Page 45 of Capture My Heart

Then there was Amy. He didn’t get any information from her personally, but Dr. Garcia looked at him like she would dissect his brain for the fun of it, and not with questions. That spoke volumes about Amy that her friend was so protective of her. What he knew about Jim and Liz, they were both strong judges of character and thought very highly of Officer Larson.

A weight lifted off his mind to know Amy had solid friends in her corner. Being investigated for corruption and murder would weigh on anyone, even a tough-as-steel cop like Amy. He got a peek beneath the Kevlar she wore around herself when she went toe-to-toe with him over her brother. She had a soft heart beating under that protective fabric. He wondered if he’d ever get a closer look.

Now, the woman in question sat between his legs and leaned back as they watched the fireworks display.

It took a little convincing to get her there. That was an understatement. Amy stood as stiff as a tree, arms tightly wound around her torso. She definitely wasn’t an Oscar worthy actress. So, he snatched her hand and pulled her down to the blanket. Once the first rocket went up, she relaxed.

His body tightened. His chest constricted like he was shot point blank… again. He questioned his decision to carry on this ruse. She fit perfectly between his thighs. Her hair brushed his face, smelling of ginger. He inhaled deeply and his eyes closed. Oh yeah, he was going down a slippery slope with her. The feeling of following a perp into a dark alley with no backup came to mind, but he couldn’t stop it.

He shifted to conceal his growing lust. This was a very bad idea. One of his worst, but short of gunpoint, there was no way he would move. His arms circled her waist and stayed there for the rest of the show.

“Are you ready to go?” Pulling him from his thoughts, she’d turned and waited for his response.

Shit, it was over? He’d missed the finale. His full attention was on the woman in his arms.

Finally looking around, he cataloged which officers were still there. Daniels cuddled up with a redhead a few yards away, Brannon had snuck out sometime during the fireworks display, and Peterson and his wife left before the show started.

“Hello, earth to Fenley.” Amy waved a hand in front of his face.

He snatched her hand, cupped it in his, and held it to his chest. He leaned in, nuzzled her ear. “Just doing some recon.”

His lips brushed the shell of her ear before he pulled back. “Come on. Let’s find our hosts.”

She wobbled as they rose from the blanket.

“Whoa.” Trey tugged her close, steadying her.

Her breath shuddered, and she stepped back. “Thanks, but I’m good. I sat too long.”

He could have sat there all night with her. Internally, he slapped himself for sounding like a lovesick pup.

A flush covered her face. She dropped her gaze but not before he caught the glazed look in her eyes. A knowing smile crept to his lips. Maybe he wasn’t the only one letting the fireworks and night air get to them. Not that she would admit it.

“Come on, I see Jim and Liz over there.” He led her across the lawn. They said their goodbyes and left.

Trey couldn’t tell if she fell asleep or was pissed at him until halfway home.

She glanced at her phone.

Anger then, it figures. He did stronghold her into going along with his goofy plan. And by the reactions today, it was working. He got an invite for Amy and him to come to the Petersons’ for dinner one night, and Ryan invited him out for beer and darts with the guys next week.

Finally, he broke the silence. “Did you pick up anything useful tonight?”

She turned to him. Her eyes narrowed for a fraction of a second before she leaned back and concentrated on the view out the window. “Nope. I think Tre-Amy was the hot topic of the night.”

He nodded in agreement. “Yeah, me neither. Maybe at the game next week we’ll pick up something new.”

Her head whipped toward him. “So, what, you’re on the team permanently now?”

“For the time being. Jim told me CJ will be out for the next couple of weeks. He asked me to fill in for him.”

“I thought their vacation was only for a week?”

“I guess they extended it to two.”

She went still.

Not a good sign, but Trey wasn’t about to poke the bear. Who was he kidding? Yes, he was. “Oh, Joy Whittier was telling me about the Community Outreach’s charity event on Labor Day. A 5K run in the morning, then a carnival will be set up at the youth center. Sounds fun.”