You Again

CHAPTER 1

Lily jumped at the sound of the doorbell, splashing coffee over the sides of her mug and onto the kitchen bench. 
Oh God.
  An uninvited late night visitor was never a good thing, but it was downright disastrous after breaking the law only the day before.  It would be the cops for sure.

Maybe she shouldn’t answer it.  If she wasn’t home, they couldn’t question her.  Right?  Wrong.  They’d catch up to her eventually.  She knew that from years of experience.

Swallowing the remainder of her coffee to inject some caffeine-induced confidence into her system, she walked into the hall and opened the door.

Luke Tanner. 

She wished she had more coffee so she could toss it over the bastard. 

Lily crossed her arms and leaned against the door frame.  No way was she inviting the son-of-a-bitch inside.  Pity it was a warm summer’s night and her automatic porch light was working fine because he deserved to be out in the cold and dark, exactly where he’d left her after he ended their relationship.

“Well,” she said, flatly, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing her flustered by his sudden reappearance after two years, “what an unpleasant surprise this is.”

“Hello, Lil.”  His voice was equally flat and devoid of any emotion.  Not that she expected him to be overcome with sentimentality but a little note of regret, maybe a sigh, wouldn’t have gone astray.  Begging she could definitely handle.

When she’d played their reunion over in her mind, he had captured her against his hard body and crushed her mouth with his kisses, whispering sweet sentiments over and over.  Then she had ground her stiletto into his toe, or kneed him in the balls, and slammed the door in his face.  She’d spent many lonely nights imagining that particular revenge.

“What do you want, Luke?  I’m busy.”

His gaze dragged over her, taking in her bare feet, the tight leggings and too-short t-shirt she’d put on after her shower.  He lingered longer than necessary on her thighs and she wished she’d worn jeans instead.  She hadn’t expected company or the leggings would have stayed in the drawer.

She resisted the urge to tug the t-shirt over her butt.  She didn’t want him thinking she was self-conscious because she wasn’t.  It’s just that his hot stare somehow made her feel exposed, naked. 

“I smell coffee,” he said.

“You aren’t coming in.”

He took a step forward, getting close enough for her to reach out and touch the smooth skin of the biceps bulging out of his t-shirt.  He was so masculine, so sexy, she could feel the pull of his powerful presence, reeling her in like a fish on a line.

Concentrate, Lil
.  Luke could be devious.  She needed to be on her guard in case she found herself inviting him in. 

“Just for a minute,” he said.  He hooked his thumb in the belt loop of his jeans but kept the other one behind his back.  Damn, but he looked hot like that, with his hair a little mussed and a five o’clock shadow darkening his strong jaw.

Down, Girl
.  “You.  Are.  Not.  Coming.  In.”  She shoved the door. 

For a big man, he moved fast.  He got inside before the door closed. 
Damn
. 

She spun round just as he leaned closer.  Her nose nearly brushed against his chest giving her a whiff of her favorite scent—musky aftershave and Luke.  She fought against the urge to press her lips against the hard muscles she knew lay beneath his t-shirt as he reached past her.  Instead, she concentrated on her anger, a sure dampener to sexual energy.

“We need to talk,” he said.  His breath fanned her hair as he kept his hand on the door behind her.  All she had to do was turn her head a little to the side and she could kiss him, taste him.  She closed her eyes, fighting against the desire throbbing like a jungle beat within her.

“Then talk,” she heard herself say in a voice that sounded strangely disembodied.

Instead of talking, he caught her hands and drew them together.  What the...?  She opened her eyes in time to see handcuffs closing around her wrists.

“What are you doing?”  But she knew.  And she should have expected it, should have been more prepared instead of distracted by his delicious body. 
Stupid girl.
 

Never trust a cop, her father had said.  Damn right. 

Luke stepped back out of range of her feet.  What did he think she’d do, kick him? 

Tempting.

“Take these off!”  She held her hands out in front of her, fists clenched, the cuffs pulled tight.

He crossed his arms over his chest and surveyed his handiwork.  His lips curved up, mighty pleased with his efforts.  “Now don’t get mad,” he said, the smile reaching his voice but not his eyes.

“Too late.”

He raised one conceited eyebrow and clicked his tongue like a disapproving schoolmaster.  “Mind your language, Lily, or I’ll have to add verbal assault to the charges.”

He’d come to arrest her for breaking into the Haywood-Smith residence.  As soon as the cuffs had clicked around her wrists, she’d known it but she should have suspected sooner. His sudden reappearance after two years had nothing to do with kinky foreplay and everything to do with his job.  His goddamn job.  The job he’d left her for. 

The job he loved more than her. 

“If you’re going to arrest me, get on with it.”  She squared her shoulders and held his gaze with her own.

He looked away, his arms falling flat to his sides.  “Not yet.  We’re going to talk first.”

“No, you’re going to un-cuff me first
then
we’ll talk.”

