“Don’t tell him I told you this, but right after Lily, Julian started seeing this chick. It was going well, until she invited him over for a hot pocket. He assumed she meant the frozen kind you eat.” He chuckles. “Let’s just say it wasn’t a meal she had spent all day prepping.”
“Oh God, I’m going to be sick,” I mutter, laughing.
“Yeah that was pretty much his reaction, too.” He laughs. “My point is, always keep yourself open to new possibilities.”
“After that story, I’m not sure I want to.” I shudder. “But thank you for your career advice. Maybe if the whole cop thing fails, you can become a career advisor?” I suggest sweetly.
“Hey, that’s a great idea,” he says. “That video really embarrassed you, didn’t it?”
His serious tone makes me want to give him an honest answer.
“It’s more the fact that she sent it out to every single person on her contact list.” I sigh. “People I have to now go home and face.”
He laughs. “But you faced me. If you can do that, then the rest will be easier. You need to stop worrying about what other people think or it’s going to rule your life. Loosen up.”
“And let me guess, you’re just the person to loosen me up?”
He laughs loudly. “I thought I’d already done that. But seriously, when was the last time you did something really unexpected?”
“Um, singing the song I wrote for you when I was fourteen?” I remind him. “Not even four days ago?”
He laughs. “That doesn’t count. And anyway, so what if you made a fool of yourself. You looked hot doing it.”
“Why doesn’t it count?” I ask.
“Because Lily did the text fail. Not you.”
“But I made it in the first place,” I remind him. “That has to mean something, right?”
When he doesn’t say anything I speak up again. “Fine then. What are you suggesting?”
His eyes twinkle. “Karaoke?”
I snort. “Ha. Nice one. I’d rather marry you through a drive thru, manned by Elvis. That wasn’t a proposal, by the way.”
“No, it sounded more like an insult.” He chuckles. “Don’t rush to correct me, or anything.”
“If we do ever end up getting married, you just know our wedding has to be a karaoke reception in the middle of Vegas, right?” He grins.
“That we fly to?” I tease.
“No thank you.” He grins at me. “Speaking of which, how are you getting home? Can I tempt you into a road trip?”
“I don’t know,” I tease. “Who in their right mind would drive the seventeen hours home?”
He shakes his head. “You’d have to be crazy …”After dinner, we head back to the hotel.
“Any word on Alberto and Louis?” I ask him.
“They’re pleading guilty. I have no idea on sentencing, other than it will be a lot.”
I shake my head, I still can’t believe how well this all worked out. He takes my hand as he opens the door and smiles at me. We go inside his room and I stand there awkwardly, my heart racing. Why do I feel so nervous? Maybe it’s because he’s a cop, or because it might be our last night together? I shiver.
He’s a cop. All that control. And force…
“So,” I say. “You’re a cop.”
He smiles at me. “I thought we’d established that already?” He smiles.
“We did. I just had a few questions.”
“Like …?” he prompts.
“Like do you have any handcuffs?”
He laughs and pulls me closer. “Actually, I do.” He grins at me and leads me over to his bed. “And they just happen to be in that drawer.”
“Convenient,” I say with a grin.
He leans over and kisses me. I groan, my heart racing at the feel of his touch. He kisses my neck, then slips a finger into my panties, pushing it deep inside me. I groan as I ride his hand, my body tensing as he works me.
And then I stop. My ears have to be deceiving me. My eyes widening in shock.
Oh no he didn’t.
“Are you freaking kidding me?” I growl. I sit bolt upright and glare at him as he walks over to the couch, my cheeks going red as his phone continues to ring. “You set it as your ringtone?”
“What?” he asks with a laugh. “Oh, you mean this?” He shrugs. “At least I’ll never wonder again if it’s my phone ringing.”
I launch myself off the bed and stalk over to him. He laughs as I try to wrestle it off him. He’s stronger than me, so he easily has me pinned against the couch, leaving me out of breath and even more annoyed. I glare at him, my heart pounding.
“If anything, you should be flattered.”
He smirks at me and holds my hands above my head, his body pressing against mine. He stares at me, the corner of his mouth twitching into a grin as he inches closer to me. Close enough that I can feel his warm breath rushing past my lips. I reach down, rubbing him through his jeans. I smile as he starts to stiffen and press my lips against his.