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At the arrival of another person, Richard starts to fight against my hold. He throws his head back, nearly knocking it into my nose. When the shot misses, he kicks out, trying to get the two of us off balance.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” I ask him, keeping him standing as he struggles. “You wanna get slapped with a resisting arrest charge, too?”

“I can’t go back to jail!” he screams, struggling even harder. “I haven’t even been out a year yet.”

“Maybe,” I growl, yanking his arms back and making him yelp in pain, “you should have made better fucking choices.”

Richard ignores me, looking at Murphy. He yells, “Help me, man! I don’t know why this guy has me in cuffs! I didn’t do shit. I was just out on a jog and he tased me! This is police brutality. You guys don’t want a lawsuit do you?”

“You were on a jog in jeans and sandals?” Murphy says, slowing from a run to a measured pace when he realizes I have the situation mostly under control.

“Man, fuck you!” Richard spits. He actually spits; in all my time as an officer, I’ve only ever seen that in the movies. It doesn’t quite reach my partner. “All cops are fucking corrupt. You don’t even give a shit about if I actually did anything. You’rejust taking your buddy’s word instead of an innocent man’s. Give me your name and badge number! Read me my goddamn rights! I want my fucking phone call.”

“That our guy?” Murphy asks as he stops in front of us, completely ignoring the expletives that are coming from Richard’s mouth.

“Yes,” I confirm as Richard continues to curse the two of us. He yells out every single thing he can think of in an attempt to get us to let him go. “I was en route to the call about the fire at the station. Saw him chasing Riley and stopped. I apprehended him a few seconds ago.”

“I just swung by the station,” Murphy says, grabbing onto Richard’s arm, his grip getting tight enough to quiet him when he starts to shout again. The night is almost nice without him spouting his bullshit. “There’s no fire.” He glances over at Riley still standing on the sidewalk. “They said someone pulled it. Must have been her.”

The corner of my mouth lifts when I realize what Riley did. She’s a smart girl. If it hadn’t been for that alarm, I would still be interviewing Richard’s aunt. aunt. I’d never ended an interview early before, no matter how pointless it was but the thought that the station might on fire was enough to get me running back, the way Riley knew it would.

“He’s got a hell of a shiner, too,” Murphy notes, getting in Richard’s face and examining a bruise forming on his right eye. “You get into a fight?”

“It was thatbitch,” Richard shouts, and I can’t stop myself from stomping on his foot for the slight. “Man, fuck you! That’s brutality! You’ll be hearing from my lawyer.”

If Murphy wasn’t here, I’d probably do much worse to him. Actually, I know I’d do much worse to him. I’m pretty sure I could cover up a murder. I’m the damn sheriff, for god’s sake.

“You know what, Noah,” Murphy says, tugging the perpetrator away from my grasp as though sensing my thoughts, “I’ll take him back to the station and get him processed once the fire department finishes up. You take care of her.”

I glance back toward Riley, who’s now sitting on the curb. With a mumbled thank you to Murphy, I jog over to her. She looks up at the sound of my footsteps, smiling when she sees me.

“Our guy said you hit him,” I say, offering her my hand and pulling her to her feet. “Is that true?”

“Well,” she says, looking away from me. In the glow of the headlights, I can see a blush creeping onto her cheeks. “I didn’thithim. I did throw a book at him, though. That’s how I was able to get away.”

“That’s my girl,” I reply, stopping at the passenger door of my squad car. Before I open it, I pull Riley into a searing kiss. When we part, she sways into my space as though asking for more. I’ll make sure she gets it. “Let’s get you out of here, okay?”

I yank open the door, helping her into the seat. Then, I jog around to my side. Since I left the engine running, all I have to do is put the car in drive.

For the first few minutes of the drive, Riley is quiet. It isn’t until we pass by the station that she asks, “Where are we going?”

“I need to get you somewhere private,” I say, glancing over at her. “Riley, I love you. I can’t go any longer without you knowing and without making you mine.”

“You love me?” she asks, sounding breathless and excited. “You really love me, Noah?”

“Of course I do,” I reply, leaving no room for misinterpretation. “How could I not, baby girl?”

“I love you, too,” Riley says, squeezing my hand hard when I reach over to grab it. “Noah, I love you more than you could possibly know.”

“I guess you’ll just have to show me, then,” I say, lingering at a stop sign so I can lean over to kiss her slow and sweet.

“Show you how?” she murmurs, eager with a hint of sultriness that I don’t think she even realizes is there.

Fuck, she’s so goddamn innocent. Is it fucked up that I don’t ever want that to change about her? Maybe it’s more fucked up that I don’t care what the answer is. I know what I want, what I love about her, and I’m not ashamed to admit it.

“How about you get yourself ready for me?” I say as I continue to drive. “Remember how I touched you in my office, baby? I want you to do that to yourself. Get yourself nice and wet and stretched for daddy’s cock.”

I hear her breath hitch as she processes my words. Then, she swallows hard, shifting to hike her dress up and slip off her panties as she says, “Yes, daddy.”