“So, what’ll it be for dinner? Chicken or beef ramen?” Sarah Robins considered both of the Styrofoam cups of noodles she held in her hands—her last two choices for a decent meal before she headed out to work for the night.
Thank God tomorrow was payday so she could make a trip to Walmart and stock up on her staples—ramen, oatmeal, bread, peanut butter and jelly, fruit, and bottled water. Those were the basics she lived on. After she paid her by-the-week motel bill, she was left with around fifty dollars for all her other expenses, including groceries and toiletries.
She’d spent the past five weeks budgeting her money very carefully while also trying to save whatever was left after purchasing only the necessities she needed to get by on. Working twenty-five hours a week for minimum wage at a convenience store and gas station wasn’t ideal. Neither were her swing shift hours that meant she didn’t get off until midnight. But for now, it was a desperately needed job, and she’d do whatever it took to get back on her feet so she could finally leave the city that had brought her nothing but heartache.
Exhaling a deep breath and refusing to dwell on the painful memories of the past, Sarah decided on the chicken ramen. After opening a bottle of water, she filled a ceramic mug and put it into the small, compact microwave she’d bought at a second-hand store. A minute and a half later, she poured the boiling-hot water into the ramen and closed the lid to let it steam while she finished getting ready for work. She pulled on a pair of well worn jeans, a plain T-shirt, and sneakers. Makeup was a luxury she couldn’t afford, so she washed and moisturized her face, then put her hair into a ponytail.
Her stomach growled hungrily, and she picked up her soup and sat down on the bed to eat. Her motel room was small, with just a queen-sized bed, dresser, closet, and bathroom, but it was all she needed for now. And even if the Sleepy Time Motel catered to a less-than-savory clientele who tended to pay for a room by the hour, it was better than the nights she’d spent at the homeless shelter or on the streets. She was grateful she had a place to lay her head every night, with a door that securely locked and bolted, until she was ready to move on.
Her end goal was to make a new life for herself anyplace other than Chicago. She needed to leave here, and soon, because it was just a matter of time before her possessive ex-boyfriend, Dylan, found her. And there was no doubt in Sarah’s mind that he was looking for her. It was hard to forget how he’d threatened to come after her if she ever left him or if she escaped the cult-like compound where they’d lived for nearly three weeks.
A shiver stole through her when she thought about where, exactly, her life had been headed and what she’d been expected to do while living in the gated community. She considered herself lucky she’d managed to get out with just the clothes on her back and a little over fifty dollars in her pocket. But she was now considered a deserter—a punishable offense according to the rules of the Sacrosanct community—which was why she was keeping a low profile and saving everything she could to start over somewhere far away.
This time, she was determined to get it right. To be strong and independent, without relying on a man for anything. She was finished letting her insecurities rule her emotions, and she was done getting involved with the kind of guys who were only out for themselves and ended up using her for their own purposes, like the situation with Dylan that she’d narrowly escaped. The future was all about finally putting the past, and her bad choices, behind her, and she was looking forward to a clean slate.
Finished with her meal, Sarah glanced at the clock on the dresser. The bus would be at her stop in twenty minutes, so she headed out the door and into the early evening dusk. The motel’s parking lot was already alive with activity for a Tuesday night, and Sarah did her best to hold her head up high without making any eye contact with the sleazy men who were there to either score drugs or a prostitute. She was thankful the bus stop was less than a block down the road, but that didn’t stop her from clutching her compact-size mace in her hand.
Once she was settled on the bus, she relaxed for a bit, though she was always keenly aware of her surroundings, especially in this area. She honestly couldn’t wait until she could leave this town and her job at Circle K, and she reminded herself that every day at work brought her that much closer to leaving it all behind.
There was one thing she’d miss once she moved on, though—or rather, one particular person, she thought with a private smile—and that was Levi Kincaid. The gorgeous, hot cop with light green eyes that made her think of the sea glass she’d used to find at the beach when she was a young girl, before she’d lost her entire family to a house fire. Another painful part of her past she didn’t like to dwell on. She much preferred thinking about Levi.
