Page 48 of Beyond the Badge: Crew

Of course he could. “I was driving by.” Sort of true.

“Do bosses normally show up at their subordinates house unannounced?”

Of course they didn’t. That would be fucking creepy. “It’s not your house.”

Oh, Christ on a cracker,he was such a dick.

“And then just let themselves inside like that?” she continued, with her eyes now narrowed on him.

“I have permission to be here.”

With drops of water sliding down her face, one dark eyebrow raised. “Not from me, you don’t.”

“Again, it’s not your house.”

“Umm… I’m renting it, so technically it is. Do I need to find another place to live?” She shook her head, clearly annoyed. “I just opened the damn pool!”

“No one told you to spend money on opening the pool.”

“Why are you such a dick?”

Another good question. “Because I can be.” And another bullshit answer. He was batting a thousand here.

“That’s not an answer.”

Of course it wasn’t. “Sounded like one to me.”

“How’s this? It’s not an acceptable answer.” She swam toward the steps at the end of the pool. Once there, she climbed out dripping wet, like a siren calling his name.

Luring him to his damn death.

He caught her shiver, even as slight as it was.

Goosebumps covered her body, including the two huge ones that were her rock-hard nipples.

Just like he thought, the water had to be frigid as fuck.

He grabbed a thick towel from a nearby lounge chair she must have dragged out of the shed and tossed it to her.

She caught it, mumbled, “Thanks,” and began to dry herself off.

He was tempted to stand there and watch her like the fucking perv he was, but that might be worse than letting himself into the house she was renting.

To keep from doing that, he squatted at the edge of the pool and dragged his hand through the water to check the temperature. “Holy fuck. How can you stand swimming in that?” He stood and dried his hand off on his jeans.

“It’s refreshing.”

“It’s cold enough to give you hypothermia.”

“Thanks for your concern, but I’m old enough to decide that for myself. And, by the way, would you say that to a Navy SEAL in training?”

“Are you a SEAL?”

“No.”

“Then how does that apply to you?”

She sighed. “Why are you here?”

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