At the sound of Riley’s husky voice, Eric’s pulse raced a bit faster. His heart beat a bit harder. And his cock jumped behind his confining zipper.
Every. Single. Time.
From the second he’d first laid eyes on the mouthwatering detective two years ago, nothing—not even the knock-down, drag-out fights they’d had at the beginning of their working relationship—had ever dampened the visceral reaction he felt toward the dark-haired vixen.
The tension between them had been immediate and fierce. So had the intense attraction Eric felt toward her.
Something he’d fought like hell to ignore.
Since just being in the same room as Riley sent his libido into high gear, Eric had done everything in his power to keep his distance. For a while, that plan had worked beautifully.
She did her thing. He did his. Their mutual avoidance had been an unspoken agreement that kept things civil in the workplace.
But not long after Riley had joined their department, Eric’s twin brother, Derek, had gotten caught up in a nasty domestic violence case.
One involving Charlie—his and Derek’s childhood friend—and her abusive ex-husband.
The bastard had been so hell-bent on getting Charlie back, he’d faked his own death and set Derek up to take the fall. For obvious reasons, the case had fallen into Riley’s hands.
At first, she’d actuallybelievedthe planted evidence against his brother. But after Eric’s heated insistence that his twin was innocent—and after receiving irrefutable evidence that Derek had been framed in order for Charlie’s ex to gain access to her—Riley had finally accepted the facts as truth.
Surprisingly, the stubborn detective had not only released his brother from police custody, but she’d also played an active role inhelpingEric, Derek, and Derek’s black ops private security team search for the abducted woman.
Thanks to their joint efforts, they were able to locate Charlie before her bastard ex could kill her. It had been a close damn call, but they’d made it in time, all the same.
Now Charlie and Derek were happily married and living the life they’d always wanted. Together.
While he was happy about the way things worked out for his brother and sister-in-law, Eric had been less than thrilled about his captain’s reaction to how well he and Riley had worked the case together.
Rather than keeping things the way they were—with he and Riley working in separate department units—the respected man had offered Riley a coveted position with Dallas PD’s Special Crimes Unit.
Eric’sunit.
And he’d been none too happy about the move.
Before making Dallas her home, the fierce woman had been a highly decorated detective within the NYPD. She was tough, knew the law inside and out, and was passionate about making the world a safer place for all and bringing justice to those who threaten that safety.
So his animosity toward Riley had nothing to do with her ability to do the job. It was because—until her—Eric had never felt such an instant, visceralneedfor a woman.
And he’d had no idea how to react to it.
Since becoming partners, however, Eric had also witnessed Riley’s softer side. The compassion and empathy the woman had with witnesses and victims had surprised him at first. It also warmed his heart beyond words.
Yes, Riley York was everything Eric had ever wanted in a partner...and more.
It was themorethat had left Eric cursing his captain’s impromptu decision.
The sexual tension between them had been so thick, it would’ve taken a damn chainsaw to break through it. Add to that the woman’s obvious—and frustrating-as-fuck—self-constructed walls, and they were like two feral cats.
Each fighting to be head of the pack.
But then, three months ago, Cap had pulled him into his office after shift to give him an unbelievable ultimatum. Either get his shit together and make things work with his new partner or find another unit.
Pissed thathisposition with the specialized unit was in jeopardy and not hers, Eric had left the precinct and driven straight to Riley’s apartment. Determined to resolve their issues, he’d gone there intending to do nothing more than hash their shit out, once and for all.
At first, he talked, and she listened. Then she began arguing with him over whose fault it was that they hadn’t been getting along.
One minute they were screaming at each other. The next, they’d stripped off their clothes and Eric was taking her right there...against her living room wall.