Over the past five weeks, he’d made a habit of stopping at the convenience store around eleven thirty at night with his partner, right before his shift ended—to get a drink and late-night snack for the ride back to the station, or so he claimed. But considering his flirty comments and his blatant interest, she suspected it was all an excuse to see her. He’d even asked her out a few times, but as attracted as she was, and as tempted as he made her feel, she knew the timing was all wrong, and she’d turned him down every single time.
His attention was flattering, especially since she wasn’t one of those beautiful, confident girls who typically turned a man’s head. At least, not a man as devastatingly sexy as Levi. She was plain and ordinary and certainly nothing special. But for the handful of minutes that Levi spent in the store, charming her with his smile and words, she imagined that she was someone special.
Levi Kincaid was the best part of her night, the one exciting thing she had to look forward to. And she was going to miss him when she was gone.
* * *
“When are you going to face the fact that this chick just isn’t into you?”
Levi Kincaid glanced across the dark interior of the unmarked SUV to his partner, Nick Catalano, who was alternating his attention between navigating the road and making sure Levi saw his smartass smirk. It wasn’t the first time his friend had given Levi shit about his request to stop by Circle K on their way back to the station after their shift ended.
For the past two months, they’d been assigned to the DUI Strike Force in the area, which made stopping by the mart convenient. Seeing and flirting with Sarah Robins was just a bonus.
“She’s totally into me, so that’s not the issue,” Levi refuted confidently, not at all bothered by Nick’s ribbing. There were many times he’d caught the tempting way Sarah looked at him when she didn’t think he was aware of her. And there was no mistaking the attraction between them she was so determined to fight. He just hadn’t figured out why yet. But he would.
“Then what’s the problem?” Nick persisted—this from a man who was all about instant gratification when it came to women, while Levi was more . . . selective.
“I’m not sure yet,” he replied honestly.
Truthfully, he was having a hell of a time getting past that wariness of hers, which only made him more curious about who Sarah Robins was—and where she’d come from. Admittedly, his interest in her had nothing to do with him being an inquisitive cop and everything to do with him wanting her, in a deeper way than any female had gotten to him before. He just had to get her on the same page as him.
Levi wasn’t normally the type of guy who’d continue to pursue a woman who’d already turned him down half a dozen times. A smart man would have cut his losses after the first rejection, but from the moment he’d looked into Sarah’s sweet, soulful blue eyes, he’d felt a connection that only seemed to grow stronger every time he saw her.
And he certainly didn’t miss the irony of that realization, when he was a man adept at maintaining strict control of his emotions—in all aspects of his life.
“This is a shit part of town,” Nick said, stating the obvious, which brought Levi’s thoughts back to the present. “As soon as we’re off this DUI task force, I don’t want to drive through this part of Englewood unless it’s for a call, so close the deal with Sarah already.”
“Winning a woman over takes time, Catalano,” Levi said easily—especially one as wary as Sarah. “Though that’s something I wouldn’t expect you to understand.”
“Hell no,” he agreed with a quick player’s grin. “That’s too much fucking work when there are plenty of women who take one look at this uniform and are instantly willing and eager to bend over and drop their panties. Trust me, getting laid, and regularly, is not an issue for me.”
Levi had plenty of offers; he was just more particular about his bed partners. He didn’t do one-night stands, but he didn’t do long-term committed, either. The few women he’d dated and allowed into his private life were looking for the same thing he was—a mutually satisfying physical relationship without any emotional involvement. More importantly, they were willing to let him be in control during all aspects of sex.
And Sarah, from everything he’d learned so far, didn’t strike him as the type looking for long term, either. Which made his pursuit easier for him to justify . . . and live with.
Arriving at the Circle K, Nick turned the SUV into the deserted lot. He drove past the gas station area and stopped in front of the convenience store instead of parking the vehicle.
“I noticed the back tire was low at the DUI check point,” Nick said, explaining why he hadn’t pulled into one of the many empty spaces in front of the mart like he normally did. “While you run inside and do your thing, I’m going to drive around back and fill the tire up with air. I’ll meet you out front when you’re done.”
“Sounds good.” Levi released his seat belt and opened the door. “You want anything?”
Nick grinned. “Yeah, I’ll take a root beer and a Snickers bar.”
