Chapter 3

Three months.

It was amazing how much her entire life had changed in three short months.

Angela looked up at the white wooden sign with gold lettering proclaiming her name, her business, and her status in Glen Barrow. It hung above a small office in one of the few strip malls in town, the cheapest she'd been able to find.

Pinching pennies was the name of the game. She'd had to pay six months' rent in advance—easily met with the money she'd gotten from selling the engagement ring. The rest had gone to finish off her previous life and rebuild one here.

It seemed like only a week since she'd rolled into town with nothing more than a broken heart and a desire for her mom's comfort food.

Now she had a successful law practice in her home town and a healed heart.

She'd had her moments of insecurity, wondering if she'd made the right choice leaving the firm.

Time had proven her right.

A month after her impromptu departure from Philadelphia, she received an email from Kelly bemoaning how she'd caught Eric with another woman—in this case a temporary typist from the office pool.

Angela didn't write back. She wasn't sure why Kelly had contacted her, whether it was for sympathy or to give her an update on Eric but it didn't matter.

Eric was so far in her rear-view mirror as to be a speck in the wind.

Now, as she studied the sign, it was time to keep moving onward and upward.

She fumbled with the keys and opened the door to a blast of heated air. To save money, the air conditioner stayed off when she wasn't in her office. Even though she was making a profit, she couldn't afford to keep the AC going all the time.

"Profit" might be a bit of a stretch. The majority of her cases were drunk-driving arrests and a handful of assaults, usually from the drunk drivers when they were cut off at Annie's or the other bars in town. She continued to live at home, taking advantage of her mother's generosity and excellent food.

Some things hadn't changed from Angela's old life in Philadelphia. She still worked hard for her clients to get the best results she could, talking to the prosecutor and other lawyers to resolve cases before they even got to court. She spent long hours in her office and swore when she couldn't get what she wanted or if a situation went sideways and she lost the case.

But some things were very different.

Every few days she saw Jake Weatherly.

And/or Hunter Stratham.

A one-two punch to her heart on a daily basis.

She'd gotten used to the flutter in her belly when Jake strolled into the courthouse, his dark blue uniform pants giving her an eyeful. The matching shirt settled on his broad shoulders with the official patches centered perfectly on each arm, his bare forearms flexing with a strength she knew all too well.

Every once in a while, he'd catch her eye and smile at her, sending her pulse into overload.

Often, she would have to deal with him on the stand, testifying about an arrest.

He was the perfect police officer. Polite, honest and efficient.

She countered with her own professionalism, cool and smooth as she asked the questions and dealt with the answers. To anyone who didn't know them, it was nothing out of the ordinary.

And so it was, to Angela.

Until he stepped off the stand and all she could think about was how hot he was in bed, what lay under the uniform, straining to break free.

And then there was Hunter.

Some of the underage drinking charges she'd been hired to deal with were for freshmen students, drawing Hunter into court as an unofficial representative for the college and for the sports department.

He'd sit right in the front row in his white dress shirt, dark tie and khakis, the light jacket draped over his lap as he watched and listened to the legal proceedings.

Officially he was there to offer moral support and character testimony for his errant students but she knew he was also there for her.

Judging from the glances Jake sent across the courtroom when both men were present, he knew Hunter was there for her as well.

Judge Tisker wasn't blind to the ongoing soap opera in his courtroom. At first, he'd glared at Jake and scowled at Hunter as if daring either of them to make a wrong move under his watchful eye.

They'd both behaved, giving no reason to throw them out. Over the past few weeks the judge began smiling at them, taking pleasure in the weird game.

Her suitors hadn't gone unnoticed by others.

Jimmy Hammer, the elderly prosecutor, grinned each time he called Jake to the stand. The court reporter nodded when Angela entered the room and glanced over at the two men as if to alert her to their presence.

It wasn't needed.

She felt the electricity every time she entered the room.

The raw sensuality from Jake, the memory of spontaneous lovemaking sessions in the forest on nature walks away from the Penn State campus.

Pressed up against a tree with her sleeve in her mouth to stifle the moans as he thrust into her with wanton abandonment, the rough bark leaving marks on her back that took days to disappear.

