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at school but more likely to get in a round of golf on one of the remaining nice days of
the year. Home early for a change, and on a Friday, no less, she d make herself a glass
of lemonade and sit on the porch swing to go through the mail and watch her neighbors
come home, rather than being the last person on the street to end her work day. She
really needed to think about something for dinner, maybe baking a piece of salmon, or
perhaps just a quick tabbouleh salad and some French bread&
 Hey, beautiful.
The familiar voice startled her in the process of inserting the key into the lock of her
solid oak front door. She swung around, her laptop bag dropping from her shoulder to
catch in the crook of her arm.  Hunter?
Her surprise made him pause, one foot on the front porch, the other behind him on
the step. Lacey s jaw dropped. Dressed in full uniform, the male body that seemed
sufficiently impressive in jeans and t-shirts simply took her breath away. Tall and
imposing, his muscular chest seemed even broader in dark navy blue.
He took her speechlessness for welcome and came to stand beside her.  I figured
between the cruiser and me saying your name twice you d hear me.
She looked toward the street and saw a police car parked on the street in the shade
of her oak tree.  Lost in thought. I need to weed and mulch those beds, but it looks like
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Anne Calhoun
rain so I won t get to that this weekend. I thought you were working a double shift
today, she said.
He d called a couple of times and met her for a coffee at La Java when she had a
free hour one afternoon, the only time that worked for both of them in the last week and
a half. The conversation, casual and easy, had ended with a kiss so thorough she hadn t
dared reapply her lipstick. Her lips were so swollen and pink from the pressure of his
mouth that adding anything other than gloss would have broadcast exactly how her
coffee meeting ended.
He reached for the bags, dangling uselessly from her arm.  Dinner break, he said
succinctly.  I saw you cross Hanover and took a chance you were coming home early.
Mind that I just showed up?
She jammed her key into the lock and opened the door, stepping into the cool
darkness of her foyer.  Of course not. Come in. I was about to make some lemonade, if
you want some, she said, heading straight for the kitchen, her heels clicking against the
polished mahogany flooring, then silenced by the runner, then tapping more softly
against the slate floor of her kitchen.
 Sounds good, he said as he lined her bags up on the granite-topped island.
The words dinner break flashed into her head.  Would you rather have something to
eat instead?
He shook his head, his green eyes smiling a pleasure in seeing her that didn t make
it to his mouth. She now knew him well enough to know his eyes were the only real
indicator of his emotions, as he kept his face under strict control& unless he was making
love. He shrugged a little, the movement automatic as he adjusted the gear on his belt.
The radio hooked to his shoulder crackled faintly and he turned it down.  No, thanks.
I ll get something later. I wanted to hang with you.
Hang out? Was that some kind of Gen Y code-speak for a late afternoon booty call?
She d met Claire for coffee over the weekend. Her friend s opinion about Hunter
inviting her out on dates was that it was fine but Lacey needed to keep sex with him
happening on her terms, not his. Claire claimed this was simple self-defense against a
player. Lacey found it ruthless. If she didn t feel like having sex with Hunter, she d say
so.
Giving up on decoding what may or may not have been slang, she decided to take
him at face value and got out the lemons, the juicer, the cutting board and her best
knife.  I hardly recognized you in your uniform, she said over her shoulder.
 Same here, he said.  Very classy.
The compliment earned him a flashing smile over her shoulder as she worked. She
wore a black and white houndstooth suit, professional armor with couture style. Her
brain might be her best asset, but a feminine cut to her clothes and a nice set of heels
helped disarm all but the most rigid opponents.  I wasn t kidding when said I was a
clothes horse.
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Liberating Lacey
She pressed the exposed meat of several lemons into the spinning juicer and
watched as the reservoir fill, adding water and lots of sugar because she liked her
lemonade sweetly tart, not tartly sweet, then poured the lemonade into two glasses. She
offered him one, but drew it back before he could take it. At his surprised look she
tipped her head up to him and pursed her lips just a bit.
 Right, he said and gave her a quick, warm kiss.
She handed him the glass, took a sip of her own drink and stared unabashedly at
the broad-shouldered, uniformed police officer holding a glass of lemonade in her
kitchen. Giving in to curiosity, she nodded at his belt.  What exactly is all that stuff?
He downed the lemonade in two swallows and refilled the glass at the fridge before
answering.  Hot today, he said by way of explanation, then gave her a slow, thorough [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]