Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 99040 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 495(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99040 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 495(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
He studied her for a moment, standing on the sidewalk with an arm around Brooke. Then he nodded. “Fair enough, Jo.”
She grinned, but it didn’t last more than a few seconds.
Tracker strode up to the group. “What’s taking so long? You turn this into a full spa day or some shit?” He stopped. “Jo.”
All eyes turned to her, waiting for her reaction. They all knew he’d slept with her, and they all knew why. How humiliating.
It wasn’t the first time she’d seen them since finding out Tracker deceived her, but somehow this felt worse. She didn’t have the uniform and professional agenda to hide behind today. There went all her relaxation.
“Tracker,” she said with a nod.
“Oookay.” Olivia threaded her arm through Jinx’s and tugged the big man. “Come on, big guy, let’s give these two a moment.” She winked at Jo, then pulled harder on Jinx, who scowled for one more second before following her.
Curly nodded at her before he and Brooke followed the other two down the sidewalk. The group disappeared into a small café a few doors down.
And there they were. Alone again. Why the hell did they keep running into each other like this? And why did her heart speed up and her stomach flutter every single time?
“You look good,” Tracker said as his eyes trailed up and down her body. Instead of feeling annoyed at his blatant perusal, her nipples tightened and that fluttering in her stomach turned into a full-on stampede.
“You saw me yesterday.”
He chuckled. “And yesterday, you looked hot, tired, and hungry. Today you look good.”
He had a point.
She glanced away, then back at the man the universe kept dropping in her path. Why hadn’t he gone to the café with his friends? “Was there something you needed to talk to me about?”
In the instant before he spoke, her mind waged a fierce battle over the way she wanted that question answered.
“Actually, yes. Though I promise I didn’t plan to run into you this way. I’m starting to think someone up there wants to throw us together.” He winked, and she ignored the way it made her knees wobble and her mouth dry up.
Damn sexy man.
“If you wanted to apologize again…”
“That’s not it. Though I recognize I probably need to, I actually need to speak to Officer Baker.”
“Really?” What could he possibly have to say to the police?
He nodded. “Yeah. I have some important information for you.” As he glanced around, he stuck his hands in his back pockets. “Probably shouldn’t have this discussion on the street, though.”
What the hell? “Oookay.” She narrowed her eyes. He seemed as chill as ever despite telling her he had important information for the cops. Hmm, he hadn’t said for the cops. He said for her. The smart thing to do would be to demand he make an official statement at the station. Or, at the very least, let her grab her partner so he could share what he had with them at the same time. But a stupid part of her wanted to dance over having earned his trust and loathed the idea of breaking it.
And that stupid part appeared to run the show.
She stared up at the cloudless blue sky and counted to five. When she hadn’t come to her senses by then, she sighed. “I have to pick something up at the drugstore, but then I was planning to head home. You can meet me there so we can talk. Thirty minutes?”
“I’ll be there.” A victorious smile erupted on his face.
“Tracker, I swear, if this is some kind of trick or manipulation...”
Raising his hands, he shook his head. “It’s not. Swear it on my fingers.”
Despite knowing better, she chuckled. “Your fingers?”
He shrugged. “I’m an artist. Can’t do my job without them.”
He had a point. “Okay, I’ll see you in thirty.”
“See ya, ba… Jo.”
Babe. He’d almost called her babe.
This was a terrible idea.
But she’d hopped in the pool. Now she better learn to swim.
She turned and took two steps in the direction of her car before spinning back around. “And, Tracker?”
He turned. “Yeah?”
“I’ll take a large, iced chai latte, non-fat, no whip.”
He winked. “You got it, babe.”
That time he said it. And she fucking loved it.
This was a terrible idea.
A huge grin spread across her face as she made her way to her car. It matched the warmth spreading across her chest and the buzz zipping along her nerve endings.
A really terrible idea.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
TRACKER PROPPED HIS shoulder against the railing on Jo’s tiny front porch as he watched her pull her car into the driveway. Her first reaction upon realizing he’d beaten her to her house was a narrow-eyed scowl, but when her eyes hit the icy beverage he held, they lit up. Never underestimate the power of an iced latte. He’d take any extra points he could get, even if they came in the form of a drink that she’d demanded he buy her.