Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
Breaking the law, breaking the law
(Song is Breaking the law by Judas Priest)
The small box containing the signed books on the seat was welcome. It reminded Regina that she'd finally made it, she was a published author several times over. A successful, published author. Not making millions, true, but making a living from it.
The blue flashing lights in the rear view mirror weren't so welcome. It reminded her that she had rather a lead foot when it came to speed, though she was sure she hadn't been going anymore than- she peeked at the speedometer. Ten miles over the speed limit.
Damn it.
With a sigh, she indicated and pulled over onto the side of the road. Rolling down the window, she studied the two cops in the police car that had pulled in behind her. The one driving was fit ever so good in his cop's uniform, the only thing that marred him was his frown on that handsome face. Dangerously handsome, she corrected herself. Rather yummy, actually, in a dangerous, cold-eyed kind of way.
The cold-eyed cop proceeded to study the back of her car before squatting down to study the tires. Her gaze switched to the other cop who was coming around to the driver's side door. Shorter than his partner, though still tall in comparison to herself. Not as handsome, but then again she wasn't sure who would be able to match the hunk.
The hunky cop bent down to peer into her window. He had a boyishly handsome face with blue eyes and a mouth that, though in a stern line now, had little quirks at each corner in a clear indication that this cop laughed or smiled a lot. He was the proverbial cute-boy-from-next-door, complete with a rebellious strand of dark blonde hair .Yep, cute boy from next door.
And oddly familiar.
"'Morning." His voice was a pleasant tone.
"Hello," she smiled up at him.
"Going a bit fast there. Emergency?"
"Ah…no."
"I see." He studied her face, a small frown creasing his brow. "Your license, please."
Oh crap. That request coupled with a frown could mean only one thing. He was going to book her. With an inward sigh, she reached into her small handbag and withdrew her purse, flipping it open to withdraw the plastic square and hand it to him.
Taking it, he straightened.
While she waited, Regina eyed the incredible hunk in the rear view mirror.
He'd be a good candidate for a BDSM novel. Oh yeah. Regina's hand itched to get her notepad out and jot down his description. She could just imagine him cuffing a woman to the bed, all dominant and -
The other cop, Officer Guyliner, because he had some sort of eye liner around his eyes, beside her window bent down again and she caught the faint whiff of aftershave, fresh and pleasant. She'd always been a sucker for a nice aftershave. A nice man, in fact.
Pushing that unpleasant thought aside, she peered up at Officer Handsome.
"Regina Mills?" He looked from the license photo to her.
"I'm not the Jenna Jameson," she joked, only to inwardly groan Officer's Handsome's eyebrows rose, his gaze drifting over her.
Why the hell had she said that? She did an invisible palm to forehead thunking, all the while managing to smile up at him. Officer Handsome's eyes swept back up her body to lock onto her gaze, a definite twinkle in his blue eyes. "I'll be back in a minute."
As soon as he was out of sight, Regina dropped her forehead to the steering wheel and groaned. How embarrassing! "I was never going to do that again! Not ever. That was the promise I made to myself, not to do that, and I went and did it! When will I ever learn? When when when?" Each 'when' was accompanied by the thunk of her forehead on the steering wheel.
"Uh – Ma'am?"
She froze.
"Are you all right?"
No. If she had a gun right now, she'd shoot herself.
"Maybe you'd better step out of the car."
The door opened and out of the corner of her eye she saw the pants and boots of the cop.
"Ma'am? Ms. Mills?" Officer Handsome's voice was almost in her ear.
Cheeks flaming, she straightened up in the seat and turned to look out at the cops. Officer Handsome's eyebrows were raised in polite, yet wary, query, and Officer Guyliner's cold eyes were drilling holes into her forehead.
"Just remembering something I had to do," Regina said weakly, unclipping the seatbelt and swinging out of the car.
"Just come around to the other side of the car so you don't get hit by traffic." Officer Handsome indicated to the road, where drivers unashamedly ogled the criminal being dragged out of her car by two cops.
Imagination overload, Regina. Taking a deep breath, she did as instructed.
"Just going to do a quick look around inside, Ms. Mills. Is that all right?" Officer Guyliner's voice rumbled like a diesel engine. "Anything sharp in here I might stick myself with?"
Great. They thought she was drugged or something. "No."
"And we'll do a breathalyzer."
And drunk. No wonder, with her talking to herself and trying to bash her brains out on the steering wheel.
"Okay," she said, a little dispiritedly. Why not? All they'd find would be her….oh crap on a stick.
