Frisk Me(4)

“You’re trying to figure out how you know me. Three years ago, you gave my news van a parking ticket, and we exchanged…words. That’s where you know me from. I’m Ava Sims.”

“Well I’ll be damned,” Luc said quietly as the memory rolled over him. Legs had spotted Luc writing up her crew’s media van and gone all crazy on him, apparently oblivious to the cuffs and gun he carried.

He’d issued countless parking tickets, but rarely was he caught in the act of actually writing one. And when you were caught in the act by someone who looked like her, you remembered it.

She had tried to pull her hand away, but Luc held fast, just to mess with her. She sniffed in annoyance, but he didn’t miss that quick slip of her tongue over her lips.

He nearly grinned at her discomfort.

Yup. That zip of sexual chemistry was every bit as familiar as her legs.

Her eyes flicked to his mouth for a moment, and this time, he didn’t bother to hide the grin. The physical appreciation between them hadn’t faded.

But other things had. Ava had changed. She was still beautiful, but back then there’d been a sort of wildness about her. Hell, you had to be half-wild to get into it with a uniformed police officer on a crowded midtown sidewalk.

He had a fuzzy memory of her dark hair in one of those messy knots, with pieces falling down all over the place, her eyes sparkling with passion as she’d raged at him for obstructing her rights, or some hippie shit.

Somehow he couldn’t imagine this version of Ava Sims losing her cool over anything, much less a parking ticket. Not only was the outfit completely buttoned up and tailored, but her hair, while still sexy as hell, had an almost stiff look about it. The lips too were full and tempting, but they had the shiny look of that goopy stuff women put on them. Gloss, or whatever.

Still stunning. But different.

Luc didn’t break eye contact with the gorgeous brunette in front of him.

She was a couple inches shorter than his six-foot-one even with her high heels, but somehow she managed to give the impression that she was looking down at him.

Ava tugged again with her hand, and Luc tentatively released it, searching for the passionate woman he remembered. Instead, all he saw was icy reserve.

This wasn’t the wild, don’t obstruct my rights Ava. This was polished, TV-ready Ava.

He felt the loss more acutely than he should for a woman he didn’t even know.

They continued to hold each other’s gaze until Brinker broke up the moment. “Moretti, you were on traffic duty? I had no idea police royalty stooped that low. Were you grounded?”

Brinker laughed at his own joke, and Luc forced a smile, finally releasing Ava’s hand.

“Well, Officer,” Ava said with mocking respect, “it looks like you’ve come a long way from trying to impede on New York citizens’ First Amendment rights.”

Her voice was all sweetness and honey, but since Luc had a sister and a string of ex-girlfriends, he recognized her tone for what it really was: sugared venom.

He felt a strange surge of relief that she still had sharp edges beneath that tidy outfit and perfect makeup.

Luc moved a half step toward her, pleased that she didn’t move back. “Tell me, Ms. Sims, where in the Bill of Rights does it permit citizens to park next to a Stop sign, in front of a No Parking sign, just three feet from a fire hydrant?”

She rolled her eyes, which up close, he could see were warm honey brown. “Yes, thank God you were there at that moment to keep the city safe. I mean, just where would we be if you hadn’t been there to stop the local media from getting a shot of the mayor leaving a fund-raiser!”

He opened his mouth in anger. Maybe he wasn’t so eager to see the passionate version of this woman after all. She may think the laws were frivolous, but they were there for good reason. He stood by every ticket he’d ever written. He stood by the laws behind them.

She held up a hand before he could respond, her expression all mock outrage. “Wait. Did you never get my thank-you note? I so wanted to express my gratitude for you putting a stop to my life of crime.”

“Well here’s your chance to thank me,” Luc said, ignoring her sarcasm. “It would also be a good time to apologize for physically assaulting an officer of the law.”

Okay, so assault was a strong word. But she’d touched him. He definitely remembered her touching him.

Her eyes narrowed. “Never happened. You’re confused. Must be the sugar-high from too many doughnuts.”

“You shoved me,” he exaggerated. “And I seem to remember a threat…”

She cut her eyes over to Luc’s boss. “Did Officer Moretti hit his head when he dove into the river to save that little girl? He seems to be disoriented.”

Disappointment spiked through Luc at her reference to that damned river incident. She’d seen the damned YouTube video. And if she’d seen that one, she’d probably seen the other.

Luc froze as realization rolled over him.

That’s why she was here.

The pieces fell into place slower than they should. Had he not had a half-mast boner he would have caught on earlier. She was here for superhero Moretti, not parking-ticket Moretti.

Three years ago, Ava had obviously been a hungry-for-the-story journalist, but if her prissy clothes were any indication, she’d moved up the ranks quite nicely. Luc was guessing that these days, Ava Sims spent a lot more time in hair and makeup than she did chasing after fund-raiser photo ops.