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Trying to tame my racing thoughts, I hustled to the driver’s side of the cruiser.
Chapter Two
Henley
I wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans as Amir slid into the seat behind the steering wheel. My emotions were going haywire; I was still shaken up from the accident, even though it was minor, a little embarrassed about being so shaken up in the first place, intrigued and excited by the police car, and nervous to be so close to Amir.
I wasn’t afraid of the officer; he’d been nothing but kind to me. He helped me calm down after the fender bender, took care of all the details of the accident, and even offered me a ride to work. He even buckled me in!
That didn’t help my nervousness; having the man so close that I could smell his crisp cologne nearly made me pass out on the spot. And then feeling his strong hands secure me into my seat? My palms grew sweaty again just thinking about it, and I wiped them a second time.
I didn’t have much experience with men, especially anyone as handsome as Amir. I took a sneaky peek over at him as he pulled out onto the main road, hoping he wouldn’t catch me.
Unlike my pale skin, Amir's was tan and alluring. He had thick black hair that matched his beard, and dark brown eyes that lit up when he smiled. His body was amazing too; tall and strong, and it made me feel secure and protected when I stood next to him. Which was saying a lot, since I was a bit nervous by nature.
Amir looked at me and smiled, and I snapped my gaze away, hoping he didn't notice that I was staring at him. And if he did notice, I hoped to avert his attention by pointing at a random switch on the dashboard. “What’s that?”
“That’s the switch to turn on the siren.” What started off as a distraction now piqued my interest, especially when Amir asked, “Do you want to try it out?”
“Seriously?” I looked over at him with wide eyes, and found him nodding with a smile. I wasted no time in flipping the switch, gasping when I heard a loud whoooop sound. Amir only let it go for a moment before turning it off, but it was still probably the most exciting two seconds of my life.
“That was amazing, thank you!” I gushed before pointing at another button. “What’s that one do?”
“It turns on my roof lights.” Without me having to ask, he offered, “Go for it.”
I eagerly smashed the button. While I couldn’t see the lights on top of the car, a red dome light illuminated the interior. Once again, Amir turned it off after only a few seconds.
“This is so freaking cool!” I found yet another button (the car was a treasure trove) and when I asked about its purpose, Amir chuckled, and nervousness crept up inside me, showing itself as a blush on my face. “I’m sorry; I’m probably annoying you with all of my questions.” He was being so nice by giving me a ride, and I was thanking him with irritation.
“Not at all.” Amir reached over to pat my knee and I thought my heart was going to stop. “You’re like a cute, curious kitten and I love it.” His words strengthened my blush, burning my face. I wasn’t sure how to deal with the compliment, as I wasn’t used to receiving many. My right hand slowly crept up and tangled itself in my hair as I took a deep breath to calm down.
Amir continued, “I’ve been on the job a while now, and I guess I take a lot of this stuff for granted. It’s fun to see it through new eyes. To answer your question, that button will connect me to dispatch. I’m sorry, but I can’t let you try that one; we don’t want them to think we have an emergency.”
I nodded my understanding; I didn’t want him to get into trouble. As he drove through town, Amir took the time to point out every switch, button, and knob on the dash and explain what each one did; most of the time without even taking his eyes off of the road. He knew exactly where they were by instinct or muscle memory.
“I don’t know how you keep them all straight,” I admitted once Amir had showcased all of his gadgets. It would be helpful to have a second person in the car to help him remember, which brought up another question. “Why don’t you have a partner?”
He took his focus from the road for a quick second to blink at me. “How did you know that?”
I blinked back in confusion. “I just assumed…since you’re in your car alone. A partner would be sitting up here with you, right?”
