Page 46 of Beyond the Badge: Nox

Simply a moment of weakness.

And that right there was a lie because the only thing saving him from taking it further was the fact they stood in a public building.

A fucking public building.

In a town where he still worked and had previously lived and knew just about everyone.

Fuck.

He pulled his head back enough to say, “I can’t do this.”

“Too late.”

When he took a step back to put some space between them, he bumped into the wall.

He couldn’t continue standing there in the dark because he was afraid they would end up doing a lot more than kissing in a room where anyone could walk in at any time.

“So… Do you want to talk aboutthat?”

He shook his head and skirted around her, heading to the door and holding it open for her. “You got a key to lock up?”

“No. The night janitor will lock up once I text him.”

He frowned. “You said you lock up.”

“Yes, by texting him.”

He shook his head at her answer.

They stepped out into the hallway, and he shut the door behind them.

“Are you still going to walk me out?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Gripping her elbow, he steered her toward the building’s outer doors.

“Because you might be afraid you’ll trip and your lips will accidentally get stuck to mine again?”

This woman certainly knew how to push his damn buttons.

Apparently, she wasn’t done yet. “You’re always wearing a hat. It not only hides your eyes, but it also makes it more difficult to suck face. I guess you use it like a force field.”

“Suck face?” He pushed open the door and escorted her out into the warm spring night.

“Yes, kissing. That’s what my fifteen-year-old calls it.”

“I know what it means. It was a bit jarring coming from you.”

She shrugged. “Unfortunately, I pick up a lot of their vernacular. Only, I have to be careful not to use it around my clients.”

“But you don’t need to be careful around me?”

“No, because a little slang isn’t going to hurt you,” she answered, “since you need to loosen up.”

“Your opinion.”

“And a pretty good one, if I say so myself,” she quipped.

“Of course you’d think that.”

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