Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 42491 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 212(@200wpm)___ 170(@250wpm)___ 142(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 42491 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 212(@200wpm)___ 170(@250wpm)___ 142(@300wpm)
Henley looked over at the lot and then back at me. "I'm not sure." He was still obviously worked up over the crash. "Can you please help me?"
Damn, I wanted to. I wanted to do anything and everything he needed, which was a terrifying yet exhilarating thought. But unfortunately, I wasn't permitted to do this for him. "I can't drive it for you," I lamented, "But I can help you calm down so that you feel more comfortable driving. May I have your hand?"
Henley reached out the window without question, placing his palm on mine. I wrapped my fingers around his wrist and told him, "Your heart is beating really fast. I need you to take some deep breaths until it slows down, okay?" He nodded and I instructed, "Close your eyes." My pulse quickened at how easily he followed my direction. "Good. Now, listen to my breathing and copy it."
Henley did as I asked, mimicking my slow, deep breaths. I watched as his jaw relaxed and his shoulders lost their tension. His heart rate slowed beneath the pads of my fingers. "There you go," I said just above a whisper. "Now, open your eyes."
When he did, I noticed that Henley's pupils were less dilated and his expression was calmer. "Much better," I smiled, and got a tiny yet gorgeous grin in return. "Are you able to move your car now?" He took another deep breath and nodded. "Great. I'll be right behind you."
I carefully stepped into the oncoming traffic and motioned for the cars to stop before waving to Henley to cross. It wasn't totally necessary, as there was a traffic light, but I wanted to go the extra mile for him. Once he was safely in the gas station parking lot, I got back into my cruiser and slid into the spot next to him.
Once again, I left my vehicle and hurried to Henley, and this time, he was ready for me. His window was down and his eyes were wide open as he asked, "Is this okay?"
It was a parking lot; as long as he was inside the painted lines, any spot he chose was fine. But the fact that he asked for my approval sent my blood racing to places it should never visit when I was in uniform.
"It's just right." I couldn't help but add, "Good job," and Henley's answering smile did nothing to ebb my blood flow problem. But I needed to get my thoughts back into my big head, and told him, "I need to see your license, please."
"Oh, of course!" Henley rolled up onto his hip to retrieve his ID. I wasn't ready; my heart squeezed when he lifted a red canvas wallet from his pocket and broke apart its Velcro seam. I'd never seen something so innocently sexy.
Henley passed over the plastic card and I looked it over carefully; mainly because it was my duty to do so, but also partly from curiosity. I learned that Henley James was twenty two years old, five foot four inches tall, and weighed one hundred nineteen pounds.
I smiled at the precise measurement. Most people lied about their weight on their license, but I pictured Henley weighing himself before going to the DMV to give an accurate number. The mental image gave me more satisfaction than it should.
I couldn't help it; Henley was so damn cute, both in his physical appearance, and his actions (including those witnessed and imagined). He was every one of my fantasies brought to life.
But I needed to remain professional. I studied his ID some more, discovering that he lived in Slocum Heights, a nearby apartment complex. It wasn't situated in the best part of town, but thankfully it wasn't in the worst part, either.
"I need your insurance card and registration too, please," I requested with a smile, wanting to keep him at ease. Henley seemed to finally be calming down, and I didn't want to upset him again.
He nodded and fished the papers out of his glove compartment before handing them over. “I’ll be right back,” I told him before receiving another nod and walking to my cruiser.
I checked his insurance card to make sure everything was up to date before running his registration through the system archives, which was standard procedure after an accident. He had no points against his license, no tickets, and no record whatsoever.
I wasn’t surprised; I was a great judge of character, and Henley struck me as a sweetheart through and through. Given his nervous behavior after the collision, I doubted he could do anything wrong, much less illegal.
“Here you go,” I said as I handed the documents back to Henley once I approached his SUV again. “Everything looks great. Now, can you tell me exactly what happened today?”
He nodded and sat up straighter. The action made me smile; Henley knew this was important and was giving me all of his attention. “I was driving to work and stopped at the traffic light when it turned red. All of the sudden, I heard metal crunching and my whole car lurched forward. At first, I thought something was just wrong with my vehicle, but when it jerked again, I looked around and saw that a car had hit me from behind."