Total pages in book: 21
Estimated words: 19885 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 99(@200wpm)___ 80(@250wpm)___ 66(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 19885 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 99(@200wpm)___ 80(@250wpm)___ 66(@300wpm)
I practically drool as Jack picks up the chopsticks and hands them to me. His fingers brush mine and holy shit, the spark is so real, I almost drop them. I cover up my awkwardness by shoveling a dumpling into my mouth.
Jack watches every bite, eyes dark and focused, like he’s cataloguing my reactions. Honestly, the way he looks at me turns my insides to goo.
I practically choke on a piece of pork dumpling when Jack leans forward, pinning me with his dark eyes. His elbows rest on the counter, sleeves rolled up, veins flexing along his forearms like he’s about to interrogate me or handcuff me. Jesus, focus, Poppy.
“So,” he rumbles, voice so low it vibrates my seat, “tell me about yourself. What do you do besides entertaining mischievous Frenchies?”
My mind goes blank, and I scramble to say something. “I, uh, go to school full-time and clean apartments so I can afford rent.”
Jack’s mouth quirks up. “Care to elaborate.”
The way he stares into my eyes causes a shiver to run down my spine. Intense doesn’t even begin to describe him. “Are you interrogating me, Detective Vale?”
His lips twitch, and he leans in so close I can feel his breath on my cheek. “Maybe.” There’s a definite glint in his eyes now, all dark and hungry and a little bit dangerous. “But you don’t have to worry. I’m not planning on handcuffing you. Yet.”
Holy. Hell. My brain trips over itself and nearly short-circuits on the spot. He’s flirting with me. I barely resist the urge to fan myself as I stare into his eyes.
I clear my throat, but my voice comes out breathless and way too high-pitched. “Uh… good to know.”
He grins, all alpha cop menace, then picks up his glass and knocks back half his water in one go. “I’m not shy about what I want,” he rumbles, eyes never leaving mine. “And right now, I want to know everything about you. Why don’t we start with something easy. What’re you studying?”
“Business.” His eyebrow lifts like he’s expecting me to say I’m an art history major or something. I take a giant bite of sushi and shrug. “I want to run my own cleaning company one day. As long as I don’t have to answer to anyone else. I’m not really cut out for having a boss. Or, you know, being bossed.”
Jack’s mouth twitches at the corner, but he doesn’t laugh. He leans in closer, voice dropping so low it’s basically a growl. “Maybe you haven’t been bossed the right way.”
I take another bite of dumpling to keep my mouth busy because I’m ninety-nine percent sure if I speak right now, something wildly inappropriate is going to fall out.
Jack just stares me down, leaning in so close his arm brushes mine. The heat off his body is insane. His hair’s perfectly in place, not a single strand out of order, while I look like a Roomba sucked me up and spit me out. Still, his gaze is like getting hit with a full-body x-ray. I want to crawl out of my own skin… or into his lap.
He grins, and holy shit, that tiny dimple in his cheek is illegal. “What else should I know about you?”
I think hard for a few seconds, trying to come up with something interesting to tell him. “You should know I have an animal roommate of my own. Moonpie’s my emotional support cat. She truly believes she’s human, and she’s also highly allergic to authority.”
Jack’s eyebrow quirks up and there’s a spark in those eyes. “Where’d you come up with that name?”
“She’s black with a white ring all the way around her chubby, round face. The first time I saw her, I thought she looked just like a moonpie.”
Jack’s eyes narrow in this intense, predatory way, and I feel like a bug under a magnifying glass. “I like that. Sounds like a beast with attitude.”
“Oh, she’s got attitude for days. And a criminal record to match your dog’s.” I can’t help myself—I lean closer to Jack. “She once stole an entire rotisserie chicken off the kitchen counter when I was in the shower. The little demon ate all the white meat and left the rest smeared all over my bed. It was revenge for me putting her on a diet.”
Jack snorts out a laugh that makes him look a little less intimidating and a lot more dangerous, in a totally different way. “Sounds like you have your hands full with her.”
“You have no idea,” I mutter, glancing down at my phone. Holy cow. Is it really ten-fifteen? My usual six hours of sleep is going to be cut significantly if I don’t get home soon.
It kills me to leave, but I don’t have any extra time on my books. “Sorry to cut the evening short, but I have a test tomorrow and I still haven’t finished studying. Plus, I really need a few hours of sleep.” I stand up and glance at the counter. “I’ll help you clean up before I go.”