The Singles Table (Marriage Game #3)(73)

“Security.” She didn’t recognize the muffled voice, so she checked through the peephole and saw Jay’s stern face partially covered in dark glasses.

“Jay?”

“J-Tech Security, ma’am. There was a theft at the City Club last night. Apparently, the thief fled in bare feet. We followed the trail to this address.”

Zara swallowed hard. Time for the reckoning. She’d been too embarrassed to return to the table after her celebrity encounter so she’d called an Uber to take her home. She hadn’t even said good-bye.

She opened the door a few inches. Jay was in full uniform: dark glasses, black hat, blue shirt, safety vest, black pants, heavy boots, and a utility belt that held a flashlight, baton, handcuffs, and a walkie-talkie. He was her fantasy come to life, but opening that door would mean dealing with the desperate, aching feelings she’d been trying so hard to ignore.

“There are no thieves here. You must have the wrong address.”

“You have bare feet.” He pointed to the floor, where her freshly polished nails gleamed in the light. Self-loathing didn’t include missing her Saturday morning pedicure.

“So do a lot of people.”

“Do those feet fit in these shoes?” He held up her pink stilettos.

“Are you Prince Charming?” Unable to resist, she opened the door wider. “If my foot fits, will you carry me away to your castle to be your princess forever?”

“I’ll arrest you for leaving the scene of a crime.”

Laughter bubbled up in her chest. This was so absurd. So utterly unlike Jay. He’d done this for her. Dressed up for her. And this game—this role play—was something he must have known she would love. A thick warm rush of feelings swirled through her, cloaking her in warmth. Before she had even made the conscious decision, she had fully opened the door.

“That’s not very romantic.” She moved to the side to let him in. “I suppose you can check the place out if you must, but you won’t find any stolen property here. It’s just me and my cat. My roommate is out on a hot date”

“We’ll see about that.” Jay stepped into the apartment, his uniformed presence filling the room. She was suddenly and acutely aware that beneath her robe she wore only an old T-shirt and plain white cotton pants.

Marmalade padded over and rubbed himself against Jay’s legs to say hello. Jay broke character to give Marmalade a good pet before crossing his arms over his massive chest. “Let’s get started.”

“I need to freshen up. I wasn’t expecting visitors. You can check out the kitchen.” She turned and raced for her bedroom, giving him a suggestive wiggle. Behind her, Jay gave a soft grumble of approval.

Closing the door, she put on the lingerie he had liked so much. Deep red with lace edging, the balconette bra and barely there panties had been an extravagance, considering she had sworn off relationships for life. She had just belted her robe when he slammed open the door.

“Kitchen is clear.”

“There isn’t much to check in here. Just the closet. Feel free to have a look.” She sat on the bed and leaned back on her hands, letting the robe fall open just enough to give him the smallest peek.

Jay didn’t even glance in her direction. Instead, he pulled open the closet door and rummaged inside.

“What’s this?” Jay held up an unused personal vibrator, still in its box.

Zara’s cheeks flamed. “That’s not mine. Someone must have put it in there.”

“Very suspicious.” He placed the box on the dresser. “I’ll leave it out for further inspection.”

After he finished with her closet, he opened the dresser drawers one by one, giving her a lovely view of his perfect ass. “Nothing here. Time for the personal search.”

His hard, searching gaze sent a thrill of arousal down her spine. She bit back a moan, her skin flushing with heat.

“Something wrong?” He took a step closer, loomed over the bed. In the dim light, his body seemed larger, menacing, his muscles tight and hard. He was so believable in his officious confident arrogance that it was almost too easy for her to get lost in her role as the thief who’d been tracked down to her lair. “You seem nervous. Are you hiding something from me?”

Zara licked her lips and scooted back on the bed. “No. Of course not.”

Without warning, Jay reached over and grabbed her belt. With a hard yank, he pulled her toward him. Her robe slid up her thighs and Zara licked her lips in shameless hunger. Did he know how wet she was? How her breasts ached? How desperately she wanted him?

Jay gave a satisfied growl, holding her in place. “The law requires your consent for a search.” He pulled her closer, his gaze hot and roaming. “I have to warn you. I am very thorough.”

“I have nothing to hide.” She was burning. Liquid fire rushed through her veins, pooling between her legs. It was like Jay had plucked her deepest darkest fantasies from her mind and was making them all come true.

He gave a small, calculating smile. “I don’t leave anything untouched, sweetheart.”

“I’m not your sweetheart.”

“You will be when I’m done with you.” He devoured her with his gaze, his eyes so dark they were almost black. “Robe off. I need to assess the search area.”

She slid the robe over her arms and lay back on the bed. “How’s this?”