lot.”
“We’ll give you five minutes to get rid of whoever.”
She made a detour to the lockers, then hurried out to the front desk with her bag to see who had been asking for her. As she rounded the corner and caught sight of the man responsible for last night’s lack of sleep, her legs came to a standstill. She honestly couldn’t make them move because they were shaking so hard.
Yesterday he’d been wearing an expensive-looking gray business suit and tie. Tonight he was informally dressed in a black silk shirt and tan chinos. It didn’t matter what he wore. He had the rugged features and powerful build of an athlete who played contact sports, like football or ice hockey.
No one seeing him would dream he was the head of the nationally reputed Dunbarton Electronics Corporation. His mind fascinated her. His body excited her. In more ways than one, he was larger than life.
He started walking toward her. “Is that a bowling ball in there?” His blue eyes danced between lashes as black as his curly hair.
“Yes.” The ability to talk had left her.
“Did you have to have it custom made?”
“No.” She was losing the battle not to smile.
“I didn’t know they came that small. It makes me wonder if I could even get my pinkie in the holes.”
“Probably not,” she chuckled. He had large hands, just like the rest of him. Because of her diminutive size, her mouth went dry just thinking about the rest of him. “How can I help you, Mr. Dunbarton? Do you have a lead on the person who called in that bomb threat?”
“No. I doubt I’ll ever know who it was.”
She doubted it, too. “Then I don’t understand why you’re here.”
“I found out you’re off duty now, and hoped we could go to a movie together. That is, if you don’t have other plans.” His gaze wandered to the bag she was clutching.
Annabelle stared up at him in shock. To her mind, the Rand Dunbartons of the world traveled in exclusive circles with exclusive kinds of women who didn’t have to work for a living.
As far as going to a film, the mere idea of sitting next to his big, solid frame in the dark had already started to constrict her breathing. A movie theater provided a certain atmosphere of intimacy that would be dangerous.
Surely he was joking. He might not be sporting a wedding band, but a man like him would never be without a gorgeous, ultrafeminine creature in tow. At five foot two with short curly hair and wearing a police officer’s uniform, Annabelle hardly qualified.
“Actually I’ve already made plans to go bowling with the guys, but thank you anyway.”
“Maybe I could bowl with all of you, then you could accompany me. It’s a new film just released called The Cop. I’d rather see it with the bona fide article like yourself. That way you can tell me what’s wrong with the film, how outrageous and impossible it is.”
By now her heart had slammed into her ribs. He was the one who was outrageous and impossible. I want to go with him more than anything I’ve ever wanted to do in my whole life.
“I’m sure the guys won’t like me tagging along,” he murmured, “but since it’s a group date, I can’t see a problem with adding one more. Unless you’re not at all interested in spending off-duty time with me.”
“Annie? Are you coming or not?”
She had no idea how long Paco had been standing there eavesdropping. His scowl was meant to intimidate, but it seemed to have the opposite effect on the man waiting for her answer.
“Ms. Forrester was just making up her mind.”
Paco’s black eyes flashed impatiently before he looked at Annabelle. “Everyone’s outside ready to take off.”
I should go with you guys. I know I should.
“Maybe you’d better go without me, Paco.”
After a pause, “All right. See you tomorrow.” He wheeled away from them and disappeared around the corner of the hallway.
“He has too short a fuse to be a police officer.”
“He’s one of the best!” she defended, furious with herself for not listening to the little voice inside telling her to end this now, before she got in over her head.
“My car’s right out front. We can go to the movie, then I’ll bring you straight back here.”
Annabelle was tempted. It wasn’t as if they hadn’t already been introduced. She’d spent all of yesterday afternoon with him looking for a bomb that didn’t exist. It had been her job to take down the background information on him as part of the paperwork. Everything she’d learned proved him to be an upstanding citizen and member of the community.
How could it hurt to go to one little movie with him before they went their separate ways for the rest of their lives?
Surely she could handle two hours while she pretended she wasn’t affected by everything he said and did, the way he moved and breathed. In the dark she could watch him out of the corner of her eye while he watched the movie. Just anticipating that pleasure made her insides melt.
“I’ve never had a date with a woman who could protect me before. It will be a novel experience.”
So that’s why he’d asked her out. His life experiences hadn’t paired him with a policewoman yet. Curiosity, not attraction, had brought him to the police station.
If it came down to who could protect whom, even with the moves she’d learned and a weapon in hand, she would place her bets on him any time of the day or night.
“A cop movie sounds like a good way to unwind. I can enjoy the chase without doing any of the work. Let me put my bag away and I’ll meet you out front. What kind of a car do you drive?”
She noted a glimmer of satisfaction in his eyes. For no particular reason it made her nervous, which was ridiculous. After all, she wouldn’t have liked it if he hadn’t been pleased she’d accepted his invitation. Face it, Annabelle. You’re hooked.
“A dark blue BMW sedan.”
What else? “I’ll be right out.”
It had only taken her a minute to stash her bag before she joined him. Because she was so used to doing everything herself even though she worked with a partner on duty, it felt nice to be treated like a woman for a little while. He opened and closed doors for her, cupped her elbow to usher her into the theater. If only her body would stop reacting to the contact.
No doubt they made an interesting sight. A big, gorgeous man escorting a little woman still dressed in uniform. While they stood in line for their tickets she noticed a lot of females staring at Rand, then more enviously at her. Annabelle would have done the same thing if she hadn’t been his date. He was really something to look at.
The film turned out to be a cliffhanger. In fact it was so good she forgot he’d brought her along to help him pick
