Read Online Lawman's Perfect Surrender by Jennifer Morey - Free Book Online
Authors: Jennifer Morey
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were drinking tonic water from tall crystal flutes with four other women of varying ages.
Bo happened to catch Ford watching. He stared a moment but true to his cocky nature, he dismissed his second-in-command as a threat and lifted his glass of tonic water in greeting. Ford returned the gesture. Bo returned his attention to Grayson and the henchman holding a dark brew.
“Have you tried the crab yet?” Gemma asked.
When he looked over at her, she held a claw in her juice-drenched fingers and her lips were moist. Ford had to gear down. The sight almost gave him a physical jolt.
Putting the shell of the claw onto her plate, she licked her fingers, her soft brown eyes half-closed with pleasure.
Damn.
Her finger-licking slowed as she saw him. Then that smile did its number on him as she laughed at herself.
“Try it!” she protested.
Unable to resist her, he picked up a crab leg and pried it apart. Taking off a bite of the rich, sweet meat with his teeth, he had to agree. Samuel was good for something today.
Finishing his crab, he moved onto the salmon, piling it onto a small piece of toasted rye bread with red onion, cream cheese and capers. He’d rather not get into a discussion on the fact that they had the same taste in food.
“When I first came to Cold Plains, one of the first things I did was find a really expensive restaurant. I spent hundreds of dollars on a lobster dinner. Appetizer. The best wine they had. And dessert. It was fabulous.”
She had a thing for spending lots of money.
“Have you ever done that?” she asked.
“Not alone.”
“I went with Lacy.”
Lacy. He didn’t like how close she was getting to her. He’d seen her with Grayson and his crowd. She couldn’t be trusted.
“Jed hated taking me out to dinner.”
“It’s only natural that you’d want to do everything he hated.”
“Like spend his money.”
“It’s yours, too.”
“It doesn’t feel that way. I didn’t earn it.”
She felt because she hadn’t actually worked for it that it wasn’t hers. He commended her for having that integrity, but Jed had been her husband.
“You aren’t a special case, Gemma. The law typically divides assets. Fifty-fifty.”
“You’d better be careful. Pretty soon you’re going to start helping me more than the seminars.”
“Then maybe I should be more reckless.” He’d rather be the one to help her than those seminars.
“Sounds tempting.”
Time to slow this fireball down. “I’m on duty.” He tapped his badge.
Her gaze fell to it, then lifted, fueling the fireball. If he had known pointing to his badge would do that to her he never would have done it.
He turned away, watching Bo and Grayson again.
“Don’t you ever have any fun?”
Why was she asking that? “When I’m off duty.”
That didn’t seem to appease her. There was something else she wanted to know.
“Lacy told me about your family.”
Assaulted by the uprising of grief that always struck him when he was cornered like this, Ford ignored her, hoping she’d get the hint. Too personal.
“Have you always been in law enforcement?”
That he could answer. “I went to college after the Army and then decided to come home.”
“What did you study in college?”
“Criminal science.”
“And now you’re a cop.”
He let her state the obvious.
“You devoted your life to your work,” she pressed, and now he saw where she was headed.
He’d devoted his life to law enforcement because of the way his family had died. Clamping down on the flare of resentment she stirred by digging, he leaned back against his chair and waited for her to do what everyone else did.
“What would you have done if that hadn’t happened?”
“Can we talk about something else?”
Her brown eyes registered his emotion and she averted her gaze to the throng of delusional, Cold Plains culties. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pried. It’s just…it’s just…”
“You know what it’s like to be a
Bo happened to catch Ford watching. He stared a moment but true to his cocky nature, he dismissed his second-in-command as a threat and lifted his glass of tonic water in greeting. Ford returned the gesture. Bo returned his attention to Grayson and the henchman holding a dark brew.
“Have you tried the crab yet?” Gemma asked.
When he looked over at her, she held a claw in her juice-drenched fingers and her lips were moist. Ford had to gear down. The sight almost gave him a physical jolt.
Putting the shell of the claw onto her plate, she licked her fingers, her soft brown eyes half-closed with pleasure.
Damn.
Her finger-licking slowed as she saw him. Then that smile did its number on him as she laughed at herself.
“Try it!” she protested.
Unable to resist her, he picked up a crab leg and pried it apart. Taking off a bite of the rich, sweet meat with his teeth, he had to agree. Samuel was good for something today.
Finishing his crab, he moved onto the salmon, piling it onto a small piece of toasted rye bread with red onion, cream cheese and capers. He’d rather not get into a discussion on the fact that they had the same taste in food.
“When I first came to Cold Plains, one of the first things I did was find a really expensive restaurant. I spent hundreds of dollars on a lobster dinner. Appetizer. The best wine they had. And dessert. It was fabulous.”
She had a thing for spending lots of money.
“Have you ever done that?” she asked.
“Not alone.”
“I went with Lacy.”
Lacy. He didn’t like how close she was getting to her. He’d seen her with Grayson and his crowd. She couldn’t be trusted.
“Jed hated taking me out to dinner.”
“It’s only natural that you’d want to do everything he hated.”
“Like spend his money.”
“It’s yours, too.”
“It doesn’t feel that way. I didn’t earn it.”
She felt because she hadn’t actually worked for it that it wasn’t hers. He commended her for having that integrity, but Jed had been her husband.
“You aren’t a special case, Gemma. The law typically divides assets. Fifty-fifty.”
“You’d better be careful. Pretty soon you’re going to start helping me more than the seminars.”
“Then maybe I should be more reckless.” He’d rather be the one to help her than those seminars.
“Sounds tempting.”
Time to slow this fireball down. “I’m on duty.” He tapped his badge.
Her gaze fell to it, then lifted, fueling the fireball. If he had known pointing to his badge would do that to her he never would have done it.
He turned away, watching Bo and Grayson again.
“Don’t you ever have any fun?”
Why was she asking that? “When I’m off duty.”
That didn’t seem to appease her. There was something else she wanted to know.
“Lacy told me about your family.”
Assaulted by the uprising of grief that always struck him when he was cornered like this, Ford ignored her, hoping she’d get the hint. Too personal.
“Have you always been in law enforcement?”
That he could answer. “I went to college after the Army and then decided to come home.”
“What did you study in college?”
“Criminal science.”
“And now you’re a cop.”
He let her state the obvious.
“You devoted your life to your work,” she pressed, and now he saw where she was headed.
He’d devoted his life to law enforcement because of the way his family had died. Clamping down on the flare of resentment she stirred by digging, he leaned back against his chair and waited for her to do what everyone else did.
“What would you have done if that hadn’t happened?”
“Can we talk about something else?”
Her brown eyes registered his emotion and she averted her gaze to the throng of delusional, Cold Plains culties. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pried. It’s just…it’s just…”
“You know what it’s like to be a
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