Jacked (20 page)

Shit, he’s pissed
.

The other uniformed officer seemed like he knew Adam, too, and was none too happy to see him, either. Both of them looked nervous.

“Not your jurisdiction anymore, Trent,” Officer Asshole said, puffing out his chest.

I felt Adam’s dark eyes burrowing holes into mine. He didn’t even acknowledge the two cops. Instead, he came straight over to me, took my hand in his, and tugged me a few feet away. “You okay?”

I gave him a one-shoulder shrug as I flashed my eyes over at the looming Officer Castoll. “I don’t think so.”

Adam drew in a leveling breath. I rubbed the spot on my forehead where the pain was starting to throb. “I was trying to get to the notary to get a new plate and then this happened.”

He glared over at the other two cops, then back down at me. “You just getting home from work?”

I nodded, thankful that the blue scrubs I was wearing were fresh and clean.

“You drive this to work?” he asked privately.

I was glad my truthful answer was “no” or else I surmised I’d be in a whole heap of other sorts of trouble.

“Good.” His hand softly cupped my cheek. “You look too tired to be driving anywhere, Doc.”

Great. He’s being all sorts of sweet and I probably have hideous bags under my eyes.

He
leaned over, grabbed my wallet off the hood of my car,
laced his hand with mine, and led me to my driver’s door. “Come on, babe.” He opened my door for me, his hand resting on my hip, slightly shocked by his outward actions. I swore I could feel his formidable chest through the back of my jacket. I may have been exhausted but my heart was thumping double-time. “Get in,” he said near my ear. “I’ll take care of this. It’s too cold for you to be standing out here.”

I slid into my seat.

“Just wait a second, Trent,” one of the cops argued, stepping around the back of my car.

Adam closed my door, glaring at the other two. I rolled my window down. “Want to tell me why you pulled her over?”

“Got no plate on the vehicle,” the skinny officer said.

Adam wasn’t amused. “And you had her standing out here in the cold for what reason?”

The rotund Officer Castoll adjusted his utility belt, hiking it up. “Again, not your jurisdiction, Trent.”

Adam ignored him. “Damn it, Stiles, just answer the question.”

Officer Asshole seemed to like riling Adam. “Well, we were going to give her a sobriety test until you interrupted.”

“Sobriety?” Adam said mockingly. “You’re shitting me.”

“This isn’t your concern, Trent,” Officer Stiles growled from the other side of my car. “Although you may be an expert here.” Something was going down between these three and it sure as hell didn’t appear to be about whether I’d been drinking.

Adam stiffened. “Well, seeing as you’ve pulled my girlfriend over and
falsely
accused her of driving under the influence after she just pulled another night shift in the ER, I’d say it
is
my concern.”

Girlfriend? What?
Why the hell would he say that to them? We were anything but!

Adam walked to the back of my car with commanding grace. He tilted his head as if he were inspecting where my plate had been removed.

“You
smell
alcohol on her?” he asked, knowing that they didn’t. When the other two didn’t answer, he continued, “Was she driving erratically? Hmm?”

Again, no reply.

“Just as I thought; you got nothing. Have anything else you want to say to me, Castoll? Might as well get it off your fucking chest now while you got the chance.”

Oh shit. Now he’s really mad.

I didn’t hear the words they exchanged as they were growled and heated and were at the opposite corner of my car, but the second I saw the skinny cop dive in between them, holding them apart, I threw my door open and sprang out of my seat. This situation was about to explode. I needed to keep him from getting into a tussle because of me. I clutched his arm. “Adam, don’t.”

Adam grabbed my driver’s license out of the round cop’s meaty paw and handed it to me, glaring daggers at the gloating asshole.

I gave his arm a tug. “It’s not worth it.”

Adam didn’t budge. “Just get back in your car.”

“Not without you.”

I was afraid to move so Adam did it for me.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered up at him as he guided me back to my driver’s door, his hand almost resting on my ass.

I barely knew the man but I sure as hell knew what that glare meant. A soft growl rolled up his throat. Angry Adam was scary but sexy as hell.

“Get in, Erin. Put your seatbelt on.” He leaned in and nipped my chin with his fingers, playing the doting boyfriend well, putting on a convincing show for the two gaping cops.

The smell of his light cologne combined with something that was one hundred percent Adam Trent instantly woke me up.

“Wait for me to turn my truck around. I’ll follow you home.” He didn’t need to say the word
“again”
aloud; it was obvious. I watched his fine ass in my side mirror as he spoke to the two patrolmen. Hand on his hip and one definitely resting on his own gun, he was getting me out of another mess. “We’re done here. You’re letting her go with a warning. I’m taking care of the missing plate so there’s no need to intervene.”

He didn’t wait for a rebuttal. His word was final.

I drove with exceptional cautiousness the mile back to my house, even putting my turn signal on to pull into my driveway.

Adam pulled his stark black Avalanche with the nice chrome wheels in right behind me.

I knew I was in trouble the moment he sidled up to my car door. “I know you’re pissed…”

His silence was unnerving. So was the little tick straining his jaw.

I was so tired I was running on fumes and now I had a pissed-off, gorgeous cop who was heavily armed in my driveway. I tried a different tactic. “Look, I know it was stupid to drive without the plate but I didn’t have much of a choice.”

His eyebrow arched.

“Sarah’s off tonight and Jen is already at work and I…” I was rambling. “Doctor Mason offered but that comes with a whole host of strings attached to it and… Damn it, Adam, I need my car. I drive from here,” I pointed at my spot in the drive, “to the hospital and back again. That’s it. Without it, I’m screwed.”

He made that gruff sigh he does when he’s sympathizing with me. “I’m not pissed at you Erin, okay? I know you need your car. Did you get a copy of the police report for the stolen plate?”

