Free ARRESTED: A Stepbrother Cop Romance by Stephanie Brother Page B

way you like it."
    I
can’t hold the tears in anymore.   They
spill over my hot cheeks, dripping onto the knees of my jeans. I know that no
amount of begging will change his mind. There will be no reasoning with him
now. He’s gone too far. Threats have now become a reality. From the moment I
broke up with him, his revenge was decided. All the bullshit about us getting
back together, that was never his intention. He just wanted to control me and
find a way to humiliate me some more. He strung me along making me think I
could convince him to delete the pictures. That he wouldn't show anyone. But he
never had any intention of deleting them. He’d probably already shown them to
his friends before the party.
    I end
the call and sit staring at my phone, letting the full horror of my situation
sink in. All his friends know. That’s his whole fraternity, most likely. And
the football team. And his lame ass drinking buddies from the dive in town.
Even if just one other person saw them, the rumors will circulate. Tremors
shake my body as I finally let myself cry. If he’s let people see them, he’s probably
sent them out too, and as soon as those photos hit the internet, my dreams of
becoming a teacher will be ruined.
    I
have no choice. As much as I wanted to keep him out of this, Cory is the only
person who might be able to help me now. I swipe the tears from my face, get my
breathing under control and pick up my cell. With a trembling hand, I dial
Cory's number and hold my breath until he answers.
    "Officer
Carlisle." He barks his name as though he’s pissed or in the middle of
dealing with something unpleasant. Fuck. How the hell am I going to tell this
man who’s a virtual stranger, all the shit I have going on in my life? I pause
and the line at the other end is quiet.
    “Hello,”
he says impatiently.   There’s rustling as
though he’s looking at the phone screen to see if he recognizes the number.
    I
finally find my mouth but all I can think of to say is his name.
    "Cory."
    "Allyson?”
He’s not sure it’s me for a second.   Maybe he wasn’t expecting me to call him so soon. Maybe my voice sounds
different on the phone. “Are you okay?"
    I
shake my head, even though he can’t see it, and drag in another breath. I feel
so damn tired; drained to the marrow of my bones. All I need is a shoulder to
cry on or some arms to hold me. I need someone with a magic wand to conjure away
my problems and leave me swirling with fairy dust. But Cory isn’t magic.
There’s no one in my life who can help me. I shouldn’t have called so I can
push all my worry onto him.
    “I
just wanted to call to say thanks, for the lift and being so kind.”
    “Yeah?”
he answers.   He doesn’t believe me but
that’s fine.
    “Yeah,
and to make sure you gave me your real number.”
    “You
think I would have given you a fake?”
    “Nah,
not really.”
    He
chuckles and I try to picture where he is in our city. Maybe sitting in his
car, waiting for his next call? I don’t know what to say next but I don’t want
to hang up. Hearing him this way has already calmed me.
    I
used to have one of those simple joke books when I was a kid and I still
remember some silly ones. “What do you get if you cross a cop and a sleeping
bag?”
    “You
called me to tell me jokes, Allyson?”
    “You
don’t like humor?”
    He
snorts and I can almost imagine what he looks like; eyes twinkling, a half-smirk.
So damn sexy. “Tell me, pretty girl,” he says and my heart feels warm as though
he cupped it in his hands and kissed it tenderly.
    “A
pig in a blanket.”
    I
wait for his response but the phone goes silent, then he roars with laughter.
    “I’m
gonna have to tell Simons that one,” he chuckles.
    I
wait for him to say something else but he doesn’t. I have so many thoughts
jostling around in my head, so many questions.
    “Why’d
you kiss me, at the restaurant?” I ask him.
    “Because
you’re so damn sexy I couldn’t keep my hands off