Page 13 of Enemies with Benefits

"Kayden, what the fuck?"

He sighed, tucking his phone away and shrugging. "I don't know, alright? He knows we're close. I mean, shit, I left Narcotics to follow you back to the trenches."

My gut squirmed at the reminder. “I never asked you to do that."

He rolled his eyes. “I know that, and I remember how much you bitched me out for doing it. But there was a sort of...unspoken agreement that if he let me do that, then I would try to make sure you stayed out of trouble."

"That's fucked up."

"More like a full-time job on top of being a cop."

"Fuck you."

Kayden laughed, bumping me as we walked, him steering the way now. "Look, you are who you are, the chief knows it, I know it, you know it, everyone knows it. You've got a gruff mouth, a big heart, a competitive streak a mile wide, and a desire for justice that outdoes just about everyone I know. It makes you a good cop, but it also means you're not good at following orders sometimes, like today."

"And you're supposed to stop that?"

"I think he wants me to try at least. Which I do, and you listen to me because you know I'm only going to step in when you're being ridiculous. Don't worry, I didn't get in real trouble, just a bit of the business is all. I'm still on duty the next couple of days."

"Lucky you," I grumbled, even though we both knew I was definitely happy he hadn't been dragged down with me.

"Yeah, I told him there wasn't a whole lot I was supposed to do when I’d just taken a can of pepper spray to the face."

"Pepper spray that you said wasn't that bad."

"Dude, I said that because that little prick was right there. That shit hurt like hell."

I sighed, shaking my head. “You hammed it up when Julie looked at you, didn't you?"

Julie was the pretty and rather opinionated EMT we saw quite often since she tended to be assigned to the same areas we worked in. Ever since Kayden had first seen her a couple of years ago, he’d been trying his best to get on her good side. The problem for Kayden was that Julie could smell a player a mile off, and she wasn't impressed with anything he’d tried yet. Though if you asked me, she was actually charmed by him, but she enjoyed the chase more than the result. Then again, despite being thwarted constantly, Kayden hadn't been put off trying, where he was normally prone to easing off whenever he was turned down, respecting the woman’s choice.

So, maybe he was enjoying the chase as well.

"Look, when it comes to Julie, I have to play it smart."

"Which puts you at a disadvantage from the start."

"Anyway. I can't make myself looktooinjured, because she's just going to call me a big baby and tell me to suck it up."

"I tell you that all the time."

"Yeah, but you're not nearly as hot as her."

"I disagree, but whatever."

"Anyway, at the same time, I can't play the stoic because then it looks like I'm copying you."

"I'm not sure if I should be offended or not, so fuck you just in case."

"I've got to play the middle ground, where it's obvious I'm hurt but at the same time I'm doing a damn good job of making sure I'm holding back any displays of pain."

"So...you spent the time in that ambulance play acting that you were hurt, but it didn't really hurt?"

"The nuances are so lost on you."

"Why don't you just tell her you think she's good looking, that her telling you off is great, that she makes you happy to be around, and ask her out for dinner or maybe a couple of drinks?"

He looked up at me in disbelief. “I tried that."