Lee groaned again. “You can’t say ‘spank bank,’ Snap. It’ll give me ideas.”
“Don’t you dare,” I warned him.
His laugh was devilish. “For all you know, I could’ve been rubbing one out this whole time.”
“For all you know, so could I,” I countered.
“Fucking hell. Okay, you win that round.” He swore and moved away from the phone for a second. I thought I heard him scratching his stubble while muttering “Jesus Christ” under his breath.
I tried my best to change the subject. “So, have you got any plans for the day?”
“Other than coming over to yours?” he asked confidently. When I left him in stony silence, he added, “Kidding, kidding. No big plans. It’s a friend of mine’s birthday tonight, so I’ll have to show my face.”
“Oh, well, I hope you have a good time,” I said sleepily as I snuggled into my pillow and we were both quiet for a minute. I could hear him breathing on the other end of the line, so I knew he was still there.
“You nearly gone?” Lee asked softly. For a moment it felt like he was there beside me, whispering in my ear.
“Almost,” I answered past another yawn.
“Bet you look a picture right now,” he murmured.
“Mm-hmm,” I mumbled, closing my eyes.
“Go to sleep, beautiful,” he said, his voice a caress.
Seconds later, I was dead to the world.
Six
“Guess how many bras I’m wearing?” Reya asked as she jogged alongside me on the treadmill.
I sputtered a laugh. “Um, I’m hoping the answer to that is one.”
She shook her head. “Nope, I’ve got three of these bad boys on right now. Otherwise, the girls’d be flopping around like an elephant on a trampoline.”
I laughed harder, feeling breathless. “Oh, my God, stop! You’re putting me off my stride.”
“I’m being serious. I bet you’ve never even had to double up, whereas I’m here tripled up and could probably do with a fourth. I curse you, Karla Sheehan, you and your perfectly manageable boobs.”
The guy on the treadmill next to Reya’s cocked his head, clearly listening in to our conversation. I couldn’t blame him.
“You know what?” she went on. “I’m thinking of getting a reduction. I want a pair of Claire Danes–style bee stings. She can probably go around free as a bird day in and day out without so much as a back twinge.”
The guy listening almost tripped over his own feet, and I sort of felt bad for him. Reya was always very chatty when she was around me because I made her feel comfortable. The problem with that was that it often meant she didn’t think to censor herself.
“Why don’t you just get a sports bra, you big freak?” I asked when I finally managed to stop laughing.
“Because I’m broke, but also because sports bras are bullshit. They might give you support, but they barely cover the nips. I don’t want to be going around flashing my headlights at everyone.”
“You have to shut up. Seriously, you’re giving me a stitch,” I complained, laughing so hard I had to reach for the buttons to slow down my machine.
I’d slept until midday and then Reya had called, asking if I wanted to go to the gym for a workout. Since I felt unusually refreshed after being lulled to sleep by Lee, I agreed. Now, here we were. And yeah, I was refusing to think about the fact that Lee Cross’s voice had sent me into the best night’s sleep I’d had in forever.
“I’m going over to the rowing machine. Come find me when you’re done,” I said, stepping off the treadmill and heading to the other side of the gym. I’d been rowing for a couple of minutes when out of the corner of my eye I saw someone take the machine next to mine. I didn’t pay them too much attention, and focused on the music streaming from my MP3. For some reason, I preferred listening to metal when I was working out, and James Hetfield was currently growling in my ears.
It was only when I started to slow down that I sensed a familiar presence, intense and all-consuming. I slowed to a stop, pulling out my earbuds. A second later I turned to see who had my instincts on alert, and there he was.
Lee glanced over at me, wearing workout clothes and a towel draped around his shoulders. I wiped the sweat from my brow and narrowed my gaze at him. After a millisecond of eye contact, I stood, making my way to the water fountain. I knew for a fact that this wasn’t a coincidence. Last night on the phone I distinctly remembered telling him I might go to the gym today.
