Page 43 of Beyond the Badge: Nox

“Nothing to talk about.”

“I disagree.” She stopped in the center of the room. “Avoidance is your middle name, isn’t it?”

He avoided that question, too, of course.

Just as he reached for the door, she called out, “See you next week, Bradley Avoidance Lennox. Have a good rest of your night.”

He stopped with his hand on the push bar. She waited as he stared at the door for a few seconds. Then he glanced over his shoulder. “You’re not leaving?”

“I need to finish in here first.”

ChapterTen

Nox turnedto face the woman standing in the center of the room.

The woman he just fucking kissed.

In a closet.

Like he was at some late-night high school party, where they were all getting smashed and playing Seven Minutes in Heaven.

He had lost his goddamn head for a few minutes.

He needed to go. To get out of that community center before he was tempted to kiss her again.

Maybe do even more.

He hated the fact that he was attracted to her. Not because of who she was or related to. But because she was the first woman to draw and hold his attention since meeting Jackie all those years ago.

Unfortunately, Aaliyah was so damn pushy.

You need to do better, Nox.

You need to get over it, Nox.

You need to move on, Nox.

Maybe the woman didn’t say any of that directly, but when it all boiled down to it, that was exactly what she meant.

The more time he spent around her, the more he was afraid she’d break through. The kiss, along with his hard-on, proved she had caused a crack in his armor. And it wouldn’t take much for her to wedge herself in even farther.

She was proud, strong and unafraid. He found that a fucking turn-on.

He liked bold women.

He liked independent women.

He liked intelligent women.

He liked a woman willing to meet challenges head on.

Aaliyah was all of that and more.

To him, she was as dangerous as meth to an addict.

He needed to go. Get as far from her as fucking possible and never come back to this weekly meeting.

Lose her business card and delete her number from his phone.

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