Page 6 of Bitten By Desire (Crooked Point #1)

Thursday

Zoey put her elbows on the counter and leaned forward. The cop’s eyes trailed down to her breasts that were practically pouring out of her shirt.

I had full confidence in Zoey’s skills of persuasion when it came to one night stands.

But she wasn’t supposed to be seducing this guy.

She was supposed to just be getting information from this cop she claimed was one of her clients.

So I wasn’t sure why she needed to flirt so much.

And I didn’t love the fact that the cop had a wedding band on his finger.

“Of course your next session can be half off, Officer Davis,” Zoey said. She was a personal fitness instructor. And I was starting to wonder if she did something else besides just torturing her clients with squats.

Officer Davis laughed at something else she said.

I started pacing. I just needed answers.

I kind of thought that being in the police station would creep me out.

But the reception area was completely empty except for me, Zoey, and her married client.

The place had the same charm as the rest of the shops on Main Street.

It didn’t seem like this was a town that had much crime.

I looked back over at Zoey. She was leaning even closer to the cop .

Maybe I was reading this whole vibe wrong, but this seemed more like a blowjob situation than getting Callum Walsh’s records.

“Emma,” Zoey said. “Come over here.”

Shit, did I have to give him the blowjob?

“She got a clear picture of the license plate,” Zoey said.

Thank God. I showed the cop the screen on my camera. He jotted down the license plate number.

“I’ll be right back,” he said and winked at Zoey.

He disappeared through a door behind the counter.

“Um…what the hell was that?” I asked.

“What was what?”

“The flirting. The winking. Didn’t you see the ring on his finger?”

Zoey laughed and waved her hand through the air. “Getting the best clients in town takes a little flirting sometimes.”

“But he already is a client.”

“Yeah, but he was doing me a favor. Just because I help Officer Davis exercise doesn’t mean he has to run random hot guy’s plate numbers.”

I shook my head. “Whatever you say.” I thought about how some of the women in the coffee shop had glared at her. “Are most of your clients married men?”

“Hmm…I mean, quite a few, yeah. But also some single guys. And women. Why?”

Well, at least she wasn’t just poaching married men. “No reason.” I was probably just overthinking it because of her weird produce purchases.

“But the guys are hot in this town, right?”

“Are you referring to Officer Davis or Bennett? ”

“Both. But what did you think of Bennett? He’s great, right?”

He did seem great. Which made me even more suspicious of why’d she set me up with him. “Seriously…why aren’t you dating him?”

“I told you, I’m not ready to settle down.”

“Too busy flirting with married police officers?”

She smiled. “Exactly. And I can’t believe you’re making me third wheel on your next date too. Why did you say I should come? I really felt the chemistry between you two.”

“There was no chemistry.”

“Really? He was flirting with you so hard. And you practically drooled when he compared his dick to an éclair.”

“Just because I like éclairs doesn’t mean I want Bennett’s cock in my mouth.”

“Just his hot apple cider,” she said seductively.

“Stop it. I’m leaving in two weeks. And Callum…”

“Right. You have a guy to stalk. Who most definitely doesn’t live here. Before you know it, you’ll be old and gray still obsessing over a one night stand. Imagine if I obsessed over every one night stand I had? I’d never have time for anything.”

It wasn’t a one night stand to me. And I’d seen Callum. I knew it was him. He was here in this town.

Officer Davis walked through the door. “Okay, I ran the plates and the car is registered to a Theo Gold.”

What? No. That wasn’t possible. It was Callum Walsh! “Are you sure? Could you run the plates again?”

He gave me a weird look. “Running them again won’t change who owns the car. ”

“Well, do you have a photo of his license? Or his address? Or maybe there was a name change request he’s filed?”

“I…um…” he glanced at Zoey. “I’m really sorry, but I really shouldn’t share that information.”

“Should I be going to the DMV for it?”

“I think the DMV will tell you the same thing,” Officer Davis said.

“Can you at least tell me how old it says he is?” I could never find out that information. And he looked young. He still looked young. He couldn’t be that much older than me. Wait. If it really was Callum but he was going by Theo now… “Maybe he’s stolen someone’s identity!”

“Do you think he’s stolen someone’s identity? I can definitely look into that if you want to file a formal complaint.”

“No, we don’t want to do that,” Zoey said. She turned to me. “Do we?” She didn’t really ask it as a question. It was more of a stern talking.

“But he may have actually stolen someone’s identity,” I said. “Can’t you just look to see if Theo Gold is some 80 year old man?”

“He’s not an 80 year old man,” Officer Davis said.

Gah! Why wouldn’t he tell me what I needed to know when he clearly knew it? “Is it possible he’s a 70 year old man?”