“You got it.” Levi hopped out of the truck, and while his partner drove off and disappeared behind the building, he headed toward the store.
Out of years of habit, he glanced around the area, looking for anything, or anyone, who might be out of place. Especially in this part of town. But it was a quiet evening, and there weren’t any other cars or people around, which wasn’t unusual for a late Tuesday night. He walked into the store, and to his immediate left was the main counter and two registers. Sarah was sitting on a stool reading a magazine, and as soon as she heard someone enter, she looked up.
Her bored expression immediately transformed to one of pleasure as a genuine, happy-to-see-him smile curved her soft, lush mouth, which never failed to make him think about slowly licking his tongue across that full lower lip before kissing her, or how that mouth would feel sliding down the length of his cock as she looked up at him from a kneeling position on the floor at his feet.
Heat and desire mingled in his belly and lower as he strolled toward the counter. Yeah, he’d stored up five long weeks’ worth of the hottest, most sinful fantasies of Sarah, in some of the most erotic scenarios he could imagine. Those dirty thoughts had come in handy when he’d lain in bed, hard and aching and needing relief. With his hand wrapped tight around his dick, those decadent visions playing through his mind never failed to alleviate his lust.
But the relief was always temporary. He wanted the real thing. He wanted Sarah, her body soft and warm beneath his, and her willing to give herself over to him in all the ways he desired. And that kind of trust took time. And patience. Both of which he had in abundance.
Setting the magazine aside, she moved off her chair and stood on the opposite side of the counter from him. She was wearing a plain T-shirt and worn jeans, and it wasn’t the first time that he had the thought that her body was almost too slender for her frame. Which made him want to cook her a carb-loaded meal, just to watch her eat and put on a few extra pounds to fill out her curves.
With her light brown hair pulled into a ponytail—he’d never seen it any other way—her delicate features were more prominent, her eyes bigger and bluer. She wasn’t one of those gorgeous, made-up women, but that was more Nick’s type than his. Rather, she was pretty in a way that was all natural, her complexion soft and smooth with a hint of pink from the light blush sweeping across her cheeks.
She absently ran her tongue along her bottom lip, her clear, sky-blue eyes taking in his appearance just as openly. “Good evening, Officer Kincaid.”
Officer Kincaid. He liked the way that sounded in her soft, husky tone. His dick liked it, too, and he suddenly wanted to hear that breathless voice in a much more intimate setting. Like his bedroom. Preferably with her naked, restrained, and begging him for what she wanted and needed.
Another surge of awareness hummed through his body, and he wiped those sexy thoughts from his mind before they got him in trouble. “Hi, Sarah,” he said, smiling at her. “How are things tonight?”
“Quiet and slow,” she replied with a small shrug. “You’re the first customer I’ve had in the past hour.”
“Where’s Robby?” he asked as he casually glanced around the front end of the store for the guy who usually worked the night shift with her. Knowing that she wasn’t completely alone and vulnerable to any asshole who might come into the store had always made Levi feel marginally better.
She shifted on her feet. “He went home about a half hour ago. He wasn’t feeling well and said he felt like he was coming down with the flu. The last thing I need is to catch whatever he’s got, so I told him to leave.”
The crime rate in this lower-income part of the city was significant, with late-night marts being a prime source of robberies. He frowned at her, his protective instincts automatically rising, though they felt a helluva lot stronger when it came to her safety than just a cop’s concern. “So you’re here all by yourself?”
“Yes,” she said with an amused laugh.
When he crossed his arms over his chest and didn’t crack a smile, she realized how serious he was about the situation.
“It’s really not a big deal, Levi,” she rushed to assure him. “There’s only twenty minutes left until graveyard shift comes in and relieves me and I can go home. I’m not going to be here by myself for much longer. And it’s not like we have a mad rush of customers tonight.”
That wasn’t the point, but Levi let the issue go, considering her co-workers would be there soon enough. Instead, he leaned a hip against the counter and moved on to a different and more personal topic. The one that usually ended with a rejection. It was a good thing he didn’t have a fragile ego.
“So, any plans for the coming weekend?” he asked as he casually hooked his thumbs into the utility belt around his waist. “Saturday, specifically?”
