Burnout_ A Legal Heat Novella - Sarah Castille Page 0,31
holstered to his belt.
“Gary, no.” Sophie’s heart thudded when Gary unlocked the holster. “It’s okay. I know him.”
“How did he get in? Does he have a key?”
“Broke in.” Ace held up a file. “Downstairs and up here. Piece of shit hardware they’re using.”
“You broke in.” Gary drew his weapon and motioned Ace over to the hallway. “On the floor. Hands behind your back.” He unclipped his cuffs and tossed them to Sophie. “You cuff him and I’ll call it in. Technically, I’m still on duty.”
Sophie swallowed hard. “Gary, please lower your weapon. Ace is…a…person I know. He’s not here to cause any harm.”
Gary frowned. “He broke into your apartment.”
“That’s my fault,” she lied. “I invited him over and forgot to give him a key.”
Undeterred, Gary held the weapon firmly pointed at Ace’s chest. “He’s wearing a Rogue Riders cut, Soph. He’s an outlaw biker.” His breath caught, and his head jerked in her direction. “Are you under duress? Has he threatened you? Are you afraid of him?”
At a loss as to how to get over Gary’s police training and biker prejudice, she sighed. “We were together for a bit, Gary. It was nothing. It’s over now. But he’s not here to hurt me.”
“What do you mean you were together?”
Exasperated, she raised her voice. “I slept with him. Okay? It’s no big deal.”
He lowered the gun entirely and turned to face her. “But he’s an outlaw and you’re a cop.”
“Thank you for that succinct summary,” she snapped, finally losing her patience. “I was aware of that, and it’s one of the reasons it didn’t work out. So please…holster your weapon and finish your sandwich while I see him out.”
His gaze still focused on a now highly amused Ace, Gary holstered the weapon and took his seat at the kitchen counter. “I thought you said you invited him here.”
“I lied because I didn’t want you to shoot him. If anyone gets to shoot him, it’s going to be me.”
A relieved smile tugged at Gary’s lips. “Ah. It’s like that. I get it now.”
“You.” Sophie jerked her thumb at Ace. “In my bedroom. You have one minute to tell me why you’re here and then ten seconds to leave.”
Ace followed her to the bedroom, then folded his thick arms and leaned against the doorjamb, all smug and cocky and looking so damn sexy with his three days’ worth of scruff and windblown hair she couldn’t decide if she should slap him or kiss him before she kicked him out the door.
“That was fucking hot, babe. I liked how you lined that dweeb up. Got him eating a sandwich instead of shooting me through the heart.”
Sophie clenched her hands into fists. “Maybe you didn’t notice, but I lined you up, too. And since you broke into my apartment, you do not get the benefit of a sandwich.”
His gaze raked over her body and he licked his lips. Sophie mentally dared him to tell her what she knew he was thinking: he didn’t want a sandwich; he wanted to eat her.
Say it. Say it. She needed an excuse to throw him out before she threw herself on him and begged to become his snack.
“You came to see me, babe. Kickstand said you needed my help.”
“And you were too busy to talk to me,” she snapped, at once relieved and disappointed he hadn’t risen to the bait. “How many women were crawling over you? Two or was it three? Had they been there all afternoon, or was that show solely for my benefit? Well, you don’t have to worry. I got the message.”
His jaw tightened. “They’re friends.”
“Seriously? Gary’s my friend, but I’ve never had him crawl all over my lap when we watch TV. I know what kind of friends they are. Jackie told me what they do at the club.”
Ace’s eyes narrowed. “Jackie likes to cause trouble.”
“I think she’s refreshingly honest, unlike you.”
“I’ve never lied to you.”
Sophie wrapped her arms around herself and leaned against the dresser. “You didn’t tell me about the orgies with your sweet butts.”
“Everything okay here?” Gary poked his head in the bedroom. “You want me to stick around, Sophie?”
Her face softened. Gary was such a nice guy. She couldn’t imagine him having orgies with sweet butts in his pristine apartment, or breaking into someone’s home, or assaulting and kidnapping movers. She also couldn’t imagine him fucking her in an alley while he whispered all the dirty things he wanted to do to her and then actually doing them. And she