Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 94512 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 378(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94512 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 378(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
His body registered that fact and reacted accordingly.
“Sorry,” he muttered, taking a deliberate step back.
“Me too. I wasn’t watching where I was going,” a familiar female voice said.
Startled, Dare glanced up to see Liza pulling the iPod buds out of her ears. “Liza.”
“You,” she said at the same time.
He met her gaze and she blinked, focusing her coffee brown eyes on him. Touching her had nearly knocked him on his ass and her gorgeous eyes almost completed the job. Then there were the damp handprints he’d left on her chest, which he couldn’t stop noticing.
He had to divert his focus or he’d be in big trouble.
“I do have a name other than you,” he reminded her in a teasing voice.
“Officer Barron.” She ducked her head after she spoke.
This shy female was distinctly different from the take-charge woman he was used to seeing at the police station, softer and more approachable.
Dare found himself drawn to her even more. “I meant, I have a first name.” And he wanted to hear her say it.
She lifted her gaze. “Dare.” Her expression was wary but with a hint of a smile on her lips, she teased him with a glimpse of those sexy dimples in her cheeks.
“Better.” He allowed himself to take in her running gear, a pair of black shorts with white piping, a black tank that did little to hide her breasts, and a worn pair of sneakers.
“Do you always jog in the evening?” The sun was setting and he’d prefer she didn’t run here at night.
“No. I usually run in the morning near my house, but I had an early meeting today so I put it off till later.”
He nodded, feeling better about her jog. “Well, then, lucky me. Are you okay? From our collision I mean?”
She nodded. “I’m fine. I should have been watching where I was going, but I was distracted.” A blush stained her cheeks, making him wonder what she’d been thinking about.
“So was I.” He was even more distracted now.
Silence descended and she shifted from foot to foot.
“Well, I should get going,” she murmured.
He paused and before he could think about it, he said, “I was just going to get a slice of pizza. Want to join me?”
Her eyes flickered in surprise.
She couldn’t be any more shocked than he was, since he was scheduled to have dinner at his brother’s house in an hour. But he wasn’t ready to let her go.
“Umm…” She seemed to struggle with the decision and he knew he’d bail on the family if it meant the chance to go out with her.
“I can’t tonight. I have to work. I need to put the final touches on a presentation I have in the morning.”
He nodded, understanding but still disappointed. “No problem.”
He wondered if he should take it as an outright rejection, then realized she hadn’t said I can’t. She’d said I can’t tonight.
“Maybe another time then.”
Her eyes widened, as if she couldn’t believe he’d push the issue.
“Maybe,” she said softly.
His heart jump-started inside his chest and his thoughts immediately turned to what Cara had said about turning things around. He’d always judged Liza harshly, but now he’d treated her to the real Dare and she’d softened.
“Can I walk you anywhere?” he asked, reluctant to let her leave.
She shook her head. “My car’s parked by my office,” she said, pointing down the tree-lined street.
“Be careful.”
“Always,” she said and treated him to a full-fledged genuine smile.
As he watched her jog toward her office, he realized something had shifted between them. And suddenly it didn’t matter who her brother was or what he’d done, Dare needed to get to know Liza better.
Liza reached her car. The BMW Z4 Roadster convertible was her baby. With its all-white outside with black interior, she loved the vehicle. She opened the car and grabbed the bottle of water she’d stowed in the back, guzzling it down, not caring if it gave her a cramp later. Her mouth was dry and her heart was racing—and the solid jog she’d been on before bumping into Dare Barron had nothing to do with it.
He did.
The man, in his gray Champion sweats that molded to his firm thighs and groin and the white T-shirt stained with dirt and sweat, had her drooling. She’d smacked right into him and he’d cupped her breasts, leaving them damp, her nipples hard and aching.
And then he’d asked her to dinner. As if the last time she’d seen him they hadn’t been adversaries arguing over the necessity of arresting her brother.
She wiped the sweat from the back of her neck and leaned over in an attempt to catch her breath. Because she knew she’d never regain her equilibrium ever again.
* * *
Dinner at the mansion. Dare would give anything to eat alone and have time to think. Instead, he had to deal with the weekly family dinner, all the while pretending he wasn’t preoccupied with thoughts of Liza McKnight.