PartyNaked (5 page)

She gave up. He was too charming and he had an answer for
everything. “Breaking up with someone for being too nice is stupid.”

Jarod nodded, though she didn’t think he seemed too upset
about the loss of his girlfriend.

“How long did you two date?”

“Six months.”

Wow. Definitely not a good time to get involved with the
cop. She wasn’t in the mood to nurse a broken heart or build up a wounded ego.
She had her own shit to deal with. “That’s a long time. You must be pretty torn
up.”

He shook his head. “Not really. I’d seen the handwriting on
the wall. Only thing that smarts is the fact she beat me to the punch.”

Okay. So no rebound.

“How about that drink you promised me?”

She narrowed her eyes. “I thought you were on duty.”

He glanced out the front window. Stephanie followed his
gaze, but she didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. There were a few people
hanging out on the sidewalk and a couple of cars parked along the curb.

Apparently, Jarod saw more than she did. “Actually, my
partner’s arrived to relieve me, which means I just got off.”

His words sent an erotic flash through her mind and she
wondered what he would look like with no clothes on, cuffed to her bed as she
rode him.

Then a completely different thought occurred to her as she
considered his easy acceptance of the Romantic Hearts invitation and his sudden
off-duty status. “Is your suspect in the book group?” She couldn’t picture it.
The group was comprised of women mainly in their forties and fifties. She was
at a loss to figure out what sort of crime any of them could commit.

“I can’t answer that. I’m sorry.”

She sighed. Curiosity was one of her more prevalent traits.
She knew he couldn’t discuss his case, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to
be looking at every patron differently until she found out who had brought
Jarod to the bar.

He seemed to sense she was annoyed. Another fact that bugged
her. How could he read her so well?

“I’d be willing to distract you if it would take your mind
off it.”

She imagined all the ways she’d like to be distracted by the
hot cop.

Wonder if he prefers top or bottom. Missionary or
doggy-style.

“Jesus, Steph. You weren’t kidding about getting in the sex
line twice, were you?”

She felt her face flush slightly, though not from
embarrassment. She was horny as crap. “What makes you say that?”

He leaned closer. “What were you just thinking about?”

She considered hedging on her answer, but decided to go with
the truth. “Fucking you.”

He closed his eyes and she wondered what he was thinking.
When he looked at her again, his eyes were dark, hungry. “I’ve never met a
woman like you.”

She smiled. “Easy?”

He shook his head quickly. “No. I don’t think you are.”

He was right. She wasn’t. She didn’t fall into bed with men
easily. Hank had taken her out to dinner at least half a dozen times before she
agreed to sleep with him. While that decision had been driven by physical
needs—she was sick of her vibrator—her reasons for wanting to sleep with Jarod
were different.

Lust was a contributing factor, there was no doubt about
that, but it was more than sex. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but she felt
like she knew him, which was crazy considering they hadn’t spent more than an
hour in each other’s presence. He felt like someone she could be really good
friends with.

“I get off at eleven,” she said.

“Is that an invitation?”

“Maybe.” She reached for a tumbler and started mixing
together some ingredients. “Tell you what. Why don’t you have a drink and think
about it.”

She started to place the glass in front of him, but Jarod
grabbed her wrist, preventing her from moving away. “Move closer.”

She wanted to balk at his command, but she leaned toward him
anyway. “What?” she whispered.

“I don’t have to think about anything. I’m going to sit here
until eleven and we’re going to get to know each other while you work. Then I’m
going to take you back to my place, strip off all your clothes and show you how
nice I can be. All night long.”

She raised an eyebrow. “All night?”

He chuckled at her question. Most men were annoyed by her
smartass taunts, but Jarod just seemed amused. Even better, he always had an
answer. “Would you settle for several times over the course of the night?”

“Several times?”

He laughed loudly. “Christ. So much for my ego. How about
twice? With a couple-hour break in between?”

“Well, now,” she drawled, “that sounds real nice.”

“I can see I really
am
going to have to work on your
sense of romance.”

