Did I want to? Not really.
Would I do it? Yes.
Why? Because she asked, and I was quickly learning that saying no to this woman was incredibly difficult.
11
“It’s okay to eat junk food in the car on road trips because calories don’t count at highway speeds. I don’t have time to explain the science behind this, but it’s sound.”
—It’s science
Hector
After my own quick shower—a cold one, I might add, thanks to Iris—we were finally on our way out the door.
“I’m actually really excited to see your office,” Iris said from the passenger seat of my SUV while Sarge leaned over her shoulder from the back seat. “Despite living here for nearly two years, I haven’t actually been to the visitors center.”
“Let’s take Sarge into my office when we first get there so he stays out of trouble, and then I can give you a tour after I get all this paperwork squared away.”
“Oh, that would be awesome, thanks.”
The minute we walked into the building, the fewrangers who were on staff all clocked me and the gorgeous woman at my side. She had on a simple red V-neck shirt with black shorts. Her hair was up in some kind of messy bun with a few loose strands framing her face and glasses. Simple yet so damn sexy.
Diden, having seen her the instant we cleared the door, took the opportunity and pounced.
“Hey, boss. What are you guys doing here?” she asked in all her nosy glory, hidden behind a sweet, saccharin voice.
I told her and the other three rangers in sight that I needed to fill out some paperwork and then give Iris a tour of the place.
Diden and Jennings looked at each other conspiratorially and then turned to us.
“I can give you a tour. It’s the best part of my job,” Diden said.
“I’ll help you with the paperwork,” Jennings said to me.
That must have been their plan. Diden interrogates—I mean, gives a tour to—Iris while Jennings gets the scoop from me, and then they would share all their gossip after we left. The only good news was that Jennings did, in fact, help fill out the paperwork with me, though he did it while asking me four-hundred questions about the case, including whether or not we should get a restraining order for the podcaster.
What I hadn’t planned on was Ranger Diden givingIris the tour of a lifetime—a long one. So it had taken nearly two hours for us to get out of there.
At that point, I was already hungry since all I’d had was a measly bagel for breakfast. Given that I lived so far from the city, we still had roughly thirty more minutes to drive to her place, so we decided to grab some lunch on the way to her apartment.
Iris picked a spot that had a nice, covered patio with misting fans so we could have Sarge sit with us.
Knowing she was the weaker link, Sarge had set up shop directly next to Iris, setting his head on her thigh with the biggest pleading gaze I had ever seen.
“Hi, sweet boy,” she said, leaning down to scratch his head. “I would feed you, but grumpy daddy over there is glaring at me with the heat of a thousand suns. I might get in trouble if I give you food.”
“Yes, you would definitely be in trouble,” I confirmed.
She looked at me and smirked. “But, like, how much trouble? And what kind? Might be worth it.” She shrugged and popped a french fry into her mouth as she smiled wickedly at me.
“Dear Lord,” I mumbled quietly. This feisty woman was certainly going to be the death of me. “Iris, do not feed him,” I practically growled.
“Sir, yes, sir,” she said, full of sass as she saluted me and winked.
Three words and a wink, and I felt myself getting hard under the table.
Fuck, this woman was definitely, one hundred percent going to be the death of me.