The corner of her mouth quirked slightly at his indirect way of asking her out. “Just working.”
He tipped his head curiously. “No days off?”
She hesitated for a moment before responding. “I do have Sunday off, but that’s my day to do stuff.”
Stuff. Which sounded like an excuse to him.
“What about fun?” he countered easily. “Ever take time for that?”
“It’s been awhile,” she admitted softly.
He didn’t miss the quick flicker of sadness in her gaze that made him want to reach out and touch her, to use his thumb to smooth away the crease that had formed between her brows. Resisting the urge took more effort than he’d expected. “Then how about you say yes to a date with me, and I’ll remedy that for you. I’m all about having a good time with a pretty girl,” he added with a wink.
She opened her mouth to speak, and certain a denial was about to spill out, he quickly held up a hand to stop her. “Wait. Don’t say anything.” She pressed her lips back together, and even though her gaze was wary, he continued on while he still had a bit of leverage. “I want you to really think about your answer this time, instead of automatically turning me down, because one more rejection might just crush me.”
Light laughter escaped her. “I truly doubt that.”
He leaned across the counter so he was a bit closer. “But do you really want to take that chance?” he teased.
He’d meant to make her laugh again, so that she’d lower her guard a little more. But instead, her doubtful gaze searched his expression, looking for answers he didn’t know the questions to until she finally asked.
“Why me?”
The uncertainty in her voice caught him by surprise, but his response was immediate and sincere. “Why not you?”
“Because girls like me . . .” She shook her head and glanced away, but not before he saw the pained look in her eyes. “Never mind.”
He wasn’t going to let her off so easy. Not with a statement like that. “Girls like you . . . what?” he persisted.
She released an exasperated sigh and met his gaze again. “I just think you and I come from different worlds, or opposite sides of the city, as the case may be.”
He arched a brow. “And you’re basing that assumption on what, exactly? Me being a cop?”
“Yes,” she replied with a nod.
Little did she know, the respectable image he presented to the public as a police officer hid a wealth of deep, dark secrets—along with a past that was grim and twisted and would undoubtedly horrify her if she knew the truth. It was those memories that reminded him much too often which side of the city he’d grown up in—the shitty, hellish side where he and his brothers had struggled every single day to survive.
But he didn’t tell her any of that because it didn’t matter in the scheme of wanting a date with her. Instead, he flashed her a persuasive smile. “Sweetheart, there’s a whole lot more to me than just this uniform and my good looks,” he teased. “But the only way you’re going to find out who I am out of this uniform is to say yes.” And yeah, he’d deliberately given that comment a double meaning she clearly didn’t miss. “So, just think about that for a few minutes, and when I come back, hopefully you’ll give me a different answer.”
He pushed away from the counter and walked down one of the snack aisles. But instead of getting Nick’s Snickers bar and their drinks from the cooler, Levi headed toward the back of the store to use the men’s restroom first. He took care of business, washed his hands, and just as he was drying them with a paper towel, he heard a loud male voice yelling from somewhere in the store.
Immediately concerned, he slipped from the restroom and moved silently down the hallway to assess the situation. He glanced around the corner and felt his stomach lurch when he saw a tall, lanky man in his mid-twenties up by the front counter, with a gun pointed directly at Sarah as she opened the cash register, the terror on her face nearly gutting Levi.
Jesus fucking Christ. With only seconds to make a decision, he moved back into the hallway and used his shoulder mic to report a 10-31, robbery in progress, to Nick and dispatch, then turned off the radio so the suspect wouldn’t hear any response. Retrieving his gun from his holster, he ducked below the shelving to keep his presence concealed. Then, slowly, he moved toward the front of the store so he had a better vantage point before confronting the man. His heart pumped hard and fast in his chest, along with a rush of adrenaline, and all he could think about was Sarah and making sure she got out of this situation safely.
“All the money, now, bitch,” the guy screamed like a crazed person hopped up on drugs. “You’re going way too fucking slow, and if you don’t hurry up I’m going to blow your fucking head off!”
He heard Sarah make a soft sound of distress, and knowing he at least had the element of surprise on his side, Levi stepped out into the open, gun raised, and pointed it at the man’s chest. “Police, drop your gun!”