Countering that was the slow simmer from Hunter as he sat on the bench, the gentle looks reminding her of long sensual Sunday afternoons starting with a romantic movie while cuddling on the sofa and ending in a marathon session in his bed while his father was at work.

But all she had at present were those memories.

The newest ones were much… tamer.

Lunch with Hunter at the food truck parked by the courthouse, delighting in the fish tacos. Snacking with Jake in the hallway between cases on chocolate-covered peanuts, her favorite—and of which he seemed to have an unlimited supply on hand. But no attempts at intimacy, nothing more than a buss on the cheek and a hug. It was as if the two encounters she'd had in her mother's house had never happened, had been nothing but an erotic daydream brought on by the pressure of the breakup.

But she knew it was real, that they were real. And she wondered why neither man had followed up, attempted to rekindle what he'd had with her.

Angela was more than a little confused, to put it plainly.

What's wrong with me?

They're letting you get over Eric, her inner voice answered. They're giving you your space. It's a good thing and shows they both still care for you.

That she understood.

But as the days turned to weeks and turned to months, the question shifted.

What's wrong with them?

So now, almost three months to the day she arrived in Glen Barrow, Angela sat in her office trying to figure out what the hell was going on with Jake Weatherly and Hunter Stratham.

She went over her encounters with each man, dissecting and analyzing what was said and what wasn't said. Was she missing a sign or was she imagining something that wasn't there…?

Enough.

Angela looked at her desk and the assorted folders, weighing the various cases and tasks she had laid out for the day.

There's nothing here that couldn't wait for a few minutes.

Or hours.

She stood up and headed for the door.

Time for someone to do some explaining.

Or to be more accurate—two someones.

The police station was her first stop, being closer to her office than the college campus. The small stone building was a historical landmark dating back to the first years of Glen Barrow's existence. A pair of police cars sat in the parking lot along with Jake's distinctive red pickup truck.

She wasn't working on guesswork alone to intercept Jake. She knew his schedule after three months and according to her mental charts, he'd be preparing to go on duty.

No better time to catch him off-guard.

She parked and headed for the front door, focused on the task at hand.

Grace, the elderly dispatcher, rose from her desk as Angela entered.

"Angela. What can I do—" She frowned as the lawyer didn't slow her pace, walking as fast as she could without running.

Grace's shocked expression grew as Angela walked behind the counter and headed for the locker room, clearly marked as such in gold lettering.

"You can't—" Her shriek was cut off as Angela strode through the door and shut it behind her, closing them off from the rest of the station.

Jake was there.

Jake was all there.

He looked up from where he stood by his locker, clad only in a pair of tight black underwear hanging dangerously low on his hips.

There was no one else in the locker room.

Her eyes widened as she stared at him, unable to pull her attention away from the warrior standing in front of her.

He'd been in good shape while they were dating, keeping himself fit with daily attendance to the gym to meet law enforcement standards but this—

She tried to catch her breath and failed.

Jake's well-defined abs called out for her to touch them, to run her fingers over the taut skin like a roadster taking on speed bumps.

His bare chest shone in the overhead fluorescent lights, a light sheen of sweat covering his skin.

The overall picture reminded her of one of the charity calendars she'd purchased over the years to support various causes, all of which had contributed to some hot and sweaty erotic dreams.

All he needed was to be holding his nightstick and handcuffs to make the fantasy complete.

She faltered for a second, forgetting why she was there. All she wanted to do was look at him, revive and rework her memories of his body.

"What the—" He stared at her, making no attempt to cover himself. "What are you doing here?"

The question snapped her out of her reverie, forcing her back on point.

"I came to see you." Angela reached behind and flicked the lock on the door in case Grace decided to be brave and attempt to save her chief.

He smiled and turned to face her full-on, unabashed in his near-nudity. "So, I'm here. What can I do for you?" He jerked a thumb at his locker and the uniform hanging there. "I'm on duty in twenty minutes so let's make this fast."

Angela raised one eyebrow at his phrasing.

Jake laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "You know what I mean." The uneasiness in his words increased her need to interrogate him, push for answers.

