him hell, like Gammy would.”
“You ready? Sure you want to come into custody? Wouldn’t prefer to stay here and maybe have a nice chat?”
Lily held her hands out in front of her. “Cuff me.”
His dark brow rose. “Alright then.” He clicked one cuff onto her left wrist and followed that with one on the right. The cool metal no longer felt threatening; it felt sexy, exciting. “You can get that smile off your face,” he said gruffly. “This is serious business.”
“Oh, yes,” she agreed in mock placating tones as he turned her about and put her before him, “very serious.”
Gareth dealt another sharp slap to her bottom. “Need another session, Brannigan?”
“If you like.” She grinned over her shoulder. “The first one wasn’t bad.”
“Let’s see how a night in the cells makes you feel about that. “
Lily giggled to herself. He was grumpy now because she wasn’t worried, but really, who could be worried after a climax so powerful even the notion of death paled in comparison? She could do a night in the cells. She could do a month in the cells. It made no difference to her. Gammy had once done three months in San Quentin. It hadn’t broken her spirit, and Lily wouldn’t let anything law enforcement threw at her break hers either.
“Lock up, will you?” She nodded toward the keys on the counter.
Gareth was good enough to do so, making sure the bar was closed up before she got carted off to the cells. Eyeing his car from a distance, Lily was gratified to see that it still sparkled here and there. He might have won this battle, but she was going to win the war.
Chapter Two
“Why is Lily Brannigan in the cells?” Jeff Wings, one of Gareth’s colleagues and a technical superior, approached him at two in the morning. The station never really shut, but there were very few people there at that time of the morning. Gareth planned on staying there as long as it took to make Miss Brannigan crack. She’d spent an hour or so cooling her heels, and he planned to leave here there a little longer before making another attempt at talking some sense into her. He could still smell her perfume on his hands and shirt, a sweet scent which was distracting at best.
He hadn’t planned the sex. The sex was probably a very bad idea, but the chemistry had just been so… right. Gareth couldn’t imagine any man being able to resist the sight that was Lily Brannigan’s pink, pert cheeks and glistening pussy framed by tight black leggings. Even now, the sight flashed before his mind’s eye, making the paperwork he was busying himself with pale into irrelevancy. It certainly made answering Jeff’s question a little difficult.
“Because she’s a stubborn little witch who won’t listen to sense.” He took another bite of the hot dog he’d microwaved. It wasn’t good, but it was better than nothing. Late nights played havoc with a balanced diet.
“You’re not worried you’ll spook the supplier by arresting her?”
“It wasn’t exactly a high profile arrest,” Gareth shrugged. “I doubt anyone knows she’s gone. I’ll have her home by curfew, mom.”
Jeff perched on his desk, clearly not ready to drop the topic. “You’ve been on the case less than a day,” he said. “Your brief was to gather evidence, establish a relationship, and flip her. How is she already in custody?”
Gareth shrugged. “I work fast.”
“Don’t blow this, Gareth,” Jeff lectured. “You charge into this heavy-handed, you spook the suppliers, our case disappears, and you know the chief is banking on this case. You mess this up, there’s going to be hell to pay.”
Jeff wasn’t wrong. The chief was jumpy about this case. It was a big one. If he cracked it, it could be his ticket into political office.
Everywhere there were games being played. Gareth didn’t care about games. He cared about doing his job. At that point in time, his job was making Lily Brannigan see the error of her ways.
He