“Really?” the officer interrupted with a scarcely contained smile. His eyes flashed down to the blanket, then back up to Dylan’s face. “No distractions? Eyes on the road?”
What—did the guy have the place rigged or something?!
Dylan’s face paled guiltily, but he held his ground. The officer had no proof. He was just trying to scare them. As long as they stuck to their story, he couldn’t possibly—
“You didn’t see the huge rock in the middle of the road?”
They both froze. Blinked. Then turned at the same time to look at the road.
The officer was doing his very best not to smile. “I only ask because, judging by the tire treads, you two drove straight into it. Didn’t even swerve.”
They shared a panicked glance, before Dylan turned back to the cop—making a visible effort to keep that smile plastered on his face. “That’s...that’s actually a funny story—”
The flashlight came back. As blinding as ever.
“A funny story that has something to do with the lipstick all over your face?”
Lipstick? There isn’t any...oh yeah. There it is. Shit—my bad.
By now, the game was pretty much up. The man had clearly played them into a corner and there was nothing left to say. Fortunately, he didn’t seem to require further explanation. And he happened to be one of the only cops on the road that night with a sense of humor.
“Why don’t I call you guys a tow? Wait with you until it arrives.”
Dylan sank down lower in his seat.
“...thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.” The man clapped the top of the car, gazing nostalgically up and down the road. “I’ve blown a few tires coming back from the lake myself.”
Chapter 11
By the time they got back to Cleveland, it was coming up on around one in the morning. The tow-truck driver had two other calls in line before them, and they had to wait in the freezing cold for another hour and a half before he finally arrived. From there, the two of them sandwiched into the truck beside him and he proceeded to make loud, flirtatious comments the entire way back into town. Lacy’s only consolation, was that none of the comments were directed at her.
“I still don’t see why you couldn’t have just given the man your number,” she said for the fifth time, staring into the mirror as she brushed her teeth. “At the very least, you could have taken your shirt off or something—shown a little skin.”
A cloud of steam wafted into the room, as Dylan turned off the hot water and stepped out of the shower—a fluffy blue towel wrapped around his waist, a withering glare narrowing his eyes. “I’m so glad you enjoyed yourself. I, on the other hand, sat twenty miles on a bumpy road with the man...” He broke off with a shudder. “Trying to slide his hand up my thigh...”
She burst out laughing, spitting a mouthful of foam into the sink. “Welcome to my world, buddy. In the language of the sisterhood, we call that ‘taking one for the team.’”
He shook his head with a grin, then came up behind her—wrapping his arms around her waist and bending down so they were both staring into the mirror at the same level. Their eyes met at the same time, and he shook his head again. This time, with a tender smile.
“How did I get so lucky?” His eyes flickered over her fluffy robe and giant penguin slippers, before softening with complete adoration. “How did I manage to find you?”
She sucked in a silent breath, staring in some sort of trance at his gorgeous face. His arms tightened again, and she forced herself out of it—looking down at the sink with a little blush.
“I found you, remember?” She glanced up with a wry smile. “That was the job. To find out all of your little secrets, Dylan Stone. To bring you to justice.”
His body tensed, but he drew her into his arms with a mischievous smile—turning her around so the two were standing face to face. “And did you? Do you know all my little secrets?”
The silence between them grew abruptly tense. It had been a throwaway question, asked in a playful tone, but there was something undeniably serious about the way both of them were reacting to it. He was staring at her with a guarded smile, one designed to mask the nerves as he searched her eyes, looking for the truth. As for Lacy, she was doing the exact same thing.
Staring into those magical blue eyes. Trying to uncover the secrets underneath.
“Not yet.” She stretched up onto her tiptoes, whispering lightly in his ear. “But don’t worry Dylan Stone, I’ve never failed to get my man...”
Chapter 12
The night may have ended on a strange note, but they still spent it together—curled up in her bed, tangled in each other’s arms. The power was still out at his place—that was the official excuse. But the truth was that neither one could manage to pull themselves away. Even if everything wasn’t exactly as it seemed. Even if they were plagued by stilted questions and evasive answers. It was as though the two were magnetized. No matter how hard they fought against it, something kept pulling them back.