Burning Seduction Read Free Page B

he has some reservations about her dating a cop, but he also wants her to be happy.”
    “Good to know.” Trent needed to mingle, or rather, he needed to make sure Devon wasn’t being a jerk to Charlotte. And he certainly didn’t need Sharon trying to set him up.
    As he turned to check out the scene, Sharon clasped his arm again. “Not so fast, big boy. You like her, right?”
    Damned bulldog. He wasn’t sure he liked the direction of this line of inquiry. Her kids lived out of state, so perhaps she missed being a mom.
    “Charlotte’s very nice.”
    “Just nice?” Sharon’s brows rose.
    “Sharon Dumont. What’s going on?”
    She had the decency to glance away. “A few days ago, Charlotte came into the office to see her dad, and we got to chatting. You hurt her feelings when you didn’t call.”
    Shit. He worried that might be the case. “I was her bodyguard, not her date.” Though he’d thought about being more.
    Sharon lifted a shoulder. “Just saying. Charlotte keeps asking about you, and I think you two would be perfect for each other. She’s young, pretty, and single.”
    The Rock Hard Police Department should hire this woman. She’d make a great interrogator. Before he had the chance to voice his reasons for not asking her out, the front door opened and his boss, Dan Hartwick, came in wearing a suit—of course.
    Sharon’s eyes lit up, and it was as if Trent wasn’t even in the room. She turned back to him. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to harass Dan.”
    Dan? From what he’d heard, Dan wanted nothing to do with her. She was a loose cannon, not to mention uptight-Dan didn’t date—though he never discussed why. His past seemed to be a taboo subject.
    Trent looked around for Charlotte but couldn’t find her. Thinking she might be in the kitchen, he headed that way, but no sooner had he taken a step than Vic appeared, coming toward him. Trent wasn’t in the mood for a lecture from him about his daughter, so he pretended as if he needed to use the bathroom and hightailed it down the hallway. Two bedroom doors sat ajar on the right, while the one door on the left was closed. It seemed logical this was the bathroom. As he twisted the knob, the door flew open and he almost tumbled into Charlotte.
    Down boy.
    *     *     *
    Charlotte’s breath caught, and her stomach did all sorts of odd twisting, not to mention what was happening between her legs. She’d seen Sharon chatting with Trent and didn’t need to guess what that conversation was about—her. Her dad’s secretary seemed determined to have Charlotte find true love, and she believed Trent was that man. Charlotte couldn’t agree more.
    “Excuse me,” Trent said, his gaze never leaving her face.
    Her pulse soared. “No problem. I’m finished.” What a dumb thing to say. If she hadn’t been done, she wouldn’t be leaving.
    As she stepped into the doorway, Trent didn’t move, and when her eyes connected with his, her heart beat frantically. She wanted this man, and from the way he was looking at her, he wanted her, too. Or did he? Maybe the blood pounding in her ears had halted all rational thought.
    “I really need to thank you,” she said as her hands touched his abs and started a slow glide up his body.
    “For what?” he asked.
    When his hands clasped her waist, she figured it was as good as a green flag. Some invisible force seemed to lift her arms and wrap them around his neck. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him—something she’d wanted to do for months.
    When he didn’t jerk away, anticipation weakened her, and her heart slammed against her ribs. Then his tongue slid along the seam of her lips and she thought she’d been delivered to the pearly gates themselves. Hungry for him, she opened up and plunged in. Not only did he smell of pine and musk, he tasted like mint. The incredible intensity lasted about two seconds before Trent broke the contact, and devastation claimed her.
    “I didn’t mean to do