Revelation: A Contemporary Erotic Romance (Iris Series) by Rebecca Lynn Page B

back, “Right up the street from the school.  West 77 th and Amsterdam.”
    He nodded and headed back onto the road.
    She gripped his torso again and sighed as her mind wandered to its previous subject area.  She was just going to play it by ear.  She needed an element of trust with a man if she was really going to have the kind of relationship she truly wanted.  Relinquishing that much control to a man she didn’t trust was going to be hard for her and she certainly wasn’t going to find it with a playboy.  But maybe a fling was just what she needed.  If only she could find a man that made her feel desire like the detective, but whom she could trust.
    She sighed.  It was time to stop thinking, so she did.  And enjoyed the rest of the ride.
    ……
    Twenty minutes later, Mike pulled into a spot on Amsterdam a couple of blocks down from her street.  Once he was parked, he took off his helmet and got off the bike.  
    “I’m famished.  Have lunch with me.”  He began helping her take off her helmet.  She batted his hands away.
    “I got it.”  She pulled away from the look in his eyes and started working on her chin strap.  “I can walk from here,” she said as she took off the helmet. 
    “Em.”
    She stopped and looked at him.
    “Have lunch with me.”  He continued not allowing her to respond.  “You owe me after pawing me for the last half hour.”  His mouth kicked up and he murmured, “Who knew you were so frisky?”
    She rolled her eyes at him, her normal response.  “Please.  If that was pawing then you really are hurting for some female affection.”
    “I am.  I told you it’s been a while.”  He stretched his arms up then scratched his stomach causing her to look at his stomach.  “Come on, GC.  I want to look at your beautiful, if not pissed off face while I eat.”  He reached into the back compartment to grab her purse then put her helmet in it, took her hand and led her into the coffee shop entrance a half a block away.
    “This wasn’t part of the negotiation, and you don’t need to hold my hand, Dad.  I’ve been walking on my own since I turned two.”  She used her free hand to try to fluff up her hat head.
    “I like holding your hand,” he turned to give her a humorous look.  “Besides, you can break your neck in those things.”  He directed his head to her high heeled sandals.  “Don’t get me wrong.  I hope you never take them off.  They’re sexy as hell.  I just don’t know how you walk in ’em.”
    “Just one of those things they teach you when learning how to be a woman, I guess,” she responded.  “I seriously don’t need you to hold my hand and I’m really not hungry.”  Actually, she was starving.  She tried to remove her hand, but he held on tight.
    “I know you don’t need me to hold it.  But it’s nice just the same.  That bit of human contact.  Knowing that another person wants to touch you.  It’s nice, don’t you think?”
    She gave him a look.  “Who are you?  And don’t think for a second that I don’t know you have ulterior motives for holding my hand.”
    He smacked his lips and led her into the restaurant, walking her to an empty two-top in the back.  “Deal with it, Counselor.”
    Before removing his hand, he stroked his middle finger on the inside of her palm then offered her the seat whose back was to the front door so he could take the one with its back to the wall. 
    Still flustered over the stroke of his finger, she finally let her self-defense training kick in.  She always took the seat facing the door so no one could sneak up behind her. She immediately went to take his seat instead.  They both awkwardly pulled for the same chair and when he looked at her, he shook his head and chuckled.
    “What a trusting pair we are,” he said knowing it was the cop in him and the Krav Maga master in her that caused their mirrored actions.  He moved both chairs so they were placed next to each other but