Her books. Her erotic romances. The books with her name on them as the author. Not that she was ashamed of them, but having two male cops looking at those racy covers and suggestive titles…
Could her day get any worse?
Officer Handsome was sitting in the cop car holding her driver's license, his gaze on her as he spoke to someone on the radio.
Her little car dipped as the Officer Guyliner leaned into it and started searching. The only things he'd find in there would be her suitcase, laptop, her box of sexy books, a small handbag, a half drunk bottle of Diet Coke and a bag of mints.
Holding a breathalyzer in his hand, Officer Handsome strode around to stand before her. "Now if you could just blow until I say stop."
If this was one of her books she'd have a dirty comeback for that blow order, but this was reality, so she filed the reference away for future writing and obeyed.
Officer Handsome read the result. "Very good."
Thank you, master. She couldn't help but keep slipping back into her little world of erotic romances, always looking for something new, something old to tweak, and definitely something in blue.
Like a cop. Sexy cops in uniform. How hot was that? Maybe she could incorporate this little encounter into her latest novel and-
"Ms. Mills? Regina?"
Blinking, she focussed on the cop. "Yes?"
Frowning, he studied her eyes. "Are you all right? You seem a little distracted."
"Of course." Distraction was common for her when in the midst of plotting new sexy scenes with cute cops and hard-eyed cops and - damn it, she wanted her notebook to jot down her thoughts! As soon as Officer Guyliner and Officer Handsome hit the road, she was going into a jotting frenzy.
Officer Handsome scrutinized her eyes before obviously finally being satisfied that her pupils were the correct size and not pin-pointed with opioids. "Just wait here, Ma'am, and we'll soon be finished. I doubt you're carrying anything illegal."
"How would you know that?" she asked, genuinely curious.
His grin flashed right across his face, making his eyes twinkle in a really familiar fashion. "Instinct."
"Really?" She studied him closer. Did she know him? Surely not. The world was populated with many cute men, even a little sexy like Officer Handsome.
No doubt he'd made many a girl's heart beat double time, what with the combination of cute looks, twinkling eyes, that rebellious hair, and a knowing grin.
Knowing grin?
Regina blinked, but by the time she registered that grin, Officer Handsome had his back to her and was leaning into the passenger side of the car.
What was it about him? What was it that niggled at her memory?
Officer Guyliner was talking softly to Officer Handsome, but his rumble was pretty clear to hear even if she couldn't make out the words. The car dipped as he straightened then opened the back door and did a quick search.
Meanwhile, Officer Handsome stood up and cast a glance at her. In his hand he held a book. Punishing Victoria. The cover had a very clear picture of a pert bottom with a man's hand print clearly visible. Underneath that provocative picture was her name emblazoned in all its glory. Regina Mills. Great, he would find that particular book.
Regina could feel the pink tinge creep into her cheeks as Officer Handsome looked at the cover, mouthed the title, and then turned that twinkling gaze to her.
"Author, Ms. Mills?"
As if it wasn't obvious. Trying to appear cool, she nodded. It was one thing to write erotic romances, another to actually face a member of the public holding one in his hand. Especially because he was a man and cute to boot. Most people outside her circle of friends and acquaintances knew only her name and profile photo. She mostly interacted via internet, though she'd met some fans when she'd attended romance book conferences. Luckily, most people thought she wrote under a pen name, not her own.
But now here was Officer Handsome holding her racy romance in his hand, his gaze knowing and a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. She recognized that look in his eyes, he was dying to make some remark. Being on the job meant he smothered the urge and simply nodded in admiration – feigned or otherwise – and slid the book back into the box.
Silently she waited while they finished the search of her car.
Officer Guyliner looked at her across the top of her little car. "Everything looks fine, Ma'am. Thank you for your patience."
"No worries."
"But." He shut the back car door with a thud that made the car rock a little. "You were speeding."
No doubt about it. "Yes. I'm sorry."
"And it wasn't an emergency." He frowned. Or rather, his frown just grew darker. Scary.
She barely refrained from twisting her hands behind her back like a naughty girl. "I'm sorry."
"Speed kills."
"I know." Now she felt like crap. She knew the road accident statistics.
"It's irresponsible." Disapproval was heavy in the menacing rumble.
"I'm sorry." Now she was sounding like a cracked record. "I really am. Ummm…are you booking me?"
Those cold eyes bored into her before switching to Officer Handsome.
Officer Handsome's lips – and a fine pair of masculine lips they were, her writer's side and yes, her feminine side, couldn't help but notice – twitched as though he was suppressing a grin. He remained straight-faced, however, as he held out her license. "You're free to go, Ms. Mills."
