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“You wouldn’t dare.”
“Wouldn’t I?” I pried open her car door, bending down to pick Whitney up from her seated position. She pushed, but I had a good eighty pounds on her and a hell of a lot more muscle. Her squirming did nothing to help matters, and I had to adjust her position so that she couldn’t feel how excited I had become from getting up close and personal with her body.
I unlocked the cruiser with one hand before tossing Whitney in the back seat. The back doors only opened from the outside, making it impossible for her to escape. I grinned like an evil bastard as I got into the driver’s seat.
“I’m going to ask you again: Where are we going next?”
Whitney sat up so that her face was almost flush against the clean, shatterproof barrier.
“You’ve officially lost your mind, Jack. Now let me out of this damn car.” She banged on the divider between us and then the windows as if that was going to do her any good.
Whitney crossed her arms, staring daggers at me, as I watched in the rear-view mirror.
“I hope you don’t make us late.” I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel, not bothering to turn on the car until she let me know where we were going. It was going to start getting cold in here without turning on the heater. Whitney stubbornly drew her stunning red peacoat tighter around her body.
I raised my eyebrow. “A little chilly?”
She made a swift movement of her head. “I’m perfectly fine.”
“What a coincidence, me too.” I smiled back at her. “And I’m happy to just sit here with you trapped in my car all day if that’s what you’d prefer.” I stretched my shoulders back, making myself comfortable. As a police officer, I was used to spending quality time in my car. Lucky for her, I was off duty.
I heard a huff from the back seat.
“Fiiine. I’ll give you the next location. We are headed to the bed-and-breakfast off Main Street.”
“Haver’s Creek Inn it is.” I turned on the vehicle, turning the dial up on the heat just as Whitney’s teeth started to chatter.
“The car will heat up quickly, I promise.” Concerned, I glimpsed back at her to make sure she was okay. Within a few minutes of driving Whitney started to look a lot more comfortable.
“Thank you,” a quiet voice came from the back seat as we got closer to the Inn.
“You’re welcome,” I told her. “We’re almost there.” I pulled into the long cobblestone driveway that helped give Haver’s Creek Inn the atmosphere people paid good money to have for their special occasions.
I parked the car, getting out quickly to open Whitney’s passenger door.
She got out, smoothing the invisible wrinkles of her outfit, actively avoiding my gaze.
Notepad in hand, Whitney relayed the necessary details.
“We are meeting with Clarence Harper, the owner of the bed-and-breakfast. He’s going to show us the possible venue space and give us a rundown of the event options, just like we got at the brewery.”
We walked together towards the entrance. I sped up a little to grab the door, holding it open for her.
“After you.” I waved my hand. Her hair brushed off her shoulders as she shook her head, and I caught a whiff of her perfume. I barely stifled a groan; she smelled edible.
Unlike at the brewery, we didn’t need to wait for our guide. Clarence stood at the ready, greeting us like some kind of butler in a period flick.
“Hot chocolate?” he offered on a silver serving platter.
“Yes, please.” I reached over Whitney to grab a cup, my chest lightly grazing her back. She stood there immobile as I slowly brought the hot drink to my lips. “Ahh, that’s delicious. Thank you.”
“And for you miss?” Clarence held out the tray.
Whitney cleared her throat. “Why not?” She took a cup as Clarence brought us into a sitting room filled with samples of food.
“Is that for us?” I asked pointing to the finger sandwiches, crab cakes and little square chocolate desserts displayed on the table. “I’m impressed, Clarence. You went all out.”
The older gentleman blushed at the compliment. Whitney didn’t notice as she took a seat, drinking in the atmosphere. I could see her wheels spinning evaluating the room, the food, the service. The food tempted me to sign the contract and call the venue search complete.