“Not likely.  Your left hook is lethal.” 

He was teasing.  Her dad had insisted she learn to box so she could defend herself against the average attacker, but not someone built like Luke with years of police squad training behind him. 

“Besides,” his mouth quirked into a roguish smile, “having you bound and at my mercy was always one of my fantasies.”

Her face grew hot and she cursed the fair complexion that made her blush easily.  “Which is exactly how it’ll stay.  A fantasy.”

“Yeah,” he said softly.  Was there a hint of regret in there?  His gaze drifted to her thighs again where it lingered longer than decent. 

She pushed past him and strode down the hallway to her living room.  “If you want to talk then we might as well do it down here.”  She heard him following her and felt his hot gaze burning into her butt.  With the material of her leggings molded to it, there was way more to see than she liked.  Too bad.  It may not be a pert little ass but it was better he focused there than have him witness her red face.

“Whatever makes you comfortable, Babe,” he said, sounding a little absent.  So, her butt could still distract him like it used to.  Ha.  Good.

Although why that made her feel superior she couldn’t say.

“I am not your Babe, Sweetheart, Sugar or anything else,” she said without turning around.  “I am your ex and your suspect.”  He started to say something but she cut him off.  “And since when do the police send out detectives to arrest their exes?  Alone?” 

She turned to face him, catching him checking out her ass.  When he looked up, she raised both brows.  “Where’s Tommy?  He is still your partner, isn’t he?”

He cleared his throat, glancing around the room.  “I don’t have a partner anymore.  I was promoted to
superintendent.
”

“A desk job?  So you got what you wanted.  I hope you and your stationery cupboard are very happy together.”

“Lil,” he said on a sigh, “don’t.”

“Don’t what?  Be pissed with you?  Well, since I’m the one with my hands cuffed, I think I can be as angry as I damn well want!”

He leaned down so that his blue eyes were level with hers and she nearly took a step back under the force of his intense stare.  She gulped and did her best to hold her own gaze steady and not lean into him or press her lips against the smooth curves of his mouth.

“You are cuffed because you broke the law,” he said.  “Since you’re an intelligent woman, I think you know that.  I also think you’re annoyed with me because I ended our relationship.”  The pulse in his cheek jumped but he otherwise became very still, his stare so piercing it sliced through her.  She felt like he was stripping her naked and taking a good, long look at what he’d been missing.

“Well, it appears they handed out a few brain cells with your promotion,” she said.  “Although I’d still like to know why you’re here when you’re supposed to be doing nothing more strenuous than push a pen around.”

He straightened.  “I need coffee,” he said and strode towards her kitchen.

Still reeling from the visual strip search, she took a moment to react.  “Hey!  You can’t just help yourself to my coffee!”

“I’d ask you to make me one but you’re a little...tied up right now.”  He laughed and disappeared into her adjoining kitchen.  “Don’t worry.  I remember where everything is.”  She heard him open a cupboard and chuckle.  “Still got the cow mugs, I see.  Cute.”

Hopefully he’d choke on his coffee.  Slowly. 

“You know you’ve spilled coffee all over the bench,” he called out to her.  “You should be more careful.”

Choking was too good for him.  Nothing short of complete ruination and humiliation would make up for tonight.  That could be arranged.  She knew people.  Or, more to the point, her father had known people.  She had his address book among his things in the attic.  Surely there was a thug-for-hire listed in there. 

She sat on the couch and tried to look dignified but gave up.  Dignity and handcuffs didn’t go together.

“So I take it you’re not here officially since you’re alone,” she said when he re-entered carrying two black and white cow mugs.  He handed one to her and she managed to take a sip, cuffs and all.

He sat in a chair opposite and smiled at her over the rim of his mug.  “It’s good to see you again, Lily.  You’re looking good.”

“Stop avoiding the issue and tell me what you want.”  It was so typical of him to employ a delaying tactic that involved flattering her.  Well, she wasn’t going to fall for it.  Not this time.

“I’m not avoiding anything, just telling you how good you look.”  He shrugged.  “Why can’t I do that?  Besides, it’s true.  I like your hair that way.”

“It’s the same way I’ve worn it for the last six years.”

“I know that, I’m just telling you I like it.”  He set his mug down on the coffee table between them.  “It’s called a compliment, Lil.  It’s something people do in awkward moments like this.”

“Oh, you mean moments like when your ex-boyfriend turns up on your doorstep, handcuffs you and helps himself to your coffee!”

“I made you one too.”

It was all an act.  She knew that.  He was deliberately trying to rile her so she’d let down her guard and confess.  Well, too bad because she wasn’t confessing to anything.  He’d have to come up with the evidence the old fashioned way. 

She leaned forward and fixed him with her hardest glare, a difficult task because he looked so damn sexy with his hair all mussed and his lips still quirked into the mischievous smile that always made her want to kiss him.