BEAUTY AND THE BADGE Read online

  If it didn’t bother her, she wouldn’t be as mad as she is right now.

  “Yeah,” I answer. “I really do. It’s not that you love Charlotte’s Cove. In fact, a fool could see that you don’t. It’s that you love thinking you’re in charge, and that’s not the case here. You ran your fucking mouth, because you’re easy to bait. Whatever control you thought you had here is gone.”

  And with that, I’m done. Some damn uncomfortable conversations are going to go down between me and the other people she was manipulating, but that can wait. Thanks to Ben, things went better than I hoped. Now I can focus on what matters—which is Ashley.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  ____________________________________

  ASHLEY

  I’M DRINKING MY third cup of hot chocolate of the night—being keyed up makes me need it that much more—when there’s a knock at the door. Setting my cup down on the coffee table, I rise from the couch and hurry toward the door. When I open it and see Tyler standing on the other side, there are flutters in my stomach. The sensation gets more extreme when I meet his eyes. He looks… intense. Or maybe it’s determined.

  I feel oddly shy when I hold the door open and say, “Hey. Come on in.”

  I wasn’t sure he’d come talk to me when he was done dealing with Rita, but I hoped. I’m glad he’s here.

  Once he steps through the door, I close it behind him and lead him to the couch. “How’d it go?”

  He shrugs as I take a seat on the other end of the sofa. “She’s not going to be a problem for you or anyone else on the island anymore. It’s a long story that we’ll talk about later, but right now, it isn’t nearly as important as the other conversation we need to have.”

  Gulp. This is what he alluded to earlier. I thought he meant we would talk in the coming days, not now. Guess I read that wrong.

  “What’s up?”

  When he moves closer to me on the sofa by a couple inches, I freeze. It’s the weirdest thing. I want him close, but at the same time, I’m nervous as hell.

  “Before Rita showed up at Ted’s and started her shit, we were headed in the right direction,” he says. “Straight up, the fact that I hadn’t made my move and shown my hand was a mistake. I shouldn’t have waited, and there’s no excuse for that, because I knew the second I met you just how different you are. I was head fucked by what happened with Rita, and I let it hold me back. I fucked up.”

  My first thought is that I haven’t been imagining the chemistry between us. My second is that I can’t believe this is really happening.

  “The way you held yourself back after that night at the bar stung like a bitch. I wanted to turn back the clock, but of course that wasn’t going to happen. It seemed like every day you seemed further away. Everything is different now though.”

  “It is?” I ask, surprising myself.

  “It is,” he answers, his eyes on mine. “I’m not fucking around or getting sidetracked by things that don’t matter. I want you, Ashley. All the fucking time, you’re what I’m thinking about.”

  My internal temperature rises about five million degrees with each word he says. I feel warmth spread across my cheeks as I bite my lower lip and look down at my lap. I love what he just said, but I can’t help feeling like he’s out of my league. I hate that all the horrible things Rita has been saying about my body are playing through my head on a loop right now. Tyler is gorgeous, and I’m just… me.

  “Talk to me, babe. You look a little lost, but I can’t imagine you didn’t know this was between us.”

  “That night at Ted’s, you specifically told Rita we weren’t on a date.”

  His brow furrows. “Yeah.”

  “The way you dismissed even the idea of it so quickly made me think you weren’t interested at all.”

  He’s shaking his head before I’m finished speaking. “I was always interested, Ashley. I said it wasn’t a date, because it was clear Rita was gunning for you. I hoped if I played it cool, she’d put her fuckin’ claws away. I should’ve said something to you immediately after I got her to leave, but I wasn’t thinking clearly at all. I was so pissed I had to spend almost ten minutes outside cooling down before I could come back in, and even that wasn’t enough.”

  “So you weren’t out there talking to her the entire time?”

  “Hell no,” he answers emphatically. “She didn’t even try to draw it out or start a fight. I guided her out of the bar and out onto the street, where she laughed in my face and told me that since I was putting an end to her night before it began, I’d have to pay Meghan for the wings and beer she’d ordered before she saw me. When I told her I didn’t give a fuck and would gladly pay not to have her around, she smiled like the fucking Joker and left. She didn’t need to stay, because she knew she’d fucked my night up, and that was all she really cared about.”