He followed heavy on my heels, dipping his head and asking, “Sleep well last night, Constable?”
I bent over the fountain, took a drink, then straightened. “Well enough.”
The T-shirt he wore wasn’t exactly tight, but his perspiration had caused parts of it to stick to his chest. I tried not to look and failed. Lee took the opportunity to stretch his arms up over his head, causing his T-shirt to rise and reveal several inches of toned stomach. I knew he’d done it on purpose, but still, I couldn’t stop staring. That was when my gaze wandered to his right hand, where the knuckles had been bandaged.
“What happened there?”
Lee glanced down, then back up to me. “David happened,” he answered casually. “Let’s just say, he won’t be bothering Sophie anymore.”
“You fought him?”
“Had to. No other way of getting through to blokes like him. Words don’t work, but fists sure do.”
I didn’t know how to feel about that, because if David had really been violent with Sophie, a tiny little pixie of a woman, then he deserved some sort of punishment. I just wasn’t sure that punishment was a beating.
“You should have reported him.”
“So your lot could give him a slap on the wrist and then he’d be back hassling Sophie within the month. No, thanks. I told you I’d do anything for my family. Sometimes that means doing things that fall into a…grey category.”
I eyed him closely, a frown shaping my lips. The thing about Lee was that I never quite knew whether or not I agreed with him, and it was disconcerting. I didn’t get too much time to contemplate this further, as he distracted me by nodding over to the boxing ring. “Fancy sparring with me?”
I shook my head and tried to keep a neutral expression. “No, thanks.”
“Worried I’ll show you up?” he asked, a challenge gleaming in his eyes as they wandered over me intently. I felt like he was chronicling every tiny detail, from the way my workout pants clung to my thighs to the sheen of sweat glistening on my neck.
I laughed, trying not to let his attention affect me. “No, actually, the opposite. I wouldn’t want the whole gym seeing you get taken down by a girl.”
Lee stepped closer, so close I could smell him, soap and sweat and man. He bent his head to reply, “Hmm, I sense a wager coming on.”
Our gazes locked, and it was the first time that I noticed we had almost the exact same eye colour, except his were the tiniest shade lighter. A moment of insanity must have struck me, because there was something about his challenge that I couldn’t back away from. I was riled, and I wanted to show Lee Cross that boxing was bollocks when put up against a real martial art.
“What do I get if I win?” I asked, levelling him with a hard stare.
His smile was slow and sexy. “What do you want?”
“Hmm, let me think. How about for you to steer clear of this gym when I’m around.”
His mouth was inches from mine as he replied, “But there’s no fun in staying away.”
“Sometimes fun isn’t worth it.”
“Sometimes it is.”
I groaned. He really wasn’t going to let up. “We’re done here.”
He grabbed my arm as I turned to walk away. “Okay, fine. If you win, I’ll keep my distance, but if I win, you’ve got to let me come around to yours tomorrow and cook you dinner.”
I stared at him, incredulous. “You want to cook me dinner?”
Lee nodded firmly and held his hand out to me.
I gre
w flustered. Why did his end of the deal have to sound so…so romantic? A small part of me kind of wanted to lose, and that part began with a “V.”
After a moment of indecision, I finally shook with him. A couple of minutes later, we were both in the ring. I couldn’t use my eskrima sticks, because then it wouldn’t be a fair fight. It didn’t matter, though; I had a number of empty-hand techniques I could use on him. I got in position, and Lee stood less than two feet away, knees bent slightly, fists up.
“Just so you know, I’m not gonna actually hit you. This isn’t about hurting one another, it’s about submission. First person to achieve a takedown wins,” he said.
I sputtered a laugh, circling him. “It’s not a real fight unless you hit me.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t want a real fight with you. Play fighting is sexier,” he said, flashing his teeth and swinging. I moved quickly, dodging the would-be strike. He swung again, and I coiled my hand around his arm, pushed his other hand out of the way, and locked his arm behind his back. He dropped his body and pressed his foot down on my ankle. I released him. He backed away a few feet.
