Her father would have a heart attack. Given that he was seventy-five, it wasn’t that improbable.
Her mother might actually be proud of her though. Barbie Van Buren had long lamented that Leighton couldn’t cut loose.
Axl shook his head, like he couldn’t believe any of this. “I don’t know anything about what the hell is going on here. Turn around and I’ll release you.”
Obediently, she turned around. He unlocked the handcuffs.
“For the record, if you’re telling me the truth, your boss sounds like a piece of work. Why do you have to be flirty to work on a wedding show?”
“I swear I am telling you the truth. I don’t have to be flirty, per se, just bubbly. Lively. Interesting. I’m none of those things.”
Obviously. If she was, Axl wouldn’t be eyeing her like she was bonkers.
Axl clearly didn’t think she was fun so much as certifiable.
* * *
Axl studied the woman in front of him. He didn’t know what to make of her or this situation. It was kind of funny. But it was also kind of awful. So, what, she had to be a performing monkey just to work on a TV show? According to what he’d been told, she wasn’t even the host. “What is your job, specifically?”
“I’m the creative director.”
“Then why do you have to be bubbly? I’m sorry, I’m still not getting the connection.”
“Because I interact with clients. She thinks I don’t bring enough energy and whip them up properly. My skills lie more with organization.”
“I don’t know anything about Hollywood or TV or reality shows or whatever. But what I do know is that you are actually one of the most interesting women I’ve met in a long time. If I were you, I’d be looking for a new job.”
He meant that. She was very interesting. And it seemed like she was completely in the wrong career. But that wasn’t really any of his business.
She confirmed that by looking away, down to her feet. When she looked back up again, she looked troubled. She took a few deep breaths. “I need to get to an appointment. Can I just have the ticket for speeding? Since apparently, that’s why you actually pulled me over.”
Axl wished he was off-duty because he would pick her up, give her a panty-melting kiss, and let her boss figure that shit out. He felt equal parts protective and turned on by her. It wasn’t a combination he’d ever really experienced before and he didn’t know what to do with it.
“I have to put you in my car.” Misunderstanding or not, there was protocol. “I’ll be as fast as I can.”
She didn’t respond, just let him lead her to the patrol car and put her in the back. She looked dejected. He wasn’t sure what to make of any of this nonsense. It was a first in his career on the force that someone had thought he was a fake cop. A stripper. Damn, he was torn between never wanting to the guys to find this out ever and just telling them and taking the heat because it was so fucking insane.
And hell, not to brag, but it didn’t suck having someone think he looked good without his shirt on.
“You okay?” he asked her, glancing into the back seat as he ran her license. She was biting her lip and looking worried.
“Am I in trouble?”
“No, you’re not in trouble.” Her license came back clean. He debated even writing the ticket but he decided to do it just because she had recorded the whole damn thing. If that shit went out into the world, he wanted his ass covered that he had followed the book. “You’re free to go. I’m going to come around and let you out.”
“Thanks, Axl. I mean sir. Officer.”
He gave her a grin. “Officer Hottie to you.”
She gave a groan and put her hand over her face. “Did I really say that?”
“Oh, you said it.” He would never forget it.
“It was an honest mistake.”
He wasn’t sure that it really was but maybe things were different in her world. “I’m flattered.”
Axl stepped out of the car and opened the back door for her. “Slow down. Especially since you’re not familiar with these roads.” He handed her the ticket. “You can pay this online.”
“I don’t think I was actually speeding. Are you sure you want to give this to me?” She looked hopeful.
And adorable, but he needed to cover his ass.
“Flattery will only get you so far.” He gave her a grin. “Sorry, I have a job to do. Just like you. But let me make it up to you by taking you out for a drink sometime.”
Leighton rose from the seat and skirted past him, biting her sensuous full lip and looking indecisive. She really was adorable. Axl liked a woman with curves and Leighton had them in all the right spots. She eyed him over her shoulder as she started walking to her car. “You’re determined to get me drunk, aren’t you? That’s twice you’ve offered me a cocktail.”