  That’s Rita though. She likes dropping bombs more than she enjoys watching them detonate. She’s been like that forever too. Her high comes from the moment of impact. The carnage and destruction that happens in the aftermath never holds her attention for long, because she’s always looking for the next thing.

  Still, she gets that ammunition from somewhere. Either she finds your weakness or she creates one. Once he saw behind the façade, Tyler might not have felt like dealing with her, but no matter what he says, he still had sex with her, which means he was attracted to her.

  “I can tell by looking at you that whatever is going on inside your head isn’t good,” Tyler says.

  I spread my hands. “It’s not that it’s not good,” I murmur. “It’s that… I….”

  Reaching out, he takes my hand into his. I can’t help that the instant he touches me my nipples stiffen.

  “From now on, no secrets,” he says. As he speaks, he shifts closer to me. When our knees touch, I short circuit. Thinking. Thoughts. I have some. Dammit, what are they?

  Oh yeah.

  “Rita’s a rail,” I blurt.

  I sound like an idiot, so I’m not even a little surprised that he’s looking at me like he’s confused.

  “She’s a what now?”

  “A rail. It means skinny. She probably lives on popcorn, lettuce, and water. I’m nothing like her,” I babble. “I have curves, bumps, and ridges. She’s sleek lines, and I’m—”

  “Are you for real right now?” he interrupts.

  Awesome. I let my nutty out, and now Tyler knows I’m an idiot. Way to go, Ashley.

  “I’m trying to make a point,” I answer, a touch defensively.

  “For starters, your point is bullshit. You have this all fucked up in your head, babe. You want me to tell you what the reality is?”

  “Um, not real—”

  “Doesn’t matter, I’m telling you anyway. Rita’s like a base model car. The flashy paint job makes it look good, but once you pop the hood and look at the specs, you realize it’s a four-cylinder tin can with no pickup and shitty resale value. You’re like the car in the showroom that everyone covets. Rita’s an economy ride. But you? Well, you’re the top of the line.”

  My heart flutters in my chest before settling into a rhythm that feels too fast. It’s a combination of things that get me—the expression on his face, the heated look in his eyes, his words. I mean, it isn’t like being compared to a car is the most romantic thing in the world, but from Tyler, it somehow works. I blink like an idiot as I lick my lips and try to focus. Words. I have to say something.

  “Thank you.”

  “Don’t thank me for telling you the truth. How a woman who looks like you, rocks a body the way you do, and stays sweet the way you have is beyond me. You’re the shit, and you don’t even know it.”

  A woman who looks like me and rocks a body the way I do. Wow. Wow. No man has ever said anything like this to me, ever.

  “Do you feel what’s between us?” he asks.

  I don’t hesitate, because the answer in my head is so loud there’s no avoiding it or pretending that it’s otherwise.

  “
I do.”

  “Thank fuck you admit it.”

  I mean, how could I not?

  “Are you going to let me in?” he asks.

  I don’t even know what that means exactly, but it doesn’t matter, because no matter what, my answer is yes.

  “I am.”

  I don’t have a chance to respond before he’s covered the last bit of distance between us. Reaching out, he cups my face. “So beautiful,” he says.

  Electric. That’s the only way to describe this moment with this man.

  “Tyler.”

  He makes a sound low in his throat as he slides the hand on my cheek down and then around to the back of my neck. My heart starts beating quadruple time as his face gets closer to mine. He hovers, so our lips are almost touching, but not quite. Anticipation zips through my veins as I wait for what comes next.

  When our lips finally connect, I let out a sigh. He caresses my lips with his but doesn’t deepen the kiss, and I can’t help but grow impatient. I want it all. The sooner, the better.

