“Hi, yourself.” He waited for her to start her litany of excuses.
&
nbsp; “I—” She sighed. “I tried not to come here, but I couldn’t help it. I was sitting here wondering if I had the courage to see you again.”
He watched her for a long moment, looking for any hint of a lie. Of course she was just spying, but from the electrical current that seemed to be zinging between them, she was still sexually attracted to him. Had she fantasized about him fucking her ass?
“How did you find out where I live?” he finally asked, resigning himself to lusting after her like a pathetic prepubescent boy even though he was angry and adrenalized to have found her spying on his house. She was getting too close for comfort. Could he fuck her hard enough to make her forget where he lived?
She bit her lip, looking completely adorable, but having drawn his attention to her mouth, he was far too aware of how close it was to his cock. Her glance dipped down to his athletic shorts as though she was having the same thought. She stared for a moment, then dragged her gaze back up to his face.
“I asked Austin for your address.”
“That prick.”
“Don’t be mad at him,” she blurted. “I . . . insinuated that I wanted to . . . surprise you.”
He sighed. “I should really call the cops on you for stalking me.” How would she handle that threat?
“What? No!” Her eyes were wide and panicked, and her face was a fiery red even in the low light. “I’ll go now and leave you alone. I promise.”
“It’s really too late for that, Mila,” he said, letting a low menace tinge his words.
She licked her lips. “Let me make it up to you somehow?” Either she was a good actress or she really did still want him. He guessed the latter but maybe it was wishful thinking.
His laugh was short and humorless. “By giving me something I know you want anyway? Not exactly a sacrifice.”
She stared down at the steering wheel. “It was a little weird for me to show up like this, I’ll admit, but I didn’t think it was completely out of line.”
“I don’t tolerate presumption well.”
She nodded. “I’ll go.” When she went to shut her door, he stopped her. A gust of wind swirled around him, tugging at his shorts and drying the sheen of sweat on his skin. She still wasn’t meeting his gaze. Maybe she was trying to decide exactly how badly she wanted a break in her case.
“Park in the driveway,” he ordered. “I want a swim and while I’m doing that, you and I are going to have a conversation.”
“Am I . . . going to like this conversation?”
“Probably not, since I’m going to punish you. You’re free to leave now, or you can take your punishment like a good girl.”
Her gaze moved back to his, nervous but trying to mask it. “Punish me? How?”
“I haven’t decided yet. You have a safeword, though, and I’m not a hard-core sadist,” he mused. “Although I guess that would be a matter of perspective.”
She nodded and started the car. “Okay. I’m not chicken.”
He gestured for her to go, and she pulled past him, her taillights glowing almost as red as her face had been moments before. Would she turn into the driveway, or gun it down the road back to the highway?
Driveway.
He had the urge to gloat silently to himself, but then reality set in. Mila wasn’t just a woman, she was a cop. The only reason she was staying was to pump him for information. After that phrase crossed his mind, though, he was obligated to imagine her pumping him for other things.
Standing on the dark, deserted road, he rolled his eyes. Such a fucking loser. She wasn’t his only prospect for getting laid, but she was the only one he wanted. The fact that he couldn’t have her was probably part of the allure. Hopefully it was just that. He couldn’t afford for it to be more.
By the time he reached her car, which was parked behind his Mustang, she’d parked and turned it off. He opened the driver’s side door and handed her out.
She didn’t pull her hand away, and he led her around the side of the house to the backyard.
“Wow,” she breathed when she caught sight of the pool and deck area. “This is nice.”