even as he denied her vulnerability, he felt his guardian instincts charge to the forefront of his emotions. He’d always possessed this need to defend the underdog. It was one of the reasons he’d become a cop. Unbelievable how this irksome woman had figured that out about him.
How had she known the one thing he simply could not refuse was a damsel in distress? She didn’t seem the type to take advantage of her femininity but here she was suddenly giving him a wide-eyed, helpless look. He knew he shouldn’t fall for it, but damn his hide, he did.
“You’re going to plague the living crap out of me until I agree to take you along.”
“Pretty much.” She nodded.
Sighing, he let her go and stepped back. “I can’t trust you.”
“Why not?”
“I can’t have you trying to one up me again like you did at the airport. And speaking of that, give my badge back.” He held out his hand.
She fished in her purse, found his badge and passed it over to him. “I won’t try to one up you again. I promise.”
“Oh, that makes all the difference in the world,” he said sarcastically.
“I’ll swear on a bible.” She raised her left hand while splaying her right hand over her heart. “Got a bible? Betcha the Gideons left one in the bedside table, they’re reliable that way.”
“No need to be a smart-ass. This isn’t a court of law, you don’t have to swear on a bible.”
“Then how are you going to know you can trust me?”
“Swearing on a bible won’t make me trust you.”
“I never break a solemn vow.”
The expression in her eyes told him that she meant every word. He decided to surrender, mainly because he knew if he didn’t he would end up spending more time fighting her than chasing after Shriver and Cassie. But he also gave in because she seemed so earnest and a little desperate.
Besides, if she was with him, he could control her. Out there on her own she was a wild card and he couldn’t afford to let her run amok and screw up his investigation.
“All right,” he said after a long moment. “You can come.”
Her shoulders sagged visibly at her hard-won victory. She blew out her breath with an adorable sound that made him feel warm and protective inside. Ah hell, he liked her.
“Thank you,” she said, and headed for an overstuffed chair in the corner. He noticed her hand quivered ever so slightly as she lowered herself down. A cloud of dust motes drifted up. “Now let’s establish some ground rules.”
“Ground rules?” he echoed.
How cute. She still had the illusion that she had some measure of power in this crazy relationship. Mind- boggling. Give the woman an inch and she took the entire freeway.
“I promised not to one up you, but now you’ve got to promise me something.”
“Like what?”
“No more using sex as a weapon.” She nodded from his shirt to his bare chest. The heat of her gaze scorched his flesh.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard what I said.”
“Wait a minute. Simply because I took my shirt off you think I was using sex as a weapon?”
“Don’t forget calling me submissive and then pinning me to the wall with your knee to try and prove your point.”
“How could I forget that?” He wriggled his eyebrows suggestively.
“Ah, ah.” She pointed a finger. “See there, you’re doing it again.”
“You call eyebrow wriggling a sexual weapon?”
“It’s innuendo.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Oh, give it up. You know what you’re doing and I know what you’re doing and as long as we’re working together I won’t stand for any more of your masculine intimidation tactics. Got it?”
She was like an impudent kid, trespassing on a farmer’s land, cockily waving a red flag at the bull in the pasture.
He could have replied in a thousand different ways, each and every response designed to put her firmly in her place, but somehow David managed to restrain his tongue.
Maddie was worried about her sister and even though he fought against the
How had she known the one thing he simply could not refuse was a damsel in distress? She didn’t seem the type to take advantage of her femininity but here she was suddenly giving him a wide-eyed, helpless look. He knew he shouldn’t fall for it, but damn his hide, he did.
“You’re going to plague the living crap out of me until I agree to take you along.”
“Pretty much.” She nodded.
Sighing, he let her go and stepped back. “I can’t trust you.”
“Why not?”
“I can’t have you trying to one up me again like you did at the airport. And speaking of that, give my badge back.” He held out his hand.
She fished in her purse, found his badge and passed it over to him. “I won’t try to one up you again. I promise.”
“Oh, that makes all the difference in the world,” he said sarcastically.
“I’ll swear on a bible.” She raised her left hand while splaying her right hand over her heart. “Got a bible? Betcha the Gideons left one in the bedside table, they’re reliable that way.”
“No need to be a smart-ass. This isn’t a court of law, you don’t have to swear on a bible.”
“Then how are you going to know you can trust me?”
“Swearing on a bible won’t make me trust you.”
“I never break a solemn vow.”
The expression in her eyes told him that she meant every word. He decided to surrender, mainly because he knew if he didn’t he would end up spending more time fighting her than chasing after Shriver and Cassie. But he also gave in because she seemed so earnest and a little desperate.
Besides, if she was with him, he could control her. Out there on her own she was a wild card and he couldn’t afford to let her run amok and screw up his investigation.
“All right,” he said after a long moment. “You can come.”
Her shoulders sagged visibly at her hard-won victory. She blew out her breath with an adorable sound that made him feel warm and protective inside. Ah hell, he liked her.
“Thank you,” she said, and headed for an overstuffed chair in the corner. He noticed her hand quivered ever so slightly as she lowered herself down. A cloud of dust motes drifted up. “Now let’s establish some ground rules.”
“Ground rules?” he echoed.
How cute. She still had the illusion that she had some measure of power in this crazy relationship. Mind- boggling. Give the woman an inch and she took the entire freeway.
“I promised not to one up you, but now you’ve got to promise me something.”
“Like what?”
“No more using sex as a weapon.” She nodded from his shirt to his bare chest. The heat of her gaze scorched his flesh.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard what I said.”
“Wait a minute. Simply because I took my shirt off you think I was using sex as a weapon?”
“Don’t forget calling me submissive and then pinning me to the wall with your knee to try and prove your point.”
“How could I forget that?” He wriggled his eyebrows suggestively.
“Ah, ah.” She pointed a finger. “See there, you’re doing it again.”
“You call eyebrow wriggling a sexual weapon?”
“It’s innuendo.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Oh, give it up. You know what you’re doing and I know what you’re doing and as long as we’re working together I won’t stand for any more of your masculine intimidation tactics. Got it?”
She was like an impudent kid, trespassing on a farmer’s land, cockily waving a red flag at the bull in the pasture.
He could have replied in a thousand different ways, each and every response designed to put her firmly in her place, but somehow David managed to restrain his tongue.
Maddie was worried about her sister and even though he fought against the
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