"I want to know why you haven't made a pass at me in the past three months." She advanced on him, forcing her pulse to settle. "I see you almost every day in the courtroom, but you haven't said or done anything other than be on the sidelines, smiling and being as polite as can be." She touched her lips, the memory rushing up as fresh as if it'd been yesterday. "You kissed me that time on the porch and since then… nothing."

"I've been behaving myself."

"Because—?" Angela prompted.

He paused and she saw the tension in his shoulders, the struggle inside.

You want me.

You want me right here, on the floor of your locker room. Or maybe in the shower, holding me up against the tiles while you plunge into me again and again like you have so many times before, making me scream and moan while you growl and howl.

Until we collapse in a hot, sweaty mess on the floor with cold water drizzling over our naked bodies because neither of us have the strength left to reach up and turn the faucet.

She allowed herself a smile, seeing the sweat bead on his brow.

I know you want me.

What's keeping you at bay?

"Tell me." She put her hands on her hips and dragged her focus southward. "Or I'll have to beat it out of you."

Jake laughed. "Like to see you try." He glanced at his equipment belt, hanging on the edge of the locker. "Got me a real set of cuffs now. No more cheap toys from the kinky online store."

The roughness in his voice told her he was close to breaking, confessing his sins to her.

She pushed on. "I like that idea. But not if you're keeping secrets from me. So, fill in the rest of this sentence. You've kept your distance from me because—"

Silence.

"Because—" She prompted again.

Jake shook his head.

"You tell me or I'm going to call my mother and sic her on you. Imagine her ripping through this station, talking to Grace and the pair of them trying to find out what's going on." She glanced back at the locked door. "You really want me to set her loose? I'm pretty sure it qualifies under 'Act of God' for insurance purposes."

Jake let out an annoyed snort. "Okay." He drew a deep breath. "Hunter and I made a deal. We agreed to give you enough space to get your act together before asking you out on a date."

"A deal." Angela repeated it.

Jake nodded.

"A deal." She frowned as the fact sank in. "For the two of you to back off and not approach me as anything other than a good friend."

"Yeah."

"And you both agreed on this." She heard a rushing in her ears as she fought to stay calm.

"Both. Hunter and I." He tapped his chest. "If you're going to be mad at me, save a little for him."

"Oh. I've got lots to spare." She narrowed her eyes. "Let's state the obvious. I'm not a toy for you boys to fight over."

"Never said you were," he retorted. "I've never thought of you like that and you know Hunter hasn't either." Jake let out a pained sigh. "Look, we both care for you and want the best for you. We figured it'd be a fair way to deal with the situation."

"And—" She waved her hand in the air, tempted to pull it into a fist, "you never considered asking my opinion about all this?"

He raised both hands. "Let's be honest here. You were in no place to have that sort of talk when you first arrived. Hell, you were a hot mess when I saw you, and that was the next day."

"You kissed me," she protested.

"Yes. And you've no idea how hard it was for me to step away." He protested in turn. "Three months ago, if one of us had made a move on you and enticed you into bed, you would have panicked a day later and reversed it. Maybe even freaked out and left town, an emotional wreck with no safe place to go." Jake paused, lips curled into a wistful smile. "Go ahead. Tell me we overreacted. Tell me we didn't do the right thing by you."

Angela pressed her lips into a tight line, not wanting to admit he had a point.

But it didn't mean she was going to let a man take control of her life.

Not now, not ever.

"Okay. I get it. I may not agree with it or understand it, but I get it." She looked at the pocket calendar hanging on the door of his locker. "This deal. How long was it for?"

"Three months." He watched her warily.

"From when I arrived, I assume."

"Right," he said. "Look, we wanted to give you enough time to recover from the asshole. Figured we'd meet soon, cut cards or something to see who would get to ask you out first. After that, well—best man wins." He pointed at himself. "And by 'best man' I mean me, of course."

"I see." Angela sorted through her thoughts. "Okay. I understand what you were trying to do. And I appreciate the concern you had for my emotional well-being."

She did. She truly did.

But she wasn't going to let him off the hook so easily.

Angela crossed her arms. "But what would you have done if I'd found another man, some sweet young thing at the coffee shop, while the two of you were sitting around staring at each other and waiting for the clock to tick down?"

