She made him want to abolish them.
Chapter 2
In desperate need of an escape and to breathe air that was far away from Maddox, Joss left the partygoers behind and strode along a lighted pathway next to the outdoor bar that led somewhere. Truth be told, it didn’t matter where it led. Anywhere was better than being near Maddox’s pulsing energy that made her mind a damn circus.
An hour. That’s all it had taken for her to do what she’d sworn she wouldn’t do—melt in his goddamn presence. She’d let herself feel all the passion he embodied and allowed herself to remember the way he’d made her feel that night at the bar. Sexy. Desirable. Alive.
Dear God, she wanted to experience all of it again. Over and over until she was sweaty, exhausted, and completely satisfied.
As she strode along the pathway, the chill of the breeze created goose bumps on her arms, and she hugged herself, rubbing them away. The voices behind her grew quieter, the relief she’d been looking for. She needed to think. She needed to put Maddox behind her. She needed to look at him like her lieutenant, not the man who’d given her the hottest night of her life. One she simply couldn’t forget.
He seemed to be capable of that, always seeming so professional, so why couldn’t she?
Careful not to slip on the rocky ground in her two-inch heels, she recalled how much she’d changed after that night in the bar. She hadn’t been the same because she missed the way Maddox had made her feel, which made her regret agreeing to the one-night stand plan. Even if she didn’t want a relationship, she for sure wanted to bone him again.
From time to time, she’d wondered if maybe it’d been the one-night-stand fantasy that had caused her mild obsession with him, but she knew that couldn’t be true. She still felt drawn to him in ways she couldn’t explain—an entire year later. Every night in those quiet moments before sleep took her, she thought of him…his touch…his passion…his rawness.
She rubbed her arms again, warming her skin, knowing he’d ruined her for any other man. No one compared. Sure, she’d tried to go on a couple of double dates with Emilia and Troy and Troy’s firefighter buddies, but none of them had that something special that Maddox possessed. No one even came close.
Now, like some punishment, she had to be near him when all she wanted to do was forget him. Her career mattered, she reminded herself firmly. She had to get past this. She had put all her focus into finishing at the top of her class, both in university while she’d obtained her criminal justice degree and in the police academy to stand out from the rest. She couldn’t fuck this up. Nor could she allow a sex scandal with her lieutenant to crumble her dreams of making detective in a few years. The last thing she needed was Maddox requesting that she transfer because of her inability to stop ogling him.
She heaved a long sigh when she discovered that the path stopped at a bench with a perfect view of Elliott Bay. The bright half moon lit up the sky, making the water glisten like black glass. She heaved an even longer sigh and dropped down onto the bench, staring out into the peaceful night. Off in the distance, lights sparkled off a couple of boats. Right as she glanced up to the starry sky, the sudden crack of a branch caused her to glance left.
Maddox stood at the end of the pathway a few feet from her, his hands shoved into the pockets of his pants. He wore a plain white T-shirt and jeans, but nothing about him was plain. His strong biceps, thick forearms, and powerful thighs standing out in the pale moonlight were all she could see.
Warmth began to flow rapidly through her veins, her nipples tightening into taut buds. She squeezed her thighs together, feeding pleasure to her clit. This was what he did to her. That simply. What no one else had done to her this past year. He harnessed something powerful that spoke to her on every level. He had the on/off switch, and she was basically just along for the ride.
He stared at her for a long time before addressing her. “Why did you leave? Is everything okay?”
God, she didn’t want to have to say it. Her heart began to race, and her palms grew sweaty. “Listen, I’m sorry I looked at you that way,” she said, lifting her chin and holding his stare. “I know it was wrong. It won’t happen again.”
He paused. Then, “You think I don’t like when you look at me like that?”
She swallowed deeply at his implication and in response to the low tenor of his voice. The same warm, sensual tone she’d thought of every night since she’d first heard him speak. Her mind began to spin, her body yearning for him to come closer. “Do you?”