Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
Stephanie rubbed a weary hand over her face. The Romantic Hearts book club meeting was in full-swing as she dropped off the second round of Screwdrivers. She wasn’t sure what book they were discussing, but it must have been a hot one. The ladies were animated and laughing loudly over a certain racy passage.
It was only seven o’clock, but she felt like she’d been on her feet for years rather than a few hours. She was still stewing over the parking ticket in her pocket. She’d never met a more arrogant, condescending police officer in her life. She had half a mind to storm over to the police department and file a complaint against Detective Nolan.
The only thing holding her back was that ultimately she had been wrong. She should have known better than to do something so stupid. Her day had been one long string of bad luck. It only stood to reason that the first time she’d ever double-parked in her life, she’d block in a freaking cop. Murphy’s Law was having a lot of fun at her expense.
She hadn’t told the other girls about the ticket upon returning to the bar because she was equal parts irritated and embarrassed. She’d just carefully stepped over the mat, put the liquor bottles on the counter and gotten to work.
Surprisingly Thursdays were pretty good days for them, business-wise. In addition to the book club meeting, there were quite a few regulars who came to have a drink or two and unwind with a newspaper or the newest novels.
Speaking of regulars, Stephanie took a detour to a chair in the corner. “You need me to freshen up your drink, Elias?”
Elias Clark was Books and Brew’s most loyal patron. He came in two nights a week—Thursdays and Saturdays—and he always followed the same routine. He’d claim his chair in the quietest corner of the shop, drink two scotch and sodas—never more than two—and read the newspaper. Then he’d find Jayne and she’d talk him into buying a new book.
“Thank you, Stephanie. I believe I am ready for my second glass.”
She picked up his empty tumbler and started to walk back to the bar, but Elias stopped her with a question. “You okay tonight? You seem tired. That’s not like you. You’re usually the life of this place.”
She smiled at his compliment and shrugged easily. “I’ve had a long day.”
A very long one , she thought.
“Perhaps you could take off early?” Elias suggested. “Go home and rest. I bet the other ladies wouldn’t mind covering for you.”
Stephanie glanced around the shop. Jayne was leading the book discussion, while Sophie and Jordan were helping various customers, either by finding books or serving drinks.
She shook her head. “Only a few more hours until closing time. I’ll be fine ’til then.”
Elias gave her a friendly smile and she felt grateful for his concern.
She was halfway to the bar when she spotted a familiar face walking through the front door. She stopped in her tracks. Detective Nolan sauntered in like he owned the place, and the temper she’d managed to subdue all afternoon flared hot once again.
He glanced around the bar quickly, looking over at the boisterous book group as he took a seat at the end of the bar. His gaze missed her completely.
Suddenly she felt as if the clouds on her lousy day had lifted and she’d been granted a bit of good fortune. She’d had hours to fume about the detective’s behavior and, as always happened, she’d thought of a million clever, cutting things she could have said to him after she’d driven away. She’d been pissed off about missing her opportunity.
A smile crossed her face. Time for round two.
She walked toward him.
As if sensing sudden danger, the detective turned, his gaze catching hers as she approached. She enjoyed the myriad emotions that covered his face in the few short steps it took her to reach him—surprise, annoyance, anger and, finally, was that regret? The last pulled her up short for a moment, then she drew near.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t De?—”
The detective grabbed her shoulders, pulled her toward him and cut off her words with a kiss that left her stunned motionless for a full thirty seconds.
What the hell?
She put her hands on his chest and tried to push him away, but the man was relentless. He turned his head slightly, his tongue brushing her lower lip. She gasped and he took advantage, opening her mouth even more for his beautiful assault.
Stephanie might be angry, but she appreciated a good kiss as much as the next woman, and it seemed a shame to interrupt the man when he was on a roll. Then she recalled the ticket and his rudeness. She shoved at his chest again, but he dipped his tongue in farther, the brief scent and flavor of peppermint on his breath making her mouth water.
Anger. Arousal. Those two emotions seemed to be in direct opposition and she was torn. Should she break the contact—and his neck—or hang on and enjoy the ride? For all his personality defects, the cop could work magic with his mouth. Holy wow.
He stroked her tongue with his, touching it with quick, teasing brushes. His hands moved from her shoulders to her face, cupping her cheeks, and Stephanie felt herself go molten, her panties suddenly wet. She was a sucker for a sexy kisser and a good face hold. God, she loved it when a guy touched her cheeks so sweetly.
