Free PartyNaked by Mari Carr

to sneak in quite a
bit of reading time during a stakeout one night. Apart from the razzing he
caught from the other guys for reading a chick book, he’d actually enjoyed the
suspense aspect of the story, and the sex scenes were damn hot. He kept
imagining Stephanie in the role of the heroine and had spent more than a few
times jacking off in the bathroom as a result. Rather than be distracted from
his purpose, he forged on. “Looks pretty quiet in here today.”
    “Wednesdays are our slowest days,” Jayne confirmed.
    “Oh yeah? So it wouldn’t be a problem if I stole Stephanie
away tonight? Date night.”
    “A date?” Jayne’s tone confirmed his suspicions. Stephanie
didn’t go out much.
    “You know, I didn’t say yes, Jarod.” Stephanie’s arms were
crossed. “I have a lot of work to do.”
    Jayne snorted. “It’s like watching paint dry here today.
I’ll call Sophie and get her to mix the dozen or so drinks we’ll be lucky to
sell tonight.”
    Stephanie gave her friend a dirty look, but still didn’t
reply.
    “Stop looking for an out and say yes, Steph. It’ll be fun.”
He gave her what he hoped was a charming grin.
    She closed her eyes, but her face betrayed her. She wasn’t
annoyed or even upset. He took that as a good sign. “Fine,” she finally said.
    “Terrific. I’m going to run home and shower. Pick you up
around six?”
    She nodded. “Wait.” She grabbed a piece of paper and wrote
down her address. “Pick me up at my place.”
    He pocketed the paper as Jayne returned to her customer.
Walking toward the open end of the bar, he crooked his finger. “Come here a
minute.”
    “What for?”
    He chuckled. “Just come here.”
    She stomped over to him. “You know, we’re going to have to
talk about your tendency to be too controlling. I don’t answer to—”
    When she was within arm’s reach, he pulled her to him,
silencing her with a long kiss. He’d missed her lips, the taste and scent of
her. She lifted her arms, wrapped them around his neck and joined in.
    When Jarod pulled away, Stephanie raised a suspicious
eyebrow. “Shutting me up again?”
    He shrugged. “Nah. Just sealing the deal with a kiss. I’ll
see you at six.”
    He left the bar feeling optimistic. It was turning out to be
a very good day.
    * * * * *
    Stephanie laughed as Jarod dissected some of the lamer parts
of the movie they’d just watched. Neither of them had been anxious to see the
evening end, so when Jarod suggested they hit a local all-night diner for
dessert, she’d happily agreed.
    As far as first dates went, she wasn’t sure she’d ever had
more fun on one. Jarod was far too easy to be with. They shared a similar sense
of humor, relying heavily on cutting wit and sarcasm. He also didn’t take
himself too seriously, which was a nice break from the last few yahoos she’d
gone out with. Men like Hank, who lived by the I’m-a-stud-worship-me belief.
While Hank masked his insecurity with muscles and bravado, Jarod didn’t put
much stock him his looks, even though he was incredibly handsome and totally
built. He had a quiet confidence in his sexuality that was refreshing and
completely attractive.
    “So you solved the case already?” Conversation over dinner
had been relatively safe—both of them giving the well-rehearsed life-history
stories. Standard fare for first dates. However, there was something about
sharing a cup of coffee at midnight that invited more personal revelations.
    “Yep,” he admitted. “Thought you’d like to know your guy was
cleared.”
    “Guy? I thought you were following one of the Romantic
Hearts ladies.”
    Jarod shook his head. “Nope. It was that fella in the
corner, drinking the scotch.”
    “Elias?” Stephanie couldn’t help it. She laughed. “Oh my
God. I wish you’d told me who you suspected that night. I could have saved you
some trouble.”
    Jarod grinned. “I’m not sure he was ever a serious suspect,
but it was my first day on the job and the