Page 24 of Her Only Hero

He kissed me tenderly. And then it deepened. He cupped my behind and lifted. I wrapped my legs around his waist. He carried me effortlessly to the table. I clung to him as our bodies grew hotter. But then, disruptive thoughts intruded.

“I hate to say this,” I said between kisses. “But do we have time?”

He paused. “Damn.”

He helped me off the table and gave me a final kiss on my neck. Whew. I had to cool down. I sat on a chair and took a sip of coffee, fighting the urge to play hooky. I’d never played hooky before.

“I know we’re pressed for time, but I’d like to show you something quickly,” he said.

With curiosity, I waited and watched.

He put a black plastic briefcase onto the table and opened it.

“Oh, wow,” I said. “Is this how a cop snags someone’s heart?”

He chuckled. “Is it working?”

“I think so,” I said, looking at three handguns on the gray foam insert.

“You don’t have to choose now. Or I can acquire another model if you prefer something else.” He handed me the first black one. It was heavier than it appeared.

“This Glock G19 is popular, easy to conceal, and is smaller than the G17. It has a 15-round magazine.” He picked up thesecond black one. “This CZ P-01 is a perfect compact 9mm. Very reliable, and it also has a 15-round magazine.”

His tech talk was impressive, but it sounded like he was speaking in another language. I picked up the Glock to examine it, and then the CZ. To my untrained eye, they appeared similar.

“When you hold a gun, babe, be sure to not to point it at anybody.”

“Whoops, sorry,” I said and aimed the weapon downward and put it back in the case.

I eyed the third one. I liked the look of the stainless-steel barrel.

“The last one is a Smith and Wesson 642. A compact revolver, but packs a punch.”

My fingers curled comfortably around the black grip. The solid weight evoked a sense of respect and danger. “This one,” I said.

“You don’t want to think about it? Or shop around further?”

I shook my head.

“It’s a high-quality gun. You made a good choice,” Patrick said. He put it back in the gun case and locked it.

“Thank you, Patrick, for always watching out for me during these unnerving circumstances.”

He drew me into an embrace. “You don’t have to thank me, June.” He kissed the top of my head, and his phone rang.

“Hello, Tom,” he said.

I listened to the rumble of his chest as he talked.

“Do you have confirmation of that? I’ll be in shortly.” He hung up.

Reluctantly, I pulled away. “Duty calls.”

His jaw tensed. “Yeah.”

We readied ourselves and picked up a bite along the way. Patrick parked in the work parking lot, kissed me in the car, and then I trekked into the lab.

I said good morning to Lara and Edward sitting at microscopes and put on my lab coat.

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