Relief coursed through her as she reached for the license. "Thank you. I promise I'll watch my speed, I really will." Her fingers closed over the little rectangle of plastic, but when his fingers tightened on it she glanced up at him inquiringly, only to be taken aback to find him regarding her soberly.
"Consider this a warning, Ms. Mills." His voice was low, his gaze on her face intent. "I only give it once."
There was an undercurrent in his tone, something steely, something that made her heart skip a beat and her cheeks go all hot. What would happen if she didn't heed his warning? She almost went dizzy at the erotic thoughts that slipped unbidden through her mind. Would he put his handcuffs on her? Put her in the back of his police car? Strip search her?
His sudden smile was a flash of white teeth, the twinkle back in his eyes as though he could read her dirty mind and was vastly amused by it. "Next time you get a fine."
The erotic images in her mind vanished in a puff of smoke. As if a man like Officer Handsome would want to punish her any other way. But man, it had made for a few very hot seconds, and the images and emotions were ones she was going to jot down as soon as she could. He might not be planning anything with her, but her next book was going to feature a smoking hot cop with a huge nightstick.
Getting back into her car, she glanced into the rear view mirror to find that both cops were leaning back against the bonnet of the cop car, gazes on her as they spoke between themselves.
Now was not a good time to start jotting down ideas.
After checking the traffic, Regina pulled back onto the road and commenced entering the city.
She'd have continued on to her friend's place but a check of her watch let her know that he wouldn't be home yet as he'd said he'd be out until five pm, and typical of Jefferson , he hadn't gotten around to copying a spare key and hiding it. But there was time to stop at a café and get a cold drink. And jot down her ideas.
Pulling into a service station that also boasted a small restaurant, Regina refueled the car before parking it under the shade of a tree and entering the café. Sitting down, she ordered a cup of coffee and a toasted sandwich, pulling out her notepad while waiting.
Hot cops. That just led to thoughts of handcuffs and punishment and all sorts of things. Not really into heavy BDSM, Regina nevertheless let her imagination go a little wild as she allowed her thoughts to flow and wrote the ideas down, never mind how far-fetched or wild. Or dirty. One never knew what could come of letting thoughts just flow, and she'd found it to be a great way to get new ideas, fresh perspectives, and intriguing characters. It had certainly made her a successful author.
The coffee arrived and grew cold while she continued to write, and only the arrival of a family with a crying child finally propelled her to put the notepad away and sip at the coffee. Licking her finger, she collected the crumbs on the plate and glanced again at her watch. Jefferson would surely be home by now. If she bothered to keep her mobile phone charged she could phone him, but as usual the battery was flat. Not a fan of mobiles, she normally left it lying neglected somewhere.
With a shrug, Regina stood and crossed to the counter, paying the bill before walking outside. Once at the car, she only checked the map to make sure she knew the route to Jefferson's house, though it didn't appear to have changed much since last time.
Jefferson's house stood in a quiet street lined with weeping willows. The gardens were full of roses, flowering bushes and everything else to delight a gardener's heart. The houses were old, built of stone and well cared for, lending the elegant street a stately air. It definitely had an old world air about it. It wouldn't be hard to imagine carriages and horses instead of cars using the road.
The wide driveway led up to a closed double garage. Regina pulled her little car to a halt in the small space just between the garage and the fence, out of the way of Jefferson and his housemate's comings and goings. Getting out, she stretched slowly and peered around before picking up the handbag and slinging it over her shoulder. Bumping the car door shut with her hip, she crossed to the veranda and stepped up. After a couple of brisk knocks, she moved back and waited.
After a few seconds the door swung open but she couldn't see past the heavily screened security door. "Jefferson?"
"Well, as I live and breath," a familiar voice practically purred. "If it isn't the speed hog and sex writer, Ms. Mills." The screen door swung open and Officer Handsome grinned down at her.
Surprised, Regina's mouth fell open. "What are you doing here?"
"G'day, Regina." He winked. "Who'd have guessed, huh?"
No longer in uniform, instead standing there in nothing but low-slung jeans and bare feet, it now hit her why he'd seemed so familiar. Smooth bare chest, tanned skin sculpted to lean, defined muscles, relaxed pose and twinkling blue eyes, his hair now slightly damp as if he just got out of the shower, and teeth flashing in a huge smile, yeah, it came back to her now. For sure he was older and no longer the lanky teenager, but that twinkle in his eyes and the laughter in his voice hadn't changed.
"Robin?"
He spread his arms out. "In person."