“That was slick.”
I just smirked in response before asking, “So, we never really set the rules. Is kicking allowed?”
“Sure,” said Lee, and before I could react his leg shot out, making light contact with my upper thigh.
I shook my head at him. “Dirty move.”
“Hey, we just agreed to kicking.”
“Yeah,” I grinned. “We did.” Making sure I had enough space, I launched into a wheel kick. My foot got him right in the lower abdomen, and he drew back, winded.
“Hey, ease up, Mr Miyagi.”
“Mr Miyagi does karate.” I feigned offence. “Don’t insult me.”
Lee chuckled at my response and I went for him again, but this time he was quicker, and he caught my foot before it could descend. I lost my balance and fell to the floor, hard.
“Ah, would you look at that. Miyagi got taken down,” Lee teased, and I scowled at him, reaching around to rub the base of my spine.
“Thought you said you weren’t going to hit me.” I winced, pretending I was in real pain.
Lee’s smile fell and he hurried forward, holding out his hand to help me up. “Shit, did I hurt you?”
“I’ll survive,” I said, placing my fingers in his, but instead of letting him pull me up, I dragged him down, making short work of wrapping my legs around his shoulders and capturing his head in a lock. Grappling was kind of my forte, and I actually had a little experience with ground fighting. I squeezed my thigh muscles around his neck, and even though I knew he had to be hurting right then, he laughed.
“Is this what heaven feels like?” His chest rose and fell as he fought for breath.
I smiled wide, a little breathless myself from the effort it took to keep him down. “Pretty much.”
He struggled, moving his body and testing me, trying to find a way out of the lock.
“This is a good look for you, Snap.”
“I agree. I also think I just won.”
“Not yet.”
“Aw, that’s cute. You actually think you’re getting out of this, don’t you?”
In a shameless move, he turned his head to the side by the tiniest fraction and nuzzled his nose into my inner thigh. Electricity shot right between my legs, the shock enough to make me loosen my hold for a millisecond as he grabbed me and flipped me on my back. Before I knew it, he had my wrists captured in his hands as he straddled my waist.
“Well, what do you know,” he purred. “I managed to get out of it after all.”
I tried to kick my legs, but his body was pure muscle, and with the way he was holding me, I might as well have been weighed down by steel.
“That was another dirty move,” I complained, breathing heavily.
“Sorry, but you can’t complain about dirty moves when you use them yourself. I tried giving you a helping hand and you exploited my kindness.” He tutted, shaking his head at me smugly.
I had no intention of giving in. “You do realise there are a number of much more efficient ways you could be restraining me right now, yet you pick the sexiest option.”
“Yep, I’m well aware of that.”
I grunted irritably, uncomfortably aware of the strength of his thighs locked around mine and the way our bodies were so conveniently aligned. Flicking my eyes up to his, I was sure he saw my frustration. There was a softness in his gaze, and I exhaled a breath when he loosened his grip and lowered his body so his entire weight rested on top of me. His pecs were hard planes, his abdomen a firm press against my stomach.
“What are you doing?” I whispered, conscious of every breath he took. The noise of other gym users and trashy workout music streaming from the overhead monitors was a distant reality. There were any number of ways that I could have gained the upper hand right then, but it didn’t feel like we were sparring anymore, and I couldn’t have moved a muscle even if I tried.
“You’re so fucking sexy,” Lee whispered back, his nose dipping to the spot below my ear.
“You need to get off me. Somebody might see,” I said, desperate.
“I love that about you,” Lee continued to whisper, still nuzzling me.
“What?”
“How you act all tough, but as soon as I touch you, you melt and go all shy. It’s gorgeous.”
I was momentarily glad that this wasn’t a cop gym, and that none of my coworkers had a membership here. I could just imagine the crap I’d have to deal with if anyone I knew saw me in my current clinch.