After what felt like a few hours later, the detective pulled away, though his face was so close to hers, she could feel his hot breath on her skin. With a bit of distance between them, Stephanie’s wits began to return.
“Are you mental?” she whispered, too breathless to speak louder.
“No.”
His answer was too quick, too pat, too unsatisfying.
“You better have a damn good reason for doing that, Offi?—”
He covered her mouth with his again. Rather than repeating the initial, long, soul-searching kiss, this time it was harder, hungrier. The horny fool inside her returned the effort…with interest.
The next time he moved away, he spoke first. “Is there somewhere private where we can talk?”
She snorted. She couldn’t help it. “You just came in here and attacked me in my bar. I’m not about to go anywhere with you alone until you give me some answers.”
The detective sighed heavily and then looked around, first at the bar and then over his shoulder, through the plate-glass window facing the street. Stephanie noticed he hadn’t released her, and she was beginning to suspect it was to keep her in check.
For what?
“How about outside? The city street is private enough for our conversation, but public enough you don’t have to worry about me overpowering you and taking advantage.”
She heard the humor in his tone, but she also sensed there could be some truth to his admission. Of course, she wasn’t so sure she’d kick up much of a fuss should he try that overpowering thing.
She looked at his quiet, serious face and just like that, she knew she’d be perfectly safe with him. Damn it. “Street’s fine, but make it quick. I’m working.”
He grinned and her stomach lurched unsteadily at the sight. Detective Asshole, as she’d taken to thinking of him in her mind, was gorgeous. Stunningly so. With deep, rich-brown hair and eyes so dark they looked black, he also had a small cleft in his chin that added a bit of interest to his perfectly put-together face.
“You work here.” His words didn’t seem to be posed as a question so she didn’t answer. Instead, she followed him as he headed for the front door. He’d released her face, only to reach down and grasp her hand. She felt foolish and ridiculously happy to be holding his hand as they walked to the sidewalk, standing right outside Books and Brew. She noticed he was careful to make sure she was still in sight of her friends inside. She appreciated that small, thoughtful gesture.
So much for first impressions.
The detective was quickly becoming an enigma—asshole, sexy, arrogant, confusing. He pushed every button inside her and poked at every emotion. This was not good.
Jarod turned to look at the woman he’d issued a ticket to earlier in the day and forced himself not to gloat over her kiss-swollen lips. He’d come to the bar while shadowing his first suspect as a detective. When he spotted the double-parker, he knew he was in serious danger of having his cover blown.
When she started to speak, her voice about to loudly call him “detective”, he’d acted out of desperation, instinct and desire. Christ. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Stephanie Harper all day. He’d looked up her tag number as soon as he’d clocked into work. He’d found her name, address and the picture on her driver’s license. Her face had haunted him as he considered what a jerk he’d been.
“Well?” she prompted when he failed to speak. He shook himself. He must look like a jackass. He’d used the kiss to silence her, but the ploy had backfired. The pressure his now-erect cock was putting on the thick, unyielding material of his jeans was painful.
“Guess now I know why you bought all that liquor. I thought you were having a party.”
Jesus. As far as opening lines went, that was probably the dumbest of all time. He tried to will his hard-on away. His brain needed a bit more blood flow.
She gave him what he was coming to recognize as her standard what the fuck look, and he tried not to groan.
“I want to apologize for kissing you like that, but it was the quickest way I could think of to shut you up.”
“Oh my God. You really are insane.”
“No, wait,” he said, when she turned to walk away. “Let me explain.”
She crossed her arms accentuating the full breasts in her tight T-shirt. He wished she’d put them back down. She wasn’t making this very easy on him. Standing face-to-face, there was no way for him to covertly adjust his cock without her noticing.
“You have two minutes and then I’m going back inside. If you attempt to follow me, I’m calling for cops who aren’t fucking lunatics.”
“I’m undercover.”
“So?”
“So you were about to blow my cover by yelling out my name in there.”
“I was hardly yelling.”
He wanted to laugh because right now, she was definitely yelling. She had a rather boisterous way of speaking. He’d noticed it this morning when they stood outside. She wasn’t overly loud. She just had a strong, powerful voice. He bet her laughter was the same. Unfortunately, all he’d managed to provoke from her was disapproving scowls. And red-hot kisses. He could still taste her on his lips. The woman was sexy as hell.
“I’m on duty and it’s imperative that no one in the bar know my real profession. I was hoping to come in and have a quiet drink without drawing any attention to myself.”
