Free Completely Consumed (Addicted To You, Book Eight) by Lucy Covington Page A

him—made her a little weak. She caught her breath, but inhaled just enough to smell the clean scent of shampoo and soap and maybe some cologne.
    And then he’d gotten his registration and was rolling down his window as the police officer approached the driver’s side door. “License and registration,” the cop drawled in a tone of voice that indicated an unpleasant mood.
    Elijah was instantly a different person. His whole demeanor had changed. He had been scowling a moment ago, but now he was smiling. “Morning officer,” he said, as he handed over the registration, then dug into his pocket, took out his wallet, and fumbled briefly until he found his license. He handed that over as well.
    The cop glanced down at Elijah’s license. “Mister Daniels, do you realize how fast you were going just now?”
    “I’m really sorry sir.” Elijah put his hand on Caelyn’s thigh. His hand was strong and warm, and instantly her skin began tingling. “Me and my girlfriend got to chatting and I must not have noticed that I was going too fast. We’ve been on the road for a bit, and she was trying to keep me alert.”
    The officer nodded, but his mouth was pulled down into a frown. He looked into the window and saw Caelyn. They made eye contact and she tried a friendly smile, but the cop was having none of it.
    “Where you two headed?”
    “Florida, sir. Taking a little road trip, get some R&R.” Elijah flashed another smile and his hand softly rubbed her leg.
    Strangely, Caelyn found that she wasn’t at all bothered by the physical contact. In a bizarre way, she thought that she was actually enjoying this little charade—and that made absolutely no sense at all.
    The officer glanced into the back seat. “You need to be careful around here. Lot of accidents on this road last year.”
    Elijah nodded. “Yes sir. You’re right, sir.”
    “Well, I’m going to have to give you a ticket,” the officer sighed. “Please stay put.” He left the car and walked slowly back to his cruiser, got inside.
    Elijah watched him go in the rearview mirror.
    The smile was gone from his face. His eyes were completely transfixed, and he absentmindedly wiped the back of his hand across his mouth.
    Caelyn was wondering what on earth had gotten into him. Maybe he was worried about how much the ticket would cost. Or maybe he was concerned because he had outstanding tickets for other things…
    She decided not to say a word for now. The tension was so strong that she felt her stomach tightening as if a cord was being wrapped slowly around her insides.
    The time seemed to draw out. After what felt like nearly half an hour (but had to be much less), the officer got out of his car and came back to the driver’s side door.
    Elijah’s smile and easy demeanor were back in evidence again. “Hope you took it easy on us, officer. We need that extra money to go parasailing.”
    The policeman didn’t return the smile. He handed Elijah back his license and registration. And then he handed him a ticket. “I gave you a ticket for exceeding the speed limit. You can contest the ticket if you wish, or you can simply pay by mail or online. Please take it slow and be careful getting back on the highway, okay, Jake?” He patted the hood of the car softly. “Oh, and have fun in Florida. Remember to wear sunscreen.”
    “Yes, sir.”
    Had the policeman just called Elijah by another name? Caelyn felt like maybe she’d misheard.
    After the cop walked away, Elijah breathed a deep sigh of relief. He gave Caelyn the registration. “Would you mind putting this back in the glove compartment for me?”
    he asked.
    She took it and looked at the name on the form. It clearly said Jake Daniels.
    She opened the glove box and put the registration inside. Of course, everything inside the compartment was neat and stacked, totally orderly, just like the rest of the SUV. She closed the glove compartment, her heart racing, as Elijah started his car and slowly pulled out into