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She climbed into the passenger seat, gasping for breath.
“That was fucking close,” she said, tears streaming down her face.
“It’s not fucking funny. Jesus, one of the bikers had a gun.”
“I swear, Gagnon, this should have been a boring-ass stakeout, but I’m learning that nothing is boring when you’re involved.”
“Was that a compliment?”
“Yes.” She huffed a laugh. “But I know you’ll take it as an insult.”
I didn’t, actually, and as I drove us back into the heart of town, I found I couldn’t hold back my own laughter. What the shit had happened? Had Clive the asshole moose blown our cover on a stakeout? Was this my life now?
“You got McDonald’s up here?” Parker asked. “After that getaway, I need fries.”
“There’s a Wendy’s two towns over.”
She nodded. “Good enough for me.”
In the parking lot of the Heartsborough Wendy’s, we inhaled fast food, and slowly, my adrenaline wore off.
“Did you at least get photos of the license plates?” I asked.
“Only one of them. But it’s a start. I did overhear part of a conversation about a package, and I could hear a whirring sound. Could have been a money counter.”
I nodded, digging into my frosty.
“Pretty ace driving, by the way. I gotta say, I didn’t expect those kinds of skills.”
“Thanks. A few years ago, I was in Germany for a conference and some of my colleagues and I rented these sick cars and drove the Autobahn. Got to take a Ferrari through some mountain passes in the Alps. It was really nuts.”
She narrowed her eyes and shook a fry in my face. “Shit. I was feeling so attracted to you after our high-speed moose adventure. But then you went and ruined it by telling that douchebag rich guy story.”
Chapter18
Parker
Cracking open one eyelid, I found Paz looming over me, draping a fluffy blanket over my body. Looked like I’d dozed off on the couch. Working nonstop was finally catching up to me.
“Thanks,” I said softly. “But I need to get up.”
“You sure?” He was wearing one of those flannel shirts I liked so much. This one was shades of gray and black. I wanted to reach out and touch it. Feel the softness of it against his skin.
He lifted my legs and dropped to the cushion, then positioned my lower half so it draped over his lap.
“Long day?”
I yawned and propped myself up so I could fix my ponytail, feeling self-conscious. “The longest.”
He watched me with curiosity, like maybe he wanted to hear about it, so I launched into a story about the clients I’d had to deal with. Today’s were the demanding type, and that conversation led me down a rabbit hole to stories about the absurd ones, the unrealistic ones, and, worst of all, the ones who refused to pay my invoices.
His hands ghosted along my calves, setting every cell in my body on fire. Doing my best not to moan, I dropped my head back and closed my eyes. It had been so long since I’d been touched. Not that I’d admit it out loud. But after my ill-advised fling with Tex, I had been setting quite the personal record for dry streaks.
And it had been fine. Until it wasn’t. Because moments like these, moments where I was teased with intimacy, with connection, were the worst. They reminded me of just how much I was missing. And they made my brain and my body ache for things I couldn’t have.
When I opened my eyes again, he was watching me, giving me a positively flirty smile. After weeks of cohabitating with Paz the grouch, I had almost forgotten what Paz the flirt even looked like. Beard, round dark eyes, long lashes, and those fucking dimples. My panties stood no chance.
Neither did my face, which flushed with pleasure as I bit down hard on my lower lip.
