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It was eight o’clock before she knew it "Pack it in, kids," she said

"Show us your cop trick," Tamara said The kids had been ridiculously thrilled last time when she’d radioed Dispatch for an audio check Smartphones had replaced the wonder of walkie-talkies, it seeested

"That would be illegal and get me fired," she said

"Tase Dalton," Kelsey said

"I can’t I can’t tase anyone, alas," Emmaline said "So unfair"

"Show us how to take down the bad guy," Cory suggested

"Yeah!" Tamara said

"I volunteer," Dalton said "Don’t be rough with hty toddler

"Inappropriate, young lanced at Jack "Do youdown an assailant?"

"Hell, no," he said

She felt a warm buzz in her lady parts She was about to touch hiht hurt you," she warned

"You can try," he said

"Oh, a challenge! How thrilling for little old rabyou’d say that," he murmured

"There are children present Behave"

"I’uy I’m not supposed to behave" He smiled

She narrowed her eyes, then turned her back Was her heart e a little too hard and fast? Why, yes, the idiot organ was

The kids gathered around to watch

"How should I grab you?" Jack asked

"Any way you want," she said

He bear-hugged her, eliciting a bark of joy and soe, and Em really would’ve liked to just sit there and think happy thoughts and maybe press back a little bit and had she washed her hair today? Hopefully, it sarlic Oh, where was she? She did a neat step-twist-push, and Jack was down on his knees and then flat on his face, and she had her knee in the s hi at the kids

"Yeah, Officer Em!" Tahteen in twothat out there"

Her dog loped over, licked Em’s face and then bit Jack’s ear "Ow," he said

"That’s it for tonight, kids I’ll see you next week AndJack is not just here to look pretty"

She uncuffed her volunteer, and he got up "Next time we use handcuffs, it’s my turn," he said, his voice low and, uh, scrapey and velvety at the sa the cuffs back on her belt and not blushing

"See you, Officer Em," Cory said

"You bet, honey Stay out of trouble, okay?"

Heup his droopy pants Kelsey followed, staring zombielike at her phone, and Dalton and Taood with kids," Jack said

"You, too I’m surprised you and Hadley didn’t have any"

"Why do you always bring her up?" He folded his arlare

"Why is she always around? Why don’t you tell her to take a flying--"

"This is America She can live wherever she wants"

"I think you like having a stalker How’s her delicate little ankle?"

"Swollen and blue"

"You going over to carry her to bed? Tuck her in, read her a story?"

Jack didn’t answer Just kept looking at her, then raised an eyebroith great effect Ee flopped down on the floor and began gnawing on Jack’s bootlace

"Would you have dinner with me if Hadley wasn’t around?" Jack asked

"Would you want to have dinner with me if Hadley wasn’t around?" she countered "That’s the real question"

"I’ closer "I had a nice ti with you I’d like to see hed "What did I say?"

"Nothing! You’re just hard to argue with"

"So don’t argue" There it was again, that deep, velvety voice "Just say yes" Em sed

If she were honest, she’d say, "Here’s the thing, Jack, I want a devoted husband and three extrehtfully irrepressible children You up for that? Because otherwise, let’s skip dinner, since I’d probably fall in love with you in twenty, twenty-fivethe same about me"

He reached out and touched her earlobe

Good God She was halfway to Planet Orgasrip, Neal You own adult toys for a reason

"Coain, as she to tell hi about dating, not reallyit was just "dinner," which probably would lead to sexy time, and in this case, sexy time probably meant "I’d rather do you than have a flashback and also use you to make my ex-wife jealous" and that, friends, here stupidity lay, but his finger really knehat it was doing, and who knew earlobes were directly connected to other parts of her anatomy?

His phone chimed with a text