Two
She gasped, obviously unaware he’d overheard them. But hey, he had good hearing.
He gave her a dirty, sexy smile and turned back and went to the bar.
The plan was to be there all night. If she wanted to see what a Minnesota man could do in bed, she would find him at some point.
Except that she didn’t.
And he went to bed with blue balls and had dirty-ass dreams about the petite blond with the big green eyes and the perfect cupid’s bow of a mouth.
A mouth that slid deliciously over his cock while she stared up at him with lustful adoration.
He woke up thinking he had to see Leighton again.
Either that or Sullivan was right and he needed to date more often.
He was working a three to eleven shift, so he got up and went for a run along the lake. He’d purposely chosen his house based on its easy access to the water. It was a bungalow, tucked back in the trees. He would have liked a water view, but even in a small town, that cost a premium. He’d been very conservative with his spending over the years and he decided not to blow that standard by getting a house too rich for his blood. But the water was just down the hill and an easy five-minute jog.
Axl had been like a lot of kids growing up in a small town. He’d wanted to leave, see the world. He had. Then he’d come back. This was home. If he wanted company, he had it. If he didn’t, which was frequently, he could be alone. The best of both worlds.
The morning was already heating up. August was guaranteed to be the hottest month of the year and this summer had been particularly brutal. By the two-mile mark he had a sheen of sweat running down his chest and a burn in his calves. He loved it. There was nothing more satisfying than pushing his body. It had been why he’d loved hockey back in his childhood. He hadn’t been as fast as Sullivan and Jesse, but he’d had power. Strength.
He peeled his shirt off as he kept running. When he was moving past the picnic area by the beach he realized there was a huge crowd of people gathered around. There were cameras and mics set up. Curious, he turned in and paused at the periphery of the crowd, breathing hard. “What’s going on here?” he asked a woman standing there with her middle-school-aged daughters.
“They’re filming Wedding Crashers,” she responded, sounding excited. “Sadie isn’t here but they are doing a bunch of interviews and site prep for the wedding next weekend. Lakefront ceremony, I’m guessing.”
“Who is Sadie?” he asked, craning to see if he could catch a glimpse of Leighton.
She gasped and looked at him like he was an amoeba. “Sadie Spencer. The host. She’s famous. Though I did hear rumors they are looking to replace her with someone younger. Like maybe Sadie Robinson, the daughter from Duck Dynasty. Which honestly, she’d be adorable doing this, don’t you think?”
She’d lost him entirely. He didn’t even know who she was talking about. “Uh. Sure.”
“I mean, a Sadie after a Sadie. It’s perfect.”
Then he totally lost the thread of conversation because he’d spotted Leighton. She was wearing a pink sundress and giant sunglasses. She had her phone in her hand and she was moving around with authority, talking to the crew and Winnie. She looked confident, completely different from the night before. Being in charge seemed more her element than a bachelorette party.
“Hey, aren’t you the cop from Tap That last night?” the woman asked him. She covered her youngest daughter’s ears with her palms. “The stripper?” she whispered.
Her older daughter gave a crack of laughter. “I thought you went to book club, Mom.”
“I did! Then we went to a charity event.”
“Uh-huh.”
“It really is a charity event,” Axl told the daughter. “And ma’am, I’m not a stripper. I’m actually a police officer. We do the dance to honor Kendra O’Toole and raise money for breast cancer research. It’s meant to be fun and get some attention.”
“You got my attention all right.” She eyed him appreciatively.
“Ew,” her daughter said. “Mom, stop, seriously, before I need therapy.”
That made Axl laugh. “That’s a two-way street, kid.”
“Listen to the policeman,” the woman said, finally dropping her hands from her younger daughter’s ears.
“Have a nice day,” Axl said. He gave a wave, did a few stretches, and started running again. He went closer to the LA crew just to get a better look at Leighton.
His shirt was tucked in the waistband of his gym shorts. He realized a little too late running shirtless could be perceived as intentional. Showing off.
But Leighton was so wrapped up in studying her phone and consulting with her colleagues that she didn’t even notice him.
Damn, there was something so sweet and vulnerable and strong and sexy about her. She seemed like she was very complex. Layered. Intriguing.
