er if she let her impulsive reaction to Tommy’s presence get her into even more trouble. She was lost, she was tired, and the two protein bars she ate were barely a snack.
Plus, the two coffees. Oh, was she regretting those now. If she didn’t find Ophelia and soon, she was going to have to find a private bush in order to relieve herself.
She was bouncing on the edge of her seat, grateful at least that she had half a tank of gas left, when she saw a car heading toward her. Finally! Even if they couldn’t help her, it was pretty nice to know she wasn’t the only one out on these roads. She’d been beginning to doubt that anyone actually lived here.
Grace slowed her car to a stop, trying to come up with the best way to flag the other driver down. To her surprise, once she stopped, so did the other car. And that’s when she saw the dim red and blue lights on the roof of the car and realized that she hadn’t stumbled across another motorist.
It was a police cruiser. She found a damn cop.
Okay, then.
The red and blue lights came to life, flashing brightly, causing her to wince and glance away. With a flick of her wrist, she flashed hers back. Hopefully, the officer recognized a cry for help when they saw one.
Her fingers trembled against the steering wheel as the cruiser’s door opened. Ever since Officer Daniels’ “accident”, Grace steered clear of the police. They’d never been able to help her anyway, and knowing she was putting someone in Tommy’s path made her leery of asking anyone for help.
A rueful smile tugged on her lips. Tommy really did a number on her. To think she was this apprehensive when it came to asking someone for something as simple as directions. As antsy as she suddenly was, she almost wanted to jam her foot down on the gas and speed off before the cop could come to her side.
It was good that she got out of Dayton while she had the chance. Between the flowers, the heart, and the coffee, Grace wasn’t sure she would’ve found the strength to get away from her obsessive stalker if he got to her before she got out.
The police cruiser’s door slammed shut, a bulky shadow of a man clomping his way over to her side of the car. As he crossed in front of his beaming headlights, she caught sight of the beige uniform shirt, the dark pants, the black radio on his tapered waist, the gun holster, and the gleaming handcuffs that jangled as he strode purposely toward her.
Definitely a cop.
It’ll be fine, she assured herself. It wasn’t like she was telling the officer about Tommy. She just wanted to find Lucas’s sister’s place before she dropped.
She pasted on a smile as the officer stopped outside her door and, with his knuckles, rapped gently against the glass of her window.
“Evening, miss. Anything I can help you with?”
Her smile slid from her face. Whoa. Big. He was big—
No. Huge.
Even though he was bending over so that he could peer into the window, Grace still had to tilt her head up slightly so that she could see his face.
Her breath caught in her throat.
The man wasn’t beautiful, not in the way that men with perfect features like Lucas De Angelis or some of the male dancers she worked with were. She wasn’t even sure she would use the word handsome for him. But, God, if he wasn’t one of the most attractive guys she’d ever seen…
From his sharp jaw and the dark stubble that shadowed it to the slightly crooked nose that looked like it was chiseled out of granite, he exuded a rugged sort of masculinity that snagged her attention and had her momentarily speechless.
She couldn’t really pinpoint why. His dark eyes were ordinary, his hair a muddy sort of brown. Still, there was something about him. Maybe the hint of a dark curl peeking out from behind his ear? It was the smallest whisper of softness to a big man who looked like he chewed nails for breakfast.
He was commanding, striking, and, if things were different, she might’ve thrown up her wrists and begged to be taken to jail.
But things weren’t different. And Grace knew then that she was in even more trouble than before.
Her finger slipped to the automatic lock. She pressed it quickly, hoping the cop didn’t notice, then moved back to the window button. It eased down silently, stopping when there was about a three-inch gap between the edge of the glass and the rim of her car. Enough that she could speak to him and hear him clearly, but not so much that he could reach inside of her car and grab her.
Or that she could give in to the sudden urge to reach out and stroke that curl.
This time, when she called her smile back, it was more of a struggle. Because she wanted to smile, and she knew she shouldn’t, and the poor guy was already glancing down at her in concern, wondering what the hell was wrong with her.
Grace wished she didn’t know.
Did she think Tommy screwed her up when she was afraid to ask a police officer for help? That was nothing compared to the emotions running through her at that moment. That first gut punch of attraction gave way to absolute horror in a heartbeat. In the seven months since she ran from Tommy, there was only one man she found extremely good-looking and since Lucas De Angelis was a happily married man, she wasn’t afraid to admit that.
But to acknowledge that one look at this gruff, stony Hamlet cop had her feeling a spark—something she would’ve thought was impossible after everything Tommy put her through—was downright terrifying. She’d always thought Tommy’s claims that he fell in love at first sight with her were as crazy as everything else he did.