Stephanie looked over her shoulder, peering through the window of the bar. “Who the hell could you be watching in there?”
He grinned at her curiosity. “I can’t tell you that.”
“So you’re undercover in my bar and you think the best way to silence me is to kiss me?”
He shrugged. She could act as annoyed as she wanted, but he knew better. “I didn’t hear you complaining.”
“You were holding my mouth hostage.”
He leaned closer, not sure why he enjoyed pushing her buttons so much. Something about her entire demeanor screamed of passion and fire and—God help him—sex.
“You weren’t exactly fighting me off. In fact, at one point, your tongue was in my mouth.”
“You annoy me, Detective Nolan.”
“Jarod.”
“What?”
“My name is Jarod, Stephanie.”
“Oh.” She frowned. “So you know my name. Trying to show off, Detective?”
“I needed to know what name to put on the ticket. You pulled away before I could ask to see your license and registration.”
His joke tweaked her temper and it amused him to see her get fired up. Truth was, he’d let her pull away. He’d known this morning, standing on the city street with her, he’d never turn the ticket in.
“My, my, my. You know, it seems to me you might want to tuck some of that cockiness away.” She glanced below his waist, and Jarod felt light-headed at her seductive look. There was no way she’d missed what he was packing in his jeans—and he didn’t mean his gun.
“Why’s that?”
“You want to come back into that bar to do your job, right?”
He nodded, narrowing his eyes. What was she playing at?
“You need my silence to do that.”
Blackmail. The conniving, manipulative, gorgeous woman was going to dicker for her silence.
“I think I’ve proven I know how to silence you.” He started to reach for her, intent on reclaiming her lips once more. He’d never had such an instant, insatiable attraction for a woman.
She took a large step back and shook her head. “That won’t work again.”
He moved forward. “I’m willing to try if you are.”
“Christ. Put the dog on a leash and listen up, Nolan. Tear up my parking ticket and you can set up a fucking tent in the middle of the bar for your undercover surveillance.”
He could have told her guilt over his holier-than-thou behavior wouldn’t allow him to turn the ticket in.
However, he didn’t feel like letting Stephanie off the hook so easily. She was far too much fun to talk to and tease.
“You know, as a law-abiding citizen, I would think you’d consider it your duty to remain quiet and allow me to do my job. Don’t you want me to keep the streets safe?” He enjoyed throwing her words back in her face. When her brown eyes darkened, he felt another surge of lust rumble through his body. He’d never been much of a one-night-stand guy, but it was taking all the strength in his body not to ask Stephanie back to his place.
Not that she would go. He was acting like a prick. Crap, time to stop teasing her.
“Actually, I believe it was pointed out to me earlier that I’m a criminal.”
“Now come on, Stephanie, you know I never said that.”
She placed her hands on her hips. “You implied it with all that illegal this, illegal that crap.”
He sighed. “I was an asshole earlier. I’m sorry for that.”
His sincerity appeared to take her aback and she tilted her head. He suspected she was trying to figure out his angle, his game.
“By earlier, do you mean the ticket or the kiss?”
“The kiss made me an asshole? I thought you liked it.”
She rolled her eyes, but he could tell she wasn’t angry any longer. “So you’ll tear up the ticket?” she asked hopefully.
“I never turned it in. I would have torn it up on the street in front of you, but you took off too quickly. Let’s just say I’d had a very bad day and you sort of caught the brunt of it.”
She laughed and his earlier suspicions were proven true—she had a loud, full-body laugh. He found it difficult not to join in, even though he wasn’t sure what she found so funny.
“Oh my God,” she said after several mirthful moments. “I think I’ll take your bad day and raise you one super-shitty one.”
“You too, huh?”
She smiled at him. “You have no idea.”
“What do you say we start over? I’m Jarod Nolan.” He reached out, offering his hand.
She took it—then surprised him by using the grip to pull him closer. “I’m Stephanie Harper and it seems to me we’re beyond the handshaking phase.”
Her words, as well as his hand in hers, drew him still closer. He bent, intent on placing another soft kiss on her lips. They were virtual strangers, but he’d have been hard-pressed to resist her allure. A gun pointed at his head couldn’t have kept him from stealing another kiss.
She met him halfway. Their lips touched briefly before the light went on for both of them. This wasn’t normal behavior. He pulled back as she took a step away.
“Sorry,” she muttered. “I’m not sure why?—”
He shrugged good-naturedly. “I’m not sure either, but it’s too good to fight.”
