Officer off Limits (Line of Duty 3)

“Okay.” She nodded. “That’s fair.”

He fell silent for a minute and she sensed a change in his mood. Reaching down, she took one of his hands in hers, squeezing it. His lips brushed over her shoulder.

“Story, what I said earlier. There’s no excuse.” He buried his face in her hair, inhaling deeply. “I can’t force you to belong to me.”

Something shifted in her chest at the desolation in his voice. Her heart rebelled fiercely at the thought of him harboring guilt or sadness over anything that happened between them. He’d just freed something inside her she hadn’t known existed, and there wasn’t room for anything else. She wanted him here in this moment with her, happy. She just wanted him happy.

The intensity of her feelings rattled her a little. How unlikely was it that days after being dumped by her fiancé, she would find someone who could pluck anger, sadness, lust, and joy from her at will? Did the poor timing make it any less real? This being her first breakup, maybe she was simply rebounding but couldn’t recognize her impulsive behavior for what it was? Banishing the troubling notion, she turned in his lap and tucked her head under his neck. She didn’t speak, just let him hold her, trying to keep her runaway thoughts at bay.

Eventually, she sat up and pulled her clothes back on. After watching her dress for long, silent moments, he followed suit, refastening his pants. She crawled over the console into the passenger seat while he got out and slid into the driver’s side. As he turned the keys in the ignition, an excited voice emanating from the car radio filled the silence.

“Ladies and gentlemen, if you are just joining us or like everyone else, turned off your television sometime during the fifth inning, the Mets have staged the comeback of the decade this evening against the San Diego Padres, coming back from a ten-to-nothing deficit to win by a five-run lead. Folks, you had to see it to believe it…”

Mouth dropping open in shock, she turned to find Daniel looking at the car stereo with undisguised ecstasy on his face, sending her into a laughing fit.

“No way.”

“You know what this means, don’t you?”

“I know, I know.” She threw up her hands. “A picture of me in a Mets jersey.”

“No. Well, yes. But it also means, we have to make this a tradition. Parking lot nookie. Every game, no exceptions. As a lifelong fan, I owe it to the team. This comeback was all us.”

“Right. They sensed our sex mojo from the field.”

“Laugh all you want. I’m onto something.”

“You’re certifiable.”

Daniel pulled his hat from her purse and placed it on his head with a flourish. “Certifiably genius.”

Turning toward him in her seat, she frowned. “Wait, I seem to recall the parking lot nookie being my idea.”

He shrugged, a smile tugging the corners of his lips. “Sure, baby. It was your idea.”

Story flopped back against her seat, trying to maintain her frown and failing. God, the man was way too sexy for her peace of mind. “Take me home, you conceited jackass.”

Laughing, he put the car in drive and headed toward the exit.

Chapter Fourteen

Outside Jack’s apartment, Daniel stood behind Story, watching as she unlocked the door.

Taking advantage of her diverted attention, he let his gaze skim up her arm, over the curve of her neck to the sensitive spot beneath her ear. He could lean in now and kiss it, maybe lift the edge of her tank top and graze the taut skin of her belly with his fingers. He’d be inside her before they even made it to the bedroom. She would wrap her welcoming legs around his hips and urge him on, all breathy and flushed, calling his name.

But he wouldn’t allow himself any of it. Any of her.

On the ride back to Manhattan, he’d realized something that had disconcerted the hell out of him. There would be no more Mets games. Despite his attempt to lighten the mood with his impulsive petition for regular parking-lot loving, Jack would be out of the hospital next week and Story would start making plans to return home, three thousand miles away.

Daniel didn’t consider himself a selfish man, but when it came to the girl standing in front of him, he’d learned just how much of a greedy bastard he could be. She deserved someone far better than him, but the very idea of her with another man fucked with his head, so he expelled the thought before they had a replay of his earlier episode over the roses. Right or wrong, he simply didn’t think he was honorable enough to let her go.

If they continued in their current vein, she would likely chalk up her two weeks in New York with Daniel to a hot summer fling, nothing more. He couldn’t let it happen.

The lock turned in the door with a click and Story pushed it open. Daniel followed her inside, closing the door behind him and sliding the dead bolt, buying himself time to repress the urge to back her against it and…

Deep breath, Chase. You negotiate hostage situations for a living—this should be a piece of cake. You can have one normal conversation with her that doesn’t end in sex.

Daniel turned from the door just as she slid her arms around his neck and stood on her toes to bring their mouths even. He closed his eyes defensively, knowing if he looked into those twin blue-green pools, he’d be lost. Every ounce of resolve he’d mustered would fly out the window and they’d be back at square one. But instead of blocking out her image, he saw Story in his traitorous mind’s eye, arms twined around his neck, those toned calf muscles flexing as she stretched to kiss him. When she tipped her head back, long blond hair would tumble down her back to brush the top of her waist.

With an agonized groan, Daniel placed his hands on her hips and set her away. She looked up at him with confusion and a hint of insecurity in her eyes, doing crazy things to his brain. How she could harbor insecurities when he wanted to kneel at her

feet and pledge his fealty blew his mind. If he didn’t say what needed saying soon, she would end up underneath him on the floor, where he would banish every insecure thought swirling in her head.

Just say it. “Story, I want you to stay.” She looked puzzled by his statement. With a shake of his head he tried again. “I’m asking you to stay. Here. Through the end of the summer. Would you do that?”

She went still. “What? Wh-where is this coming from?”

“Please don’t act like there’s not a good reason for me to ask.” He took a deep breath. “There’s something between us and I’m asking you not to leave before we find out what it is.” Even as he attempted to convince Story to stay, part of him wanted her to say no. It would be the right decision for her. She would need more than sex, and he’d never needed or wanted to provide anything beyond physical pleasure for a woman. He didn’t know the first thing about dating a girl like Story.

One battle at a time. If he could just get her to stay, to give him some more time, he would make damn sure he figured it out.

“We’ve known each other less than a week,” she responded, shaking her head as if to clear it.

“I know it’s fast, but I don’t have a choice. You could pack up and leave at any time.” Yanking the hat off his head, he dragged his fingers through his hair. “If I let you leave without making damn certain there’s nothing I can do to keep you here, I’m going to regret it. In fact, regret doesn’t even begin to cover it.”

His words stunned her, Daniel could see it clearly on her face. Her attention shot down to the floor. She looked uneasy, as if she wanted to say something but didn’t know how.

“Daniel…”

“What is it?” He took a step toward her, stooped down to meet her eyes. “If there’s something preventing you from even considering the idea, I need to know so I can fix it.”

“It’s just…you don’t seem like the one-woman type.”