“That was the only safe way.”

Nothing safe about it. “You expect me to judge you on that?” Determined to be honest, too, he put his hands on her shoulders. “I’ve done the same.” Especially while nursing his ego after her rejection.

“Most think it’s okay for a guy to—”

“But not for a woman?” He bent to kiss the side of her neck, inhaling the scent of her skin. “Would I be that sexist?”

“Yes.”

He hugged her tight. “Okay, I admit it. But could we call it protective instinct?” Another kiss, this one just behind her ear. “It worries me to think of you with some nameless ass**le that may or may not be respectful of you as a woman.”

Drolly, she said, “Yes, well, I wasn’t exactly after respect.”

Shit, she knew how to turn him inside out. “Respect comes in all shapes and sizes, honey, and you know it. It includes caring about boundaries, about desires and demands. I’ve played a lot of games myself, but only when I know the woman I’m with will enjoy it, too. That’s respect.” With his chin on top of her head, Dash emphasized the differences in their sizes. “Without that respect, you could end up seriously hurt.”

“I can take care of myself.”

He continued to hold her, his long arms wrapped around her, gently because of her splint. “You have more ability, definitely better aim when it comes to a shoot-out, than most anyone I know.” In a shoot-out, he’d bet on her winning. “But one-on-one, my size and strength alone would overpower you—if I was ever intent on harming you.”

Defiant, she whispered, “Don’t you see, Dash? That’s part of the thrill.”

Never had he had a conversation like this. He loved sex. He loved the antics of females. But the women he’d known had played and laughed and driven him crazy in bed. Some were kinky, some traditional. All of them reveled in their sexuality.

They did not fight their own inclinations, or suffer shame over them.

Margo was the strongest, and yet the most fragile woman he’d ever known. “You’re talking about the thrill of being physically weaker.”

“Yes.”

“You liked having your weaknesses exposed. Being just a woman with a man, not a superior, not a boss.” He turned her to him. “But that was before you knew me.”

She waited.

“Before you let me in.” He didn’t want her to deny him.

“Yes. Before that.”

He hadn’t even had her yet, but he wanted things to be exclusive. “Here on, for as long as it lasts, anything you want, anything you need, you get it from me.”

Searching his face, she frowned. “What are you saying?”

“That I don’t want you with anyone else.”

For the longest time she seemed to be weighing his audacity. Then her chin went up. “That goes both ways.”

Hell, he hadn’t wanted another woman since meeting her. He’d only played the field in an attempt to cleanse her from his mind.

But it hadn’t worked. He had a feeling she was in his head, in his heart, for good.

“No problem on my end.”

Heat replaced the disquiet in her gaze. She touched his chest, trailed her fingertips down to the waistband of his jeans. “All right then.” Stepping closer, she stretched up to kiss his chin. “Game on.”

CHAPTER TEN

SENSUAL POSSIBILITIES bombarded Margo—but she still had a workday to get through.

Dash kissed her, a sweet kiss that felt amazingly like acceptance. “We’ll figure out the game rules tonight.”

Insane, given the circumstances, but she almost grinned. Dash was proving to be more fun than she’d ever imagined.

Hard to believe she’d once discounted him. Now she felt the urgent need to experience him in every way. “Tonight,” she agreed.

“Until then, what’s next on the agenda?”

“I’m sorry, but I want to watch the video again, at least a couple more times. Reese and Logan will do the same. It’s always possible we missed something, or that a puzzle piece might fall into place. You just never know.”

Admiration showed in the way he agreed. “I had no idea how heinous your workload could be.”

Might as well be honest with him, she decided. “It gets incredibly ugly far too often. Children murdered. Women raped. Men beaten to death. You have to grow a thick skin to do this job.” Only her skin would never be thick enough to keep the brutality from hurting her. Far too often she brought her job home with her.

Far too often, she tried to drive it away with strangers in seedy motel rooms.

But for now at least, that was over. Who needed a hotel room when she had Dash in her home? Or...wait. She looked up at him. “Tonight...what exactly are we doing?”

“I was thinking I’d run to my place and grab more clothes along with a few other necessities while you do your thing. Maybe meet you back here in a couple of hours.”

“That should give me enough time.” On top of watching the video she had some phone calls to answer, some emails to catch up on.

“Whatever works for you.” Dash toyed with one of the short curls at the nape of her neck. “Then we can head home.”

Home. Together. She liked the sound of that more than she should have. “Okay.”

Both hands framed her face. “Even tomorrow, after you see the doctor, I’d like to stay with you.”

Her pulse tripped. “Dash...”