She chuckled and shook her head. “So you’re seriously on a case? There’s some bad guy in my bar right now as we speak?”
Now it was his turn to roll his eyes. Another woman enamored of the glamour of crime and detective work. Strangely enough, he didn’t mind it coming from Stephanie. She sounded more concerned about her business and the safety of the patrons.
He wasn’t sure how to burst her bubble. It was his first day in his new position and he’d been given a lame case. He was ninety-nine percent sure the person he was assigned to follow was innocent, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to do his job.
“There’s a suspect in the bar, but I don’t think anyone is in harm’s way. I’m just keeping an eye on things.”
She released a relieved breath. “Well, that’s good. I don’t suppose you can give me a hint of the type of crime we’re talking about here. It’s not a murder suspect, right?”
He grinned. “No murderers inside as far as I know.”
“Good. Tell you what. Why don’t you come back in and I’ll buy you a drink. I feel like celebrating a surprisingly good end to a horrible day.”
“Sounds great, but I think it would be better if you let me buy my own drink, a non-alcoholic one. We aren’t supposed to know each other and I’m on duty, remember?”
“Yeah, well, if we’re strangers, that kiss is going to be tough to explain. But we’ll try it your way. I’ve never seen you before.”
He followed her into the bar without replying. She didn’t feel like a stranger and God knew he didn’t want her to remain one. He would definitely be coming back to Books and Brew again, and next time, he would be off-duty.
As they entered the bar, Jarod noticed the book group was finished for the night. Several of the ladies were putting on their jackets, settling their tabs and gathering their things.
Two women approached Stephanie with big grins on their faces.
“So,” the older lady said, “are you going to introduce us to your new boyfriend, Stephanie?”
Stephanie was quiet for a moment and Jarod could see she was searching for an answer. It was clear the entire reading group had witnessed their make-out session by the bar.
“Jarod Nolan,” he said, wrapping his arm around Stephanie’s shoulders and pulling her closer.
Stephanie gave him her now-familiar WTF glance and he grinned.
“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friends, sweetheart?” he prompted.
“Um, this is Gladys and her niece, Carol. They’re part of the Romantic Hearts book club. They meet here every Thursday evening.”
“Ah, Romantic Hearts.” Jarod caught a glimpse of the books they were holding, and the purple cover with some Fabio-looking dude would have clued him into the genre if the group name hadn’t already. Both women were looking at him like he was a prime piece of meat, and he figured the book must have gotten them good and worked up. He’d clearly have to avoid Thursday nights at this bar.
“Tonight’s story was a pirate one, set in the Regency era. Simply wonderful,” Gladys gushed.
He nodded and tried to keep his thoughts to himself, an unnecessary effort when Stephanie spoke them aloud herself.
“Weren’t pirates dirty, smelly guys who never bathed and robbed people blind? How is that romantic?”
Jarod looked over at her and wondered if he’d met the woman of his dreams.
Gladys shook her head at Stephanie’s disdain. “Oh no, my dear. That’s not the point, is it? This is fiction, so pirates can be debonair, handsome, rough. All those amazingly fascinating things. The hero of this book was quite dashing, and the heroine was a spunky woman who gave him a run for his money.”
“Isn’t that the prerequisite for all romance books?” Stephanie’s deadpan tone was nearly his undoing, and Jarod coughed to cover up the laugh he had trouble stifling.
Gladys didn’t take offense at Stephanie’s observations, and Jarod got the sense this was a familiar conversation. “Ah, we’ll make a romantic of you one day, Stephanie. I haven’t given up on you. So what do you do for a living, Jarod?”
He smiled at the older woman and told his lie smoothly. “Well, I’m no pirate. Just a firefighter.”
“Oh, what an admirable profession.” Gladys’ eyes lit up, and Jarod wondered if she was picturing him as a hero suitable for one of her books.
Another woman joined their circle and Jarod felt Stephanie stiffen.
“Hey, Jayne,” Stephanie said. “This is Jarod. Um, we met at the liquor store and he popped in tonight to surprise me.”
“Oookay,” Jayne said, her gaze not leaving Stephanie. While Gladys and her niece were acquaintances, it was apparent Jayne was a good enough friend to be confused by Jarod’s overly familiar touch and the earlier kiss.
“He asked me out,” Stephanie said.
Jayne nodded. “That’s great. And you say you’re a firefighter, Jarod?”
