Page 11 of The Hero
“Oh, that’s why y’all have this roadblock, huh? Makes sense.”
“Dangerous criminals,” the officer said with a nod.
“Well, I hope you catch them all,” Kendric said as he put the licenses into his wallet and leaned forward to put it back into his pocket.
“If you see anything suspicious, anyone suspicious, you must report to authorities,” the officer warned.
“Oh, yes, of course I will. I have to keep my cookie safe,” Kendric said, patting Marlowe’s knee. As if on cue, both men’s eyes went back to Marlowe’s legs.
Lights flickered behind them as another car approached.
“You may pass,” said the officer who’d scrutinized their licenses, motioning for them to go around the front of one of the cars to get back onto the road on the other side.
“Thank you. Be safe. I hope you catch all the prisoners,” Kendric said.
“We will.”
Marlowe shivered at the determination in the man’s tone. But she managed a smile. Kendric waved at the officers and drove around their cars, and soon they were back on the road.
She rested her forehead against Kendric’s shoulder and released a long breath.
“Easy, Punky. You did it. You did so good,” he said, patting her hands, which were in a death grip around his waist once more.
“You had IDs for us?” she mumbled into his shoulder.
“Yup. All part of the plan.”
“The plan,” she huffed. “What plan?”
“The plan to get you home,” he said easily.
They drove for a few minutes, and Marlowe thought back to their kiss. He hadn’t hesitated. Hadn’t seemed even the least bit shy about what he’d done, as if he went around kissing strangers all the time. And Marlowe supposed maybe he did, if he rescued women often. She didn’t know him. Didn’t know anything about him.
“I’m sorry about that back there,” he said, breaking into her thoughts. “That one guy was getting a little too interested in checking you out, and I figured we needed to give him something else to think about ... namely, his dick.”
Marlowe felt herself blushing. “It’s okay,” she told him.
“For the record?” Kendric said.
She waited, but when he didn’t continue, she asked, “Yeah?”
“I can’t remember a kiss I enjoyed more.” He was looking straight ahead as he confidently drove the scooter through the light early-morning traffic. “It wasn’t appropriate, and I feel as if I took advantage of you ... but I don’t regret it.”
“Me either,” Marlowe admitted. “You can kiss, Bob.”
“I’m thinking I like you calling me Kendric better. Ken works too.”
“Good. Because you aren’t a Bob. Not even close.”
“Carlise, June, and April would love you.”
Marlowe frowned. “Who?”
“My friends’ wives. And April is the admin assistant for the business my friends and I run together. She and JJ have a thing, but neither wants to admit it.”
A few minutes of silence went by before Kendric said her name. “Marlowe?”
“Yeah?”
