Arresting Holli (2 page)

“What are ”

He started to ask something, but the phone interrupted him. She watched the way his long fingers wrapped around the receiver, the way he cradled it between his ear and his broad, strong shoulder, the way his mouth moved as he talked, and her mouth went a little dry.

There was scruff on his face, and she wondered if he was normally clean shaven or if he was always a little scruffy. Personally she liked his current look. His eyes were hazel with light brown, thick lashes, and as he talked, he glanced up and pierced her with those eyes. More heat curled in her belly. She took a couple of steps back as if the movement would make his stare any less potent. It didn’t. She was still just as affected by it.

His conversation consisted of a lot of “Yes sir, I understand” and “No sir, I won’t let that happen.” He reached up and scratched the back of his head. His brown hair was cut in a short style and was slightly spiked on top. He really was a good-looking
GQ
kind of man, but with the scruff, the spiked hair, and her own imagination, he was far from the boy next door. He was the good man with bad boy written all over his smile, the charmer, the guy who all the mothers warned their daughters about. The one guy
Holli
would have had a crush on, but who wouldn’t have looked twice in her direction.

“
Holli
?”

He was waving his hand at her in front of the bars. When had he gotten up? She blinked and shook herself out of her thoughts. The man completely stupefied her. She couldn’t remember the last time that had happened to her. “Yeah?”

“That was the DA and one of the local judges, neither of whom are very happy at the moment. They’ve been discussing this on and off.”

“Okay.” Were they going to finally let her go? Did they believe her? Could she get back to her vacation? “And?”

“I can release you,” he said, hesitatingly. “But there are conditions.”

Conditions? She could live with conditions if she could just get the hell out of dodge. “What are they?”

“I can’t let you go to New York. You have to stay close by.”

Damn. Damn damn damn
. “What else?”

“You have to be watched. House arrest until the offices officially open on Tuesday.”

“So that means you’re going to put me up in a no-tell motel and station someone outside the door until Tuesday?”

“We could do that.” He was hedging around something, and she couldn’t put her finger on it. At the moment, she would have agreed to just about anything.

“But I get to take a hot shower, put on some other clothes, get some food, and curl up in a bed?”

“Yes.”

“I can live with that.” And she really could. It wasn’t Manhattan. It wasn’t her posh, boutique hotel. But she could live with it if it meant she could get out from behind the gray, iron bars. “I’m ready. Where am I going? Just point me in the right direction.”

“Well, I can put you in a motel, or…you can come home with me.”

Holli
swallowed.

Option one: a motel. Four walls that would essentially be another cell.

Option two: go home with Officer Hunky. She likely wouldn’t notice any walls at all if she were looking at him.

“
Holli
? Are you okay with these conditions?”

Was that heat she saw flare in his eyes when he suggested she go home with him? She may not celebrate Christmas the way others did, but man oh man, she must have been a really good girl all year for Santa to give her a belated gift like this. To heck with New York…

“Yeah, I’m good,” she said, trying hard to keep from jumping up and down and singing “Joy to the World.” Oh yes, she was really, really good with his conditions.

“Great. I’ll get the paperwork filled out, and when my replacement gets here, we’ll go.” He unlocked the cell and slid the door to the side. “Feel free to walk around and stretch your legs.”

“You didn’t ask me which of the two options I chose.”

One brow lifted as he looked down at her. “Do I need to?”

Holli
grinned, no longer trying to play it cool. She wanted the man. “Not if you think you know me well enough.”

Officer Hunky leaned down and got right in her face. His breath smelled like coffee and mint. She remembered the gum he’d chewed after the two cups of coffee earlier. Up close like this, she could see the flecks of brown and gold in his eyes, and if she leaned toward him just a scant inch, her lips would be touching his.

“I know you well enough,” he whispered. “I know your choice.”

Chapter Two

Michael’s gaze followed his prisoner’s movements out of the holding area. He’d never seen curves quite like that or heard such a sultry voice. Everything about her oozed sex. Yeah, she was sweetness personified, independent and confident too, but her unconscious sex appeal wrapped all the rest up in a pretty potent package. She was going to be hell on his libido for the next couple of days.

Taking her home with him was unconventional and not exactly kosher, but he wasn’t going to lock her in another “cell,” which is exactly what a motel room would be. She’d have walls and a door, nothing much different than the jail cell he’d just let her out of. No, taking her back to his place was better, and if there were any professional or personal consequences to be dealt with after she went home, well, he’d deal with them. She could relax, sleep, sit in front of the fire, and he could fix her some good food. He wasn’t too bad with a pair of tongs and a sauté pan. Besides, his argument had been that she wasn’t a prisoner. Everyone knew it was nothing more than one number out of place. Well, that and an unfortunate speeding ticket.

However, just to be on the safe side, until all
 
government offices reopened Tuesday, those with decision making powers wanted her kept nearby.

“How do you stand the cold?” she asked.

She’d come back to the desk after a trip to the restroom and sat in the chair next to him. She’d sat in that same place when he’d first brought her in yesterday afternoon. “You don’t get cold weather in Atlanta?”