“Or you could stay with me. What do you think?”

She thought that sounded an awful lot like a relationship. “You have to understand. I’m first and foremost a cop.”

His slow smile reeked of male confidence. “No, you’re first and foremost a woman. A beautiful, take-charge, sexy piece of work who handles the duties of being lieutenant with ease.”

That was...the nicest compliment she’d ever received.

“You want balance in your life? Start with me. You can be both a woman and a cop. Let me show you that one doesn’t detract from the other.”

Talk about dangerous. A real relationship with Dash scared her half to death. It was the unknown, and she could end up devastated.

Her heart punched so hard that it hurt. But the idea of ending things with him, not knowing what it would be like to have him, hurt far more.

“Since I have Oliver, my place is better.”

As if a weight had just been lifted, his shoulders loosened and the corner of his mouth curled up. “Works for me.” He touched his teasing thumb to her bottom lip. “Would it be inappropriate of me to kiss Lieutenant Margaret Peterson, really kiss her, here in her office?”

“Very inappropriate.” She leaned into him. “But your brother and Reese are the only cops impertinent enough to barge in without knocking—and they’re not here.”

The smile widened into a grin. “So is that permission?”

More like a plea; she needed to lose herself a little in his touch, his taste.

No reason to always make it so easy on him. “You are in my office so maybe we should call it an order.”

The heated way he looked at her did amazing things to her mood.

“Yes, ma’am.” And with that he took her mouth, not in a timid peck, but in a kiss of possession guaranteed to fill her with a new type of tension.

Holding her face, he sealed his mouth to hers until her lips parted, until he could tease his tongue over her bottom lip, the edge of her teeth, then deep in a hot, damp consummation.

The reality of the danger remained; she never lost sight of her duty. But Dash’s touch, his effect on her, made it easier to deal with and gave her a more grounded control of her emotions.

At least where the job was concerned.

When it came to Dash, her emotions were all over the place.

As he eased away again, ending the kiss by small degrees, little pecks and gentle licks, he groaned. “God, I need you, Margo.”

She felt the same—times ten. “Tonight.”

Gently chiding, he shook his head and reminded her, “There’s plenty we can do tonight, but not that. Not until your splint is off.”

“We’ll see.” She had plans to change his mind on that proviso. She blew out a thick breath. “While you’re out, would you want to stop at the grocery, too?”

“Sure, why not? The sooner we get done, the sooner we can head back to your place.” He glanced at his watch. “I might run by the job site, too, but there should be time for everything. Write me a list of what you want.”

He hadn’t even blinked an eye. In fact, she had the feeling it amused him to be sent on errands. “You’re sure you don’t mind?”

“Anything I can do to help. I already told you that.”

“All right then.” Taking him at his word, Margo wrote out a short list.

When he left her office, everyone in the vicinity was agog. Dash either didn’t notice or didn’t care. Either way, seeing him stride away, his body tall, strong, his smile contagious, she couldn’t help but be proud.

The women watched him with covetous envy, the men with ripe speculation.

And they all realized he was there for her.

Wearing her own smile, Margo turned away and shut her door. Maybe, just maybe, she could be both a woman and a lieutenant. Then she thought of that awful video, and went into full-blown cop mode.

Dash and all his appeal would just have to wait.

Luckily he didn’t seem to have a problem with that.

* * *

CANNON KNEW HE was lucky that Logan and Reese trusted him, otherwise he’d be left on the outside, wondering what was going on. This was his neighborhood. He cared about it—sometimes too much. Not being involved now would make him nuts.

Again he knocked on the front door of the pawnshop, harder this time. He had a very bad feeling about things.

Hands to the glass, Logan peered in through the front window. “I thought I saw something move.”

From somewhere inside, a noise sounded, like something hitting the floor, then...absolute stillness again.

No lights came on and no one called out.

Tension welled up, churning, expanding. Cannon started around the side of the building. “Something’s wrong.” He knew it. He felt it.

Logan and Reese followed.

Near the trash bin, Cannon found a large chunk of fallen brick. He hefted it in his hand.

“Whoa.” Logan scowled at him. “Just what the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m going in.”

“You can’t do that.” Hands on his hips, Reese pointed at Cannon. “There’s a process, and it doesn’t involve busting windows.”

“Look away then,” Cannon told him, and he hit the pane on a low window. Glass shattered.

“Shit.” Reese gave up without much fuss. “I have to call this in.”

“Do what you gotta do.” Pulling off his thermal shirt, Cannon wrapped his hand and wrist, then reached in and opened the lock on the window. It pushed open and, as he started to crawl in, something came crashing down near his head.