Page 1 of Enticed

Prologue

Cooper

Three Months Ago

My older sister is engaged and pregnant. It still feels weird to think that her entire life has changed in a matter of a few months, but life isn’t supposed to stay the same, I suppose. Kane is a stand-up guy, passing the inquisition my father and I put him through on Thanksgiving, deeming himself worthy of being with my older sister. I could tell by the way he looked at Olivia and the way he spoke about her that he was the real deal. She may be three years older than me, but I’ve always felt the need to protect her, and her three best friends.

Amy and Perry, two of the girls from her group, scurry over to Olivia to inspect her ring while the men go congratulate Kane, myself included. I glance around the room and notice that Clara, the other leg of their foursome, is nowhere to be found.

“Sorry, Kane,” I mutter in embarrassment after kind of ruining his surprise proposal. I’m on duty tonight, but rushed over to their house to make sure I was here for the big moment. In my attempt to explain why I showed up, I sort of put a wrench in Kane’s plans—but it all worked out alright. Olivia is beaming and everyone is in tears as we celebrate their engagement.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get my revenge one day,” he elbows me in the ribs, extracting a laugh from my chest.

“I have no doubt,” I reply and continue to watch the room full of our family and Kane and Olivia’s friends chattering away.

“219 this is 141. We’ve got a 12-72 at 1600 Lake Drive. Requesting back-up immediately.”

The call through my radio echoes in the room, drawing the attention of everyone to me.

“141, 10-4. On my way,” I tuck my chin down to my radio to reply before looking around at everyone’s watchful eyes. “I’ve got to go. Congrats, sis,” I say, giving her a kiss on the cheek and then doing the same to my mom. I give my dad a hug and wave goodbye to everyone before turning and running out of the door.

“12-72… a burglary in progress? At 1600 Lake Drive… why does that address sound so familiar?” I mumble to myself as I speed down the highway, not realizing that the situation I was about to walk into would alter the simple world I’d been living in forever.

Chapter 1

Cooper

Three Months Later

“Hey, Tony,” I toss my chin in his direction as I stride up next to him, his arms crossed over his chest as he shakes his head at the image across the bar. His salt and pepper hair is slicked back on his head and his long grey beard hangs down his chest like normal.

“Cooper,” he throws back, leaning against the counter of the wooden bar behind him, his face pained with his need to fix everything, including the woman he called me about. As the owner of a bar—this one in particular—I can imagine the problems of patrons he’s encountered over the years. And knowing the kind of man Tony is, it’s in his nature to want to help people.

My hand instinctually finds my gun hoisted on my belt as I survey the crowded room before my eyes land on her. I feel the fabric of the khaki shirt of my uniform stretch tight as I inhale deeply and then blow out the breath, wishing this wasn’t a normal occurrence.

“I hated to call you again, but I didn’t want to send her home in a cab or Uber… not in that state, especially on a Friday night.”

I study her, watching her hips sway to the music with her eyes closed as she dances to the beat, losing herself in the song. Her feet are bare, her white silk blouse pulled loose from the confines of her black pencil skirt, and her arms are thrown up in the air, tangling in her wild, dark chocolate hair that I’m sure she freed from her pinned back bun.

“Yeah. Better safe than sorry,” I grate out, partly annoyed that I’m here again, yet grateful to be able to still keep her safe after everything that happened.

I blow out a breath before mustering the resolve to approach her, knowing that removing her from her song and dance will not be easy.

“Good luck,” Tony calls after me. “Let me know if you need back-up,” he winks as I make my way to the dance floor.

“Clara,” I hiss, cautiously placing my hand on her forearm near her hip. Her eyes flutter open and the deep brown of her gaze meets the green of mine.

A mischievous grin graces her face and her eyes light up with the knowledge that she knows why I’m here.

“My knight in shining armor is here to rescue me once again,” she slurs through a smile, twisting around so her back is now to me as I fight the urge to glance down to her ass as she continues to dance.

“Clara, it’s time to go.”

“Fucking, Tony… always putting an end to my fun,” she pouts, trying to shuffle her feet away from me while still dancing as the song changes to a slower tempo.

“I think your fun is over for tonight, even if Tony wasn’t here,” I challenge, knowing her sass is about to come out in three, two, one…

“You’re not the boss of me, Cooper! I’m a grown ass woman and if I want to let off some steam after a hard week of work, then I’ll do as I damn well please!”

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