first tenderly and then with more force.
He turned us so my back was to my door and I hit it with a little “oof.” Ryan’s breath was hot and perilously close to the crazy-button he’d found on my neck as he whispered in my ear.
“So, if we’re not going out tonight, maybe we should stay in.”
The desire to say “OK,” find my keys and not leave my room for the whole weekend was potent, but I somehow found the willpower to let go of my rose with one hand and push against his chest until he backed off by half a step. I licked my lips and gulped.
“Wait… this is going to sound crazy after the other night, but… I want to take things slower. Is that OK by you?”
Ryan gave me that cat-and-mouse smile again. “Fine by me. I’ll go, but can I give you one thing just so you don’t forget me?”
“What’s that?”
Ryan bent down again and gave me a kiss that left me breathless. I sucked in as much air as I could through my nose, my world filling with his mind-bendingly sexy scent, and I sighed like a lovesick schoolgirl when he finally left my lips to their own devices.
I gave him my number, he gave me his, and then he left with that smile never leaving his face. Round one definitely went to him, but I could do this. All I needed to do was string him along until we hit the friendzone and then it was business as usual.
I can do this.
Sarina
Highston was a major hub for the Palladium Lines bus company. Their services and central bus terminal provided a cost-effective way to get from campus, through a crowded space that would be a hassle to follow me in, to a bus stop a short walk away from a parking lot, where Sergeant Josiah Shelton was waiting for me.
The pouring rain gave me every reason to move hastily, as I didn’t have an umbrella. I leapt into his car within a fraction of a second after opening the door, wiping my face. Shelton, always prepared, handed me a towel.
“Thank you, sir.”
“I was surprised to hear from you so soon, Beckett. That usually means you need to get the hell out, or things have gone uncommonly well. Which is it with you?”
“I’ve made contact with the suspect, sir.”
I gave my hairline one last wipe, hoping to preempt the next several drips that would fall across my face, folded the towel up, and handed it back to him. He threw it in the back seat.
“Already? Where? The club?”
“Yes, sir. He showed up the first night I went there.”
“Anything interesting happen?”
Something about the way he looked at me almost made me break out in a cold sweat. He had this all-knowing quality about him that all my most efficient superior officers had over the last several years.
I licked my lips and gave my face another wipe with the back of my hand. “A lot of things, actually.”
“Go on.”
“The suspect arrived at about eleven thirty on Wednesday, and I saw him exchange something for money with multiple individuals.”
“OK, so, if that was F, he’s still got a source.”
“Yes, sir. After a short time, he joined us on the dancefloor.”
“Us?”
“Some of the girls from the dorm. I managed to get his attention and ended up talking with him in a booth in private. He… um… expressed an interest in becoming romantically involved with me.”
“Understood. Go on,” the deep all-knowing voice came, as he looked out through the blurry windshield at people rushing to and from their cars.
“So, my plan at this stage is to string him along for a while. Get to the friendzone, so to speak.”
“Watch yourself, Officer Beckett. You’re not the first undercover cop to opt for that path. It’s got more blind corners with freight trains coming the other way than you might think. Especially for our female officers. These people…” He shook his head.
“I’ll… I’ll be careful, sir,” I said, weaker than I would have liked.
“Did he talk about F at all?”
“Not yet, sir. He avoided the topics of drugs and money altogether and I don’t think I could have pushed it any further than I did.”
“Agreed. You’re already ahead of the game, no need to get too cocky and blow it all. Anything else?”
“Oh yes indeed. Ryan Crewe has some kind of link with The Cannibals.”
Sergeant Shelton looked at me sideways. “The Cannibals? What kind of link?”
“I’m not sure, sir. All I know is