by Peyton Banks
“Well, while you decide on how you’re going to do it, lover boy, I need to speak to her about her findings for the day.” Mac gave the group a salute before heading over to her.
Myles had never had issues asking a woman out. Especially not in front of his friends. He’d left many bars with a woman or two when they had all gone out drinking.
Why was he hesitating now?
What was so different about Roxxy?
Chapter 6
“Who taught you to shoot like that?” Officer Reeves asked.
His grin widened, and Roxxy had to hold back from rolling her eyes.
She smiled and shook her head. She was used to men always being in awe that a woman could outshoot them. It was the stereotypical question, and Reeves was no different than most men she came into contact with when she was working the major city precincts.
“My daddy taught me to shoot when I was a youngin,” she drawled, letting her southern roots show. Out in the country, girls grew up practically with a shotgun in hand. City boys never really understood that.
“Wow. Looks like I need to take my ass down to the range more often.” Officer Brown laughed.
He appeared to be a shy man who Roxxy learned had been on the force for about ten years and was ready to advance to something more than a patrolman.
“I used to live in our local ones. But then we live on a farm, so I have my own personal shooting range. Dad and I used to be out there for hours on days,” Roxxy shared.
Those were the great memories.
She and her father shot any and everything he put up as targets.
Her mother scolded both of them when chores got behind.
“If you don’t make SWAT, then what would you do?” she asked. It was a valid question that she needed to know for their evaluation. Most people didn’t make SWAT, and one thing they liked to report to the leadership was the aspirations of their employees.
“Well, if I don’t make it, it won’t be a bad thing. This is my first time trying out, and it definitely taught me that I am not in shape like I thought I was.” Brown laughed again.
Roxxy chuckled with him. At least he was realistic.
“Hell, if I don’t make it, I have my eye on a few other units. I just want to find my place.”
Roxxy nodded, having respect for him. It was good he realized that not everyone fit in certain groups. He was lucky he was on one of the police forces that had a lot to offer their policemen and women.
“Me, I’m sure I’ll make SWAT.” Reeves preened.
Roxxy glanced at him in surprise. For some strange reason, he was confidently sure of himself. When she’d observed him, he wasn’t the best candidate. The physical part he’d nailed, but when it came to shooting, he was off.
“I tried out last year and didn’t make it.”
“And you’re sure because of that, they’ll pick you?” she asked. She failed to hide her astonishment.
Reeves folded his arms across his chest with a cocky grin on his lips. “I’m sure of it. I’ve trained hard since last year. I’ve memorized all there is to learn and know about being on the team. I know all of the guys, and I’m sure they’re cool with me.” He shrugged as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
“They choose the best person for the fit for the team.” Brown rolled his eyes.
“And that’s me.” Reeves laughed.
Roxxy shook her head at the two. She turned and saw Mac making his way to her. Right behind him was Myles. Her heart instantly stuttered when her gaze was met by Myles’s dark eyes.
“Miss Sutton,” Mac greeted her.
Reeves and Brown both quieted down as the sergeant stopped next to them. They both were horrible at masking their emotions on their faces. Hope and admiration.
Roxxy seriously doubted either of them would make the team. There were maybe two potentials she could see, advancing to the next step, but these two officers weren’t her choices.
“Sergeant,” she murmured with a nod. She plainly ignored Myles and didn’t offer a greeting to him.
She caught his grin out the corner of her eyes, and she had to bite her tongue from snapping at him.
Could she handle a gun?
Ha! I showed him!
“If you don’t mind, men, we’d like to talk to Miss Sutton alone for a few minutes. You two can go over with the others. Sergeant Owen will be updating the group in a few minutes.” Mac didn’t even look their way when dismissing them. He was one hard-ass SWAT leader, and the results of his leadership showed.
The team was a stellar one, and their bond was unlike anything she’d ever seen before.
“Yes, sir,” Reeves and Brown echoed. They headed in the direction where the other recruits were waiting.
“How soon will your reports be ready?” Mac asked.
“The way our reporting works is that once we have completed our full assessment, your captain will receive the initial reports. It will be up to him when he gives you a copy,” she replied.
Mac’s narrowed gaze on her spoke volumes.
“What’s an average amount of time we should expect once the assessment has been completed?” Myles asked.
She gripped her clipboard tighter and turned a frosty glare to him. “Whenever I’m done with it. We at Logistics Intelligence pride ourselves on our thoroughness. We still have a lot to go through around here. But as soon as we have completed our assessment, the reports will be on the captain’s desk.”
“We mean no disrespect, Miss Sutton.” Mac held up his hands, apparently trying to defuse the situation. He glanced at both of them wearily. “We are just looking for a timeframe. This is serious for us. We’d like to know where there are areas of improvement. What your company recommends could save a life.”
Roxxy blew out a deep breath. He was right to want to know when to expect reports. This was their first evaluation. She shouldn’t take out her anger toward Myles on him or the team.
But Myles Burton rubbed her the wrong way.
Or maybe she wanted him to rub her the right way.