“Yes, but this feels different. Colder.”

Michael laughed. “You are quite a ways north, and the river is on the other side of the street, so
 
I suppose it is a bit colder.”

“I guess that’s it. Or, it could just be that I’ve been cold since I got here.”

“I know. Sorry about that. We’ll get you warmed up soon, I promise.” In more ways than one, if he had anything to say about it. He’d seen interest in her eyes when she watched him. Catching her always brought a blush to her face, but she never backed away from it nor did it keep her from continuing. Her bravado might have come from the fact that bars separated them, but he didn’t think so. She projected enough confidence to not need a safety net like that.

He wouldn’t force himself on her. He’d let her come to him, make the first move, but even if she didn’t, he would uphold his end of the deal and give her a place to stay, food, and a warm bed.

“Why Holiday?”

“What?”

He kept his smile out of sight. He’d caught her staring again. He couldn’t remember the last time a woman had stared at him so much. It was nice, more than nice. It was hot, and it made his cock swell. Not for the first time in the last thirty hours either, give or take a few minutes. “Your name is Holiday. Why were you named that?”

“Oh. It was my dad’s kooky idea that I be named Holiday to inspire joy all year round since I was conceived sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas.”

“You’ve told that story thousands of times, haven’t you?”

“It seems like it. Why? Can you tell by the tone of my voice and my impatient huffing and puffing?” She laughed, but she was right. Her tone reflected how she felt about it.

“Do you dislike the holiday season?”

“No. It’s actually very profitable for me.” She paused for a few moments before continuing. “I know I sound very cynical. I loved the holidays as a child, and when I grew up…it’s not that they didn’t mean anything anymore, it was just…I got tired of spending all but the actual day of or day before or day after alone.”

“You don’t now?”

“No. I don’t. I am booked solid from the day after Thanksgiving through seven p.m. on Christmas Eve. I make roughly a third of my income in those four weeks. I’m always busy.”

“What about after?”

“There’re New Year’s parties, Super Bowl parties, Valentine’s Day parties. There are weddings and birthdays and all sorts of events that people hire decorators for. I have a business partner who works with me and handles things when I’m away. We also hire people as needed. Usually college kids looking for ways to make a little extra money.”

“So you’re always working?”

“Yes. Except, I take this one week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve off. And this year, I hit the jackpot. I’m in jail.”

Despite the fact that she seemed to enjoy what she’d chosen to do for a living, Michael got the distinct impression she wasn’t exactly happy. He could understand that. He spent a lot of time alone, too. He was single, lived by himself, ate by himself. The only time he went out was when a few of his friends could get from under their wives’ thumbs long enough to have a night out.

Oh, he knew not every married couple was like that, but a lot of his friends were. He didn’t want to live like that and preferred being on his own as opposed to having a harp on his ass all the time.

Then again, meeting
Holli
by fate or accident talking to her, taking care of her as best as the circumstances would allow, he wondered if perhaps he hadn’t grown a bit cynical as well over the last few years. He saw what his friends went through when they tried to go out, but he also saw their happiness when they were with their kids and most of them with their wives. They had someone to go home to, someone to share a bit about their day with, someone to sleep with.

“What’s the smirk for?”

Michael tried to school his features but ended up laughing instead. “I was just thinking about my friends and how they’re all married, and my family is scattered all over. I always volunteer to work the holidays because I don’t want to spend them alone and have nothing better to do. I’m tired of my friends’ wives trying to set me up with what’s left of their single friends.”

“You don’t want a girlfriend?”

Yeah, I actually think I might. Are you free? Do you have a boyfriend? Do you want a boyfriend? What do you think about long distance relationships? “I haven’t given it much thought lately. I guess I want to meet someone on my own, as far as that goes, and even then…” He shook his head. “It’s more than about being alone during Thanksgiving and Christmas, you know? It’s more than just having a date with someone, and I’m far past the point of just settling for a semi-warm body. I’d rather be alone than ”

“Than to settle,” she said, nodding her agreement. “I know. Don’t get me wrong. I love my family and I still spend Thanksgiving with them every year, but…” She shrugged. “I don’t have a boyfriend. I haven’t had one in a couple of years. My family and friends try to set me up too. Quite unsuccessfully, I might add. Odd as it may seem, given my bit of cynicism, I’m the romantic. I don’t want a bunch of dates. I want one. One very long date with a guy I choose and connect with.” She shrugged again. “So I do know where you’re coming from.”

And he really believed she did. She blushed as she talked, and he found himself understanding, sympathizing, empathizing, and wanting her more by the second. She wanted a guy she picked out. She wanted a very long date with a guy of her choosing. He could give her that, at least for a few days. He could give her the connection because there was something more between them than just police officer and speeder, more than just lust between a guy and a hot woman he’d picked up.

She reached out and touched his arm. The hairs on the back of his neck stood at attention as did his cock at the innocent contact. His eyes met hers, and she smiled. Michael was done for.

“Thank you, by the way.”