  The sensations get that much more intense when he traces his tongue against the seam of my lips. I open for him so that my tongue can meet his, and the feeling is unlike anything I’ve ever known. Some kisses are slow. Some are desperate. Some are sensual. Some are a promise. This kiss is all of the above and then some. I’ve imagined that Tyler would be a good kisser, but hoo boy, I had no idea. My fantasies did not do him justice, not even a little bit.

  Wrapping my arms around his shoulders, I whimper as he deepens the kiss. It doesn’t feel like we’re just two people with chemistry; it feels like we’re something more significant than that. My senses are overloaded with too many things for me to process. He groans when I shift and maneuver closer. I’m not aggressive—have never, in fact, been overly sexual. But right now, with Tyler, I want things I’ve never dared imagine for myself. I surprise myself by making my way onto his lap. Straddling him, I wrap my arms around his shoulders and hold on as he kisses me stupid. Although I’m on his lap, there’s no mistaking who’s in charge of this kiss, and it isn’t me.

  The taste and feel of his tongue are more heated and intense than I ever would’ve thought. My nipples are hard, and every swipe of his tongue makes me wetter, so much so that I can’t imagine anyone in the history of ever wanting someone the way I want Tyler Jameson. If they did, they’d never get anything done, because they’d sit around waiting for the next time they could be kissed like this.

  He growls as the kiss somehow becomes even more intense. The sound of that growl has a direct line to my core, and I can’t hold back a moan of need. When he tears his mouth from mine, I let out a little mewl, desperate for more. Tyler is a drug, and I need another hit.

  “Fuck, Ashley,” he murmurs, his voice harsh. “We need to stop now or shit is going to get out of control fast. Don’t think it’s a good idea to peel your clothes off and shove my cock into you just yet.”

  My clit flutters at the thought of having Tyler inside me.

  “Don’t make that face,” he orders, his voice tight.

  I frown, confused. “What face?”

  “The fuck me face,” he growls. “You’re thinking about taking my dick.”

  Oh hell. If he can read my expressions, I am in so much trouble.

  “There’s no way you can be sure of that,” I answer, embarrassed.

  He snickers. “Look into my eyes.”

  I do, and what I find in them makes me wetter.

  “What do you see?” he asks.

  I can’t think of a polite way to tell him that the heat in his eyes is making me imagine sex and lots of it.

  “Babe,” he rasps. “Tell me what you see. Never be shy with me. I want all of you—real and unfiltered.“

  “Sex,” I admit softly.

  His eyes flash as he nods. “You on top of me the way you are right now is making me think of you riding my dick. Your body wants something, and mine does too. Don’t ever be afraid to admit what you’re thinking or feeling to me.”

  He smiles when I nod in understanding.

  “Not gonna fuck you the first night I kiss you. No guarantees about tomorrow night though,” he says, his tone teasing.

  And then he kisses me again. That one kiss quickly morphs into five, and who even knows how much time passes as we make out like two horny teenagers.

  I let out a startled sound when he lifts me off his lap—like I weigh nothing at all—sets me back down on the couch, and gets to his feet.

  “If I keep kissing you….”

  The look on his face says everything. My fingers trace my kiss-swollen lips as we stare at each other. He blinks first. Swallowing hard, he gives me a pained look.

  “Gotta go home and cool off,” he rumbles. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  I grin and nod. “Okay.”

  Crossing the room, he stops at my door and turns to look back at me. “Tomorrow after work, we’re together. From now on, any free time we have, we’re together. You feel me?”

  I feel dazed. At a loss for words, the best I can do is murmur, “Mm-hm.”

  He chuckles and shakes his head as he opens the door. “I knew you’d be something, babe. Didn’t realize that something was trouble.”

  There’s a very good chance the big stupid grin on my face might turn out to be permanent.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  ____________________________________

  ASHLEY

  I’VE BEEN WALKING on a cloud since I climbed out of bed. Partly due to Tyler kissing me stupid last night, but also because when I made it to work today he came straight to my desk and asked if he could take me to dinner tonight. If last night is anything to go by, then tonight is going to end with lots and lots of kissing.

  Grinning to myself, I slide the lunch Millie dropped off for me this morning—leftover pork chops, green beans, and mashed potatoes from last night—into the microwave. As I press Start, Jana swoops into the break room.