It wasn’t often he was this curious about a woman. He honestly couldn’t remember the last time. Of course, at this point in his life, five years out of the marines, he knew all the single females in Beaver Bend. There were no surprises. A sea of familiar faces.
Then there was this woman. Totally different from his type, according to Lilly and Sloane. But someone he wanted to sit across the table from and talk to. He wanted to hear what she had to say, because he had a feeling she wasn’t a flirt. She would say whatever she meant. Like him.
Okay, and he wanted to take her to bed and fuck her. There was that. He definitely couldn’t shake the image of her ankles on his shoulders thanks to that cameraman. She had a very juicy figure. The kind you slap and tickle and bite.
And pound.
Axl cleared his throat. Yeah. He needed to get laid. That was clear.
But there was no reason for him to hang around when she wasn’t glancing his way at all, so Axl returned to his run.
Thirty minutes later he was home, in a cold shower.
No Cali girl for him, not even for a few days. He wasn’t going to be an asshole and track her down.
Two hours after that he was doing basic patrol when a red sedan with Illinois plates flew past him doing way over the speed limit.
He threw on his lights and pulled the car over in a routine traffic stop.
But when he came up to the window and opened his mouth, he was shocked to see Leighton behind the wheel, looking at him in exasperation. He found himself pleased that she was a little speed demon. It gave him another opportunity to talk to her.
“Hi, Leighton,” he said. “Are you aware you were going twenty miles over the speed limit?”
“Oh, I get it,” she said, staring up at him, hands raking her wavy hair back off her face. “Is there where you tell me you’re giving me a ticket for being sexy or something canned like that?”
It wasn’t often that Axl found himself speechless. Or so thoroughly confused. But completely amused. “Excuse me? You were speeding. I need to see your driver’s license. I’m guessing this is a rental car, so if you have the rental agreement I’d like to see that too, please.”
Axl bent down and swept his eyes over the vehicle. There was nothing noteworthy. Just Leighton’s purse on the passenger seat and her phone in the cup holder. There was a camera on the dash, which struck him as odd, but maybe it was for filming bits for the wedding show. He had no clue how those shows worked.
Leighton shot him a look he couldn’t decipher. “What if I say no? Does that mean you’ll have to pat me down? Hopefully?”
He glanced at the camera again. Was he on TV, being punked? Or was Leighton just nuts? Because she looked a little glassy-eyed, to be honest, and sounded nothing like she had the night before. “I need to see your driver’s license.”
Leighton tried to channel bringing it. What would bringing it entail in this circumstance?
Flirting. Sexual innuendo. Being brazen and bold.
She took a deep breath and reminded herself how much she loved her job and how high her rent was. If this was a test from Sadie, having her fake pulled over by a stripper cop, she had to pass it. Play along.
“You’re really sticking to character. I admire that. Big, tough cop. Picture of authority.” She reached for her purse and pulled out her wallet. She produced her license with a smile and an exaggerated wink. “Here you go, Officer Hottie.”
Just saying that almost killed her. She felt ridiculous.
Axl didn’t look like he was buying it either. He looked dubious at best.
“Leighton Van Buren. Age twenty-six. Beverly Hills. You live in Beverly Hills?” he asked, sounding surprised.
Why did he sound so stunned? She had been raised in Beverly Hills. It wasn’t like she’d bought a fake ID on the internet. So typical. Everyone always wanted her to be someone or something she wasn’t.
“I was living with my parents when I got this license. I have my own apartment now in Silver Lake.” Now she was oversharing for no reason. Awkward.
“I’m going to go run your license. I’ll be right back.”
She panicked. She’d gotten distracted. She wasn’t flirting or getting good footage. There was a dashcam in her rental car and for all she knew, Sadie was sitting back in the office scoring her live.
“Is that when you ask me to spread ‘em?” Leighton winked at him a second time. Or attempted to wink. It was more of an exaggerated squint this time. Her voice sounded more manic than flirtatious.
Axl eyed her. Not with interest, but wariness. “Leighton, I need you to step out of the car.”
She hid a wince. Dang it. This was a full-on disaster. Closing her eyes for one brief second, she imagined what her best friend, Zach, would say in these circumstances. Zach was sassy and confident and a wicked flirt.
