It’s the first time I’ve called her Jo out loud, but she doesn’t even seem to notice. Maybe everyone calls her that.
“Yeah, I guess,” she replies. The food arrives, and both of us dig in. I personally think she should eat more, but I don’t voice my opinions. I don’t think they’d be appreciated.
“So how did you get brought onto this case?” she asks, breaking the silence. “Is this something you do on the side or something? It’s a little unusual, don’t you think?”
I wipe my mouth with my napkin, then answer honestly. “This isn’t something I do, no. And it’s not something I’ll be doing again. Faye asked me for my help, and here I am.”
“Are you and Faye close?” she asks, looking interested.
“We haven’t actually known each other for long,” I say, wondering the best way to explain this. I never give out a lot of information about my club, and now isn’t an exception, especially with her being a cop. I want to share everything with her, but I’d be stupid to tell her anything that could bite me in the ass later.
“Really?” she asks, tilting her head to the side. “Have you ever been . . . more than friends?”
“Definitely not,” I say, unable to stop the laughter that escapes me. “She’s been with her husband for a long time, the two of them are the couple of all couples.”
Jo smiles, watching me. “She’s a force to be reckoned with, isn’t she?”
“That’s an understatement,” I say, lips twitching. “She grows on you.”
“Like a fungus?”
I nod. “Like a fuckin’ fungus.”
She grins and takes a huge bite of her croissant.
Fuck, I’m in trouble, because that grin hits me right in my chest.
NINE
WHEN we get the call that the results are in, we rush back to the station. Jo looks over the paperwork while the man who handed it to her starts to explain. There were four different fingerprints on the car. He ran them in the database, and one belongs to the owner. Two belong to two other men. One belongs to Elizabeth. He found different DNA in the car, as well. So if we find a suspect, he can do a test to see if the DNA from the car matches.
“So we now have two names to work with,” Jo says, glancing up at me. “Are you ready for this?”
I nod. “More than ready.”
• • •
It’s completely inappropriate, but I don’t think I’ve ever been so turned on in my life as I am right now, watching Jo get ready for battle. Watching her check those guns, knowing exactly what she is doing, is making my dick strain against my jeans. She’s in full professional mode, testing the weight of each gun in her hands, sliding knives into secret sheaths and making sure we have enough bullets. I don’t even know what to say right now. All I can do is watch as she does her thing, hoping she doesn’t see how it’s affecting me. She tucks a knife inside her boot, then raises her head, her blue eyes landing on me, her blond hair falling over her cheek bone.
I’ve never seen someone so beautiful.
“All you’re taking is one gun?” she asks, arching her brow. “Do you want any other weapons? I probably shouldn’t be offering, but I want you to be protected.”
I shake my head. “I’m not just taking one gun. I have these too,” I say, flexing my biceps.
She makes a sound of amusement deep in her throat. “I don’t think anyone else would joke in a time like this. We’re about to raid someone’s house,” she says, straightening and flexing her neck from side to side.
“You obviously don’t know Faye very well,” I mutter, standing from the table I was resting on. She makes jokes at the most inappropriate times. “How many men are you bringing with us?”
“Men? You mean officers. Some of them are women—don’t be sexist,” she says with no heat in her tone.
I walk up to her, so our bodies are almost touching. “You know what I mean.”
“No, I don’t,” she says, lifting up her little stubborn chin. “Why don’t you explain it to me? And why don’t you stay in the car and let the cops handle this? You might just get in the way.”
I lick my lips, ignoring her ridiculous comment, wanting nothing more than to taste her lips. Yes, it’s probably the worst timing in the history of the world, or is it? Who knows what could happen in there today? Well, nothing to her, because I’m going to protect her with everything I have, but what if something happens to me? What if this is the only chance I have?
Fuck it.
I place my hands on her hips. Her eyes widen, but she doesn’t say anything, so I continue. I lift her in the air, so her face is level with mine, and her arms come around my shoulders, so naturally, like they’re meant to be there. Then, I kiss her. Softly at first, testing my boundaries with her. I don’t know what she’s thinking. I don’t even know if she likes me, but I fuckin’ like her, so too bad. She tastes like strawberries, her mouth so soft and perfect that I hope she never stops kissing me. When she wraps her legs around my waist, holding on to me completely, I’m in heaven. I let my hands roam over the curve of her ass, groaning as the kiss deepens, becomes hungrier and more desperate.
Kissing her is the best decision I’ve ever made.
It’s me who pulls away, because I don’t want another cop to come in and see this and then give her shit. They might lose respect for her and not treat her the same, and then I’d have to do something stupid to defend her. I rest my forehead against hers and tell her, “After this is all over, I’m taking you out on a real date. Old-school style.”