Now that was real flirting. Natural and sweet and sensual, as opposed to that over-the-top winking and suggestive comments. This suited Leighton much better. He wondered if she even realized she was doing it.
But if she was going to flirt, hell, so was he. “Then maybe you should say yes and accept your fate. And if one cocktail gets you drunk, you’re a cheap date.”
Leighton cocked her head. “Maybe you should tell me why you want to go out with me. Five minutes ago you thought I was high or a lunatic or both.”
Why did he want to go out with her? That was the easiest question he’d ever been asked.
“Because you’re gorgeous, for one.”
She scoffed, as if she didn’t believe him. “Uh, thank you.”
Her apparent skepticism actually astonished him but he wasn’t going to stand there and argue with her. “I want to get to know you. I find you very interesting.”
“You’re crazy. I just told you I’m not any fun. Besides, I’m only here a few days.”
“What kind of dates do you have in LA that you need more than a few days for them?” he teased her, giving her a sly smile.
Leighton gave a soft laugh, finally dropping the hand she had been holding up to her chest like a shield between them. “I concede the point. But you’re still crazy.”
“I’m not normally crazy. At all. I’m just decisive. But for the record, interesting isn’t a synonym for fun. I don’t need to spend time with someone fun. I’m not exactly a fun guy myself.” He wasn’t what anyone would call impulsive either. So, he really couldn’t say why at that moment he chose to do what he did.
Other than he wanted to, so he did it. Decisive.
There was something about Leighton. Something about the way she looked so anxious yet determined. Something about the way she could actually think she was average when she had a banging body, full lips, and hair he wanted to wrap his fingers around and tug. Leighton’s ass the night before in her tight cocktail dress had brought to mind bringing the palm of his hand down on that delicious flesh and driving them both crazy. “Not everyone wants to get loud and party. Some men like simpler pursuits.”
Like kissing. And sex.
“And what would those be?” she asked.
As Leighton reached her car, he leaned down and stared into her green eyes. He let the moment linger, the anticipation hover. “This.”
She knew what he was thinking because her eyes widened and her plump lips parted.
It was all the invitation he needed.
Axl bent down and kissed her sensuous mouth. His hand slipped into her blond waves and rested gently at the back of her neck, in case she tried to escape. He just wanted one kiss.
That’s what it started as. A simple brush of his lips over hers.
She gave a little gasp, which he swallowed, as he shifted his leg so that he was touching hers. For a second she seemed to hesitate, but then she tentatively gave in and kissed him back with a soft, shy acceptance.
Axl could have quit there. He meant to. But then he took the kiss deeper, just briefly, intending to pull away right after. Then something happened. Leighton sighed into his touch, and she leaned tow
ard him, her full chest pressing against him. Her arms snaked around his waist and she parted her lips in a sweet, dangerous invitation.
When his tongue dipped between those luscious lips and teased at the tip of her tongue, Axl got hard. So hard so fast that he knew he was in danger of taking this way too far on the side of the road. In his uniform. On-duty.
Holy shit.
He broke off the kiss and stepped back.
She blinked up at him. Her eyes were glassy again, but not from panic. From arousal. Her breath was quick and shallow, causing her substantial chest to rise and fall rapidly. Her cheeks were stained pink, presumably from desire but most likely also embarrassment.
“Meet me for a drink tomorrow,” he said. “I can’t tonight, I work until eleven, but I want to see you.”
She took a deep shuddering breath.
“I’m so confused right now,” she said.
“That makes two of us.” He stepped back and opened her car door. “I’ll call you tomorrow and maybe we can figure this out.” With his lips on hers again in private.
She slipped into the driver’s seat and nodded, looking dazed. “Right. Okay.”
He gave her a smile. As she reached for her seatbelt, he saw the dashcam light blinking. Fuck. “Is that recording?”
She shook her head. “No.”
