“Somethin’ like that.” His face gave away nothing.
He didn’t like this line of questioning, but she didn’t care. She found it appalling that women were used like that. “Please tell me they aren’t being paid.” Because that would make a bad situation actually illegal.
“Ain’t bein’ paid.”
“So, they do it because you all are just so great in bed.”
“Ain’t just about sex, Jet.”
“But sex is a big part of it.”
He avoided meeting her eyes. That was her answer. They were like badge bunnies. Women—and sometimes men—who chased cops and, for some reason, wanted one—or many—of their very own. However, a lot of them ended up being passed around like candy because no one wanted to settle down with someone who had also done half the force.
These sweet butts had to be similar. In this instance, they chased bikers instead.
“If your club has sweet butts why do you want me? Why do you keep breaking into my apartment? You have available and willing women at your disposal. Women who aren’t tempted to plug a .38 hollow point into you center mass.”
His nostrils flared. It was only a slight movement, but she caught it. She wasn’t sure if it was due to the fact that she mentioned shooting him or because of what he said next.
But what he said next made her heart tumble within her chest and slapped her upside the head with the realization that something had changed somewhere when she least expected it.
“You ain’t them,” he said simply.
“Well, no shit—”
“They ain’t you.”
She closed her mouth and swallowed any words that had been on the tip of her tongue. In fact, she totally forgot what they had been.
They ain’t you.
“I don’t understand,” she whispered. But, holy shit, she understood.
She understood all right.
Those orgasms really did transport her to some alternate universe. Because the two of them were barreling down a track they could not, should not, travel, especially in the boxcars life had assigned each of them.
While the sex had been great, it couldn’t be anything more than that. And it really shouldn’t happen again since it never should’ve happened in the first place.
The threat of the train derailing was very real. They came from two completely different worlds. Between work and her family, she lived and breathed the police culture.
He lived his life the exact opposite. His whole life he couldn’t give a shit about the law. He’d proven that time and time again. He probably committed a crime daily, even by simply smoking pot, and didn’t give a shit he did so. All it would take was one misstep for his parole officer to throw him back in prison to finish off his current sentence.
And would he learn from that time spent behind bars? Hell no. Because he hadn’t learned any of the other multitude of times he’d been arrested and had his freedom ripped away for doing something stupid.
Rook did what he wanted and didn’t give a flying fuck. That’s how he lived his life. That wasn’t how she lived hers.
Even the simple act of being in bed with him risked her career. Risked her livelihood. Risked her relationship with her family.
All of it could go up in a cloud of pot smoke, leather and Harleys.
Her life did not revolve around good sex, it was simply a perk. And, yes, he was great at it but that was all.
What had happened in her apartment with Rook could never go any farther than physical attraction and similar sexual tastes. It couldn’t, even if they wanted it to.
Not one of his brothers would accept a cop within their midst and she doubted anyone except Teddy would accept a man like Rook within the Brysons’ world.
It just wouldn’t work. It could never work.
They didn’t even like each other, for shit’s sake.
This was all too much for her over-tired brain to process. The middle of the night was not a time to break down and analyze what was currently happening or those three words he said.
Without bothering to give her an explanation to what he meant by those three powerful words, he rolled out of bed. She was relieved he was finally leaving and she could go back to sleep and think about this at another time. Or never.
Yes, never sounded better.
But he walked right past his discarded jeans and underwear, out her bedroom and within seconds, she heard her bathroom door shut across the hallway.
Maybe if she ignored him he’d go away.
But it was hard to do that when he sauntered back into the room like he belonged there. She shouldn’t be so damn shallow but his body alone was enough for her to invite him back into her bed.
However, like normal, he didn’t wait for any invite. He came back with a clean cock and a tin in his fingers. Without a word, he settled on the bed next to her and leaned back against her headboard, opened the tin in his naked lap and pulled out a joint.