Truthfully, he was having a hell of a time getting past that wariness of hers, which only made him more curious about who Sarah Robins was—and where she’d come from. Admittedly, his interest in her had nothing to do with him being an inquisitive cop and everything to do with him wanting her, in a deeper way than any female had gotten to him before. He just had to get her on the same page as him.
Levi wasn’t normally the type of guy who’d continue to pursue a woman who’d already turned him down half a dozen times. A smart man would have cut his losses after the first rejection, but from the moment he’d looked into Sarah’s sweet, soulful blue eyes, he’d felt a connection that only seemed to grow stronger every time he saw her.
And he certainly didn’t miss the irony of that realization, when he was a man adept at maintaining strict control of his emotions—in all aspects of his life.
“This is a shit part of town,” Nick said, stating the obvious, which brought Levi’s thoughts back to the present. “As soon as we’re off this DUI task force, I don’t want to drive through this part of Englewood unless it’s for a call, so close the deal with Sarah already.”
“Winning a woman over takes time, Catalano,” Levi said easily—especially one as wary as Sarah. “Though that’s something I wouldn’t expect you to understand.”
“Hell no,” he agreed with a quick player’s grin. “That’s too much fucking work when there are plenty of women who take one look at this uniform and are instantly willing and eager to bend over and drop their panties. Trust me, getting laid, and regularly, is not an issue for me.”
Levi had plenty of offers; he was just more particular about his bed partners. He didn’t do one-night stands, but he didn’t do long-term committed, either. The few women he’d dated and allowed into his private life were looking for the same thing he was—a mutually satisfying physical relationship without any emotional involvement. More importantly, they were willing to let him be in control during all aspects of sex.
And Sarah, from everything he’d learned so far, didn’t strike him as the type looking for long term, either. Which made his pursuit easier for him to justify . . . and live with.
Arriving at the Circle K, Nick turned the SUV into the deserted lot. He drove past the gas station area and stopped in front of the convenience store instead of parking the vehicle.
“I noticed the back tire was low at the DUI check point,” Nick said, explaining why he hadn’t pulled into one of the many empty spaces in front of the mart like he normally did. “While you run inside and do your thing, I’m going to drive around back and fill the tire up with air. I’ll meet you out front when you’re done.”
“Sounds good.” Levi released his seat belt and opened the door. “You want anything?”
Nick grinned. “Yeah, I’ll take a root beer and a Snickers bar.”
“You got it.” Levi hopped out of the truck, and while his partner drove off and disappeared behind the building, he headed toward the store.
Out of years of habit, he glanced around the area, looking for anything, or anyone, who might be out of place. Especially in this part of town. But it was a quiet evening, and there weren’t any other cars or people around, which wasn’t unusual for a late Tuesday night. He walked into the store, and to his immediate left was the main counter and two registers. Sarah was sitting on a stool reading a magazine, and as soon as she heard someone enter, she looked up.
Her bored expression immediately transformed to one of pleasure as a genuine, happy-to-see-him smile curved her soft, lush mouth, which never failed to make him think about slowly licking his tongue across that full lower lip before kissing her, or how that mouth would feel sliding down the length of his cock as she looked up at him from a kneeling position on the floor at his feet.
Heat and desire mingled in his belly and lower as he strolled toward the counter. Yeah, he’d stored up five long weeks’ worth of the hottest, most sinful fantasies of Sarah, in some of the most erotic scenarios he could imagine. Those dirty thoughts had come in handy when he’d lain in bed, hard and aching and needing relief. With his hand wrapped tight around his dick, those decadent visions playing through his mind never failed to alleviate his lust.
But the relief was always temporary. He wanted the real thing. He wanted Sarah, her body soft and warm beneath his, and her willing to give herself over to him in all the ways he desired. And that kind of trust took time. And patience. Both of which he had in abundance.
Setting the magazine aside, she moved off her chair and stood on the opposite side of the counter from him. She was wearing a plain T-shirt and worn jeans, and it wasn’t the first time that he had the thought that her body was almost too slender for her frame. Which made him want to cook her a carb-loaded meal, just to watch her eat and put on a few extra pounds to fill out her curves.
With her light brown hair pulled into a ponytail—he’d never seen it any other way—her delicate features were more prominent, her eyes bigger and bluer. She wasn’t one of those gorgeous, made-up women, but that was more Nick’s type than his. Rather, she was pretty in a way that was all natural, her complexion soft and smooth with a hint of pink from the light blush sweeping across her cheeks.
She absently ran her tongue along her bottom lip, her clear, sky-blue eyes taking in his appearance just as openly. “Good evening, Officer Kincaid.”
Officer Kincaid. He liked the way that sounded in her soft, husky tone. His dick liked it, too, and he suddenly wanted to hear that breathless voice in a much more intimate setting. Like his bedroom. Preferably with her naked, restrained, and begging him for what she wanted and needed.
Another surge of awareness hummed through his body, and he wiped those sexy thoughts from his mind before they got him in trouble. “Hi, Sarah,” he said, smiling at her. “How are things tonight?”
“Quiet and slow,” she replied with a small shrug. “You’re the first customer I’ve had in the past hour.”
“Where’s Robby?” he asked as he casually glanced around the front end of the store for the guy who usually worked the night shift with her. Knowing that she wasn’t completely alone and vulnerable to any asshole who might come into the store had always made Levi feel marginally better.
She shifted on her feet. “He went home about a h
alf hour ago. He wasn’t feeling well and said he felt like he was coming down with the flu. The last thing I need is to catch whatever he’s got, so I told him to leave.”
The crime rate in this lower-income part of the city was significant, with late-night marts being a prime source of robberies. He frowned at her, his protective instincts automatically rising, though they felt a helluva lot stronger when it came to her safety than just a cop’s concern. “So you’re here all by yourself?”
“Yes,” she said with an amused laugh.
When he crossed his arms over his chest and didn’t crack a smile, she realized how serious he was about the situation.
“It’s really not a big deal, Levi,” she rushed to assure him. “There’s only twenty minutes left until graveyard shift comes in and relieves me and I can go home. I’m not going to be here by myself for much longer. And it’s not like we have a mad rush of customers tonight.”