Sloan fell into a sated sleep just seconds after admitting that she likes danger. When my phone chimes with a text, I carefully maneuver myself to pull it from the pocket of my jeans that are still around my ankles.
Mac
Just hit Thorngrove. See you in twenty.
I lift myself from where I’m wedged between Sloan and the back of my oversized sofa to stand and pull my pants up. Then, I lift her, ignoring her grumbles of protest as I carry her into the bathroom attached to my office. When I set her on the bench in the large shower, she jolts at the feeling of the cold tile against her bare ass.
“Dick,” she says with a glare as she jumps to her feet, making me chuckle.
“No time to be gentle,” I tell her. “Security guy will be here in a few minutes. I’ll go get your clothes while you shower.”
I lean forward and grin when she instantly tips her head back, expecting a kiss. What she gets is the blast of cold water as I reach behind her to flip the shower on. I jump back out of the spray, laughing as I jog out of the bathroom.
“I still hate you,” she yells as the door closes behind me.
I pull my phone out to text Mac back as I head to the dressing room.
We’ll be ready.
Mac
You mean she’s actually there? How the fuck did you pull that off?
Did you really doubt me? I told you I had it under control.
Mac
Uh huh. Sure you do.
I pocket my phone to grab Sloan’s things. When I pick up her leggings, her phone vibrates from inside the pocket. I don’t even hesitate to pull it free to see who it is. I’m not even surprised when I see her notifications showing five missed calls and a dozen text messages from her sister.
I clear the notifications without opening her messages. I need her to be focused on the meeting with Mac and not distracted by family drama. So, before I enter my office, I power her phone off and slide it back into the pocket where I found it.
I step into the bathroom to find Sloan standing at the sink. Her wet hair is pulled up into an almost perfect bun. She has a towel wrapped around her and tucked into itself under her arms. She has the tutu she was wearing in the sink, rubbing the fabric together in an attempt to clean off the mess I made earlier.
“Leave it,” I tell her as I set her clothes on the counter and step behind her until my front grazes her back. “Mac will be here any minute.”
“Mac?” Her eyes meet mine in the mirror. “Riley MacMillan is your security guy?”
“Yep.” I drop my head to kiss her bare shoulder. “He’s my main guy. He’s the only one who knows me on both sides of the law. After today, you will too. I want you to know everything.”
“So…” She turns so that she can look up at me directly. “You’re not just an undercover cop. You reallyareyour cover.”
“Pretty much,” I admit. “There are some lines I won’t cross. Those lines are the reason I’m a cop to begin with. But I’m not always on the right side of the law…even if Iamthe law.”
I’m putting an awful lot of trust in a woman who—in her own words—still hates me. But I know she’s never really hated me. She wanted me. She still does. She aches for me the same way I have for her since the day we met. I’m ready to give her everything she’s ever dreamed of, but I have a lot of confessions to make before she’ll be ready to accept it.
When my phone alerts me that someone has entered the employee entrance, I kiss Sloan on the forehead before telling her to get dressed and meet us in the office when she’s ready. As eager as I am to get this meeting started, I’m not excited about laying all my cards on the table.
Two YearsEarlier
I watch the view of the dance floor at TG’s Happy Hour on my laptop. Mac can hack into almost any security footage, and he stopped asking for an explanation a long time ago. He knows what—or ratherwho—I’m watching in Thorngrove.
Sloan is dancing with some frat boy who doesn’t have a clue that he doesn't stand a chance. A few have been lucky enough for a one-night stand over the years, but that’s not happening tonight. I can see it in the way she dances. Similar to the last night she saw me, her attention isn’t focused on the guy grinding against her. When her eyes drift to the camera, I let myself imagine that she knows I’m watching her.
I’malwayswatching her. At the bar. At home. At her studio behind the mall. It’s the only way I can stop myself from driving to Thorngrove and dragging her back here with me.
But just like I knew it would be, my life is too dangerous for her to be in it. There’s no way I would put her on the radar of the Hell Hounds—the motorcycle club I’ve been infiltrating the past few months. They are the kind of criminals that remind me why I’m a cop and not just another thug. One look at my tiny dancer and their vice president would have her chained to a wall while they did unspeakable things to her. Until I find a way to bring them down, I have no choice but to watch her from a distance like I have these past three years.