Officer Davis just stared at me. I was pretty sure he thought I was insane.

“A 60 year old man?”

Zoey elbowed me in the side to make me stop asking stupid questions. “Can you at least tell us if he lives in this town?” Zoey asked .

Officer Davis looked behind him like his captain would come storming out.

“Please,” Zoey said. She batted her eyelashes at him and bit her lip.

He sighed. “His address is in Crooked Point, yes.”

At least that was something. My first real lead in years. Callum Walsh had changed his name to Theo Gold. Maybe he’d stolen someone’s identity, maybe not. But it was definitely him.

“Thanks, Officer Davis,” Zoey said. “I really appreciate it.”

“If this guy has done something to one of you ladies…you really can file a police report. Just say the words.”

“No, Emma’s just stalking him,” Zoey said.

“Wait, what?” He looked over at me.

“She’s joking,” I said. Why the hell would she tell a cop that I was a freaking stalker?! “Tell him you’re joking.”

Zoey laughed. “Definitely joking. Thanks for everything, Officer Davis.”

He didn’t look quite as happy as we turned and walked out of the station. Because he was probably trying to decide whether or not I should be arrested.

“Why would you tell him that?” I hissed.

“Because you are a stalker.”

“I am not!”

“Emma, come on. I told you Callum didn’t live in this town. I would have seen him if he did. You ran into someone that probably barely resembles him. And now you’re obsessed all over again. You can’t stalk Theo Gold too. You’re just going to creep whoever that poor guy is out. ”

“I don’t understand why you don’t believe me.”

“Because we’ve done this before.”

We had. But not to this extent. Every now and then I’d see the back of someone’s head and think it was him. “This time I stared into Callum’s eyes. His golden eyes. It was him, I’m sure of it.”

“Please don’t make me go to the DMV on my day off,” she said.

I sighed. She’d taken today off to hang out with me.

Tomorrow while she was flirting with or stretching out married men, I could go off and explore.

I could let this go for one day. For her.

I hadn’t flown here to stalk Callum Walsh.

“Your argument would be a lot more convincing if you hadn’t set me up on a date this afternoon. ”

“Which I knew I’d probably have to go on too.” She shrugged. “And you can’t seriously be mad at me for setting you up with Bennett. He’s perfect for you.”

I wasn’t mad. Bennett was great. He really was. Funny and charming and into me. What more could I ask for? Callum.

I sighed. If Callum Walsh was Theo Gold like I expected…it kind of seemed like he’d quit his job and changed his name to get away from something. Possibly someone . Possibly…me. The thought was numbing.

“Oh my God,” Zoey said and showed me her phone.

There was a text from Bennett: “Do you think Emma liked me?”

“He’s so freaking cute,” she said and quickly started typing back.

“What are you going to say? ”

“Well…I’m not going to say that I made you sit with him for 30 minutes in exchange for harassing a police officer.”

That wasn’t why I’d talked to Bennett for over 30 minutes. I liked him. I really did. But… Gah, but what? There was no but. Theo Gold was either Callum or he wasn’t. And if he was? He didn’t want anything to freaking do with me.

Zoey smiled and put her phone back in her purse.

“Wait, what did you write back?” I asked.

“That you can’t wait to try his éclair on Saturday night.”

“You did not.”

She shrugged.

Honestly…she probably did write that. And maybe I should taste test Bennett’s éclair.

“I love that you’re thinking about it,” Zoey said.

“I wasn’t…”

“Mhm. I can already picture it.” She grabbed my arm to stop me in the middle of the sidewalk. “By the time two weeks have passed, you’re going to be moving here.”

I looked at the cute little Main Street. There were already people balancing on ladders, decorating the lamp posts for the Fall Festival this weekend.

“You’ll either be moving in with me…or Bennett.”

I laughed. “I don’t think so.”

“You’d rather have your own place? That works too. I’ve already circled a few open houses for us to check out on Sunday. This is going to be so much fun.”

I just shook my head. I was not moving to this town .

But as we walked down Main Street, I could kind of see it. And if the town was this beautiful on a rainy day, I couldn’t even imagine how nice it would be on a sunny one.

Zoey’s phone buzzed. She swiped her finger across the screen and smiled. Actually, she was blushing. I’d never in my life seen Zoey blush.

“What?”

“Nothing.” She tried to put her phone away, but I grabbed it from her.

I stared down at Bennett’s text: “I’d much rather taste her.” I looked up at Zoey. She waggled her eyebrows at me.

That was the hottest thing anyone had said to me since Callum had told me how to pose. I was pretty sure I was blushing too. Screw Callum Walsh, or Theo Gold, or whatever he was calling himself these days. I was suddenly very much in the mood for an éclair.