I was uncomfortably aware of the fact that he was still hard. Moving my hand to his crotch, I rubbed and whispered, “Do you need something?”

Lee groaned but grabbed my hand, stopping my movement. “As much as it pains me to say this, I’ll be okay.”

Staring at him, I watched his Adam’s apple as it bobbed in his throat, and I knew it really had taken a lot for him to say no. I wondered why all of a sudden he wanted the night to be over. Dark shadows flickered in his expression, and I knew he had other things on his mind. Things that hadn’t been there earlier tonight. It was the guy who’d been standing outside his car; something about the whole encounter had been just downright off.

My voice was quiet when I asked, “Do you have a lot of enemies, Lee?”

He turned back to me, his face intense as he answered, “It comes with the territory, Karla.”

***

It didn’t take me long to fall asleep that night, but the next morning when I woke up, everything came crashing down on me like a tonne of bricks. I couldn’t believe what I’d done, couldn’t believe I’d given in so easily. I may not have been the strongest woman in the world, but I’d always prided myself on living my life by a firm set of principles. Then Lee came along and threw a bomb on my rules, reducing them to a pile of meaningless rubble.

Now I wasn’t sure I had it in me to resist him, but really, it was all my fault. I never should have started texting him so regularly. It had allowed me to get to know him, but, more importantly, it had allowed him to get under my skin.

Seeing him in the club last night after interacting with him remotely for so long had felt drugging; I’d been completely under his spell.

Anyhow, at least I had the day off and could take some time getting my head around everything. Alexis and I went grocery shopping, and then we caught a movie and got gelato on the way home. If my best friend hadn’t been so wrapped up in her own problems, I was sure she would have noticed there was something wrong with me. I’d deliberately left my phone off all day, telling myself it was because I wanted to go unplugged for a while. The truth was, I was afraid of Lee calling, and even more afraid of the fact that I wouldn’t be able to resist answering.

Remembering the man standing beside his car the night before, I knew I had to stop this before I got in too deep. He had enemies, and if any of them discovered Lee was conducting a relationship with a cop, it wouldn’t end pretty for either one of us.

Several days passed and I was back to work, finding a strange sort of relief in keeping busy. Tony and I were sent on call after call, from burglaries to street muggings to road accidents. We’d just pulled up outside a high-end clothing boutique, where a young woman was being held after a shop assistant caught her trying to steal some lingerie.

“You want to take this one?” Tony asked, shifting uncomfortably in the passenger seat.

“Hey, I took the lead on the last call, and I need a break. You should go in. Fair’s fair.

He frowned. “Fine. I’ll be back in a few.”

Getting out, he slammed the car door, disgruntled, and made his way inside the boutique. Picturing him having to question the woman on the nature of the items she’d stolen made me grin, and I realised it had been my first proper smile in days. My phone chimed in my pocket and I pulled it out, finding a message from Alexis asking if I could grab milk on my way home.

I’d received a number of calls and messages from Lee, but nothing in the last two days. After I’d consistently ignored him, perhaps he’d given up. A guy like Lee didn’t need to pine after any woman; I was sure there were harems just waiting for a chance to keep his bed warm. All of a sudden, my grin faltered and I found myself frowning. I rubbed my thumb across the screen, scrolling through the texts he’d sent and feeling forlorn. I wanted him, but this was for the best. As I’d said, nothing good could come of us being together.

It was just as I was sliding the phone back in my pocket that I heard the car door open and Tony climbed inside.

“That was quick,” I said, lifting my head. When I saw who’d entered the car, all thought fled my mind. It wasn’t Tony. It was Lee. How the hell had he found me here?

I swallowed thickly, a bunch of gobbledygook coming out of my mouth, “You…ah…what the…huh?”

Lee didn’t smile at my fluster, but instead he stared forward, his lips set in a firm line as he slammed the door closed. He didn’t say a word as I gaped at him, and when the silence became too much, I finally managed to ask, “What are you doing here?”

His eyes slid to the side. “You’ve been ignoring my calls, so I had to get creative.”

“Uh-huh, and how did you know where I was? Just happened to be in the neighbourhood, did you?”

One eyebrow rose sardonically. “Nah, I had to bust out the old police scanner.”

I sputtered a laugh but went silent when he shot me a serious look. “You’re not joking.”

“Nope.”

I sat up straighter. “Well, be that as it may, you need to go. Tony will be back any minute, and if he sees you here, it won’t take him long to put two and two together.”

Lee bristled, working his jaw. “Do I look like I give a fuck?”

His question angered me as I twisted in my seat to glare at him. “Well you should give a fuck! If you have any feelings for me at all, you’d care whether or not I lost my job.”

His expression softened, and he seemed remorseful for his flippancy. “It’s not like they can fire you for having a sex life, Karla.”