This is the worst thing that could happen to me. I meet the hottest woman on the planet and I’m knee deep in a huge case that seems like it may never end. Not to mention, I can’t stop feeling so damn good around her. It’s never been like that before for me. I’ve never really cared all that much. Still, part of me wonders if this can last forever. I’m bound to stop caring, right? But when she falls asleep next to me, I feel perfect, on top of the fucking world.

I wake up the next morning and roll over, expecting to feel her warm body next to mine. I take a deep breath in and smell her perfume. “You awake already?” I mumble, turning over.

She’s not there. She’s nowhere in fucking sight. “Shit,” I mumble. I check my phone. Nothing. No text. I climb out of bed, feeling my hangover creep up on me, and I look for a note. Of course, there’s none of that. That’s not how Virginia operates. If I’m being honest with myself, she’s selfish. End of fucking story. Hell, it’s not like I can really blame her. I can relate.

I stumble over to my coffee maker and pour a big serving into the top. I dump an unknown amount of water inside and press the button. “God,” I groan. “My fucking head.” I walk over to my massive bottle of ibuprofen and take about four. I can’t deal with the thought of going into work today, but we need to set up shop. In the next week, something big could happen and we need to be ready.

I hear Adam’s tires roll over the gravel outside, so I peek my head out the window and flip him off. He does the same and smiles. I’m not smiling. “Cheeky bastard,” I mumble. I walk outside, butt ass naked, like I always do. He shields his eyes, the pussy.

“God dammit! Put on some fucking clothes!” he yells.

“Go fuck yourself, Adam. I had a long night,” I tell him.

“What else is new?” he asks, carefully walking toward the house. I grab a dirty pair of jeans, an old undershirt, and my boots. I put everything on and rub my eyes awake. “You okay?” he asks.

“I’m fine,” I laugh. “Actually, I had the time of my life last night.”

“I figured as much,” he says. “That woman you’ve been seeing? You finally seal the deal?”

“I did more than seal the deal,” I say, remembering her hands dragging across my body, remembering how damn good she tasted.

“Well, I studied the bank’s layout last night, so when they hit it, you can thank me for knowing it front to back,” he says, sounding a little pretentious.

“Mhm,” I mumble. We walk to his car and he drives, blasting some terrible new country song.

“Turn it off,” I finally tell him. I only like that old stuff. The twang is what gets the heart moving. But it doesn’t matter. We’re already at the place.

“This is it,” he says, putting on his sunglasses. It’s a big bank, no doubt. We walk across the street, trying not to look too suspicious. Our car is unmarked and we’re not wearing any badges. That’s about as good as we can do around here. They’re bound to know exactly what we look like, so we take shelter in the bar across the street.

“What’re you having?” the waitress asks us, as if we’re some tourists she wants out as fast as she can.

“I’ll take a burger,” Adam says. “He’ll have the same.”

I nod and say, “And a whiskey coke, darling. If you please.”

Adam glances at me like I’m crazy to be drinking on the job, which annoys the hell out of me. “We’re going to be here for over 16 hours,” I say. “I really can’t have one drink?”

“Do whatever you want, officer,” he says.

I groan and keep my eyes steady on the bank. Of course, there’s nothing in sight. This whole town is fucking dead. In fact, it’s much emptier than I expected. It makes me start to think that maybe Adam has a real plan on this one. Maybe he’s going to put the case to rest.

“There’s no one in sight,” I say. “They’d have to be fools not to take advantage of this.”

Adam smiles big, like he’s won something. “See!” he nearly shouts. “I told you. Just wait. In the next couple of days, you’re going to have a couple thieves in your jail and we’ll both get promoted.”

The waitress brings Adam water, and sets the whiskey coke down on the table. “I can give a cheers to that,” I say, smiling. I’ve been eyeing that promotion since forever. It would be nice to finally get recognized for all that I’ve done. Maybe they’ll transfer me to a bigger city. I’ve always wanted to go down to Austin, or even Dallas.

In the back of my mind, however, is Virginia. I was trying not to call her or get her attention first. I figured, if she really wants to see me, she will. Though, after more than six hours pass, I grab my phone from my pocket and text her, feeling a little neglected.

“Round 2?” I type out. Round 2? Sounds like a fucking boxing fight. I delete it quickly. “How’s your morning?” I type out. Fuck. That sounds too desperate. I never have this problem with anyone. Most people act like I’m the man in this town, but not her. She acts like I’m just like anybody else.

It’s unreal how stupid a man can get when he comes in contact with one of the most gorgeous women he’s ever seen. In fact, when I think about it some more, I have to tell myself to calm down. This is stressing me out a bit too much.

So, I keep it simple. I type, “Hey Gorgeous. How’re you holding up?”

Adam sighs, glancing over at me. “What’s your problem?” I ask him.

“Nothing. It’s boring staking out. I thought it would be more action than this,” he says.

“Welcome to being a police officer,” I say.

I laugh a little and put my phone away. I glance in the binoculars, although the bank is close enough. Nothing. He’s right, this is boring as hell. I wonder if we’re getting anywhere at all with this. Part of me also wonders if I should just up and leave. I don’t want to give the wrong impression. I love this state. I love the town I protect. And of course, I love the people, as wild as they can be. I’m just like them. But, if I’m being honest with myself, it would be nice to get out of town for a while.

For a second there, I think about what it would be like. I don’t know, ending up in South America, or somewhere in Thailand… maybe it would be nice to just disappear with some woman by my side. There wouldn’t be any responsibilities. I wouldn’t have to answer to nobody. I wouldn’t have to do shit, except live a life. Hell, I could open a small business somewhere and make a fortune. ‘Course, I’m only dreaming. This is the only life that’s out there for me.

My phone vibrates and it shakes me out of my nice dream for a moment. I read the text message and it’s short and to the point. “I’m doing well. Let’s meet up tomorrow night. Your place again?”

Damn. This woman is already wanting more of this. Well, I’m going to have to give her what she wants.

“Tomorrow night it is,” I type. I laugh a little out loud. Shit, I’m excited. A man’s allowed to be excited. Adam, however, isn’t laughing. He’s just shaking his damn head.

“Quit lookin’ at me,” I say.

“I envy you, you bastard,” he says.