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“Again, Freya.” He rolled his finger in a circle, motioning to the look on my face. He looked like he wanted to laugh and tease at the same time. “Thinking of a life on an exotic island as a boudoir photographer?”
I laughed. “Boudoir photographer? No way. Doesn’t even relate to the island scene. I was thinking travel photography. How about that?”
“Whatever. All I know is, you’re stuck here, with me, in this department, on that desk.”
I made a face. As much as I entertained the idea of having John as a forever friend, I didn’t want to stay stuck on this desk for eternity. “Did you read the papers today?”
He arched a brow and stroked his beardless chin. “Yeah. Nothing extra. Just some small cartel that got busted with a truckload of fentanyl and crack. If anyone asked me, I’d say they were pretty silly using a road that leads to a security checkpoint. Fucking amateurs.”
“Sounds like you’re on their side.”
“Like hell I am.” His fingers went through his hair. “I’m just saying…if you want to get a job done, do it well. Give us a good run for our money.”
I caught myself grinning so hard. John was one of those officers wholovedtheir jobs, like me. He had heart, put in the extra hours, and was as dedicated to the cause as the word“dedicated” itself. When anyone else downplayed those efforts, it pissed him off—a lot.
“As you said, they’re amateurs. They didn’t know any better. So, give them time. After they get out, in maybe six or nine years, they’ll come out tougher or broken and submissive to the state.”
He snorted. “Yeah, right, like I’m going to wait six to nine years for them to get out. What about you? What’s new?”
I dropped my cup atop the desk and folded my arms across my chest. “Well, uh, I know we’re narcotics, but I couldn’t help it; I delved into some legal stuff. Found something juicy there, too. So, there’s this crazy story about a divorce lawyer who later got married to her client’s ex-husband.”
That shocked John as much as it shocked me.
“What? No fucking way. That’s…that’s heart-wrenching. It’s insane!”
I made a gesture with my hand. “The world is crazy.”
“Peopleare crazy,” he emphasized.
“As crazy as they are awkward.”
That threw him off. The shift of his eyes gave it up; he’d caught on quickly but opted to play dumb. “What?”
I made a suggestive glance between Mila’s desk and his. “Being so close yet worlds apart. That’s awkward.”
“Don’t know what you’re talking about.” His muscles flexed as he pulled himself back to his computer.
“You and Mila, dummy. I heard you two hooked up at Max’s promotion celebration party last night.”
He eyed me, his blond brows raised high above eye level. “You weren’t there.”
I’d heard from one of our loquacious colleagues who’d secretly thought John and I were a thing, prompting him to text me that little secret in confidence—protecting my best interest because he cared.
“Nope,” I said, stretching my arms out. “Needed some me time.Joker: Folie à Deuxand a good sleep. But Clinton’s quite chatty about these things.”
Or maybe it was because Clinton thought I’d “break up” with John and finally agree to go to dinner with him. If it was amusing, I might have laughed.
When John didn’t say anything else, I piped up, “Didn’t know you liked Mila?”
“I don’t.” His jaw made a small tick, and he wore a look akin to regret-slash-frustration. I wondered why. “We had one too many. She was drunk. I was drunk. The sex was good.”
“Ah….”
“Don’tahme, Fox. It’s not happening again.”
The corner of my lips curved up. “Thought you said the sex was good?”
His answer came in a heartbeat. “It was, but Mila’s…. She’s got her walls up high, you know? Shifty eyes, behaves weird, laughs too low…that freaky sort of thing. She’s not my type.”
