“Well, they’re not theonlysource. A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.”
“True.”
“That’s why vibrators were invented, after all. To make up for the shortcomings of men.”
I choke on my sip of water. Holy fuck.
“Shortcomings? That tells me you haven’t been with a talented enough guy in a while.”
“Nope. Not for about twenty years, give or take.”
We’re staring at each other, both of us breathing heavily. The door is open for me to make a move, but she’s not ready. Not the way I want her to be — emotionally, not just physically. When I get her back in bed, I want all of her. Heart, soul, body.
And I know I’ve made the right call when she turns to face the table and picks up her own water, drinking it all until the glass is empty.
“Can I have a taste?” I ask in a low, gravelly voice.
Serena lifts the bar out of the bakery box and holds it up to my mouth. I lean in, keeping my eyes trained on her and take a bite.
It’s delicious.
But I bet she would taste even better. Serena takes a bite, and sure enough, her eyes close and a soft moan escapes her.
The situation in my pants gets even harder. God, that sound. I missed that sound. I can feel my self-control slipping, but I’m saved by the squawk of the radio on my shoulder. It’s nothing important, just a check-in from an officer on patrol, but the heated moment between Serena and me is broken, nonetheless.
“I should probably head back to the station. I’ve got some calls to make and then a staff meeting in an hour,” I say, standing up and collecting our dishes before carrying them over to the kitchen.
Serena follows, and my body takes notice of how close she stands next to me. “Thank you for lunch.”
I shift slightly so that I can lean against the counter next to her, and gauging her reaction, slowly lift my hand up to tuck a few strands of hair behind her ear. “You’re welcome.”
I can see the desire brimming in her eyes, but it’s still laced with hesitation. Our flirting helped lower some of her walls, but she’s not there yet. I settle for moving my hand to the back of her neck and gently tugging her in close enough to lightly kiss her cheek.
“Have a good afternoon, Tippy.”
My restraint is rewarded by a quiet, feminine growl, and then Serena grabs my face and pulls my mouth down to meet hers. Our tongues tangle together instantly as she opens to me, meeting stroke for stroke. I wrap my hands around her waist and lift her up, her legs moving to wrap around my waist.
“Ouch.” She pulls back and we both look down. “It’s your, uh… ”
“My gun. Shit. Sorry.” Our foreheads drop together as we both laugh at the insanity of the moment. I turn us so that I can set her down on the counter. Careful of where my duty belt might hit her, I lean in and kiss her again, lingering over her lips. Her hands come up to play in my hair, but the beeping of the calendar alert on my phone interrupts us.
“That’s my cue. I really need to go,” I murmur. We separate and I lift my thumb to swipe across Serena’s swollen lips. “Fuck, you’re beautiful.” Her hands come to my chest and she pushes me back a step.
“You’re just saying that because I let you kiss me,” she teases, her hazel eyes dancing. “But I only kissed you to thank you for lunch.”
“Uh huh.” I smirk. “If that’s how you thank me for lunch, what do I get if I take you to dinner sometime?”
“Guess you’ll have to wait and see.”
I let out a fake groan as we make our way downstairs. “You’re torturing me.” At the door to the studio, I pause. “But does that mean you’ll let me take you out on a real date?”
She tilts her head to the side and the corners of her mouth lift slightly. “I’d like that.”
Leaning in, I kiss her briefly one more time. “Good. I’ll call you later.”
For the next few days, I try to make a point of doing small things to show Serena I’m thinking of her. I fill the tires on her car with air when I notice one looking a little low, and I drop off peppermint tea the night she has an evening class. When I see a package of licorice at the store, I remember that she used to buy them every time we’d go to the movies, so I leave a package on the desk at the front of the studio one afternoon while she’s teaching.
We haven’t been able to spend any real time together since our lunch date. But tonight I’m pulling another night patrol shift to help out and it’s quiet. When a familiar song comes on the radio, it inspires me, and half an hour later I drive past the studio. The lights are off, but they’re on upstairs in her apartment. Opening my phone, I send an email attachment, then type out a quick text.