was joking. She’d been keeping her windows firmly locked.
“I don’t have . . . I mean, I was just stopping by . . .” He seemed unsure how to play the fact he’d come by. She liked his uncertainty. It was endearing. And somehow hotter.
“Since you’re off duty, how about a drink? A beer?”
He narrowed his eyes as if he were considering what that would mean. “That’s not necessary.”
“I know it’s not necessary, dutiful public servant. Still, you’ve been so patient with me. Surely, I owe you something,” she said, stepping back, knowing full well her words were suggestive and liking the way that made her feel.
“I guess a drink wouldn’t hurt,” he said, stepping inside.
She tried not to huff him because that might scare him. Instead she let her gaze wander over the body brushing against her own. Joseph was a big guy, all muscle, but not absurdly so. Just in the way that made women wonder what his uniform shirt hid from view. Okay, and maybe the pants, too. His hair was too short. She bet it curled a little when it was longer, making him look softer, more approachable. That was probably why he kept it short. His pretty eyes were wary and his jaw somewhat scruffy. Uniform shirt tucked tight into pants that could have been tighter. Lord, he’d make a fine-ass motorcycle cop. She’d keep that fantasy in her head because it was a good one.
“So beer? I also have vodka and can whip up a mean vodka tonic,” she said, sauntering toward the kitchen.
She felt his eyes on her and allowed her hips to sway a bit more than natural. She was very glad she’d worn the Marchesa Notte dress that fit her perfectly now that she had lost a few extra pounds.
“A bottled water would be fine. What happened to your dress?” he asked when she reached the kitchen and opened the fridge. She grabbed a Perrier, wishing he’d gone for something stronger. The man could use a little loosening up. The man could use a lot of loosening up. And maybe she was just the woman to do it.
“Oh, well, a bit of a catastrophe at my son’s engagement party,” she said, glancing down to make sure the safety pin was keeping everything in place. Her almost DD breasts were doing a great job of holding the dress up by themselves. She felt Officer Rhett’s eyes on her girls, too.
He jerked his gaze to hers when she looked at him.
“You have a son who’s old enough to get married?” he asked.
“I had him when I was twelve, so . . . ,” she joked.
His forehead crinkled almost adorably.
She handed him the Perrier, and he looked at it like she’d just handed him a tampon. “I’m joking. He’s twenty-three. I had him when I was young, but not twelve. You don’t like Perrier?”
“Never had it.”
“I have tap water. Totally paid the bill this month.”
Officer Rhett smiled, and she felt it in her girl parts. Jesus, the man had some power in that smile. It turned him into a total panty-dropper. He opened his sparkling water, and Tennyson busied herself pouring a vodka on the rocks. Who needed tonic? Extra calories.
“I’m fine, and I’m just saying that you look much too young to have a child getting married,” he said, raising the bottle and taking a long draft.
His throat muscles working to swallow were even sexy. Damn, she’d never found a guy drinking mineral water so hot. Of course, she wasn’t sure she’d ever been with a guy who requested water when she offered booze. “Flattery will get you everywhere, Officer Rhett.”
“You can call me Joseph,” he said, setting the bottle on the marble and looking at her with amusement.
“Not Joe?”
He shook his head. “That’s what my mom called me.”
No further explanation.
“Okay, then, Joseph, would you mind stepping onto the patio? I need to let Prada out to do her business before I put her in her kennel for the night.” She indicated with a nod of her head the double French doors.
He walked to the door, unlatched it, and slid it open. Tennyson scooped up Prada, who was sitting at her feet staring up adoringly, and went out into the night. Summer had arrived, bringing a hefty dose of humidity that made her hair curl. She hadn’t missed the frizziness that Louisiana brought to her hairstyles, that was for damned sure. But she liked the soft nights with the still darkness and quiet