“It’s about time.” She opened the door and rose to her full height, which wasn’t much. She barely came up to his shoulders. God, he was really sexy. Just so broad and manly and stern. It made her heart rate increase and her nipples start to firm beneath her sundress.
She held her wrists out to him. “Are you going to cuff me for being naughty?” she asked, going for seductive. “Do I have to bribe my way out of this?”
His eyebrows shot up. “Have you been drinking? Or taking prescription drugs?”
If someone had written a script for him, they should be fired. What a dumb line. There was nothing sexy about narcotics. “Of course not! It’s two in the afternoon.”
“I’m going to need you to take a breathalyzer. Do you know what that is?”
Ah, here it was. A blow job joke. “Sure. Just tell me where to blow.” Her gaze dropped down to his crotch.
“I need you to come and get in the car, Leighton.”
This wasn’t going the way Leighton had expected. She was flirting as hard as she could with Axl and he didn’t seem to be getting it. Maybe Sadie had paid him to stay in character to a certain point.
But this was way harder than she had imagined. Wasn’t it a stripper’s job to make the “customer” happy? Her own job was on the line and she was blowing it. Or not blowing it, apparently, since he hadn’t reacted positively to her innuendo. Or wait, had he? Is that why he wanted her to get in his car?
Oh, hell no. No matter how much she needed this job and no matter how good looking Axl was, the thought alone made her sweat. She didn’t give blowjobs on the side of the road to anyone. Actually, it had never come up in her life before but it just figured that somehow her flirting sucked so hard he thought she wanted to suck hard.
Disaster. She was a total disaster.
But she needed Sadie to think she was going along with this whole fake cop stripper pulling her over.
It was the game. Part of “bringing it.”
Sadie had been quite clear again this morning on what she needed to do. She had specifically said that today there would be a test. A big test she needed to pass. That Leighton had to be bubbly and flirty and fun. Always the f word.
That damn f word.
Not to mention sparkle. And now bringing it. All phrases that could die, because they were vague and subjective.
If this wasn’t the test, she had no idea what would be. This had Sadie written all over it. Pulled over by a cop. Please. She hadn’t been driving that fast.
But now she was freaked out because if he whipped it out in his patrol car she would faint. Plus, Axl wanted to take her out of camera range. She had a dashboard cam that was meant for Winnie to record a video diary about the Wedding Crashers process and her expectations for her wedding but once Leighton had seen Axl come to the window, she had turned it on. Proof that she got the joke and could roll with it.
So, she had to stay in range. “Um, I don’t think so.” She tried to lean back against her car artfully, but she partially fell into the open window. Righting herself, she laughed and fluttered her eyelashes at him. “Whoops.”
“I need you to come with me, miss.”
He sounded very stern. “Oh, you are so serious.” For a stripper he was a good actor. She’d give him that. It was very difficult for her not to be obedient. It was just her personality to follow directions.
But she had to stay strong. Her future at Wedding Crashers rested on it. She stayed put, trying to strike a sexy pose against the car.
“I need you to walk a straight line for me from your car to my patrol car. Stay away from the road.”
If she walked over there she could just walk back and be in camera range again so that Sadie could see she was fun and flirty. It seemed like her best bet. So she did, fast-walking in a straight line and immediately returning. “Done.”
He flashed a light in her eyes.
“What the heck?” she asked, pupils dilating. “That kind of hurts.”
“I need you to hand me your purse. What prescription drugs do you take on a daily basis?”
Leighton frowned. “None.” Well, birth control, but that was none of his business. She was starting to think something was wrong here. “Where did you get an actual patrol car from? That’s very impressive.” That must have cost a ton of money. She had witnessed Sadie go to great lengths to create elaborate pranks on staff members but this seemed extreme even for her.
A niggle of concern started to rise in Leighton.
Maybe Sadie would fire her before she went to these elaborate lengths. This was an elaborate scheme, even for a TV host with a full crew at her disposal. Now she was full of doubt about everything.
“Okay. You’re coming with me.”
Axl grabbed her arm and she had to admit she felt a shiver that had nothing to do with concern. His strong grip was arousing. But then he whirled her around and slapped handcuffs on her left wrist.
“What—”
So she had joked about spreading them. She hadn’t actually meant it. They weren’t in a club at a strip show. This was the side of the road.
Her other wrist went into the cuffs.