The suspect immediately turned at the sound of his voice, the weapon he was holding now aiming straight at Levi. The man’s hand moved slightly, and without hesitating, Levi pulled his trigger just as the perp opened fire and two individual shots rang out.
The impact of the bullet striking Levi’s body armor hurt like a motherfucker and forced him back a step. Somehow he managed to catch himself before he fell on his ass. The other man wasn’t as fortunate. Levi’s shot nailed the guy in his right shoulder, causing him to drop his gun as he screamed in pain.
Still reeling from the hit, Levi nevertheless moved to take the robber down, but Nick came barreling through the doors and beat him to it. Within seconds, his partner had the suspect face down on the ground and was securing him in cuffs, which gave Levi a moment to catch his breath, considering he felt as though he’d been hit in the rib cage by a baseball bat.
“Oh, my God, Levi!” Sarah rushed around the front counter, her face pale and her eyes wide with fear as she reached him. “He shot you. Are you okay?”
He secured his weapon in his holster and glanced down at the gaping hole in his ballistic vest and the slug buried in the Kevlar fibers. “Jesus,” he muttered, shocked by the realization that yeah, he’d been shot. Which was quickly followed by gratitude for the armor that had most likely saved his life.
“I’ll be okay,” he said as he looked Sarah over thoroughly to make sure she wasn’t injured in any way. “Did he hurt you at all?”
“No, I’m fine,” she assured him, her quivering voice not as confident as her words. “Just shaken up.”
His first instinct was to take care of Sarah, to get her out of this fucking convenience store that she shouldn’t be working at in the first place, but he didn’t have that luxury. He now had a crime scene to process, and knowing that Sarah was okay, his job was a priority.
“I know that was scary as hell, but I need you to stay behind the counter while we arrest the suspect and collect evidence,” he told her as he heard Nick calling for EMT assistance on his shoulder mic. “And don’t touch anything, okay?”
She nodded in understanding and did as Levi asked, giving him the ability to focus on the situation at hand. Within minutes, backup arrived, and the store was filled with police activity. The suspect was read his rights and taken out to one of the ambulances that had arrived to transport him to the hospital for treatment. Afterwards, he’d be taken to jail.
Levi started the paperwork part of the investigation.
“Hey, Ironman. In case it escaped your notice, you were shot,” his partner said gruffly. “Despite the vest, you need to have the paramedics take a look and make sure you’re okay.”
“I’m good,” he lied, deliberately ignoring the throbbing pain in his left side whenever he inhaled a deep breath. “I can still see the back end of the bullet, so I’m not dealing with an open wound.” Besides, the sooner they wrapped up the crime scene and investigation, the sooner he could get Sarah out of here, since the two employees who worked the graveyard shift at the convenience mart had arrived. “Let’s get this done and then I’ll have the EMT check it out.”
While Levi handled the crime scene and log, collected and recorded evidence, and had one of the other employees give him a copy of the surveillance video, Nick interviewed Sarah and wrote down her statement. An hour later, all the paperwork was complete, the area cleaned up, and Sarah was still exactly where Levi had told her to stay—sitting on the stool behind the front counter.
Levi walked around the counter. As he approached, he realized how exhausted she looked—and again, he experienced that inexplicable urge to take care of her—because she just looked so damn vulnerable after being held up at gunpoint.
All his life, he’d been surrounded by some form of violence—from childhood to the military to being in law enforcement—and a part of him was immune to most of the brutality in the world around him. But he was pretty damn sure that Sarah wasn’t used to having her life threatened with a gun pointed at her head, and he hated that some doped-up asshole had changed all that for her.
He stopped right in front of the knees she’d pressed so primly together, and it was harder than hell not to push them apart so he could step even closer. “You ready to get out of here?” he asked.
She nodded eagerly, her expression grateful that she was finally being released. “Yes. Are you done with me?”
He allowed a sexy smile to curve his lips. Touching his fingers under her chin, he tipped her face up so he was looking directly into her wide eyes.
“Sweet, sweet Sarah. What a silly question,” he chastised in a soft murmur so only she could hear. “You should know by now that I’m not even close to being done with you.”