Jarod confirmed her question with a short nod. “Gladys and Carol were just telling me about your book group.”
“Yep, the Romantic Hearts have been meeting every Thursday evening for over a year now,” Jayne said. “We keep trying to get Stephanie to join, but she seems to be missing the romance gene.”
Stephanie grinned. “I decided it was a better use of my time to get in the sex line twice and skip the mushy-gushy procession altogether.”
Jarod swallowed hard, fighting like crazy to keep down the erection he’d just managed to will away. Nothing worse than standing in a circle of women with a boner. Every word Stephanie said spoke straight to his libido. Unable to resist adding to her jest, he pulled her closer. “That’s very good information to have. What are you doing later tonight?”
The ladies laughed as Gladys shook her head. “Don’t encourage her. You know, Jarod, we’ve been trying to convince a gentleman to join the Romantic Hearts group. It would be fascinating to get the male perspective of the stories we read.”
A refusal was poised on the tip of his tongue, but two thoughts occurred to him. One, if he joined the club, he’d have another chance to see Stephanie, and two—as an afterthought—he remembered his suspect was a regular at Books and Brew. If he’d been any sort of decent cop, he would have thought of the case first, but his cock was currently acting as his brain. “I think that sounds like fun. I might be able to join you for one week. I’m usually on duty Thursday nights, but as luck would have it, I’m off next week. Of course, I’ll only join on one condition.”
It was clear he’d shocked all four women by indicating an interest in reading even one romance novel.
“What condition?” Jayne asked, her voice telling him she’d agree to just about anything, and Jarod knew he stood a good chance at getting his way.
“That Stephanie joins us next week as well. Sounds like we need to expose her to romance.”
“Forget it.” Stephanie tried to shrug off the arm he still had wrapped tightly around her shoulder, but he wouldn’t let her escape. Besides, he liked having her close, and noted how well she fit him. Cheryl had been petite, nearly a foot shorter than him. It had made kissing—and sex—challenging at times. Stephanie’s height was perfect for his six-foot-two frame, the top of her head even with his mouth. He wouldn’t have to bend at all to press a light kiss against her soft hair.
“Stephanie, please. It’s only for one week, and you know we’ve been trying to get a guy to join us for months.” Jayne’s plea was genuine.
“What about Elias?”
Jayne shook her head. “He won’t budge.”
Stephanie gave her friend an exasperated glance that turned malevolent when she looked at Jarod. He grinned. Seemed like someone didn’t like being trapped. Stephanie wasn’t going down without a fight, and it took all he had not to say, “bring it.”
“You may have next Thursday off, but I don’t. I’m tending the bar. If I’m in the group, who would make the Screwdrivers?”
A perky blonde, who was waiting tables, walked by at that exact moment. “I can make Screwdrivers. Who wants one?”
“Oh dear,” Gladys muttered.
“Not tonight, Sophie,” Jayne explained quickly. “Next week, Stephanie and her new friend Jarod are going to join the Romantic Hearts discussion. Do you think you could tend bar for an hour or so on your own?”
Sophie shrugged. “Sure. I mean, Stephanie will be close if someone orders anything too tricky. Might be fun to take over the party queen’s domain for a little while.”
“Party queen?” he asked.
Sophie giggled. “Stephanie is the ruling fun-maker around here. We all just follow her lead.”
“Very funny, Soph. I promised Elias a drink ages ago. Go pour it.”
“Oh,” Jayne said, perking up. “I’ll get it for him. I wanted to show him a new book that arrived this week.”
When Gladys took up Jarod’s cause, he knew the battle was won. “Carol, go grab two more copies of next week’s book. Oh my goodness, I can hardly wait for next Thursday.”
Carol arrived and thrust a book in his hands with a picture of a guy sporting six-pack abs and a gun.
“No pirate?” he teased.
“Next week’s story is a romantic suspense and it’s about a hot cop.”
Jarod closed his eyes to keep from rolling them as his earlier annoyance returned. He’d forgotten to add books to his list of things that romanticized his job.
Stephanie laughed. “Sounds perfect. I’m in. Might be nice to see a sexy cop for once.”
He opened his eyes and gave her a wicked grin that promised he’d show her a sexy cop right now if she wanted. Her eyes widened briefly before she gave him a smile that couldn’t be misconstrued as saying anything other than “come to mama”.
Game over. It was official. He wanted Stephanie Harper and he intended to bring her in. He’d pull out the cuffs if necessary. Hell, he’d pull them out regardless.