Free Soft Serve Sweetie (Plus Size Romance 2) by Lynn Cooper Page B

he’d been holding, he asked himself, Why indeed? Zane could have easily ran her tags through the LEIN (Law Enforcement Information) database.  He could have gotten verification of her driver’s license and proof of car insurance from the DMV.  There was very little damage done to either vehicle.  He could have just written her a ticket and let her leave the scene.  
    But there was something about her that kept him from turning her loose.  With her sweat-soaked T-shirt clinging to her luscious curves, her gorgeous locks of blonde hair blown into total disarray, and her adorable face covered with soft serve ice cream, she stirred something in his heart and loins. 
    He reprimanded himself for such thoughts.  Without the proper identification, he couldn’t be sure of her age.  But, she appeared to be in her early twenties.  God, help him. He was old enough to be her father.
    When her eyes filled with tears, he had wanted to both protect and ravish her at the same time.  He was hoping he had come off gruff enough to cover the intense attraction he felt toward her.  When she turned that fine ass to him while rummaging through her dash, his dick had twitched like a diving rod.
    It was all he could do to keep his erection hidden while putting her in the backseat of his patrol car.  This was one day he was glad to be without his partner.  He didn’t want to share this moment or Cherry Mercer with Knox or anyone else.
    In her upset, she had left the deposit bag lying on the front seat of her car.  It was easy for Zane to believe her story about leaving her purse at work.  Obviously, his soft serve sweetie was easily flustered and forgetful. Good, grief .  Had he already come up with a term of endearment for this woman? He really needed to get a grip on himself.
    Grabbing the deposit bag, he got in the car and drove them downtown.
     
    THE SMALL-TOWN POLICE STATION was practically empty when they entered the lobby.  Still, Cherry nervously looked around, wishing she could disappear under the tiled flooring.  She could see Zane Barrett had a few miles on him, but he was definitely hot, hunky and chivalrous.  His gentlemanly behavior had cast some sort of spell over her.  He had opened both the car door for her and the door to the station, allowing her to enter first.  She felt like she was on a date instead of being detained by the police.  Still, she had never had any kind of run-in with the law before, and a severe case of nerves had activated her bladder. 
    When Officer Barrett placed his hand on her low back and ushered her to his desk, she nearly peed her pants.  When he gestured for her to take a seat, she had no choice but to speak up.  Sitting down would have been seriously uncomfortable.   “Uh, do you think I could use the ladies room before you throw the book at me?”
    He flashed a sexy, heart-stopping smile that made her go weak in the knees.  “Sure.  With your bank bag in my possession, you’re not likely to be a flight risk,” he said, winking at her.  “It’s the second door on the left.”
    Cherry nodded, feeling heat flood her face.  She really needed to get a hold of herself.  This man was having way too much of an effect on her.  Reacting to his every movement, subtle touches and facial expressions just proved how crazy desperate she was for male attention. But she wasn’t ready to risk heartbreak again for anyone. For her, relationships of any kind had always led to sadness and heartache.  As a result, she struggled with abandonment and rejection issues.  Feelings which often caused her to overeat.
    She had always been tall and big-boned anyway, but, she really put on the pounds when she started college.  It was during her freshman year that she had suffered the greatest loss of all, quickly turning the normal freshman fifteen into the freshman forty.  Since then, she just hadn’t been able to shed the extra weight.  If anything, she had gained even more since