Page 2 of Incomplete
Honestly!
I flicked my blinker on and pulled off to the side of the road. Once I was half on the pavement and half on the grass, I parked the car, rested my hands at ten and two, and waited with my window down.
“License and registration, please,” the officer asked once he finally graced me with his presence.
I pressed my lips together, biting back my annoyance, and reached into my purse for my driver’s license and the car rental agreement.
“Was there a reason you decided to disregard the red light?” His tone had a bite to it.
“You mean the light in the middle of nowhere, on a road where there appeared to be no other cars for as far as the eye could see?” I knew it wasn’t the time to be snarky, yet my comeback spoke the truth.
“I reckon that to be false, ma’am. I was there and saw you clear as day.”
Before I could formulate a witty reply, he’d already turned on his heel and taken up residence in his squad car with my information, while I lowered my forehead to the steering wheel in defeat.
So far, this trip had gotten off on the wrong foot, just like everything in my life as of late. Since I was utterly humiliated on live television and front-page news on every tabloid magazine and website across North America, I couldn’t catch a break. All I wanted to do was get to the Airbnb I’d rented for the next six months, shower, and crawl under the covers where I planned to hibernate away from the world indefinitely.
When the officer returned to my vehicle, he did so minus the aviator sunglasses he was wearing prior, as the sun was now setting. It wasn’t until then that I’d caught my first real glimpse of the man behind the uniform, andhot-damn, mister law enforcement was a sexier-than-sin version of one of myMagic Mikefantasies. An immediate blush crept over me as I wondered if he’d ever performed a particular routine for anyone.
Now wasn’t the time, Lakelyn, I scolded myself.
“Your information, Miss Pearce, and your ticket for failing to abide by the traffic light laws.”
“Un-fucking-believable,” I mumbled, yet thankful he didn’t question my blond hair in the photo that I’d dyed to help me fly under the radar.
“You are always welcome to fight it in court if you feel I’m wrong; however, I don’t recommend that route.”
“I’m sure you’d like that, wouldn’t you—two hundred and thirty-eight dollars? Are you kidding me?” I looked him directly in the eyes as he did his best to disguise what I’d classify as a playboy smirk that I was confident attracted women to him in droves, begging him to handcuff them in a way that was far from legal.
“While I wouldn’t shy away from seeing you again, I’d prefer it not to be under these circumstances. Plus, I have a dash camera that captured your infraction with absolute clarity.”
I sighed heavily, feeling defeated and overall too mentally exhausted to argue.
Chapter2
Boden
“Miss Lakelyn Pearce, what’s your story?”
I drummed my fingers against the steering wheel as I sat in a trance, watching the taillights on her white Ford Explorer rental disappear around the darkened bend.
My eyes swept to the clock on my dash, and the time indicated my shift was technically over. All I needed to do was update my notes in my logbook regarding the ticket I’d just issued, yet I found myself in a fog. It irked me since I was known for my professionalism and hard-shelled demeanor when it came to my job, and yet somehow, in just those few minutes I spent standing beside her vehicle, I felt an unfamiliar pull in my chest.
The fire in her sharp-witted responses made me want to poke the bear to see how far she was willing to push back. All I needed was a reason, just one, to ask her to step out of the vehicle, followed by a singular act of defiance so I could lay a hand on her. Before she’d have time to respond, I’d have spun her around, put her hands on the vehicle’s hood, and spread her legs wide.
My body craved to know her scent.
“What the fuck!” I gave my head a shake.
I’d never abused my position of power, nor would I ever. I took an oath to serve and protect, yet she had me wishing I could burn the damn rule book after one short exchange. However, I knew this was only the beginning since our paths would cross again.
And soon.
All the locals knew my hiding spot and knew better than to disrespect the road rules. Only those new to Sutton River or just passing through were ever tempted to make a breach of convenience.
While she was sassy with attitude, my gut told me my first impression of her was on point. The fire in her eyes sharply contrasted with the emptiness behind them. The girl was hurting. That much was evident, and I found myself overthinking the why.
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