The words come out harsher than I intend, but I can't help it. Cops. They're all the same. Corrupt, power-hungry, worthless. Even if this one has an ass that's making my mouth water and tits I want to bury my face in.
Fuck. I need to stop thinking like this.
"You're one of them," she says suddenly, her eyes dropping to the leather vest I'm wearing. The Savage Riders patch sits over my heart. "The motorcycle club that runs this town."
"We don't run shit." I keep my voice level even though irritation pricks at me. "We protect this town. Big difference."
"Protect it from what?"
"From people like him." I jerk my chin toward where the patrol car disappeared, trying not to notice how her uniform pulls tight across her chest when she crosses her arms. "From gangs. From anyone who thinks they can hurt innocent people and get away with it."
She studies me, and I let her look. Let her see the patches, the bruised knuckles, the tattoos peeking out from under my sleeves. Let her decide what she thinks of me. Meanwhile, my cock is getting harder, pressing painfully against my zipper, and I want to hate her for it but can't quite manage it.
"I should get back to the station," she says finally, but she doesn't move. "File a report."
I snort. "Good luck with that. They won't believe you."
Her jaw tightens. "You don't know that."
"Yeah, I do." I cross my arms over my chest, mirroring her posture. "How long you been wearing that badge? Can't be long."
"That's none of your business."
"It is when you're walking into a shitstorm thinking your badge means something." My eyes drop to her body again. I can't help it. The way her hips flare, the curve of her stomach, those thick thighs. Jesus Christ. "They'll bury you. He's got seniority, connections. You've got nothing."
"I have the truth." Her voice rises, anger breaking through. "That should count for something."
"Truth doesn't mean shit to cops." The bitterness in my voice surprises even me. "They protect their own. Always have, always will."
She stares at me, something shifting in her expression. "You really hate us, don't you? The police."
"With every fucking breath." I don't soften it, don't apologize for it. It's the truth. "Your badge doesn't make you a hero. Just makes you part of a broken system."
"And what does your vest make you?" She gestures to my cut. "A hero? Or just another criminal hiding behind brotherhood?"
She's got fire, I'll give her that. Even scared, even stranded, she's fighting back. It makes my cock throb harder, makes me want to grab her and show her exactly what this criminal can do to her curvy body.
Fuck. I need to get away from her before I do something stupid.
"I'm the guy who just saved your ass," I growl. "That's what my vest makes me."
"I didn't ask you to—"
"You were about to." I step closer, unable to help myself. She smells like coffee and vanilla, soft and sweet despite the uniform. "I saw the fear in your eyes. Saw you trying to figure out how to fight him off without losing your job. Well, guess what? You're probably going to lose it anyway."
Her face pales. "You don't know that."
"Yeah, I do." I'm close enough now to see the flecks of gold in her green eyes, close enough that if I leaned forward just a little, I could kiss that smart mouth. My cock is screaming at me to do it, to press her against the wall and show her what a real man feels like. "But when you realize I'm right, when they throw you under the bus to protect him, don't come crying to me."
"I wouldn't dream of it." She lifts her chin, stubborn and brave and so fucking beautiful it pisses me off. "I don't need help from someone like you."
"Someone like me?" I lean in, watching her pupils dilate. She's feeling this too, this fucked up attraction between us. "You meansomeone who actually does something instead of hiding behind a badge?"
"I mean a criminal." But her voice wavers slightly.
"At least I'm honest about what I am." I let my eyes rake over her body slowly. Let her see the hunger in my gaze even if I hate myself for it. "Can you say the same?"
She sucks in a breath, her chest rising, and I watch her nipples harden under the uniform. Yeah, she's feeling it. Feeling this wrong, fucked up pull between us.