His dark eyes were locked on her. Deep in them, she could see he got a kick from getting a rise out of her.
Cocky son of a bitch.
He was doing this on purpose.
Why did he have to be so gorgeous?
Why couldn’t he be butt ugly or act like an ass to her?
Instead, he asked a straightforward question, and it set her off.
“Normally, once we complete an assessment, we have the reports to the captain in about two weeks.” This time she answered calmly. Her voice was neutral and didn’t shake. She was proud she was able to damper her anger so quickly. She could be a hothead, and now was not the time to show that side of her off. “But please know that if we do pick up on something that would put a person in danger, we notify the captain and the squad leaders immediately so that corrective action could be started as soon as possible.”
Mac nodded, seeming satisfied with her answer. “Well, that’s more what I was looking for. I think it’s good that your company is here going through our protocols and procedures.”
Myles remained silent, and the hairs on her arms rose. The temperature outside had warmed up, and there wasn’t that slight chill anymore. Even with the sun beaming down on them, she had goosebumps on her arms from his stare. She was thankful for her clipboard. Keeping it close to her body allowed her to hide how she was reacting to him. Her nipples were hard and pushing against her bra. The material was irritating them, and she would kill to be able to strip her clothes off.
With Myles.
Alone in her hotel room.
What the hell?
Get a grip, girl, she snapped to herself.
“Are you done here today?” Mac asked.
“Actually, I am. I think I’m about to head over to the precinct to meet with my colleagues.”
“Let us know if you need anything else. Any of the men would be willing to answer any questions,” Mac volunteered.
“Actually, that would be perfect. I do want to meet with each of you sometime this week.”
“You let us know, and I’ll make sure we’re there.” Mac stepped forward and offered her his hand.
She took it in a firm shake.
He stepped back and turned to Myles, slapping him on the shoulder. “See that she gets to her car safe, Burton.”
Roxxy’s mouth dropped open, and she watched the sergeant walk away. She could see herself to her car. It wasn’t that far away and parked in the small lot where all of their vehicles were. She doubted anything would happen to her on police-owned grounds.
“Yes, sir,” Myles with a wide grin spreading.
“I assure you that I’m just fine walking to my car.” She huffed, turned on her heel, and headed toward the parking lot.
“I have orders. You heard them,” Myles gloated.
She could hear the smile in his words. She clenched her teeth and keep going. He caught up to her and fell in line with her. She noticed how he had to shorten his strides to match hers.
“I’m sure a man like yourself has disobeyed an order or two before.” She sniffed.
“Never.”
Her gaze flew to his to find him serious. No smile. No joking.
“A soldier always follows the commands of his superiors.”
“But you’re not in the Army any longer, Officer Burton.”
They made their way around to the front building on the training grounds and to the parking lot.
“Doesn’t matter.”
Myles’s deep voice sent a chill down her spine. She had to force herself to remember that she was pissed at him.
“My sergeant gave me an order, I’ll follow through.”
Damn military men and their honor and orders. She grew up with an Army man for a father, and Earl Sutton was as stubborn as they come.
She should have known Myles would be no different.
It must be something they drilled into them once they entered the service.
“Well, thank you for escorting me to my car,” she said haughtily. She walked around her dark sedan and stopped at the driver’s door. Using her keypad, she entered her code to unlock it. She opened the door and tossed her clipboard onto the passenger seat.
“You’re quite welcome.” Myles strolled around the vehicle toward her.
Roxxy straightened to find Myles standing behind her. She tilted her head back to meet his gaze. “Is there something else you need from me?”
She cringed on the inside, hearing the huskiness in her voice.
His eyes darkened, and she watched as he licked his lips.
Her core clenched at the sight of his tongue sneaking out.
“Look, Roxxy. I know I pissed you off, but I truly didn’t mean to.”
He had a serious look on his face, and she felt the walls she thought she had constructed, crumble.
“I would have asked the same question to anyone. It’s about safety around here. Pure and simple.”
“I…uh, I understand.” She let out a sigh and pushed a few wayward strands of hair behind her ear. “I guess I can admit I overreacted a little.”
His eyebrows rose high. “A little?”
She laughed, covering her face with her hands, her cheeks warm with humiliation. “Okay, maybe a lot.”
“How about this.” His fingers gently pried hers from her face. He stepped closer to her, just a hair’s breadth away from her. Her hands fell apart, but Myles’s larger ones still held on to hers. “Let me make it up to you. Tonight, have dinner with me.”
Her breath caught in her throat. She swallowed hard.
Should she?
Her mind raced, and she could think of about eight reasons why she shouldn’t go out with him.
“Myles, I don’t think—”
“You just said that you wanted time to speak with each SWAT member, right?” he asked. He was smooth. Real smooth.
She bit her lip and stared at him.
He nonchalantly shrugged. “You want to interview me, and you have to eat.”
Dammit, he was stroking her hand with his thumb, and it sent a rush of arousal through her body. It had been a minute since a member of the opposite sex not related to her had touched her.
