Jake’s expression softened. “I almost forgot how kind you are.”
“Our history is not her fault.”
Our eyes locked and the air around us grew so thick and hot, it felt like even my skin couldn’t breathe. I stood up, exhaling heavily, like I’d just come out of an oppressive sauna after being trapped inside for days. “I’ve got to go. I need to hit the gym.”
“You work out?”
I nodded, watching as he unfolded himself from the chair and stood to tower over me. “I still haven’t given up on the idea of applying to the police academy after college, and I think a cop should be in good shape.”
“Of course. I work out too. We should go together.”
I opened my mouth to say no but as soon as I looked up into his warm, eager eyes, I melted. “Okay.”
I was such an idiot.
Seconds after I threw the door open and saw Jake standing there, I burst out laughing, delighted at what he was wearing. “You didn’t!”
He grinned back at me. “You said you were going as a cop.”
I giggled as he reached out and wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me against his body so he could duck his head and kiss me. My hands automatically wrapped around his neck and my lips parted to let his tongue dance with mine. We came up for air at the sound of a throat clearing. I tensed as I turned to find my dad in the doorway, glaring at Jake.
“Have her back by ten.”
Uh, I didn’t think so. “Dad, we’re going to Hub’s after the dance. A whole group of us.”
Dad’s mouth pressed tight as I begged him with my eyes. “Fine,” he sighed heavily. “Eleven.”
I was going to protest this as well, but Jake squeezed my waist to silence me and answered respectfully, “Eleven it is, Mr. Redford.”
Dad gave him a wary nod before his eyes flickered back to me. He took in my costume and grimaced. Feeling another argument coming on, I pulled out of Jake’s arms and gave my dad a quick kiss on the cheek. “Tell Mom I said goodnight.”
My dad’s expression softened and he brushed my jaw affectionately. “Have a good time, sweetheart.” His focus sharpened on Jake. “But not too good a time.”
“Dad, I’m going with Jake … I’ll have an awful time.”
Jake grunted behind me but I made Dad smile, so it was worth it. I said another goodbye and then Dad closed the door behind us. Jake held my hand as we walked to his truck.
“So, if you’re going to have such an awful time with me … why are we going?” Jake teased.
Glancing up at him from under my lashes, I checked him out in his tight, black, long-sleeved top, black jeans, black boots, and the black cloth with eyeholes cut out tied around his upper face. “I said that to loosen up my dad. If I told him the truth, he’d lock me up until I’m thirty.” I got into Hendrix as he held the door open.
“And what’s the truth?” he asked and then hurried to get into the driver’s side.
“That I’m even more smitten with my boyfriend since he dressed up as a robber to go with my cop costume.”
Jake chuckled. “Smitten?”
“It’s a good word.”
“It’s a little tame.”
“It’s too early in the night for anything racier.”
He quirked an eyebrow. “But you were thinking something racy?”
“Let’s just say I like your costume. A lot.”
As Jake slowed at a red light, he turned to look at me, his eyes drifting down my body and back up again. “I like your costume a lot too.”
After speaking to Lacey and Rose about costumes for the Halloween dance, I knew my cop costume was nowhere near as revealing as what they planned to wear, but my girlie cop costume was tight, so tight my dad nearly had an apoplectic fit. There was a point I didn’t think he’d let me out the door, but my mom managed to talk him around. I didn’t see what the problem was—I wasn’t showing any cleavage or leg. Okay, so maybe the pants fit like a second skin and I was wearing a padded bra under the snug blue shirt, but other than that, it was perfectly acceptable attire.
“Lukas is dressed like a robber too.”
I smiled. “Why?”
“Because it was an easy costume.”
“That’s really why you chose it, right?”
“Nope.” He smiled boyishly. “I chose it to increase the possibility of you using those cuffs on me later.”
Sometimes I wondered if he was trying to fluster me when he said stuff like that, but he really should know better by now. I patted the cuffs clipped to my belt. “Well, if you play your cards right …”
Unfortunately, Jake was hard to catch off guard. Rather than choke and get all turned on like any normal sixteen-year-old boy would, he just smiled like I amused him. “Baby, we ever really use cuffs, I won’t be the one in them.”
Now I was the one making strangled noises. “Jake!”
“What?”
“We’re sixteen!”
He laughed as he pulled into the school parking lot. “So?”
“It’s one thing to joke about it but another to actually ... you’re like a thirty-year-old trapped in a teenage boy’s body.”
“Wow.” Jake stopped the engine and turned to me. “I did it. I finally got you ruffled. Over handcuffs.” He winked at me. “I’ll keep that in mind.” He got out of the truck before I could punch him in the arm.
I got out after him. “You’re not funny.”
“I’m hilarious.” He pulled me into his side, letting go of my hand so he could wrap his arm around my waist.
Approaching school we saw a bunch of freshman hanging out at the main entrance. A tall kid dressed head to toe in black turned and I recognized him instantly. Lukas. Jake and I had been dating for almost two months and had each been to the other’s house for dinner. This meant I’d spent some time with his brother only to discover that Lukas was a younger version of Jake, brimming over with cocky charm and charisma.
As we drew to a stop in front of him, Lukas gave me a body scan as he whistled. “Looking hot, Charlotte.”
“Luke, eyes up or I’ll detach your retinas,” Jake warned.
Lukas grinned mischievously. “Not my fault your girlfriend is hot.”
“Lukas, stop checking me out. It’s weird. You’re a fetus.”
Looking affronted, Lukas held his hands to his chest. “Moi? I’ll have you know I’ve been sweeping women off their feet since I was five. I have a wealth of experience, baby. Ditch the old guy and I’ll show you the time of your life.”
“You need to stop spending time with your brother.” I glanced up at Jake, glaring at him. “He needs to stop spending time with you.”
Jake’s body shook against mine as he laughed quietly. “This,” he gestured to Lukas, “has nothing to do with me. If this is how I act, shoot me, shoot me now.”
“Pfft.” Lukas made a face. “You wish you had my game.”
Jake closed his eyes as if in pain. “It hurts, it physically hurts.”
I laughed and tugged on Jake’s waist. “C’mon. Let’s leave the player to play.”
Throwing me a wink scarily like the one Jake had given me in the car, Lukas turned back to his friends and my boyfriend led me into the dance. Lacey and Rose hurried over as we strolled into the darkened gymnasium, avoiding black and orange streamers, string, and fake webs. A paper spider fluttered into my face, almost scratching my cornea. I batted it away, tripping over Jake’s foot.
“Someone overdid it on the decorations,” I grumbled as Jake righted me.
“What are you wearing?” Lacey screeched and I turned in Jake’s arms with wide eyes.
“Ow!” I shook my ear out pointedly.
Lacey winced. “Sorry. But what are you wearing?”
“My cop costume. I told you.”
“But … I thought it would be like a skirt version. A short skirt version.” She gestured meaningfully to her and Rose’s costumes. Lacey was wearing a sexy vampire outfit, her dress a good few inches above her knees, while Rose was wearing a very short sexy nurse costume. Both were also showing off a lot of cleavage. It was a wonder they’d gotten past the chaperones, but as I studied the room, I saw there were quite a few sexy outfits and a lot of uncomfortable-looking male teachers. “The tight pants are hot, I’ll grant you, but a skirt would’ve been hotter.”