Chapter Five
Sophie glared, her pretty face filled with fury and something else Ryder thought he recognized ... excitement.
The license and registration she’d so graciously held out were snatched back as she gaped at him. Thank God he’d never told her his profession, because her expression right now was well worth it.
It had taken everything in him to not burst out laughing at her surprised horror.
She narrowed those big doe eyes at him. “You’re not going to give me a ticket.”
He cocked a brow. “You so sure about that?”
He wasn’t, actually. He didn’t pull people over anymore, and he hadn’t had the radar on her, but as soon as he’d seen her speeding he hadn’t been able to resist pulling her over.
Of course, he should have resisted, but so far the decision was hard to regret.
She tilted her chin. “I wasn’t even speeding.”
He let his gaze fall to her full mouth and thought of all the reasons he couldn’t kiss her. He pushed away the idea of engaging in a very inappropriate abuse of power.
He held out his hands. “License and registration, ma’am.”
She huffed and slapped it into his hands. “I’m going to tell Charlie about this.”
“Go ahead. He’ll side with me.” He looked down at her license. So she was only five-two, and by the looks of her wasn’t lying about her weight. But it was her picture that stopped him. It was, by far, the worst picture he’d ever seen. The DMV employee clearly had a grudge against her, because they’d caught her half-lidded, mid grimace. “I see they captured you on a good day.”
“You just shut up.”
“Is that any way to talk to a man that holds your insurance rates in his hands?”
She gripped the steering wheel tighter. “Is threatening a harmless citizen any way to correct the public perception of rampant police corruption?”
In his vast history with women, he’d never met any he liked arguing with this much. Every interaction with her was like a mini adventure. “Honey, you are the least harmless woman I’ve ever met.”
She still wore the white tank top and gray shorts from that morning. She still looked hot as hell. Her eyes went wide and innocent as she put a hand on her fantastic chest. “Me? I’m like a quiet little mouse.”
He raised a brow. “Tell that to my garage door.”
“That door was asking for it.” She waved a hand behind her. “Besides, I already ordered a brand-new proper one with a lock that doesn’t need to be taken to dinner first before it allows me to enter.”
He laughed. “Did anyone ever tell you that you have a sharp tongue?”
She reached out and plucked her license out of his hands. “Nope. Everyone else thinks I’m lovely.”
“So they don’t really know you.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “You’ve known me for less than twenty-four hours, so you, sir, are no authority.”
He wasn’t quite sure about that. Something told him he was getting the real Sophie Kincaid, but before he could decide for certain he needed to see her react with other people. He snatched her license back and she made a grab for it, but he held it out of her reach. “If I run your license, what am I going to find?”
She smiled sweetly. “That I’m an excellent driver.”
“So no tickets?”
“Hardly any.”
He narrowed his eyes. Her expression was far too innocent. Far too pleasant. As though she hid something. “So you haven’t been pulled over recently.”
Her brows furrowed for a fraction of a second before she shrugged. “That’s not what you asked. You asked if I have tickets.”
“So you’ve been pulled over.”
She shrugged again. “Maybe a few times.”
“But you have no tickets.”
“That’s correct.”
Ah, now he was getting the picture. “So you charm your way out of them?”
She smiled. “I’m a very charming person.”
“You’re walking, talking chaos.” She was already causing him havoc wherever she went.
She peered up at him, that cocky smirk on her lips, and he wanted to kiss it right off her. Their gazes clashed, and heat and tension thickened the air around them, pushing out all the fun and replacing it with desire.
She sucked in a little breath.
He fought the urge to lean down and do dirty, filthy things to that mouth.
Her pink tongue darted out and wet her lips.
He had an image of pushing her over the hood of her car, peeling down those shorts, and using his mouth, hands, and cock to make her beg for him. In fact, he couldn’t think of anything he’d like more than to listen to Sophie plead for him to take her.
Don’t do it.
Her big doe eyes were dark now, her pupils dilated as though she followed his thoughts. There was no mistaking the chemistry that filled the air.
Don’t do it.
Her chest rose and fell, shallow and wanting.
Don’t do this.
He leaned down.
Her chin tilted and her lips parted.
Ah, fuck it.
His fingers slid up her arm, touching her for the first time. He practically groaned at the contact of her skin under him.
She shivered.
He wrapped his hand around the nape of her neck.
She craned to meet him.
“Chief, is everything okay?”
He jerked back, shaking his head to clear it from the cloud of lust she’d wrapped around him, to see his newest and youngest deputy standing there. Ryder had been so caught up in Sophie, he hadn’t even seen the damn kid pull up. He sighed. “Everything’s fine, Harold.”
“We tried to get you on the radio.” The kid, who looked like a cherub angel playing dress-up in his daddy’s uniform, glanced at Sophie, back at him, then at Sophie again. He cleared his throat. “There’s been an accident out on Route Twelve.”
Great. Not another one. He hated the beginning of summer, when the weather got warm and kids were almost out of school and their brains were already on vacation. It made everyone stupid and reckless, and clearly he wasn’t an exception.
He looked down at the woman already messing up his life. Did he not have a list of reasons to stay away from her? Was she not trouble? Did she not trigger all of his worst and baser instincts?
So what had he done with all his common sense? He’d gone to kiss her. It wouldn’t have been a nice, gentlemanly kiss either. It would have been hot. Hungry. And messy.
If Harold hadn’t shown up, his mouth would be on hers right now. He’d know just what she tasted like. He wouldn’t entertain fantasies about firing Harold for his poor timing. It wasn’t the kid’s fault. Really, he should be thanking him for saving him from a grave mistake.
He handed her back the license and registration.
She took it from him, darted a glance behind her to Harold, then back at him before saying in a low voice, “Whatever that was, it didn’t mean anything.”
He appreciated a woman that didn’t shy away from awkward situations. He nodded. “Agreed.”
“I mean it. It was a moment of madness.”
“I’m not arguing with you.” It was a moment of something, all right. And it was probably best he didn’t know what she felt like moving under him. Just sliding his fingers over her skin and through her hair had been bad enough.
“We’re neighbors, and that’s all we’ll ever be.” Her fingers tightened on her license.
Of course she was right. “I agree.”
“I mean it, I’m never going to sleep with you.” Her expression turned aggravated, and he knew right then she was looking for a fight. That she wanted him to argue with her. That a part of her liked the struggle.
He thought about it and decided to let her stew. “Sophie?”
She scraped her bottom lip with her teeth, and he almost groaned. “Yes?”
“Slow down.” Then he turned and walked away before he could give in to the temptation of her.