“Allegedly broke in.”
Gina stopped and glared at him. “Really? There’s no allegedly about it.”
“Until we have proof, he’s innocent. Legally. ‘Allegedly’ is the correct terminology.”
She rolled her eyes and kept walking. “You really need to chuck that damn rule book out the window.”
“I’m a cop. Following the rules kind of goes with the territory.”
“Yeah, well, your territory sucks.”
He laughed again. “It has its advantages.”
She stopped at the bottom of the fire escape. “If you say so.”
He raised an arm to grab the bottom rung of the ladder and leaned in toward her. She, of course, didn’t give an inch but stood her ground, lifting her face to meet his gaze head-on. When his lips were inches from hers, he gave her a slow grin. His smile grew when her breathing kicked up a notch.
“I do say so,” he said. “And unless you want to find yourself in a set of handcuffs, which I’ll admit holds a great deal of appeal for me, you’ll follow the rules. Got it?”
Gina’s lips parted, and the urge to close the distance between them so he could taste everything she had to offer was so strong Rick nearly vibrated with it. He gripped the bar in his hand so tightly he was surprised it didn’t bend.
Her gaze dropped to his own lips for a second, and he was sure she felt the same thing. She met his eyes again. “Whatever you say, Officer.” Her voice had lost some of its forcefulness but had gained a breathy, seductive quality that had Rick’s body jumping to attention. He yanked on the ladder, letting it drop between them. What the hell is she doing to me?
Chapter Seven
Gina scrambled up the fire escape first, wanting to get some distance between her and Rick, even if it was only for a moment. Her reaction to him was a surprise. It might help if she could identify exactly why. The guy was hot. Seriously hot. On a scale she didn’t come across often. He must hit the gym every day to keep up that physique, and as a healthy, heterosexual woman she’d have to be dead not to appreciate the eye candy the man had going on. He was one bulging mass of deliciousness that under normal circumstances, she’d be more than willing to bite.
But he was a cop. She didn’t do cops. Ever. Yeah, there were good ones out there and for as much of a pain in the ass as he was, Rick seemed like one of the good ones. Hell, he’d kept her license from being revoked, so he couldn’t be all bad. But Gina really didn’t like to be told what to do. She felt that there were exceptions to every rule. In her experience, this was not how most cops operated. They tended to be rule followers, no matter the situation, and got bent out of shape when someone tried to color outside the box every now and then. Look at Rick. He wouldn’t run a stop sign to save his own life. The guy probably never even jaywalked. That was a level of rigidity Gina couldn’t live with.
If she could only tell her heart to quit palpitating every time the man smiled at her.
She pulled herself to the top of the building and swung a leg over the edge. When she looked up, her heart jumped into her throat…but for a much less pleasant reason than Rick’s devastating smile.
She’d interrupted a guy who stared at her for a second before shoving a wad of cash in his pocket. And extracted a knife with a blade that was easily longer than her hand. She froze, hands up, and risked a slight glance behind her. No sign of Rick.
Sure. The man was always crawling up her tailpipe, but when she actually needed him to be there, he was nowhere to be found. Typical.
The man in front of her saw her glance and shook his head. “Nuh-uh.” He motioned at her with the knife, directing her away from the ladder. She moved where he indicated, nearly shaking from the rush of anger and adrenaline that coursed through her. But as she had no desire to be skewered like a shish kebab, she’d mind her manners and do as he asked. For the moment.
He moved closer to the ladder, but then seemed to change his mind. “On your knees,” he said, coming toward her. His eyes kept flickering to her backpack.
Gina frowned but slowly lowered herself down. Where the hell is Rick?
“Take that off and push it over here,” the guy said.
She glared at him. “No.”
He took a step closer and waved the knife in her face. “You better do what I say, bitch.”
Gina’s stomach plummeted, but there was no way she was giving the jag-off a backpack full of expensive equipment, her phone, and her wallet that contained her whole life.
The guy looked like he was about to rip it off her shoulders. She had to think quick. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Rick quietly making his way over the lip of the roof. She needed to keep the guy from turning around until Rick made it to them.