Thank God. “Oh, good, geez, you scared me there.”
“It’s actually a live feed.”
Well, hell. That was a whole lot fucking worse.
He’d just kissed a woman during a routine traffic stop live on the damn Internet.
Three
Leighton blinked at Winnie Schwartz, who was in tears.
“What do you mean you don’t want to do the show, Winnie? I’m sorry I was late. I got pulled over by a cop who took forever.” Because she had propositioned him and he had been kissing her.
Her cheeks heated. She felt guilty and off-kilter, though she hadn’t done anything wrong. Not exactly. But she felt like Winnie was staring at her knowing that Leighton had kissed the stripper cop. The real cop. The hot cop.
“It’s not because you’re late. Though I think that gave Todd a few more minutes to cement his decision. He doesn’t want to be on TV. He says our wedding isn’t a circus. That it’s private, not an invitation to be trolled by haters.”
She couldn’t really argue with that. They were outside an ice cream shop shaped like a gigantic soft serve cone. Winnie’s fiancé had left, which was a dick move in Leighton’s opinion. He didn’t want to do the show? He could be man enough to stay and tell her, not let Winnie deal with it. “I’m sorry he feels that way. Are you sure he isn’t just having cold feet about the cameras? Maybe he’ll change his mind.”
Leighton’s palms were damp and she rested them in her lap, trying not to panic. The show’s producer would be pissed if they had wasted this trip to Minnesota and she would have to scramble to find a replacement couple in five days. Most likely they would lose next weekend for shooting and would have to push out to the following week, which would throw off their production schedule. All in all, a disaster.
This was so the total opposite of what Sadie had commanded her to achieve.
She was supposed to create a dramatic moment, not kill the show.
“Can I just talk to Todd?” she asked Winnie. She would beg him to do the show.
“No. He is seriously done. It’s not happening.” Winnie licked a twist cone and used her free hand to wipe her tears. “I really wanted to do this. I mean, we don’t have a huge budget. I’m sure whatever you and the show were going to do would be amazing.”
Leighton was torn between sympathy and wanting to dangle a carrot. Ultimately, she was too nice to try to twist the screws on Winnie. This was her wedding and it was hugely important to Winnie, obviously. “Everything you had planned is still in place. Nothing has been canceled because that’s not how we operate. We pay the original vendors in full when we make our changes so that they don’t lose their profit. You can still have the wedding you had planned before you ever even applied to the show.”
“Yeah. A lame one.”
“Hey, Winnie, it’s okay.” Leighton had a pit in her gut but she did not want Winnie to be disappointed in her day. “You have to think of your fiancé. What good is an over-the-top wedding if he’s totally uncomfortable? The day becomes about the cameras then instead of you. It should be about the two of you. About starting a life together.”
Winnie sniffled and took another lick. She was wearing full makeup and had done her hair since they were supposed to be filming the couple’s requests for the Wedding Crashers wedding. “I get it.” She sighed. “But I wanted both. I guess that makes me greedy.”
“It makes you a girl. Who doesn’t want an amazing fairytale wedding?” Leighton reached out and squeezed her arm. “But it will still be amazing.”
“Thanks, Leighton. You’re a pretty cool chick, you know that? Are you married? I can’t believe I didn’t ask you that before now. God, I guess I’ve been kind of self-absorbed.”
“I’m not married. I’m single.” Mostly always single. She was not about to date an aspiring actor/musician/model. Her last meaningful relationship had been with the guy who made her coffee every morning. That itself was meaningful enough to her but he had asked her out and they’d dated for six months before he had moved back to Iowa. He’d been a sweet enough guy, a little shy, and it had been a nice few months. But she hadn’t even thought about marrying him.
Winnie’s eyes lit up. “We should set you up with someone here.”
Axl Moore popped into her head. That kiss. What the heck had that been about?
She had basically melted against his hard chest, her thoughts scattered and confused. It had been a delicious kiss. Solid, easy, teasing, arousing. She glanced back to the window where the teen girls were working behind the counter making cones. She really wanted one suddenly.