Jake frowned, eyes going wide. She couldn't help but take a bit of delight at the confusion she'd started. It was obvious that scenario had never occurred to him.

"What if I'd dragged him out to some seedy hotel for a quickie? Rolled him blind and walked back into the courtroom the next morning, wearing the same clothing I had on the previous day and smelling of sex and cheap after-shave." She ran her tongue along her lip, amused at his reaction. "What would you have done?"

"I would've tracked him and found a reason to put him behind bars. And then run him out of town." The annoyed growl tickled her ears.

Angela put her hands on her hips. "Let me lay this out as plain as can be so there's no misunderstanding: You might be my ex-lover but I am my own woman. I don't owe you anything—a kiss or a date or a hop in the hay. I call the shots. I decide who I sleep with and who I fuck." She enjoyed seeing him tense up at the word. "There's plenty of men in this town who would love to have me in bed."

The edges of his lips twisted upward. "But not a lot who know what you like, what you want." He cocked his head to one side and shot a glance at the handcuffs, sitting on his gun belt. "What you need."

It was hard for her to stay on target with the heated stare he was giving her.

But she had to make her point.

"Maybe," she conceded, "But I'm not going to let you or Hunter decide anything for me." Angela dragged her eyes over his semi-naked form. "You seem to have forgotten I liked to be on top as often as you did. And that hasn't changed."

Jake swallowed hard.

She reached out and drew her index finger slowly over his chest, making sure to scratch over an exposed nipple.

He flinched but stayed still.

Angela hooked a finger into the elastic waistband of his briefs and ran her hand from one hip to the other, skimming her nails along his skin.

Jake kept silent but the almost immediate tenting in his underwear told her he was still the man she'd dated so many years ago.

Protect and serve, indeed.

"If you want me, if you really want me, you're going to have to do more than show up and wave your cuffs in my face. You'll have to earn it." Angela snapped the waistband hard against his skin. "I'm calling the shots now."

She noted the tension in his muscles, the minute shaking as he fought to stay still. "Now I'm going to see Hunter and tell him what I think of this deal." She couldn't help teasing him, payback for keeping her out of the loop. "Who knows, I might not choose either of you. Think that one over while you play with your nightstick."

Angela turned and left before he could reply, sweeping past the shocked dispatcher and out into the parking lot.

It took a minute for her to compose herself in the car, thinking over what she'd discovered.

A competition to win her heart?

This was going to be interesting.

She made it to the college campus in record time, parking her car and heading for the sports department with a spring in her step.

"Angela." Sally got up from her desk with a wide smile. "Good to see you again."

"Good to see you too. I need to see Hunter. Privately. Thank you." Before Sally could react, Angela had stepped inside the office and locked the door, much like she'd done with Jake and Grace.

Déjà vu all over again.

She turned to face Hunter.

He frowned but said nothing as he sat behind his desk, class schedules spread out in front of him.

"I know," Angie said.

He didn't blink, didn't give any indication he knew what she was talking about.

"You made this ridiculous deal with Jake. About me. About—" She gestured at the space between them. "—about us."

His blue eyes widened before she saw the mental shutters slide down.

Busted.

She continued. "Jake told me. I went over to the station and asked why the two of you were handling me with kid gloves. For the last three months, you both keep showing up in my life all nice and polite, buying me lunch and feeding me treats but that's all." She pointed at herself. "Didn't you think at some point I'd ask what the hell was going on?"

"Okay. Time for truth." Hunter looked at her. "Yes, Jake and I had an agreement. Neither of us would attempt to get into your pants for three months, to put it plainly."

"I see." She perched herself on the edge of the desk, letting the edge of her skirt ride up on her legs. "And you both succeeded in holding your lust at bay. Congratulations."

Hunter didn't move back. Instead he gave her an evil smile, one she'd almost forgotten he had in his repertoire.

"Thank you," he replied in a low sexy rumble. "It was hard."

The familiar tingling started on her skin at his tone, at the words. It was an effort to stay mad at him and channel her annoyance in the right direction.

"What in God's name did you think you were doing, deciding this between the two of you? Did you believe I'd let you decide what to do with me, with my life? I'm not chattel to be ordered around, I'm not a prize for you or Jake to win."