“You need to get off me now.” I repeated my plea, trying to make my voice hard and failing. There was way too much air in it.
“If you want me to get off you, I will,” said Lee, moving his hips slightly. I felt something firm press into me and knew he was hard. This was so many levels of wrong, I didn’t even know where to begin. “Do you want me to?”
I closed my eyes for a second and tried to breathe. I’d never felt so weak, and we both knew I didn’t want him off me, not even a tiny bit. What I wanted was for us to be magically transported somewhere private where he could show me exactly what he planned on doing with the stiff length in his pants.
When I didn’t reply, Lee continued talking. “I can’t get your taste out of my mouth.”
The smallest whimper escaped me, and I felt myself grow wet at his words. I wanted so many things right then. In the end I opened my eyes, and I was sure he recognised the defeat in my expression.
“You win.”
I hated to admit it, but the way he smiled in response was beautiful. “Does this mean I get to come over tomorrow?”
All I could do was nod reluctantly. Maybe Alexis would feel like doing me a favour and sticking around the flat while Lee was there, like a buffer. She’d hate it, but hey, it wasn’t like I hadn’t done favours for her in the past.
“Okay, so….” Lee’s voice dipped as his eyes travelled over my heaving chest. “I guess the only thing left for you to do is kiss the victor.”
That did it. I couldn’t take any more as I twisted my wrists out of his hold and used my hip bone to break the tenseness in his thighs. Within seconds I was out from under him, walking to the other side of the ring and searching for my towel. Once I found it, I dabbed my brow and slipped out between the ropes.
“Hey, Karla,” Lee called after me. I turned and waited for him to say something. “I know you could have done that any time.” He stopped, not saying any more because he didn’t have to. We both knew what he was inferring. I could have gotten out from under him, but I didn’t because I liked having him on me, and that was the scariest part of all.
***
Chicken noodles were my dreamboat. I tended to get crazy hungry when I was on a shift, so the sight of Tony walking into the station with a bag of Chinese takeaway was like music to my ears, or, I dunno, a beautiful artwork to my eyes.
I was manning the front desk and decided to eat while
I worked because the station was a madhouse. Halfway through my dinner, and having dealt with a number of drunks, one prostitute, and a woman who’d had her handbag stolen on the tube, I had a call come in about an illegal rave going on in a warehouse down in Brixton. They needed extra backup because there were hundreds of people there, a lot thought to be underage, and apparently some dodgy drugs were being passed around. It was with a forlorn sigh that I said goodbye to my noodles and hopped in the patrol car with Tony.
“Okay, here’s one for ya,” he began, and I knew I was going to be hit with a brain teaser. Tony and I had a thing for trying to figure them out together. When you worked with someone day in and day out, you came up with ways to pass the time. “If it were two hours long, it’d be half as long until midnight as it would be if it were an hour later. What time is it now?”
I glanced at him, screwing my mouth up in concentration as I repeated the question to myself over and over. The problem was, the more I repeated it, the less sense it made. In the end I just gave up. “Ugh, I’ve got nothing. I’ll have to think about it some other time. Hey, so what’s the deal with these drugs at the warehouse?”
“Little white pills,” said Tony. “Been going around for the last few months and a couple of kids have OD’d. They’re saying it’s E, but it’s not normal E. Tests done in the lab say there’s all sorts in there.”
I shook my head and looked out the window, my gut churning with anger and worry. Teenagers seemed to be willing to put anything into their bodies without a care to the fact that it could kill them. I noticed lights flashing behind us and turned to see an ARV following. My ex, Gavin, was more than likely inside. Fantastic.
“Is that really necessary?” I asked, flicking my eyes to Tony and then back to the van behind us.
“Our informant says the rave is being organised by Tommy McGregor. He’s serious business and his people will likely be tooled up.”
“Oh, yay. So they’re sending us in to get shot at?”
“You’re in a delightful mood today. And no, the armed unit will go in first. We’ll be outside to clean up after.”