“For?”

“For taking me home with you.” Another flush of red crept up her neck. Any more and she’d look like she had a sunburn in the middle of winter.” Well, what I mean is, for taking me… Crap. Just…thank you.”

She was cute when she stammered. He wondered if she blushed that same shade of red in other places.

The thought ought to have surprised him, but given that they’d spent virtually every minute together since he brought her in, it didn’t. He was fairly easygoing and easy to accept things when they felt right. This with her, this desire and want, felt right.

“You’re welcome.”

“When can we, uh…when can we go?”

And now she wouldn’t look at him. Even more cute. For all her fire and staring and flirting, she was a bit shy making small talk. He liked the contrast and honestly hadn’t seen it in a woman in a long time. Usually the ones he met up with were full of fire all the time, burning everything in their path, or they were too shy to even look him in the eyes. This one did both.

“Soon. C’mon. I’ll take you to get your coat and other belongings.” He got up and gestured for her to follow him.

“Where’s my car?”

“The impound lot. I can’t let you have it yet.”

“Oh.”

She shrugged as she caught up with him, and it lifted her breasts just a fraction of an inch. It was enough. They were full behind the bra and T-shirt she wore. He’d allowed her to change clothes yesterday. Once. And he’d turned his back, counted to a million forward and backward so he wouldn’t think about the fact that the adorable, curvaceous woman, who made his palms itch and his dick ache, was naked. Behind bars and naked. Cold and naked. Naked and…naked.

He could only imagine what she looked like out of her jeans and sweaters and long-sleeved T-shirts. She hadn’t dressed in the latest fashions but rather for a road trip. She’d dressed for comfort, and he wanted to do nothing more than sink into that comfort, into her soft, lush body and stay there for days, weeks, months… If he stocked the pantry, they could stay holed up for a year or so.

He laughed at his foolish thoughts. He was tired, hungry, and fucking horny for a woman he barely knew. He also felt bad for the predicament she was in. She was at fault for speeding, but someone else was at fault for the clerical error.

On one hand, Michael would like to wring the neck of that little twerp. On the other, he’d like to shake the man’s hand and buy him a beer.

He opened the door to the storage closet that also doubled as Lost and Found. It was dim and small, but he’d placed her belongings in there so he knew right where to find them. Unfortunately she tried to stand in the same place at the same time as him. Her breasts and his chest, her hips and his cock, met. He didn’t breathe, didn’t so much as move a muscle.

“Oh dear.”

Her voice, though whisper soft, touched him like a wire, live and sparking. “Yeah.”

“You’re, um…”

“Yeah.”

“B-because of me?”

The question was innocent enough. It held a twinge of surprise, some shyness, and a hint of interest. “Yeah. Look, I’m… I don’t do… Not like this, but if you don’t slide back out of the doorway, I’m not sure I’ll be able to stop myself.”

“From?”

Damn, that question, that tone of voice, that… “From kissing you. From sliding my hands underneath your shirt. From figuring out a way to…” He didn’t want to finish the sentence. He didn’t want to complete the thought. He wanted to show her.

“Oh. I guess…” Her tongue snaked out to lick at her lower lip, and his cock pushed against her through his uniform. She looked down, then back up, raking every inch between his groin and his face, slowly. Hell… This was hell, and he supposed, by the heat in her gaze, he wasn’t the only inhabitant. “I guess that wouldn’t be a good thing to do here in the police station.”

Much to his dismay. “No. No, it wouldn’t.”

“Outside the police station though, you could, right? I mean, if you still wanted to?”

God above, she was going to kill him. He just hoped she was quick about it because he was already in pain below the waist.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had this kind of reaction to a woman. He’d had affairs with married women needing some spice, dated single women who couldn’t hold his attention beyond sex, but
Holli
? She was different. There was nothing else they could do except talk. And he’d learned that he liked hearing her voice. He liked seeing her eyes light up when she talked about things she enjoyed, seeing her smile and watching her mouth move when she was muttering to herself. He was pretty sure she didn’t know he was watching during those moments because otherwise he doubted she’d do it but there were candid visions of her etched in his mind, and he liked that.

It was part of the reason he was taking her home with him. He wanted more. More time, more conversation,
 
more information about her.
Nevermind
, all the naughty things he wanted to do to her. He just hadn’t known she’d want the same thing. Now he did.

“Yes, outside the police station, I could.”

She moved just a fraction of an inch, and he sucked in a breath. She moved another small bit, though he knew she was trying to edge out of the doorway. He clamped his teeth around his tongue and lifted his gaze to the heavens, praying he didn’t unload in his pants.

“Do you want to?”

Right now on every available surface, and I don’t care if I get fired. He glanced down at her and swallowed hard, hoping he could speak in a somewhat normal tone of voice. “Yes.”

She slipped away quickly, and he was able to breathe again. He reached in and grabbed her bags, then closed the door. Leaning against it, he took her in from head to toe. She wasn’t looking at him anymore, but her cheeks and neck flushed a pretty pink. He found it both amusing and arousing.