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This brute of a man who filled up the entire door of my car.
Every inch of him bulky, corded, and ripped.
The short sleeves of the brown uniform he wore stretched so tight over his biceps that I didn’t know how the threads didn’t bust, and the man was so tall that he blocked out the sight of the stars where he towered over me.
A beautiful, oppressive eclipse.
Hello, Hot Cop.
He had that rugged look. A squared, powerful jaw with scruff beginning to show, skin tanned from spending hours out under the sun. His wavy hair was brown and dappled in blonds, like the sun had had its way with it, too.
Hardness oozed from every rigid line of him, all except for the softness that kept playing at the edge of his lips that were more alluring than any man should ever have the right to. That and the concern that constantly flared in the depths of his honey-kissed eyes.
All things considered, I should probably be terrified of being out in the middle of nowhere with the stranger, but he didn’t set off my fight or flight intuition. Which was reckless. I knew better than to think he might actually be a good guy.
He widened my door. “Let’s go,” he said, his voice as rough as the rest of him.
Fear skittered down my spine. Was I really just going to allow myself to get put into cuffs? There had to be a way to talk myself out of this. It wasn’t like driving onto someone’s property was that big a deal.
And this guy? He seemed more concerned about my well-being than any code I had broken.
I hated to take advantage of it, but the man was trying to arrest me.
I sent him the most dazzling smile I could muster while I stoically ignored the way my stomach twisted in a knot of dread. “Is that really necessary, Officer?”
Awareness swam in those eyes that were the warmest brown that I’d ever seen, like he could see straight through to my intentions.
“I think it is.” His lips hitched up farther at the side in some kind of smirk I didn’t know how to read.
I got lost staring, trying to decipher it.
It took it stretching into a full, arrogant smile for me to realize he knew exactly what I was trying to do.
I wanted to smack myself across my own stupid face for being so blatant.
“Get your purse and keys and leave the rest of your things.”
Panic welled. “But my car—”
“Will be just fine. I’ll have someone bring it in.”
“Can’t I just—”
“No.”
I had the urge to scream. To scream in frustration because this guy wasn’t giving me an inch. I had important things in the trunk. Things I couldn’t stomach the idea of losing. The journal that had brought me here. It had to mean something. Had to mean I was on the right track.
I pasted on that bedazzling smile again. I’d had to use it so many times over the years to get my way. To make it. To survive. “At least let me follow you with my car. I promise to stay within the speed limit.”
“Come on, Little Trespasser. Get out of the car. You don’t want to make this harder than it has to be.”
I scowled at him because the brute wasn’t budging. “You act like I committed murder,” I mumbled under my breath.
I shuffled out from under the comforter and slipped out to stand. Irritation blistered through me. I couldn’t believe I’d actually fallen asleep when I was supposed to be on watch, scoping out the area to see if there was any activity around that pond.
Any hint or indication.
What the hell was the point of a stakeout if I slept through it?
But I wasn’t exactly a professional.
I was just…desperate.
Hot Cop curled his hand around my upper arm. I jolted at the contact. At the warmth that streaked beneath the surface of my skin.
“Maybe I need to make sure you didn’t. You were wielding a knife.” The man had the audacity to chuckle.
“That was for protection.”
Something passed through his enormous body. A ripple of unease shifting his demeanor as if he’d been blown through by a ghost.
“You shouldn’t have been out here alone,” he grated.
“I can take care of myself.”
“And what if I was a bad guy?” The words flowed low like a threat. He was standing so close to me I couldn’t think straight. “Someone who was out here with the intention of hurting you? What would you have done then?”
“I’m not your problem to worry about.” I couldn’t help but spit it. As if anyone really cared? I’d learned a long time ago that the only person I could rely on was myself. The one exception was Jessica, and right now she was relying on me.
Turning my back to him, I leaned into my car so I could reach my purse from the passenger seat. When I turned back around, he’d somehow moved even closer. Boxing me in.
