“Thanks,” I said as we went back the way we’d come. Following the directions, we found the back door to the closet and crept closer to Mr. Starke’s office. I had to wonder if he was one of the hostages, but I doubted it. As CEO, he didn’t come in very often. “Stay here,” Jake…

“Respectfully, ma’am. You’ve got thirty-eight minutes to get that cash together. And make a helicopter appear.” “Or I have thirty-eight minutes to get an assault team together.” “My girlfriend is in there!” I bellowed. I’m big and loud. She might be a cop, and an authority figure, but no f**king way! I wasn’t gonna let…

“Oooh, she was so wrong,” she breathed. I smiled, still holding her hand. Dexterous fingers glided over the smooth skin on top, rasping slightly on the calloused palm. Here was a woman who knew how to use her weapon. Gotta admire that. Massaging gently, I let my fingertips tickle her sensitive palm. Another shiver dashed…

I had a huge batch of cinnamon rolls to go with the chili, as well as a bin of cornbread. Arby assured me that folks would like either, or both, on the side. As usual, he was right. The meal was so popular, I wasn’t sure I’d have enough for the evening rush, so I…

Ruiz puzzled over that, but he kept talking calmly. The buzzer downstairs sounded again. “That’s my backup,” he told Rowena quietly. “Officer Gloria Summerville.” Now, we had two cops in the room. Summerville took over the talking, and Ruiz carefully moved in to cuff Bernie. She made the mistake of rushing Summerville, cuffs and all.…

Rowena cuddled on my shoulder, her hand on my chest. We sat like that a few minutes, her hand caressing me absently. Whether by instinct, or design, it moved lower until it reached very near the danger zone. Tipping her head, she touched my cheek with the tip of her nose, asking me to turn…

Her free arm circled my neck and she rose to meet me, parting her lips. Glad I hadn’t turned on the stove yet, I set my glass down, putting my arms around her. She leaned in, pressing her lush body against mine. She smelled good, felt fantastic…. I eased off, knowing I was going to…