She licked her lips, wishing he’d kiss her again. As much as
it annoyed her, the damn cop made her feel girlie and dreamy and fucking
ridiculous. She preferred to keep both feet on the ground in relationships.
While flowers and chocolates were nice, they weren’t going to make her fall in
love with a guy. She was knocking on thirty’s door and she’d never met a man
who could go the distance. Her mother’s pathetic track record was a sad
reminder of the fact that forever didn’t exist except in fiction.

He released her hand and looked at his glass. “What am I
drinking?”

“That’s a little concoction I like to call Party Naked.”

He took a tentative sip. “Not bad. Raspberry?”

She nodded. “Among other things.”

“Party Naked, huh? Is this supposed to be a hint?”

She rested her arms on the bar, enjoying their easy banter.
“I like to party and I’m definitely a clothing-optional kind of girl.”

He lifted his hand and ran it through her hair. She wasn’t
sure what it was about his gentle touches that turned her on so much, but one
smoldering look and soft stroke from him had her panting like a dog in heat.

“I can do clothing optional.”

Sophie cleared her throat loudly and Stephanie stepped away.

“Criminy. I’d tell you two to get a room, but didn’t you
just meet?”

Stephanie picked up a peanut from one of the bowls on the
bar and threw it at her friend. “Did you need something or are you just in
annoying mode?”

Sophie didn’t take offense. One of the best things about
owning a business with her best friends was, after years together, they could
say anything without hurting each other’s feelings. In many ways, they were
more like sisters than friends.

“I need a couple of glasses of Merlot.”

Stephanie nodded and grabbed two wineglasses. Her gaze kept
drifting to Jarod, who was watching her. There was an intensity, a determination
on his face that took her breath away. She wasn’t sure how any woman could
mistake him as too nice.

She handed the drinks to Sophie then started wiping the
counter again.

“So I told you about my breakup, what was your last
relationship like?”

Jarod’s question caught her off-guard and she stopped
cleaning. “Last relationship?” Her mind raced over the last few men she’d gone
out with. She hadn’t dated any of them longer than a month or two and her
emotions certainly hadn’t been involved. Did that make them relationships? Her
gut said no.

“Wow,” Jarod said after a few moments. “Didn’t realize that
was going to be such a tough question.”

She grinned. “Me either. I think it’s safe to say it’s been
awhile. Starting up Books and Brew has really cut into my social life.”

“I’ve been wondering about that. You’re the owner of this
place?” He looked impressed. She was pleased by the change of subject. While
her track record with love was a bust, the business was something in which she
took a great deal of pride.

“Part owner. I opened it up with Jayne, Sophie and
Jordan—you haven’t met her yet.”

“Cool. I imagine it’s nice being your own boss.”

She leaned her elbows on the counter. “It’s fantastic.
Opening this place was a dream come true for me.”

“Seems to be pretty successful.”

She nodded. “We’ve been up and running for two years now and
business keeps growing.”

“The concept is cool. Looks like you’ve got a lot of
regulars.”

“Oh, we do. Jayne is queen of book groups. In addition to
the Romantic Hearts, she runs one that discusses mysteries and another that’s
all about science fiction and fantasy novels, so she brings in a lot of
customers that way.”

“Clever Jayne. I like the interior design. It’s really
comfortable in here.”

“We tried to set the whole place up like a gigantic living
room.” Stephanie scanned the room and imagined seeing it for the first time,
like Jarod was. There were bookshelves along two walls, the big picture window
along the third, and the bar on the fourth. There were customers sitting in
scattered comfy chairs and at tables around the room.

“Anybody ever play that piano?” Jarod asked.

She nodded. “We added that a few months ago. Jordan had a
friend who was giving it away, so we nabbed it. We have a guy who comes in on
Saturday evenings—sort of a Billy Joel-like piano man. He takes requests and is
an awesome singer. That’s usually our busiest night. There are also some
patrons who like to come in and give impromptu concerts. It’s fun.”

Jarod asked various other questions, showing a genuine
interest in learning more about the place. After several minutes, she stopped
talking. “I’m probably boring the hell out of you.”

