Lava flows from my heart, igniting my chest, melting away at the glacial ice within. A feeling I thought I’d lost.
Pull it together. Maintain.
“I’m Officer Gareth Rawls. License and registration,” I grunt. She already has them ready for me and hands them over. Despite her innocent face, there’s something in her eyes. Resilience. Backbone.
She’s wearing a worn-out pair of jeans filled with holes and an oversized T-shirt that looks thrifted. Still, no supermodel could compete with her. Other girls must be so jealous.
“Briar Beeman.” Her name tastes like honey on my tongue. “Do you know you were going forty in a twenty-five?”
My pants tighten as she looks up at me, all the blood in my body rushing to my center.
Her face is perfection.
Her body begs for my tongue.
From the birth date on her license, she’s also only eighteen years old. Goddamn. Almost half my age.
“You’re joking, right? I just got off work and am on my way to night class.” I may be working traffic, but I’m a detective, andI know when people are trying to pull one over on me. “I guess those frat boys partying ahead of me weren’t a problem?”
She’s got me there. Christ, she’s got me, and she knows it. She’s looking at me like she’s daring me to admit it. But that’s not happening.
I want to laugh. I want to put my hands on her face and laugh into her mouth as I envelop her plump lips with mine. Instead, I clench my jaw and look down at her license.
Her address places her from the other side of the tracks, which explains the sassy mouth on her. She knows the speed limit, and she knows she broke it. But she’s trying to talk her way out of the consequences.
Sorry, angel. Not this time.
Pain flares in my palm, and I realize I’ve been squeezing her license, causing the plastic to dig into my skin. I let go, straighten it out, and hand it back to her.
As she moves, the fabric of her shirt shifts, revealing the outline of her breasts. My mouth waters. I lick my lips.
What a tasty treat those would be.
I thought tonight would just be another slog through the black void that my life has become, but damn was I wrong.
Nothing could have prepared me for this.
“Your night class is going to have to wait.”
Her eyes flash as she looks up at me. Her face. What a fucking face. I can’t breathe.
I drag my eyes over her body, from the worn hem of her jeans to the stretched collar of her shirt. The way it drapes over her chest sends my imagination racing.
I will see her naked. Andsoon.
“Is a ticket really necessary?” she asks. “I wasn’t intentionally speeding, and there aren’t many cars on the road—”
Her voice cuts off as I pull open her door and snap my fingers. “I need you to step out of the car.”
I can’t be doing this. This is an abuse of power. But when Briar looks back at me, eyes narrow, questioning whether or not I’m crazy, I’m the one who’s powerless.
“Step out of the car? Why? So you can have your way with me?”
Her response shocks me. This little vixen has some spunk to her. I cock my head to the side in admiration. “Is that what you want, Briar?”
Her jaw drops. I tongue my cheek as my heart pumps faster.
“Yeah, that’s just what I want,” she replies mockingly. “Please, please, Officer. Take me now!”