Shit. One more detail I’d overlooked.

I had been at the hospital so much, I’d lost count, and I’d made several stupid mistakes being so distracted. Fortunately they weren’t critical errors, but they were errors I normally didn’t make. My uncle was steadily deteriorating and my parents were barely holding it together. And this man… this man just does too many things to me. Just when I think I’ve seen the last of him, he appears out of thin air, confusing me further.

I couldn’t think straight anymore.

“Come on.” He opened my car door and held out his hand.

Come on where?

“You’re exhausted, Erin. Let me have your keys.” He waited until I handed them over.

He unlocked my front door and held it open. The feel of his hand on my lower back, guiding me inside, was strange and elating all at the same time. Could fate be giving us another chance?

He followed me into the dining room where I normally stow my purse. His attention then veered to looking at his watch while he started messing with my keys. He took the key fob off the ring and pocketed it.

“I’m keeping this for now. Just so you’re not tempted.”

I groaned. I wanted to protest but something told me it would be a losing battle.

He glanced around, zeroing in on my kitchen. “When was the last time you ate?”

I stared at the small section of wall by the refrigerator, trying to remember.

That tendon in his jaw flexed again. “You need me to make you something?”

I glanced up at him. “Why, do you cook?”

He gave me his silent nod.

Visions of him wearing nothing but his skin and just-fucked hair while cooking in my kitchen flitted through my mind. Pity, I doubted I had any food worth making. I shook my head, knowing that would never transpire anyway. “I ate at work.”

He sighed again. “Do I need to tuck your tired butt into bed or are you going to go on your own?”

For a split second Sarcastic Erin wanted to take him up on the challenge just to see if he would follow through on his threat, but then I clamped down on her. Just the thought of being able to drop onto my soft mattress was blissfully tempting, but the notion of having him join me was almost too much to deal with. Considering the room was slowly starting to swirl, I held my hands up in surrender. “I’ll go willingly.”

He seemed to like that answer.

“You work tonight?”

I nodded. “I have to be there by seven thirty.”

“Got plans before?”

“Beyond sleep?”

I tiny laugh escaped him. “Set your alarm. Be ready by three thirty.”

Again with the hands on hips bossy tone. “For what?”

He smiled at me, sauntered over to where I stood, and softly caressed my jaw with his thumb. “Go get some sleep, Doc. I’ll be back.”

I stared up into those warm, chocolate eyes of his, liking the way they looked back at me. “Do you ever say
please
?”

He smirked, and then with the most sensual of snarky comebacks, asked, “Do you ever say
thank you
?”

“Thank you.” I truly meant it.

“Then
please
be ready at three thirty.”

“I’m sorry… about the other day.” I didn’t know why I was apologizing. It just seemed like the right thing to do.

“I am too. It’s not how I wanted things to go. At all.”

“Truce?”

His smile was warm as he stood in my air space. The tips of his fingers captured mine. “I’d rather call it a
do-over
. That okay by you?”

A do-over sounded perfect to me.

I watched his fine ass walk out of my house, pausing long enough to make absolutely sure my front door was securely locked. Then I watched him through my front window as he climbed up into his black truck and backed out of my driveway, feeling very alone from seeing him go.

I set my alarm, wondering what was going to happen at three thirty. I snuggled into my pillow, picturing his crooked smile. That was the last thought I had.

THE BLACK AVALANCHE
pulled into my driveway at three thirty on the dot. Damn, he was prompt.

And holy hell he was gorgeous, too: blue jeans made to make mouths water, black motorcycle jacket that hugged him as if the two were longtime faithful friends, his spiky hair still looking fresh and wet from a recent shower.

My heart stuttered a bit.

“Hey,” he said, squinting at me when he stepped into my foyer. I felt his eyes brush up and down my body.

“Hey,” I said, just as breathily.

He cleared his throat. “You look really nice.”

The timbre of his voice reverberated right into my elevated pulse. I let my eyes drink in his tall, muscular frame, not caring that our time after our breakfast date ended so horribly wrong.
You look completely sexy and totally fuckable
. “So do you.”

He seemed nervous, which was a surprise. “You’re wearing makeup.”

I immediately became self-conscious. “You don’t like it?”

“No, no. I do. You… you look very pretty. I haven’t seen you with your eyes done. It’s… I like it. A lot.”

I felt my face warm, marveling that I was able to get Officer Hottie to blush, too. “Thanks.”

He tucked his fingers into his jeans pockets and stared at his feet for a moment. “Ready?”

For what? To jump you? To kiss you? To go to the store for milk?
“I guess so. Can you tell me where we’re going first?”

He gave me
the look
. “Get a new tag for your car, Doc. I don’t want you to worry about that anymore. And then I’m going to take you to dinner.”

I stood there for a second, not completely sure I heard him correctly.

“Something wrong?”

That’s when I remembered to breathe. “You’re taking me to dinner?”

Adam crowded my space. “Yeah. Why? You have some other place you need to be?”

I didn’t want to lie, but I couldn’t help but wonder where his sudden change of heart came from. “No.”

“Okay, then good. Why don’t you get your coat on and we’ll get going.”

I sorted through my front closet, looking for a nice jacket to go along with the new hope swirling about in my chest. That part of me that had felt empty and alone was being resuscitated back to life. My black mood had definitely been tied to that feeling of loss when our breakfast date ended so horribly wrong, compounded exponentially by the family stress of my uncle’s continued deterioration.

And here Adam was, standing in my living room, breathing new life into me by giving us a second chance, too.

I had hoped he’d been thinking about me, but the niggling sliver of doubt that plagues all women had me convinced that he drove off that morning and never gave me another thought.