He shook his head. “Not at all. It’s obvious you have a mind
for business, as do your friends. This place is awesome. Wish I’d known about
it before now. I would have been here much sooner.”

“Yeah.” She leaned closer. “Tell all your cop friends. Maybe
we can expose them to a bit of literature while they get their drunk on.”

“You joke, but I actually have a few friends on the force
who would love this place. It’s off the beaten track and peaceful.”

“Yeah, that’s exactly what it is.” She was pleased he
appreciated the same things about her bar that she did.

They continued talking as she worked, discussing everything
from politics to arguing over which animal made the best pet. Stephanie was a
cat person, while Jarod resided firmly in the dog camp. When Jayne said goodbye
to the last customer and threw the lock on the front door, Jarod stood and
offered to help Stephanie tidy up.

Neither Jayne nor Sophie said much as the four of them
worked together to get the place shut down for the night, though she could see
they were dying with curiosity over Jarod sticking around to help out.
Stephanie was sure her friends would assault her with a million questions
tomorrow morning. For tonight, they were on their best behavior. Well, sort of.
Twice, she caught Sophie checking out Jarod’s ass and then giving her the
thumbs-up.

Stephanie rolled her eyes and struggled not to laugh at her
friend’s impressed face. She didn’t disagree. Jarod had a fine ass. She’d snuck
a peek more than a few times tonight.

Finally, Jayne and Sophie said their goodnights, walking
toward the back door and the small lot where they all parked their cars.

Stephanie was trying to figure out how to make the next
move. All night she’d walked around in a permanent state of sexual awareness.
Her panties were drenched and her nipples were so tight and sensitive, she had
to suck in a deep breath every time the cotton rubbed against them a certain
way.

“My car’s out front,” he said. “Ride with me. I’ll bring you
back here for your car in the morning.”

His words weren’t a question, and again she was struck by
his dominance. She recognized it well. It was a bit like looking in a mirror.
“Or I can follow you to your place and leave immediately if you’re lame in
bed.”

He smiled, not offended. “That’s not going to be an issue.”

“So says every man on the planet, but the fact is a lot of
you do suck at sex.”

“You know this from personal experience?”

She picked up her purse. “Unfortunately, yes.”

“I want you to ride home with me.”

While her body wanted that too, her head was firing up all
sorts of alarms. She’d just met this guy, she had no idea where he lived, and
if things went south, she needed an escape plan.

“But,” he said, “you’re smart to take your own car.”

She laughed at the resigned look on his face. He knew as
well as she did why she was hesitating. “Bet you hate being a cop sometimes,
don’t you?”

Jarod took her hand in his. “Yep. If you were my sister or a
female friend, I’d be reading you the riot act for even agreeing to go home
with a guy you just met. While I know I’m perfectly safe, you have no way of
really knowing that.”

“I have mace in my purse and a wicked right hook. Plus I
know what my gut says.”

“What’s that?” He lifted her hand and placed a soft kiss on
her palm. Again with the gentle caresses that drove her out of her mind. She
fought to suppress a shiver of desire. Jarod was too observant. If he realized
how much he was turning her on, he’d keep going, pressing harder. She was a
powder keg about to blow.

“You really are a nice guy,” she teased.

“Ouch.”

“If you know it’s safer for me to drive myself, why even
offer to drive me home?”

He shrugged. “Because I’m afraid you’ll change your mind
halfway there and turn around. My cock’s fucking killing me. I know I promised
you two decent rounds, but I’m pretty sure the first time’s going to be fast.
Really fast. I need you, Steph, and I want you. Bad.”

“I feel the same way. Let’s go.”

He walked her to her car and even opened the door. He
chuckled as she climbed in.

“Are you laughing at my car?”

Jarod looked at it and shook his head. “Not really. I have
to say the Bug seems to fit your personality. It’s just so small in there. I’m
glad you didn’t offer to drive. I don’t think I’d like riding home with my
knees pressed against my chin.”