suspiciously, but he was merely pulling on
his jeans, his body relaxed, his expression seemingly unconcerned.
Sure enough, when he glanced up and caught her looking at him, he
winked.
    “ Bueno . Whatever you’re doing, keep
right on doing it,” Detective James murmured.
    Sarah couldn’t help it. With Luke looking so
scrumptious and acting so playful in front of her, and with
Detective James’ slight Hispanic accent rumbling in her ear, she
suddenly envisioned herself as a treat being savored by two prime
alpha males. Aghast and face flaming, she immediately batted the
thought away. In front of her, Luke narrowed his eyes and tilted
his head as if considering something.
    Shaking her head, she held up a finger and
mouthed she’d just be a second. Turning away again, she cleared her
throat. “Do you have an update for me?”
    “I paid Officer Walters a visit, and he was
quite accommodating. He denied everything you accused him of, of
course. Said you were crazy and jealous, and still hung up on
him.”
    “He’s lying,” she said in a rush.
    “Nothing to worry about, Sarah. Everyone
denies wrongdoing at first. But he knows we’ve got our eye on him
now. Hopefully that’ll make him reconsider contacting you again.
But if he does, you let me know immediately, okay?”
    She sighed, relieved he wasn’t going to
simply dismiss her report now that he’d talked to Richard. In fact,
something in his voice seemed to indicate that meeting Richard had
only strengthened her case in his eyes. “I will. Thank you.”
    “Take care, Sarah.”
    “You, too.” She ended the call and stared at
the receiver for several seconds. It was amazing, but between
Luke’s appearance, their horizontal tangos, and Detective James’
call, she was actually feeling optimistic about the chances of
Richard backing off. Of course, it had to be a false sense of
security. She thought of how tricky Richard was and—
    “Sarah?”
She jumped at the sound of Luke’s voice behind her. Turning, her
eyes widened. He was leaning against the bedroom doorjamb, still
naked but for the jeans that rode low on his hips. With the tips of
his hair bleached and his pierced ear, he looked like a badass
version of the man she’d once known. Now that things had settled
down, she was fascinated by the changes and wanted to explore them
in much more depth. Tentatively, she moved forward, then reached
out a hand to touch the snarling dragon tattooed on the side of his
neck.
    He went still, and for a moment she thought
she saw a flash of insecurity in his eyes. It was almost as if he
wondered what she thought of the tattoo. As if he wanted her to
like it and was afraid she wouldn’t.
    “It’s ... sexy,” she whispered.
    “Yeah?” He linked his arms around her waist.
“I’m glad you think so.”
    “Is that why you got it? I mean, not for me,
but—” She waved her hand in a “you know” kind of gesture. “Because
you thought women would find it sexy?”
    “Not exactly.” Bending down, he skimmed his
lips against hers, the brief contact making her yearn for something
longer. Harder. “Who was on the phone?”
    She couldn’t help it. She stiffened against
him, then pulled away in an effort to hide her unease. Once again,
his eyes narrowed.
    Lovely. She might as well have activated an
alarm.
    But to her surprise, Luke just hooked his
thumbs in the front pockets of his jeans and continued to watch her
with a small smile on his face.
    “Just an old friend,” she said. Because she
knew it would distract him and because she wanted to anyway, she
wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her ear against the
warm, tantalizing beat of his heart.
    She sighed when he wrapped his arms around
her again, returning her hug. “I’m…I’m glad you came to collect
your payment,” she finally choked out, afraid