Her concern increased dramatically.
“Just stand still. I’m patting you down then I’m putting you in the car to run your license.”
This felt a little too real. Leighton swallowed hard and leaned against her car. She gave a startled squawk when he spread her legs. “Um, what is going on?”
She was torn between feeling a little aroused by how hot Axl was and how he was running his hands over her calves, and at the same time feeling like: one, something was off, and two, she could not let a total stranger dive under her dress even if it was part of his script.
It wasn’t a particularly comfortable position with her hands behind her back and her body off-balance, relying on her rental car to hold her up. Axl’s hands were rising higher and higher and she grew seriously alarmed. When he touched her inner thighs just above the knee she jumped.
And tried to move away. She wasn’t sure if he was intending to go any further but she wasn’t sticking around to find out. Leighton jerked her body to the left, slamming into the mirror and wincing, stumbling backwards.
Suddenly without warning, she lost her balance and without her hands to right herself, she went down hard, right on her butt. It hurt. Like, a lot. “Ow.” She sat there stunned, hair in her face, dress up over her thighs, hands cuffed behind her back. “Okay, I admit it. Sadie wins. This isn’t fun. I’m not fun. F the f word. Maybe I am not cut out for this.”
“Are you okay?” Axl asked, bending over.
She nodded. “I think so.” She was going to have a hell of a bruise on her ass, but she would live.
“I’m going to touch you to help you up, okay?”
He was talking to her like she might spook if he laid a finger on her.
That’s when she heard the radio in his car crackle and a very official sounding voice come on mentioning codes and something about a patrol car needed downtown.
Leighton frowned. She had a horrible sinking feeling. “Wait a minute. Are you a real cop?”
Axl hauled her to her feet in front of her car. “What do you mean? Of course I’m a real cop. These don’t give these cars, a badge, and a gun to just anyone who asks for one.” He was eyeing her like she was insane or an idiot.
She wasn’t certifiable but she still felt pretty stupid. “I thought you were a stripper,” she said. “You were stripping last night,” she added, in case he had stumbled up on stage during an amnesia episode.
But now that she blew her hair out of her face and studied him from head to toe, he did look very legit. He had a gun. He had very shiny shoes. And a uniform that had an official-looking insignia. His hat had a patrolman’s number on it. She swallowed the enormous lump that had started crawling up her throat.
Well.
This could be bad.
“It was a charity event,” he said. “For breast cancer awareness. The owner of the bar, he and I and the other guys go way back, to grade school. Sullivan lost his wife to breast cancer two years ago so this is the second annual ‘Tap That’ charity event.” He did the actual air quotes.
She couldn’t see his eyes behind his sunglasses but the corner of his mouth turned up. “I don’t use my official uniform on stage and it’s a small town. It’s like when cops do lip sync videos. It’s meant to foster a sense of community.”
“Naked chests can do that,” she said, in all seriousness. That was certainly true in LA.
Axl laughed. “So, Leighton Van Buren, from Beverly Hills, what in the actual hell did you think was happening here if you didn’t think I was a real police officer?”
That was a good question. And an embarrassing one. Her throat started to close. She grabbed at her chest, massaging her skin and rolling her shoulders to try to relax. “I thought my boss set me up. She said I need to be more spontaneous. More fun. So I thought she was monitoring me on the dash cam and that if I wasn’t flirty she would be upset with me and fire me.” For a second she got lightheaded but she fought the sensation. “I was trying to bring it. You know. Create a moment. Manufacture a reaction.” Now she was babbling and she forced herself to stop talking.
For a second Axl didn’t say anything. Then he dragged his hand over his mouth, his jaw working. He reached up and removed his sunglasses. There was amusement in his eyes.
Thank goodness. She may still be arrested for harassing an officer, but hopefully he would go easy on her. Her palms were clammy.
“Leighton. I’m actually speechless. That’s the most… interesting attempt to get out of a ticket I’ve ever heard.” He tucked his glasses in his shirt pocket. “Can I assume then that you are not on drugs, legal or illegal, or alcohol?”
“Yes. You can assume that.”
“I’m still going to run your license.” He held his hand up. “You behave yourself. No more sexual innuendos while I’m on duty. Save them for later.” He capped that off with a wink to indicate he was teasing her.