"I never said that. And you know it's not what either of us think." Hunter stood up, reminding her of a lion rising to his feet.

Angela swallowed hard.

She'd forgotten how damned sexy he could be when he put his mind to it.

His eyes flared with a mixture of anger and sensual need.

"We want what's best for you. Jake cares for you, and so do I." He moved around to stand in front, trapping her against the desk. "We weren't insulting you. We were worshiping you."

The word shocked her into silence.

Worshiping?

Hunter licked his thumb before drawing it along her lower lip slowly, sensually, smearing her crimson lipstick with his moisture. "You know we both love you, adore you. What we did wasn't for us. It was for you. We wanted you to recover from your break-up without interference, clear your vision without either of us clogging up your mind. And I see you have." He leaned in to whisper in her ear. "And I'd like to be the first to begin my devotions." His teeth grazed her earlobe, sending a heated shock along her spine.

"Wait." She gasped, aware she'd lost control of this conversation, this supposed confrontation. "Jake said you were supposed to be meeting to cut cards or something, some way of deciding who would ask me out first."

Hunter paused from nuzzling her neck. "Yes. Except now that you know, it makes that part of our agreement moot as far as I'm concerned."

"But Jake—" She fought not to shiver as his fingers moved along her bare skin, the tingling spiraling through her entire body. "It's not fair."

"You've forgotten I love to cheat," Hunter murmured as he moved in on her. "I play to win."

His arms went around her and pulled her closer, one hand tangling in her hair as he plundered her mouth with a ferocity she'd forgotten. His left knee nudged her legs apart as he slid against her, hips bucking.

This was the sequel to the kiss he'd stolen from her so long ago in her mother's kitchen.

But it was different.

This wasn't the tentative, gentle kiss of an old lover testing the waters to see if the fire still burned.

This was the dominating, possessive kiss of a man who knew what he wanted and was going to get it no matter what.

She moaned, heat pooling below her belly button as the memories shot through her, scalding all coherent thought from her mind.

Hunter slid one hand to land on her leg, brushing up against the hem of her skirt. He gave it a hard squeeze before releasing her and pulling back. "It's been a long time, Angela. I've learned a few tricks."

She licked her lips, her mind spinning. "Like what?"

"I'll let you think about that." He released her and stepped away. "We've both got work to do, and I have a nosy secretary." Hunter winked. "And I suspect you're still a screamer."

She swayed, caught between the reality and fantasy he was weaving for her.

"I'll pick you up at eight for dinner. We're going to Annie's for steak. Be hungry."

"For the steak or for you?" Angela gulped.

"Both." Hunter took her left hand and pulled it to his lips for a delicate kiss. "I'll see you then." He walked her over to the door and swung it open.

The cool air swept over her as Angela stumbled into the outer office.

She spun to see Hunter and was rewarded by his gentle smile before he closed the door.

"Everything okay?" Sally asked.

Angela turned to see the secretary leaning on the counter, trying to be subtle in her curiosity and failing miserably.

Angela knew what Sally was seeing.

A woman with tousled hair, her skin flushed and her eyes dazed and wide.

Hardly the professional lawyer she'd projected upon entering the office.

She brushed her fingers along her wet, swollen lips.

Sally tilted her head to one side.

"Yeah." Angela squeaked. She cleared her throat. "Everything's fine."

At least until eight o'clock tonight.

Jake finished dressing, his heart pounding.

It'd taken him five minutes after Angela's departure to get himself under control, every nerve in his body screaming for him to take matters in hand and duck into the washroom before going out on patrol.

He decided not to on principle—he had more self-control than that.

Even for Angela.

Especially for Angela.

He wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of pushing him over the edge with nothing more than a tickle of her finger and a sly come-hither look.

And he knew she'd know.

One look at his face the next time they met, and she'd know he'd raced into the bathroom stall and grabbed himself, stroked himself to completion over the memory of their brief meeting and the promise of more to come.

No, he snarled internally. I need to show her I'm a better choice than Hunter.

The game's afoot, as Sherlock Holmes would say.

Bet he never had to fight with Watson over a woman.

