I knew that was the best promise I’d get, so I let it go at that. “Drive safe out of town.” I gave him a head nod and walked back to the cruiser. I’d known turning my back on my prior life would someday come back to haunt me. Hopefully, this was the extent of it.
Oakley took off the second I clicked the seat belt into place, not talking the entire way to getting the guy in the back seat booked into jail. The minute it was just us in the car, she glanced over at me.
“You’re bleeding,” she stated.
I pressed a napkin to my wrist and shrugged. “It’s just a scratch.”
By the time we got back to the station and were off duty, the bleeding had stopped and I was ready for dinner and bed. Seeing someone from my past had rattled me in a way that exhausted me. Oakley hadn’t asked a single question which shocked the hell out of me. I assumed she’d want to know what happened back there, but she was quiet. I didn’t know if it was over and gone, or if she was simply formulating which twenty questions she wanted to interrogate me with tomorrow.
“See you later, Captain,” I said, heading out to my truck. The sun was just sinking below the horizon, turning everything a hue of orange and pink. Couldn’t help but think Oakley would look good in a dress with those same colors. I’d never seen her in anything but our all-black uniforms. Well, other than her birthday suit.
Oakley walked out to the parking lot with me, heading off to her own vehicle. “’Night, Lieutenant.”
Wait. Oakley stopped at the little Grom that had been in the parking lot since I’d started working here, putting on a black helmet that hung from the handlebars.
“Holy shit. You ride that thing?” I couldn’t help the surprise in my voice. Never in a million years did I think Oakley Waldo would ride a tiny motorcycle. A Volvo with five thousand airbags and safety awards, maybe. But not a motorcycle.
She climbed on and looked my way, the helmet obscuring what was most certainly a dirty look. “I do. Is something funny?”
Ah, fuck. That just reminded me of our first day together. Such a prickly partner I got saddled with. Something about her gruffness turned me on. Probably made me a sick bastard to get off on her harsh commands and mean looks, but there it was. The tightness in the front of my pants didn’t lie.
“No. Nothing funny at all. I just think your motorcycle is cute.” I gave her a wink and a grin, climbing into my truck and shutting the door on her response.
She gunned the little engine and drove by, lifting a hand and giving me the middle finger. I burst into laughter and started my truck, ignoring the way my erection now pained me as it pressed against my zipper.
Yep. I was a bastard.
“No way! You can’t catch a fly ball to save your life. You gotta cover third base.”
“Fuck that shit. You just want the outfield so you can shove chew in your cheek and spend the game spitting everywhere while we do all the work.”
“Guys. Pick a position and step away from the clipboard.” The sheriff’s booming voice had the other deputies quickly signing up to play in the Shoots & Ladders softball league and then moving back so the rest of us could sign up too.
I hadn’t played in years, but I’d been on the varsity team in high school, so I felt I could bring a thing or two to the team. Especially if I got to beat some firefighters. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Oakley grab her jacket and head outside to go home. Our day had been mostly uneventful, though I got out of her that she’d had one serious boyfriend in her life. You’d have thought she told me a secret that would bring a small country to their knees. The woman was harder to crack than Fort Knox.
“Yo, Oakley. You gonna sign up?” I pointed to the front of the line when she spun in my direction.
Her face made me think she bit into a bitter lemon. “No, I’m good.”
“Oh, come on.” I stepped out of line and headed over to her. “We’ve barely got enough for an entire team without you. Plus, it’s not really about the game. It’s about the camaraderie.”
Her nose wrinkled adorably. I realized I’d give just about anything to see Oakley swing a bat in short shorts. She started to shake her head, but I grabbed her by the arms, making her gaze sweep up to meet mine.
“You always say a good team makes law enforcement unbeatable. This is how you make a good team, Oakley.” I wasn’t too proud to appeal to her sense of duty.
She didn’t agree. Didn’t even stop frowning, but she did consider my words. Sheriff Locke strode by and clapped Oakley on the back. I dropped my hands quickly, thinking I shouldn’t be touching her like that in the middle of the station.
“You should sign up, Lee. We need at least one female to be in the league. Don’t tell Betty, but she’s getting up there and shouldn’t be running the bases.” He winked under a thick eyebrow and strode off.
Oakley puffed out her cheeks and blew out a breath. “Well, I guess that’s that.”
I clapped my hands and then guided her to the back of the line with a hand lightly skimming her waist. I stood in line behind her, arms crossed to keep from reaching for her again.
“You probably throw like a girl,” I whispered to the back of her head.
She stiffened, and I bit my lip to keep from grinning. “You should probably wear a cup. Even to practice,” she whispered back without turning around.
My shoulders hunched inward at the veiled threat to my balls. “Damn, Oakley,” I muttered.
A few
