Hank drew in a breath through his nose. Nope, it didn’t calm the nerve called the Belles that crawled up his neck. “First things first, Baby, if I wanted a Bell I wouldn’t be dating you. Second, I do not, and I mean I do not wanna know what the Belles do to other humans when I am not around. It’s better for my blood pressure that I don’t, you get me?”
Despite the cloud that had been over her all day, hearing Hank’s voice eased the anxiety and brought a smile, the begrudging affection she heard for the Belles, while watching Hya in action, she’d stumbled onto something extraordinary here and was smart enough to savor every second she had it. “Okay, but then don’t look at Frankie Dee funny cause he’s going to have a big bump on his forehead for the foreseeable future.” She winced when Hya’s cane made contact again, exhaled and added, “And on the back of his head too.”
“Frankie Dee cheats at fucking everything, serves him right. Now, you gonna come meet your man at the station at five so he can take his girl for a beer before we grill steaks tonight?”
There was that warmth again, moving through her. She was his girl. Wanted to always be but she’d take whatever time she had with him. “I’m leaving now,” she said softly then added, “I am your girl. I hope you know how much I love being your girl.”
Hank’s voice was deep, low when he replied, “Love you being my girl. See you soon.” He didn’t wait for Arissa to answer because he wanted to leave her last words what they were because they were perfect to him.
13
Hank was pulling a file from the drawer when his lips spread into a smile. He didn’t need to look up and through the window in his office to know she was there. He felt her. He lifted his head, looked directly at her through the window and caught her watching him while Jo was talking to her. His smile only grew when he winked at her.
The baby blue halter sundress hugged her body, accentuating her curves. Arissa’s eyes dropped to his mouth when he licked his lips. It was then Hank wished he hadn’t taken off in a rush that morning. No, he should have gotten his taste of her before he started his day because if he did, today wouldn’t have been a shit day. Having the day, being able to spend it in his office catching up on paperwork, gave him the chance to think about all that had gone down in the past few weeks.
They collided, their intense chemistry had them both moving quicker than either of them expected. Hank had never let his feelings be known to anyone this early on but he was an adult, a man who knew what he wanted, how he felt, so why hide it behind dinners, talks, and weeks of the dating shit routine. That also had him thinking, yes, they knew a lot about each other in a short time but not the feelings that weren’t just surface deep, the ones you learn through months of dating. They still had that to learn about each other, so in actuality, he couldn’t be upset that she was asking about him. He might have even done the same if the shoe was on the other foot, and it was he who moved to her small town. And Summerville residents loved to gossip, tell stories and that’s exactly what they were giving to her. With those thoughts, Hank cleared the clouds from his mind and let the rays of sunshine that was Arissa Haywood shine through once again.
He rose from his chair, file in hand and opened his door. “Rob?” he called.
“Yo,” Rob shouted back, turning in his chair.
Hank held up the folder. “Got the Emerson file you were looking for.”
Rob started toward him, took it from Hank and muttered, “Thanks.”
“Can I have my girl now?” Hank bellowed through the office.
Jo threw a hand in the air. “Keep your skirt on. I’m catching up with my girl here.” Arissa’s eyes drifted to Hank, a smile curved her lips at the look he threw Jo.
“Babe?” Hank said when his hard eyes skated away from Jo and turned on Arissa. “My office,” he told her and took off toward the bathroom.
Arissa grabbed Jo’s hands that were flying around carelessly. “We’ll chat later.”
Jo shook her head. “I’d get pissed but in your shoes, I’d already be in his office. Alright, drinks at Moe’s. Your turn to buy.”
“I’ll call you,” Arissa said, moving away through the desks of the bullpen to Hank’s office. Despite her day being shitty, being in his space, smelling his scent that was her favorite smell…she didn’t want another day like this. The tension between them, even knowing she was doing what she could to cause more tension, but around him she didn’t think about any of it. Maybe she should let it go, maybe she should just have trust in what was growing between them, knowing they both felt it. Maybe she should think with her heart on this one and not get into her head. And it was with that thought that she moved behind his desk, a smile curving her lips because he’d fucked her on it. She ran her fingers along the smooth wood surface, remembered how it felt against her back as he was driving his cock into her. She drew her lower lip between her teeth as the tingles started at her head and took their sweet time moving down her body. She noticed he had less on it than he had before, either from shit breaking when he swiped everything off it or he was thinking ahead