He buckled up his gun belt and looked at himself in the travel mirror hanging on the inside of his locker door, right next to the pocket calendar. He'd marked this week with a stroke of his red pen.

She went to see Hunter.

Lord knows what he's already tried to do with her.

To her.

Jake headed out to his patrol car, his mind already working on a plan.

Hunter figures I won't do anything because I'm on duty. So does Angela. That's why she came to visit, put me back on my heels.

Let's prove them both wrong.

My office has four wheels.

And I like to play dirty.

Angela left the campus parking lot, her lips still burning from Hunter's harsh kiss.

If he'd pushed it, if he'd gone that little bit further—-

Hunter reached behind him and swept the papers off his desk with a jerk of his hand.

Angela whimpered as he put his hands on her waist and lifted her to sit on the desk.

"Shush." He tapped her lips with his index finger. "We're in school, remember? Don't want to let the teacher know we're hiding here in the back room." Hunter kissed her again. "Be as quiet as you can—otherwise we'll be in detention and I won't get to do this until we're allowed to go home."

His hands made fast work of her blouse, undoing the buttons with a swiftness she'd forgotten.

Hunter yanked it behind her back, effectively trapping her hands. She slid her knuckles against the polished wood as she tried to pull free.

"No, no." He smirked. "You don't get to play yet."

He placed both hands on her knees, right at the edge of her skirt. She gasped as they rode up, skimming along her bare skin.

His hands were on her, in her, slick and caressing the spot he'd first discovered through their juvenile fumbling—his fingers pressing and fluttering right there as he leaned in and bit on her earlobe, the shock and pain mingling to burn out her senses like a fuse shorting out—

The car bumped along the safety strip along the side of the road, startling her out of the daydream.

Angela yanked on the steering wheel and brought the car back between the lines.

Her mind jumped around the two encounters, trying to make some sense of what she'd been told.

What she'd instigated.

Angela flashed back to her meeting with Jake. He'd been shocked—unlike Hunter who took it all in stride.

Jake, God bless him, had looked like a deer in the headlights when she'd challenged him on their lackluster pursuit.

Angela squirmed in the car seat, the image of the near-naked man flashing clear in her mind.

Who knows what they could have done if she'd pushed it further, not turned and walked out of the locker room.

If she had stayed and taken command of the situation.

"Stay still," she murmured.

Angela ran her hand back under the elastic waistband, adding her other fingers to the mix.

Jake let out a strangled grunt as she pulled his briefs down. His fingers clenched and unclenched as she took hold of him, feeling him grow and swell in her grip.

"I guess you've gotten pretty good at taking orders," Angela whispered as she moved even closer, stroking him at a leisurely pace.

He nodded, swallowing hard.

"So, you do what I tell you to do and we'll both end up happy," she said. "Take my skirt off."

Her clothing disappeared easily in her imagination, Jake rapidly disrobing her from the waist down.

"Sit." She placed her palm in the center of his chest.

Jake sat on the bench.

Angela put her hands on his shoulders and moved closer, preparing to straddle him—

A blaring car horn shocked her out of her imaginary rendezvous, and she snapped her head back so hard, she could have sworn she heard joints pop.

The traffic light had been red when she'd stopped at it. Now it glared an annoyed green.

She tapped the gas pedal and drove on, her cheeks burning.

Girl, you got it bad.

This is all Hunter's fault, she thought as she drove around the corner, navigating to what passed for downtown in Glen Barrow.

She swung back to the memory of Hunter gripping the back of her neck, fingers tangled in her hair.

A hot surge rocked her body, forcing her to grit her teeth to keep from stomping on the gas pedal.

Angela laughed in frustration.

Whatever happened, she'd be the one in charge. No one was going to make decisions for her ever again.

Her mind wandered, prompted by recent events.

She liked both men. Hell, she loved both men.

In a perfect world I wouldn't have to choose either.

The thought both shocked and titillated her.

Maybe—

She looked in the rearview mirror and saw a police car. It shocked her out of her introspection, sending the idea skittering to the back of her mind.

Angela shook her head as the red and blue lights came on in a rerun of her arrival in town three months ago.