She needed to cool down.
“No, that’s okay. Thanks, but that’s not a great idea. I’m only here a week.”
Winnie eyed her. “Are you blushing? Or are you just hot? It’s humid today.”
“It’s the humidity. We don’t have it like this in California.” That was true. But it was not the weather causing her to heat up from the inside out.
Winnie picked up her phone, her tears dried up. “I should text Todd and let him know everything is okay.” But then she studied her screen. “What is this?” She tapped her screen. “Leighton, are you making out with Axl Moore?”
Her stomach dropped. “What?” Sure, the feed had been live, but it went to the staff at Wedding Crashers, not out into the world. She didn’t think. It never had before. It was meant to capture clips for editing into the show. “What are you talking about?”
Winnie turned her phone. “That is you. That is the dress you’re wearing right now!”
It was bizarre to see herself on camera. She was leaning against the car, which was unfortunate because she was taking up the majority of the screen. Axl towered over her, and his left arm was clearly visible, a lot of biceps on display. His hand was buried in her hair and yep, they were making out. She swallowed. It looked as good as it had felt.
“Well. Yes. That is me. And Axl.” She wasn’t sure what else to say beyond that. There was no denying it. She studied Axl. Damn, he was sexy. That dark hair, those strong cheekbones. All those muscles. That massive height. “I need an ice cream cone.”
She swung her leg over the picnic table they were seated at and was about to stand up when her phone rang. It was Sadie. Dang it. Terrified, she answered the call. “Hello?”
“What is going on in Minnesota? Jill just got a call from the fiancé who said he is not doing the show.”
“I’m on the call too,” Jill, the show’s producer, said. “Leighton, this is not good. We need to regroup and find someone else in Beaver Bend who wants to take the spot.”
“Jill, this is a very small town. I doubt we can find someone.”
“Work on it. Ask around. Also, we need to discuss you being clearly more focused on your personal life than your job. I didn’t send you to Minnesota to have sex with a police officer.”
Oh, God. Leighton hung her head and rubbed her forehead. There was no point in protesting. “Got it.” She wanted to ask what glitch had set that clip out into the world but there was no way asking would make it better. Hey, I thought only my co-workers would see me kissing a cop didn’t sound all that professional.
“I said be more fun, not act like a college girl on spring break,” Sadie said.
That seemed like a hell of a leap, but Leighton wasn’t going to argue. She was on thin ice. Plus, she was flat-out mortified.
“Find a replacement bride,” Jill said. “Or I’m terminating your employment with Wedding Crashers.”
There it was. Boom. The other shoe dropping. She felt sick and a little lightheaded. “I understand. I’m on it.”
She ended the call and took a deep breath. She could feel anxiety crawling over her skin, threatening to squeeze and crush her. Just breathe. There was a solution to every problem.
“Do you have any girlfriends who are engaged and want to get married next weekend?” Leighton asked Winnie.
She shook her head. “No. And if one of my friends took my spot on Wedding Crashers, I would cut a bitch. Just saying.”
Leighton hadn’t even considered that, but she didn’t blame Winnie. She’d feel the same way. “Fair enough. I’ll just post on social media.”
Winnie raised her eyebrows but she didn’t question it. “Let me go buy you an ice cream cone. You look like you need it.”
Leighton needed the ice cream cone, a Minnesota bride, and a backbone.
Not necessarily in that order.
* * *
Axl sat across from the chief as still as possible. Another lesson he had learned in the military. Just sit silent and don’t fidget while you’re getting your ass handed to you on a platter. Anything you try to say can and will be used against you.
“You think traffic stops are your personal Tinder? What the fuck, Moore?” The chief was in his fifties, in decent shape, but getting thick around the middle. He had been shaving his head for the entirety of Axl’s tenure in the department. He had a wife he adored and three kids not much younger than Axl. He was a fair man, but no-bullshit.
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