Free PASSIONATE ENCOUNTERS by Tory Richards

narrowed his eyes on her suspiciously, trying to see
through the mischievous twinkle staring back at him. Did she know?
    “That’s a shame. How long have you been married?”
    He noticed that her hands were resting lightly on his
shoulders, her fingers tapping to the beat of the music. A smile softened her
mouth, making it appear as velvety and dewy as a rose petal.
    He would have been married for sixteen years but answered
honestly. “Ten years. He quickly changed the subject. “I think it’s time I take
you home.” It was almost midnight and the party appeared to be winding down.
    “That’s not necessary.” Her foot came down on top of his.
“Sorry…”
    As far as Mike was concerned she’d just proved his point
about needing a ride home. The look in his eyes told her so. “I don’t mind. If
memory serves me correctly, we don’t live that far away from each other.”
    “No, I mean I came with Amanda,” she explained. They stopped
moving when the music stopped, remaining close.
    “Well, unless my eyes were deceiving me a few minutes ago, I
saw Amanda leave.”
    Emma did move out of his arms then, her eyes widening. “She
wouldn’t just leave me!” she said with disbelief.
    Mike watched her carefully, crossing his arms while she
scanned the room with incredulity in her eyes. He gave her as long as she
needed to accept her situation. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth when
he saw her hike up her low-hanging pants again. Finally she turned back to him.
    “Convinced?” He grinned.
    “I could always phone for a cab,” she hedged. “I can’t
believe Amanda would just go off and leave me. She’s never done anything like
that before.”
    The innocence behind Emma biting down on her bottom lip
reminded Mike of something similar his daughter did when she was in trouble and
afraid to tell him about it. “It’s my duty as an officer of the law, ma’am.”
    “Because you think I’m inebriated?”
    She crossed her arms, which wasn’t a very good idea,
considering the action pushed her breasts up and drew his attention there. Emma
had beautiful, rounded breasts.
    Her challenging stance amused him. He knew he was using the
two glasses of punch she’d consumed earlier as an excuse to take her home. Am
I hoping something will happen between us? His cock was certainly hoping
so.
    “If I let you leave here and something happens…” He
purposely let his sentence trail off.
    Emma pinned her gaze on him, one well-shaped brow arching
high. “You’re forgetting one thing, Officer; I can still call for a cab.”
    Mike shrugged. “Good luck getting one any time soon. It’s
almost midnight and with all the Halloween parties going on tonight they’re
probably all pretty busy taking calls from other dizzy harem dancers.” He paused
for a moment. “And it’s Detective,” he corrected.
    It was the first time Mike commented about her costume.
Until then Emma had half-hoped he hadn’t paid much attention to it. Now she
became self-conscious. The way his gaze was moving over her made her feel he
could see right through it.
    “Detective,” she corrected in a sassy tone. “I guess I have
no choice but to let you do the gentlemanly thing and drive me home. Just let
me get my coat.” She walked away before he could say another word.
    On her way to the ladies’ room, Emma couldn’t help but wonder
what she was getting into. There was clearly something about Mike that drew her
to him, a definite chemistry between them. In addition, she liked his sense of
humor. She wasn’t at all certain she was looking for a relationship, although
it was apparent Amanda thought she was. One thing was certain though; Mike
wasn’t looking for a relationship. Since he was letting her believe he was
still married, that was the only conclusion she could draw. The question of the
century was, why?
    Slipping into her coat, she left the ladies’ room, noticing
the party was beginning to wind down fast. Someone had finally