Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 99040 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 495(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99040 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 495(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
What the hell was happening to her? She wasn’t a crier. Hated it, in fact. And there she was with her heart cracking over a man she barely knew. And, if she was honest with herself, for Tracker and his brothers, who would be devastated.
Tracker’s expression grew thunderous. “Let me guess. He didn’t want to hear anything you said about Dante or Lobo?”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry I brought it up before we had a chance to come up with a cohesive plan, but I had to try something.”
“It’s all right, Jo. You…”
“I can’t do it,” she said as her insides began to feel like a spark running down the fuse on a stick of dynamite. “It’s not right.” She ran a hand through her hair.
The shock was beginning to wear off, replaced by something akin to hysteria. She pressed a hand to her stomach. “Oh, my God… they want me to arrest an innocent man knowing he’s innocent. No.” She shook her head. Imaginary ants crawled beneath her skin, making the urge to claw at her own flesh nearly unbearable. “No. I can’t do it. No. No. No.”
“Shhh.” Tracker yanked her to him and crushed her in his powerful embrace. One hand cupped the back of her head, anchoring her against his chest. “Breathe, baby. You’re freaking out.”
She was, but she couldn’t stop the explosion of emotions. “Tracker…” It came out as a plea for him to somehow make all of this go away. When the hell had she ever asked a man to solve her problems? Whatever was going on with her, it’d scrambled her mind to the point she was acting totally out of character.
“Shhh,” he said again. “I got you. Jo, it’s okay. It will be okay,” he whispered in her ear. “The club has a fantastic shark of an attorney. Lock is innocent, and we have the evidence. After you bring him in, he’ll be out before they finish fingerprinting him.”
Now he was supporting her job, knowing how wrong it was. Knowing it would hurt him and his family. Who was this man?
“It doesn’t matter. I can’t compromise myself that way. I became a police officer to help keep the community safe from real threats. To play a role in making things better. Not to be a part of the problem. Jesus Christ! Lock is petitioning for custody of the baby. He should have custody of the baby. Even if your attorney gets him off, the arrest could have him barred from adopting the child. No. I can’t do it. I won’t.” The pressure in her chest grew nearly unbearable. Something had to give, or she’d implode.
“Okay, okay,” he said in a soothing tone she’d never expected from him. “We’ll take this to Curly and figure something out.”
“I’ll lose my job.” She spoke into his T-shirt. Beneath her lips, his pec muscle fluttered. “Maybe that’s not the worst thing.” She tensed, then murmured, “I can’t believe I said that.”
“Babe, you need to take a step back. Do not make any big decisions right now while you’re in panic mode.”
Good point. She nodded, rubbing her forehead against his firm chest. The fresh scent of laundry detergent combined with whatever slightly spicy cologne he wore made her slightly lightheaded. But in a good, floaty way, as though she’d had a large glass of wine on an empty stomach.
His strong arms holding her felt heavenly. Like she could go completely limp, and he’d keep her from collapsing. He couldn’t make her problems disappear, but sharing the weight lightened her on the inside.
She drew her head back to find a wet spot on his T-shirt from her hot tears. “I’m sorry about that.” Her face heated. Even when she’d been in a committed relationship with a man for years, she hadn’t broken down on him once. She hadn’t let him see beneath her mask of polite indifference. Being told she was soft and feminine all her life made her build a hard shell around those more delicate parts of her personality. One even a man she’d claimed to love couldn’t penetrate.
Then Tracker rode in on his chrome stallion, smashing down those walls without even trying. What was it about him that had her wanting to break all her self-imposed rules?
“It’s nothing,” he said without even glancing down at the mess she’d made of his shirt. Instead, his focus stayed on her.
Her gaze snagged on his. Her breath caught at the fire burning in his eyes. It was then she noticed something firm digging into her belly. He was hard. Really hard. Instantly, Jo’s throat dried up and her lower belly tightened. The temperature in the room shot to boiling. It’d only been a week since he’d been inside her. Not nearly long enough to forget the hot slide of his tongue on her throat.