Page 82 of Breaking All The Rules
Arlo shot his friend a scowl. “I wear a uniform.”
Tucker snorted. “Yeah, but you also wear yours to bed. Women do not dig that shit. Clearly, given how long it’s been since you’ve seen any action.”
Drew nodded. “I bet your underwear even has police officer stamped across the ass.”
Arlo flipped them both the bird. “Bite me.”
“Face it, man.” Tucker shook his head, trying to control a smile as he attempted seriousness. “You have no idea how to turn that crap off.”
“I know how not to be a cop,” he protested. “I can relax and…unwind.”
Drew and Tucker laughed like Arlo’s statement was the most hysterical thing they’d ever heard. Austin joined them, and Arlo pierced him with a look he’d come to know well. A look that said he’d be doing paperwork tomorrow. “You don’t think I can, Junior?”
Well, crap. Austin’s smile died. “I think you…” Austin chose his words carefully. “Take your role and responsibility in the community very seriously.” He nodded, happy with his response. Then he added, “Chief,” for good measure.
Tucker and Drew cracked up a little more. “Man, you are such a suck-up,” Drew said when he’d drawn enough breath to form a coherent word.
Which was true, but no way was he going with the real answer. Which was Arlo made RoboCop look like a bumbling British bobby. But Credence need never worry while Arlo was at the helm, which was exactly what the town demanded of him and, when Arlo finally hung up his handcuffs, would hopefully demand of Austin. In the meantime, there was a lot he could learn from his boss about being a small-town cop.
Arlo clapped him on the back and announced, “This kid is going far.”
Austin’s hackles suddenly rose as he shrugged away Arlo’s hand. He wasn’t a goddamn kid. He might not be near forty like the other three guys, but he wasn’t some wet-behind-the-ears virgin, either. He’d grown up on a ranch where he’d fenced what felt like halfway around the planet, had delivered calves in the dead of night while a blizzard howled around him, and put down dying animals with a bullet.
He’d trained as a cop, where he’d seen tragedy and miracles in equal measure. He’d seen the helplessness of poverty and the excesses of wealth and witnessed the depravity and the humanity of both. He’d arrested people and he’d dug holes looking for missing people and he’d held people who had collapsed during the dreaded death knock.
Hell, he’d delivered a goddamn baby.
“I’m not a kid,” he growled, glowering at his boss and the other two. “I’m not Junior. My name is Austin or Deputy.”
The music cut out, and Austin glanced over at the dance floor to see Beatrice hugging her golden oldies—as she called them—goodbye. The elderly folks were beaming at her, obviously still infected by that special kind of energy she was pumping out.
“Gotta go, bye.”
He didn’t wait for a response to his previous statement or his farewell, just ambled across the bar and met Beatrice halfway. She went straight into his arms and up onto her tippy toes, winding her arms around his neck and kissing him in front of everyone.
There was clapping and good-natured whistles and calls to get a room, but Austin was oblivious. He only had eyes for Beatrice in her yellow dress, red boots, and her bubblegum lips.
“I hear my apartment calling,” she whispered as she finally broke the kiss.
Austin’s whole body thrummed with the desire to get her out of that dress. But she was sparkling tonight, her eyes dancing, her body brimming with a vibrant sexuality. She was like a sunbeam, and hiding her away seemed criminal. She deserved to shine in all her glory, and he couldn’t help but think she belonged in nature right now.
“I’ve got a better idea,” he murmured. “C’mon.” And he took her by the hand and led her outside.
…
Twenty minutes later, he was pulling into the parking lot at the lake. At seven thirty, the harsh sunlight of the day was softening into rose golds and would soon be pink and purple.
“It’s so pretty out here,” Beatrice said on a sigh as she looked out over the lake, which was also changing color from blue to slate.
Soon it would turn silvery, and Austin couldn’t wait to see the siren yellow of her dress and the red of her hair streaking along in the twilight. “You want to go for a walk?”
“You trying to get me alone, Officer?”
Austin grinned. He hadn’t planned on there being anyone out here at this time on a Wednesday evening, but given that the days had turned suddenly warm and were getting longer and longer, he shouldn’t be surprised. There were several groups on the grassy areas leading to the lake. They mostly seemed to be packing up now, but Austin didn’t want to wait to be alone.
“Yes, ma’am.” He made sure he added a little dirty to the ma’am because he knew how much it turned her on.
“Ya know, we could have already been on round two by now.”