Nonetheless, her cheeks were on fire. She wanted to dig a hole in the asphalt and bury her head in it. “I think my flirting skills are subpar.”
“Your flirting skills are just fine. I was debating if I was going to have to arrest you for attempting to bribe a police officer with sex though.”
“Holy crap,” she blurted out. “That would have been bad. Really bad. Like so bad.” She would die. Actually die. She pictured her parents getting that phone call from Sadie. “That is not what I meant, you know.”
Leighton offered to blow a cop to get out of a ticket.
Her father would have a heart attack. Given that he was seventy-five, it wasn’t that improbable.
Her mother might actually be proud of her though. Barbie Van Buren had long lamented that Leighton couldn’t cut loose.
Axl shook his head, like he couldn’t believe any of this. “I don’t know anything about what the hell is going on here. Turn around and I’ll release you.”
Obediently, she turned around. He unlocked the handcuffs.
“For the record, if you’re telling me the truth, your boss sounds like a piece of work. Why do you have to be flirty to work on a wedding show?”
“I swear I am telling you the truth. I don’t have to be flirty, per se, just bubbly. Lively. Interesting. I’m none of those things.”
Obviously. If she was, Axl wouldn’t be eyeing her like she was bonkers.
Axl clearly didn’t think she was fun so much as certifiable.
Axl studied the woman in front of him. He didn’t know what to make of her or this situation. It was kind of funny. But it was also kind of awful. So, what, she had to be a performing monkey just to work on a TV show? According to what he’d been told, she wasn’t even the host. “What is your job, specifically?”
“I’m the creative director.”
“Then why do you have to be bubbly? I’m sorry, I’m still not getting the connection.”
“Because I interact with clients. She thinks I don’t bring enough energy and whip them up properly. My skills lie more with organization.”
“I don’t know anything about Hollywood or TV or reality shows or whatever. But what I do know is that you are actually one of the most interesting women I’ve met in a long time. If I were you, I’d be looking for a new job.”
He meant that. She was very interesting. And it seemed like she was completely in the wrong career. But that wasn’t really any of his business.
She confirmed that by looking away, down to her feet. When she looked back up again, she looked troubled. She took a few deep breaths. “I need to get to an appointment. Can I just have the ticket for speeding? Since apparently, that’s why you actually pulled me over.”
Axl wished he was off-duty because he would pick her up, give her a panty-melting kiss, and let her boss figure that shit out. He felt equal parts protective and turned on by her. It wasn’t a combination he’d ever really experienced before and he didn’t know what to do with it.
“I have to put you in my car.” Misunderstanding or not, there was protocol. “I’ll be as fast as I can.”
She didn’t respond, just let him lead her to the patrol car and put her in the back. She looked dejected. He wasn’t sure what to make of any of this nonsense. It was a first in his career on the force that someone had thought he was a fake cop. A stripper. Damn, he was torn between never wanting to the guys to find this out ever and just telling them and taking the heat because it was so fucking insane.
And hell, not to brag, but it didn’t suck having someone think he looked good without his shirt on.
“You okay?” he asked her, glancing into the back seat as he ran her license. She was biting her lip and looking worried.
“Am I in trouble?”
“No, you’re not in trouble.” Her license came back clean. He debated even writing the ticket but he decided to do it just because she had recorded the whole damn thing. If that shit went out into the world, he wanted his ass covered that he had followed the book. “You’re free to go. I’m going to come around and let you out.”
“Thanks, Axl. I mean sir. Officer.”
He gave her a grin. “Officer Hottie to you.”
She gave a groan and put her hand over her face. “Did I really say that?”
“Oh, you said it.” He would never forget it.
“It was an honest mistake.”
He wasn’t sure that it really was but maybe things were different in her world. “I’m flattered.”
Axl stepped out of the car and opened the back door for her. “Slow down. Especially since you’re not familiar with these roads.” He handed her the ticket. “You can pay this online.”
“I don’t think I was actually speeding. Are you sure you want to give this to me?” She looked hopeful.
And adorable, but he needed to cover his ass.
“Flattery will only get you so far.” He gave her a grin. “Sorry, I have a job to do. Just like you. But let me make it up to you by taking you out for a drink sometime.”
