“Not that it’s any of your business, but I have the locksmith coming today.”
He nodded. “Good. That should take care of it.”
I expected him to leave, but he stood there watching me instead. Something about the way he was looking at me was making me nervous.
“What?” I asked belligerently.
He stepped closer, until only a few inches separated us. It forced me to lift my head to meet his gaze. His eyes looked almost...tender.
“Have dinner with me.”
I reared back in shock. “What?”
“I’m asking you out.”
“That sounded like ordering, not asking.”
His lips twitched like he wanted to smile but didn’t know how. Gruff was clearly his default setting.
“Evie, would you please have dinner with me?” he asked again.
I shook my head and stepped around him, ignoring the part of me that was thrilled by his invitation.
“No. Thanks for asking but I’m not interested.”
My body had a different opinion, but I was using my head for once. Yay me. I’d dated a lot since my divorce, and had a lot of fun, but I knew instinctively that there was no way I could have my usual “one and done” with this man.
There was something about him that was way too appealing, despite his annoying personality. Jake had been occupying my thoughts ever since the first day I laid eyes on him, and I didn’t like that. Not at all. The last thing I wanted was to let some guy have space in my head. The last time I’d done that I’d found myself divorced, unemployed, and broke.
I stalked out of the storeroom and Jake followed me back into the store, a little closer than I was comfortable with. I swear he was close enough that I could feel the heat of his body across my back. I stopped and turned on my heel to face him.
“Hey Chief, ever hear of personal space?” I waved my hands between us. “I like a three foot bubble at all times.”
He stepped back but continued to stare at me in a way that a bit unnerving. It felt like he could look right into my head, which was a ridiculous thought.
“You don’t feel this attraction between us?” He waved at the space between us, as if to highlight the energy shimmering between us. “I can’t be the only one feeling this.”
“I don’t date cops,” I answered, sidestepping the question.
One eyebrow raised. “Now this is a story I’d love to hear.”
“Too bad. I need to get ready to open the store now, so if you don’t mind...well, you know where the door is.”
“Call me if anything else happens. You don’t have to handle this all by yourself.”
When I didn’t respond, he stalked back towards me, his face set in that stern look that every cop perfected by the time they left the academy.
“Evie.”
“Chief.” I mimicked.
“I’ll check on you later,” he growled. He turned to leave, and I was absolutely not watching the fabric stretch across the muscles of his ass. Not at all.
I was cranky as hell when I got up the next morning. I’d gotten totally immersed in this month’s book club book, ‘The Mystery of Cedar Cove’.
The book really pulled you in. I read so much that I could usually figure out who the criminal was early on in any book, but not this one. It had a lot of twists and turns as well as some hot as hell sex scenes between the main female sleuth and the hot cop who wanted her off the case. By the time I finally went to bed I was just as confused about the crook as I had been when I started reading.
It had to be because of the book that I’d had a vivid sex dream about Chief Jake Wilson. There was no other reason.