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Damn it. It was hard to be mad at a guy who brought you coffee. At least until he opened his big fat mouth and said something annoying.
“You need to change the locks right away,” he ordered in that bossy tone that made me want to smack him. And for the record, I was not a violent person.
I rolled my eyes. “You need to mind your own business.”
“Crime in this town is my business.”
Ignoring him, I set my coffee down and finished sweeping the broken glass into a paper bag, throwing the little love note from the vandal on top of the shards. I grabbed the bag, broom, and dustpan and stalked to the back room where I kept the trash. Dumping it into the can, I turned around and jumped. Chief Wilson was right behind me. That was the third time in two days that he’d snuck up on me.
“For such a big guy, you’re awfully light on your feet,” I grumbled. “Also, this area is for employees only.”
“Ms. Fontenot. Evie. Please, promise me you’ll change the locks,” he said, his voice softer than I’d heard it. “It’s clear that someone got a key somehow and is using it to cause trouble.”
I sighed deeply.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but I have the locksmith coming today.”
He nodded. “Good. That should take care of it.”
I expected him to leave, but he stood there watching me instead. Something about the way he was looking at me was making me nervous.
“What?” I asked belligerently.
He stepped closer, until only a few inches separated us. It forced me to lift my head to meet his gaze. His eyes looked almost...tender.
“Have dinner with me.”
I reared back in shock. “What?”
“I’m asking you out.”
“That sounded like ordering, not asking.”
His lips twitched like he wanted to smile but didn’t know how. Gruff was clearly his default setting.
“Evie, would you please have dinner with me?” he asked again.
I shook my head and stepped around him, ignoring the part of me that was thrilled by his invitation.
“No. Thanks for asking but I’m not interested.”
My body had a different opinion, but I was using my head for once. Yay me. I’d dated a lot since my divorce, and had a lot of fun, but I knew instinctively that there was no way I could have my usual “one and done” with this man.
There was something about him that was way too appealing, despite his annoying personality. Jake had been occupying my thoughts ever since the first day I laid eyes on him, and I didn’t like that. Not at all. The last thing I wanted was to let some guy have space in my head. The last time I’d done that I’d found myself divorced, unemployed, and broke.
I stalked out of the storeroom and Jake followed me back into the store, a little closer than I was comfortable with. I swear he was close enough that I could feel the heat of his body across my back. I stopped and turned on my heel to face him.
“Hey Chief, ever hear of personal space?” I waved my hands between us. “I like a three foot bubble at all times.”
He stepped back but continued to stare at me in a way that a bit unnerving. It felt like he could look right into my head, which was a ridiculous thought.
“You don’t feel this attraction between us?” He waved at the space between us, as if to highlight the energy shimmering between us. “I can’t be the only one feeling this.”
“I don’t date cops,” I answered, sidestepping the question.
One eyebrow raised. “Now this is a story I’d love to hear.”
“Too bad. I need to get ready to open the store now, so if you don’t mind...well, you know where the door is.”
“Call me if anything else happens. You don’t have to handle this all by yourself.”
When I didn’t respond, he stalked back towards me, his face set in that stern look that every cop perfected by the time they left the academy.
“Evie.”
“Chief.” I mimicked.
“I’ll check on you later,” he growled. He turned to leave, and I was absolutely not watching the fabric stretch across the muscles of his ass. Not at all.
I was cranky as hell when I got up the next morning. I’d gotten totally immersed in this month’s book club book, ‘The Mystery of Cedar Cove’.
The book really pulled you in. I read so much that I could usually figure out who the criminal was early on in any book, but not this one. It had a lot of twists and turns as well as some hot as hell sex scenes between the main female sleuth and the hot cop who wanted her off the case. By the time I finally went to bed I was just as confused about the crook as I had been when I started reading.
It had to be because of the book that I’d had a vivid sex dream about Chief Jake Wilson. There was no other reason.
I used my new key to unlock the door, holding my breath as I looked around the store, checking for anything out of place. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw everything was as it should be.
A few minutes before ten my new friend Chief Wilson wandered in, once again holding two cups of coffee. Today he was dressed in civilian clothes. Faded jeans hugged his thighs lovingly, and a Carolina Panthers shirt stretched across his impressive chest and arms.
“Macchiato?” he asked, handing me the cup.
“Thank you,” I said grudgingly.
“Any problems last night?” he asked, studying me with those perceptive brown eyes.
“Nope.” I took a sip of the coffee and suppressed a groan. “Why are you dressed like a normal person?”
“I’m off weekends.”
I nodded.
“What time do you close tonight?”
“Five o’clock.” We closed earlier on weekends.
“Can I buy you dinner?” he asked. “I’d like to get to know you better.”
I shook my head. My body was screaming “Go out with him. Climb him like a tree!” but my head was telling me to stay as far away from him as I could. If there was one thing I’d learned over the last few years, it was that I had to listen to my head.
“Look, I’m sure you’re a nice guy...” This was a lie, I assumed all cops were assholes. “But I’m just not...”
My words fell off as he stepped closer, close enough that I could smell something citrusy, maybe his bodywash or his shampoo. Jake took the coffee cup out of my hand and set it on the counter, still giving me that unnerving stare. He reached up and pushed a strand of hair behind my ear. I shivered.
“I like your pink strips,” he said, nodding at my hair.
I liked to change my hair color every so often. I’d recently swapped out my purple streaks for pink.
Jake cupped my cheek in one large palm, and it took everything in me not to lean into his touch. He lowered his head until our lips were an inch apart, and I felt myself swaying closer. Our lips touched, just for a few seconds, and it was enough to make my entire body come alive. I gasped, and jumped back, making some space between us.
“What were you saying about not being interested?” he asked cockily.
“Get out!” I pointed towards the door angrily. Jake gave me a smirk that made me tempted to punch him in the throat.
“I’ll check on you tomorrow.”
“Don’t.”
He walked backwards, watching me. “Now that we fixed your break-in problem, you need to know that I intend to date you, even if it takes some time to wear you down. I want you Evie, and I know I’m not the only one feeling this.”
Before I could give him a piece of my mind, he was gone, leaving me gaping after him with an aching feeling in my core that I didn’t want to think about too closely.