  “You and the chief are totally banging it out now, aren’t you?”

  My brows skyrocket toward my hairline. Shooting a glance toward the door, I breathe a sigh of relief when I see there’s no one standing there hearing this craziness.

  “Are you insane? You can’t say that here—someone could hear you,” I squeak. Then, lower, I continue, “And for the record, we did not. Sheesh, Jana! We just decided to start… well, whatever we’re starting.”

  She rolls her eyes. “Don’t go full Victorian England pearl-clutcher on me, lady. If you haven’t yet, we both know you’re going to soon. You and the chief have always had chemistry, but the way he was watching you when you bent over to refill the copier with paper earlier was intense with a capital I.”

  “It was?”

  “Um, hell yeah it was. He was looking at your ass like he was that lion from Madagascar.”

  I stare at her blankly, wondering what she’s talking about. “Madagascar?”

  She looks at me like I just told her I didn’t know there are fifty states. “The movie,” she says, her tone exasperated. “You know, Alex and Marty? They escape the Central Park Zoo and wind up in Madagascar. Everything is great, but Alex is daydreaming about steak, so he mistakenly bites Marty’s butt. And Marty says ‘Excuse me, you are biting my butt!’ You have to have heard of it.”

  I raise my shoulder, because I have no idea what she’s talking about. At all. “Nope.”

  “Ugh. I feel like certain movies should be mandatory, and this is one of them. Anyway, the look on Alex’s face before he jumped over the cliff is the face Tyler made as he watched you work with that copy machine. I’ll send you a YouTube video later so you can see.”

  “You took a video of him looking at my butt?” I ask incredulously.

  Jana frowns. “What? No! I meant I’ll send a video of the ‘you are biting my butt…’ Ugh. You know what? I’m just going to borrow the DVD from Claudia so I can lend it to you. She’s a smart kid; she’ll understand why she needs to part ways with it for a few da
ys. You can watch it in between bang sessions with the chief.”

  “Who’s Claudia?”

  Something flashes across her face, like she just let a cat out of the bag, but before I can follow up she says, “A friend who has better taste in movies than you do. Hopefully we can remedy the situation before the chief figures out you’re pop-culture challenged. Talk about a turn-off.”

  I want to smile but can’t, because Lord knows it’ll just encourage her behavior. Now that Tyler and I have decided to start dating, everything feels right. Even Jana’s inappropriateness is enjoyable.

  “You’re doing a really crappy job of keeping a lid on your bubbly-ness,” she teases.

  I let out a chuckle at the same time the microwave dings to let me know my lunch is ready. Opening the door, I pull my container of piping hot food out.

  “I’m excited,” I admit.

  Jana laughs as she opens a can of SpaghettiOs, dumps it into a bowl, and then puts it in the microwave. “I’d be excited too if I knew I had a date with the chief’s naked ass.”

  “Whoa, what’d I miss?”

  My eyes go wide with horror as Ben walks into the break room. Shutting the silverware drawer, Jana points to me with her spoon. “Ashley and the chief are bow chicka wow wow.”

  Sucking in a startled breath, I swallow down the wrong pipe and start hacking. “No!” I croak between coughs. “We aren’t. Don’t listen to this maniac.”

  Ben chuckles as he looks over at Jana. “Is this about him watching her load paper into the copier?”

  She nods. “Yep. I knew you clocked that too.”

  He snorts. “I’d have to be fuckin’ blind not to have noticed. Tyler’s got no game.”

  “Hey! That’s not true. He’s got plenty of game,” I argue.

  “If you say so.” Ben shrugs. “Didn’t look like it to me though.”

  “Me neither,” Jana says as she takes her bowl out of the microwave.

  “Well, he does.”

  “They say an eavesdropper never hears anything good about themselves,” Tyler says as he walks into the break room. “Thanks to Ashley, I’d have to disagree. I’m pretty damn okay with what I just heard.” Looking between Jana and Ben, he narrows his eyes. “From her. I’m okay with what I hear from her. You two, on the other hand….”