Return to Her (9 page)

She dragged her wallet from her purse,
muttering curses that sounded a lot like “jackass” and “arrogant
prick,” as she produced her driver’s license.

Annie handed it to him with an annoyed
smirk. “Having fun? You realize we share a bank account, so you may
want to think about that before slapping too many fines on that
ticket. Go too far overboard and our trip to New Orleans this fall
is out.” Her tone was pure sarcasm, but he didn’t take the bait. He
knew what part he was playing tonight and he fully intended to see
her assume her character as well.

He looked at the license. “Annabel
Iser.” He purposely left off her married name. “Do you have any
idea how fast you were driving, Ms. Iser?”

Her anger was wiped away, replaced
once more by confusion. “Um…sixty?”

“
Sixty-one. In a
forty-five.”

“
You know as well as I do
that speed limit is set too low. You’ve said so yourself, Evan, so
why—”

“
My name is Lieutenant
Sparks. You can call me Lieutenant. Nothing else.”

She was taken aback by his firm voice,
his quick correction. “You’re joking?”

He frowned. “Do I look like I’m
joking?” He moved away from her door. “Step out of the vehicle, Ms.
Iser.”

Annie opened her door, still leery of
his strange behavior. He hoped his next move would help clear
things up for her.

He pointed toward the front of the
car. “Stand facing the vehicle and put your hands on the
hood.”

She moved as he directed, taking her
time. No doubt she was waiting for him to call the game to a halt
with a laugh. Once she was in position, he stepped behind her. “If
you’d been driving four miles per hour faster, I could have charged
you with reckless.”

“
It’s an obvious speed
trap. Proven by the fact you were sitting there. Like a spider on
his web capturing poor, unsuspecting flies.”

He leaned closer, letting her feel the
erection in his pants as he brushed it along her ass. “And you flew
right into it.”

Annie started to step back, intent on
rubbing against him, but he moved away, patting her down. At first
the touch was cursory, no nonsense. Then he repeated the motions,
letting his hands linger on her sides, the tips of his fingers
stroking her breasts.

“
Are you searching for
something special, officer?”

The breathless quality of her voice
let him know she’d finally caught up with him.

“
I need to be sure you
aren’t carrying any concealed weapons.”

She looked over her shoulder and gave
him a flirty smile. “Oh, I’m packing heat. But you aren’t looking
in the right place.”