“Myles—”
“You don’t eat?” he cut her off, not giving her a chance to complete her sentence. He closed the gap between them, and her breasts were pushed against the hard plane of his chest.
The scent of his cologne was like an aphrodisiac. She breathed in deeply, mesmerized by the smell of him.
“Of course I do,” she spluttered. The heat of Myles’s body radiated through his dark shirt. He’d taken off his gear after the final leg of the tryouts, leaving her to feel him.
Myles was one hundred percent all man.
She bit back a moan at the feel of his hardened chest.
Rigid abdomen…and if she didn’t know any better, she would swear he had a long flashlight hidden in his jeans pressing close to her.
“Well, then it’s a deal.”
“Um, okay,” she breathed. She watched with bated breath as Myles leaned down to her. Her heart seemed to lodge in her throat.
Oh my God, he’s going to kiss me.
She melted against him, and all the while he placed his lips gently on her cheek before moving away from her.
She blinked, unsure of what exactly had happened. She stepped back and bumped into her car, embarrassment filling her.
“I’ll see you soon, Roxxy.”
He ushered her into her car, and before Roxxy knew it, she was driving away.
She slowed to a halt at the red light of an intersection, still in shock. She reached up and pressed her fingers to the spot where his warm lips had touched.
“What the hell just happened?”
Chapter 7
Myles chuckled, thinking back to earlier that day. He strolled around to where his team had been assembled. The recruits had already been dismissed, and the guys were just shooting shit, waiting for him to return from escorting her to her car.
He’d shut each one of them up once he confirmed that he had indeed asked Roxxy out for dinner and she’d accepted.
And they thought he would chicken out of asking a woman as beautiful as Roxxy out.
His teammates must not really know him.
He was Myles Fucking Burton.
And he loved women.
A horn blew behind him, breaking into his thoughts. He waved and pushed down on the gas pedal. In about fifteen minutes, he would be arriving at Roxxy’s hotel.
The song on the radio changed to one of his favorite old-school tunes.
“I haven’t heard this in a while,” he said, turning the volume up. It was a song that his father played a thousand times. It had grown on Myles through the years.
Myles’s father was a lover of all music. As a child, Myles couldn’t think of a time his parents weren’t blaring their favorites on their off days. Friday nights, especially, his parents put on their tunes and just danced together in the living room. The three Burton children, Myles, the oldest, his sister Shona who was two years behind him, and Clint, the youngest, gathered and watched their parents.
Jacob Burton twirled their mother, Jessica, around the living room, goofing off to get a laugh out of the kids.
As a child, Myles had rolled his eyes, but now as an adult, he could see that his parents were very much in love with each other.
Bobbing his head to the music, he chimed in, singing along with the chorus. “You are my lady. You’re everything I need and more.”
You are my lady.
You’re all that I’m living for.
Myles snapped his fingers, strolling down memory lane as the smooth voice of Freddie Jackson filled the air.
After arriving back at the precinct, he hadn’t got the chance to speak with Roxxy again. She had been with her team members in one of the conference rooms combing through the police procedures handbooks.
But that hadn’t
stopped him. It was easy to find out which hotel Roxxy was staying at and even easier to get her cell phone number.
He’d sent her a text informing her what time he’d be picking her up.
Roxxy: How did you get my cell phone number?
Myles: I’m a cop. That’s accessible information to dig up.
Roxxy: Hmmm…. I guess we’re really going out?
Myles: I’m a man of my word. Wear something nice. I’ll be there at seven-thirty.
Roxxy: What? That doesn’t give me much time to get ready.
Myles: You can’t fix perfection. See you soon.
Myles knew he was smooth in his reply, but he had to admit he was honest. Roxxy Sutton was a beautiful woman.
He was dressed in slacks and a dark button-down. The restaurant he was taking Roxxy to didn’t require a tie, and he was thankful for that. The sun was just going down, and he had a great night planned for them.
Roxxy Sutton wouldn’t know what hit her.
He grinned and turned onto the street her hotel was located on. The song was still playing, and he was still grooving to it. Mr. Jackson knew what he was talking about, and Myles was thankful his pops had introduced him to real music.
I love your shine
Shine, shine, shine.
Let’s make it last.
Until the end of time.
The song was cut off by an incoming call. Myles glanced down at the touch screen on his dashboard and saw Ash’s name.
“Yo,” he answered, using his hands-free device.
“Yo, man,” Ash responded. He and his friend had made up and were back on good terms. “You really going through with this?”
“I am.” Myles laughed.
“I know the guys were pressuring you to do this, but you don’t have to take her out if you don’t want to.” The joking faded from Ash’s voice.
“I want to. Matter of fact, I’ve been thinking about her since the first time I saw her,” Myles admitted honestly. He wouldn’t share this with anyone but his close friend.
Ash was like a brother to him, and he knew that Ash wouldn’t judge him. Myles had been there when Ash decided to finally take the next step with Deana. He was also there the night Ash saved her from an asshole trying to push up on her.
