Free Arresting Desires (Lexie Sarcone Romance Series) by Elisa Archer

Chapter 1
     
    “Lexie,” Detective Michael Riley whispered in my ear as he leaned over the bed, “I’ve got to go to work.”
    I opened my eyes. Just looking at Michael took my breath away. He stood next to the bed, still buttoning his shirt, his taut, sinewy muscles bunching as his hands moved effortlessly over the buttons. His blue eyes sparkled, and his gorgeous lips formed a playful grin. I wasn’t even asleep yet, and Michael had to leave. I only got into bed an hour earlier, after working third shift at the precinct. With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, there had been a lot of recent break-ins, keeping all of us in burglary division busy. Last night, my partner and I had responded to a smash and grab at a jewelry store. It was the same robbery that Michael had been called in early this morning to investigate. Sometimes it really sucked to be a cop and to be dating a cop.
    “Be careful,” I responded, wishing he didn’t have to leave.
    He kissed me on the mouth, sending chills down my spine. Ever since we had officially become a couple, consummating our relationship during a city-wide power outage that had left the precinct completely abandoned, we had barely gotten to spend any real time together. At work, there had been a few stolen glances and longing looks, but we did our best to maintain professional boundaries. Michael’s ex-girlfriend, Det. Samantha Preston, tended to loiter, and since I had no desire to be on anyone’s shit list, we were trying to keep a low profile.
    I watched him turn, clip his handcuffs, shield, and gun to his belt, and put his jacket on. It must be nice to be a detective and get to wear actual clothes instead of the annoying uniform. He went to my door, and I stared at his perfectly formed, tight ass. He turned and smirked, probably having felt my eyes on him, before flipping the lock back in place, and closing the door behind him. 
    Sighing, I scooted a cross the bed, nestling against the remaining warmth from where he had been asleep all night. I buried my face in his pillow and inhaled. It was the perfect intoxicating mixture of aftershave, soap, and something purely Michael. Letting out a frustrated growl, I closed my eyes.
    Waking up, I stared at the neon glow from the digital clock. I hated working third shift, particularly in the winter. It meant there was no chance to see actual sunlight. By the time I got up, the sun had already set. As I pulled my clothes out of the closet, I wondered if Michael was going to stay at my place again tonight or if he was going back to his place. It seemed the only way we got to see one another was by having daily sleepovers, and even then, it was only an hour or two before he’d have to leave for work. When was the last time we even had sex?
    Okay, maybe it wasn’t just the job, the winter, and the uniform that were grating on my nerves. Maybe it was the fact that we had started out hot and heavy, and now we were like an old married couple. Sure, we lay beside each other in bed, but there was no touching. No intimacy. No time to do anything except sleep and work. Whatever happened to being young and vibrant? We were both in our twenties. Obviously, there was something wrong with this picture.
    After eating breakfast, or maybe it was actually dinner, I filled my travel cup with coffee and headed for the station. At the precinct, I found Officer Kemper waiting for me. He looked agitated.
    “Hey, Sarcone,” he called, “did you finish your report from last night’s break-in?”
    “Yeah, why?”
    “Because the brass is bitching.” He rolled his eyes. “I was afraid it was something we had done.”
    “We didn’t do anything.” I was already being defensive. “We responded to the call, took the owner’s statement and information, and waited for Det. Holowitz to take over the scene.”
    “Then I guess it’s Holowitz’s ass on the line.” Kemper’s lips curled into a cruel smile. It was no secret that none of us liked