"You have got to be kidding me." She pulled off into an empty parking lot and waited.

Jake parked behind her. He sauntered up to the driver's door and studied her before speaking, waiting long enough to send a frisson of anticipation up her spine.

He touched the brim of his cap, other hand hooked into his gun belt. "Good afternoon, ma'am. I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to get out of the car." He moved back and curled his index finger at her. "Please."

Angela stepped out and leaned against the car, facing him. "Is this okay?" She ran her tongue over her lip, noting the catch in his breath.

Two could play at this game.

"No."

Abruptly the world spun and she was facing the top of her car, her hands behind her.

"I believe you might be carrying some contraband." Something cold touched her wrists and she shuddered, recognizing the handcuffs.

The accompanying click sent a tremble through her, both her hands now secured at the base of her spine.

"For your own safety." The heated whisper came at her left ear. "Don't want you to hurt yourself."

"You're so considerate," Angela murmured.

"Thank you." His left hand remained against her spine, pressed against her. "I'm going to have to search you."

She let out a gasp, caught up in the role play.

"Why, officer. What do you think I might be hiding?"

"Something." A soft kiss on her ear sent her mind soaring even as his right hand slid up from her waist to squeeze her breast. "Anything."

Angela gasped as Jake's fingers deftly undid the buttons on her blouse before slipping inside with no fumbling, no missteps—as if they'd never been apart.

"Oh my." He rumbled as he pressed against her from behind, urging her legs apart. "Looks like I did find something."

His hand slid under her bra and onto her bare breast. His thumb brushed against her nipple, provoking a gasp.

"Jake." Angela forced herself to speak, "We're in public. You're on duty."

"Yes. Yes, I am." The pressure on her breast increased, his index finger and thumb taking hold of her sensitized nipple. "So, we'll have to make this fast."

Jake grunted as he fondled her breast, his hot breath coming in short pants as he took hold of her earlobe with his teeth and nipped lightly.

"Come for me, Angela. I know you can. Right here, right now. On my command."

She gasped as he tweaked her nipple.

"Listen to me. Do what I say." The low growl turned her legs to rubber, forcing her to lean back into his grip.

It'd been years since she'd come like that, no one able to work the same magic Jake could with a simple dance of his fingers. Before Jake she'd never believed she could come from this simple foreplay.

Now she wondered how she'd survived without it all these years.

"Angie. Come for me." The order snapped across her senses as he gave one final squeeze, his hips pinning her against the car. She felt his erection pressing against her, only a few scraps of fabric keeping them apart.

Her mind and body, overstimulated by recent events, betrayed her the only way it could.

The scream was muted, the last of her self-control pulling it back to a loud moan.

Her vision narrowed to a pinpoint, and she fell forward.

Jake's right hand tightened against her chest and caught her from banging her head on the hood of her car. He laid her cheek gently against the cool metal.

She came back to herself amid the sound of the handcuffs being unlocked, the light bondage removed from her hands. Jake pulled her hands to her sides, dropping kisses on the back of her neck.

It took her some time but Angela found the strength to turn around, her pulse pounding in her ears.

Jake stood in front of her, wearing a satisfied smile. "I knew that'd still work." He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, his discomfort evident.

He'd spend some alone time in his car before pulling anyone else over, she suspected.

Angela buttoned up her blouse, suddenly self-aware of how they looked, of how she looked.

"Can I take you out for brunch on Sunday?"

"Brunch?" Her world was out of focus, her mind doing cartwheels to catch up with the reality.

"I've got to work until midnight or I'd ask you out for dinner."

"Dinner." She paused, still sorting through her emotions. "No. I've already got plans. But brunch—" She nodded. "That'd be great."

Jake's face fell. "Hunter got you already for dinner, didn't he?"

Angela nodded.

"Hey. It's good. We're good." He tucked the handcuffs back into his leather holster. "He's got as much of a right to ask you out as I do. I'll come by the house at ten Sunday morning."

Angela shifted, her breast still throbbing from his touch. "I didn't expect the two of you to come out of the gate so fast."

Jake laughed. "What did you expect? We'll both be doing our best to impress." He jabbed a thumb at his chest. "And I know in the end, you'll pick me."