Leighton rose from the seat and skirted past him, biting her sensuous full lip and looking indecisive. She really was adorable. Axl liked a woman with curves and Leighton had them in all the right spots. She eyed him over her shoulder as she started walking to her car. “You’re determined to get me drunk, aren’t you? That’s twice you’ve offered me a cocktail.”
Now that was real flirting. Natural and sweet and sensual, as opposed to that over-the-top winking and suggestive comments. This suited Leighton much better. He wondered if she even realized she was doing it.
But if she was going to flirt, hell, so was he. “Then maybe you should say yes and accept your fate. And if one cocktail gets you drunk, you’re a cheap date.”
Leighton cocked her head. “Maybe you should tell me why you want to go out with me. Five minutes ago you thought I was high or a lunatic or both.”
Why did he want to go out with her? That was the easiest question he’d ever been asked.
“Because you’re gorgeous, for one.”
She scoffed, as if she didn’t believe him. “Uh, thank you.”
Her apparent skepticism actually astonished him but he wasn’t going to stand there and argue with her. “I want to get to know you. I find you very interesting.”
“You’re crazy. I just told you I’m not any fun. Besides, I’m only here a few days.”
“What kind of dates do you have in LA that you need more than a few days for them?” he teased her, giving her a sly smile.
Leighton gave a soft laugh, finally dropping the hand she had been holding up to her chest like a shield between them. “I concede the point. But you’re still crazy.”
“I’m not normally crazy. At all. I’m just decisive. But for the record, interesting isn’t a synonym for fun. I don’t need to spend time with someone fun. I’m not exactly a fun guy myself.” He wasn’t what anyone would call impulsive either. So, he really couldn’t say why at that moment he chose to do what he did.
Other than he wanted to, so he did it. Decisive.
There was something about Leighton. Something about the way she looked so anxious yet determined. Something about the way she could actually think she was average when she had a banging body, full lips, and hair he wanted to wrap his fingers around and tug. Leighton’s ass the night before in her tight cocktail dress had brought to mind bringing the palm of his hand down on that delicious flesh and driving them both crazy. “Not everyone wants to get loud and party. Some men like simpler pursuits.”
Like kissing. And sex.
“And what would those be?” she asked.
As Leighton reached her car, he leaned down and stared into her green eyes. He let the moment linger, the anticipation hover. “This.”
She knew what he was thinking because her eyes widened and her plump lips parted.
It was all the invitation he needed.
Axl bent down and kissed her sensuous mouth. His hand slipped into her blond waves and rested gently at the back of her neck, in case she tried to escape. He just wanted one kiss.
That’s what it started as. A simple brush of his lips over hers.
She gave a little gasp, which he swallowed, as he shifted his leg so that he was touching hers. For a second she seemed to hesitate, but then she tentatively gave in and kissed him back with a soft, shy acceptance.
Axl could have quit there. He meant to. But then he took the kiss deeper, just briefly, intending to pull away right after. Then something happened. Leighton sighed into his touch, and she leaned toward him, her full chest pressing against him. Her arms snaked around his waist and she parted her lips in a sweet, dangerous invitation.
When his tongue dipped between those luscious lips and teased at the tip of her tongue, Axl got hard. So hard so fast that he knew he was in danger of taking this way too far on the side of the road. In his uniform. On-duty.
Holy shit.
He broke off the kiss and stepped back.
She blinked up at him. Her eyes were glassy again, but not from panic. From arousal. Her breath was quick and shallow, causing her substantial chest to rise and fall rapidly. Her cheeks were stained pink, presumably from desire but most likely also embarrassment.
“Meet me for a drink tomorrow,” he said. “I can’t tonight, I work until eleven, but I want to see you.”
She took a deep shuddering breath.
“I’m so confused right now,” she said.
“That makes two of us.” He stepped back and opened her car door. “I’ll call you tomorrow and maybe we can figure this out.” With his lips on hers again in private.
She slipped into the driver’s seat and nodded, looking dazed. “Right. Okay.”
He gave her a smile. As she reached for her seatbelt, he saw the dashcam light blinking. Fuck. “Is that recording?”
She shook her head. “No.”
Thank God. “Oh, good, geez, you scared me there.”
Well, hell. That was a whole lot fucking worse.
He’d just kissed a woman during a routine traffic stop live on the damn Internet.