Staking His Claim (Line of Duty #5)(21)

All four of them received an emergency page at the same time. Matt breathed a sigh of relief as they holstered their weapons quickly and left the locker room. His mind should have been on the situation they were heading into.

Instead, he thought about the itinerary Lucy had accidentally left in his car.

…

Lucy picked a spot off to the side of the gathering crowd and spread her blanket down on the grass. She thought she’d gotten to Bryant Park early enough to get a better view, but it was fifteen minutes before the outdoor screening of Back to the Future was set to begin and the entire lawn was packed. Couples and groups of friends munched on popcorn or hot dogs; some moviegoers were even sneaking covert sips from brown paper bags. Evening had just fallen and the buzz of excited conversation made Lucy smile. She might be alone, but with so many people around, it didn’t feel quite as lonely as she’d expected. The last six years of her life had been spent hunching over a textbook in a deathly silent library. There was no comparison.

She stretched her legs out on the blanket and kicked off her sandals, enjoying the warm breeze as it lifted the hair from her neck. It felt like she’d been living in jeans and a sweatshirt for most of grad school, so she’d worn a lightweight dress tonight. Freshly shaven legs, a sundress, and no assignments hanging over her head felt divine. She leaned back on her elbows and closed her eyes, for the first time letting herself enjoy what she’d accomplished. The feeling only lasted a few minutes because a prickling started along her scalp. Peeking one eye open, she moved into a cross-legged position and searched for the prickle source.

It didn’t take her long at all to spot him. His stillness gave him away. Across the park, leaning against a tree with his arms crossed over his chest, stood Matt. For a split second, before he’d gotten his mask in place, she saw hunger tightening his darkly handsome features. It sent heat moving through Lucy in a slow ripple, making her aware of every inch of her exposed skin. She could hear the quick pace of her breathing, loud to her own ears. The blanket underneath her legs went from comfortable to caressing. What was he doing here? Did he come just to stand there in his uniform looking delicious, merely to torture her? If so, holy smokes, it was working. With desire coursing through her, she felt indecent just being in a public place with so many witnesses.

The movie started then, giant projection screen at the front of the park flashing white, then rolling the opening credits. Still, Matt didn’t move. Why did it feel like he was touching her from a hundred yards away? Everyone around her had settled onto their blankets, wrapped up in nostalgia as Marty McFly enters Doc Brown’s garage in the first scene. She tried to ignore Matt, she really did. He’d made it perfectly clear last night that he wanted nothing to do with her. But her gaze continually returned to him, making sure he was still there. His steady perusal of her distracted her to the point she couldn’t focus on the movie. Finally, she’d had enough. She needed to force him into coming closer or leaving.

Please let him come closer.

Lucy unfolded her legs and slid forward onto her belly. She propped her chin on her hand, and crossing her ankles, she let her legs sway back and forth in the air behind her. It was a provocative pose, especially for a girl sitting by herself, but she took comfort in the fact that no one sat behind her to see her bare thighs on display. As she predicted, though, Matt didn’t like it. When he pushed off the tree wearing a warning expression, a low thrumming began in Lucy’s stomach, spreading lower with each passing second.

These instincts she had where Matt was concerned were completely new, yet she somehow trusted them. She knew what turned him on because it did the same to her. Driving him crazy, pushing his limits, made her feel desirable. It gave her a sense of control while simultaneously giving her permission to lose control. She wanted to tempt him past the point of return so he’d have no choice but to fulfill his needs with her. Somewhere underneath his stoic expression, he wanted it, too, or he wouldn’t be here.

Hands clenching and unclenching at his sides, Lucy could tell he wanted to close the distance between them. She tossed her hair over her shoulder, exposing her neck, while at the same time writhing her hips ever-so-slightly on the blanket. When Matt began stalking his way to her through the crowd, she felt a surge of triumph, but lust quickly blanketed it. Female heads turned in his direction as he passed but he didn’t remove his eyes from her once. Matt held an air of command at all times, but he wore his uniform today, only increasing his air of authority. She wanted to kiss him. She wanted him to refuse to kiss her. Nothing made sense any more.

Matt finally reached her, but she made no move to change her position. A growl lingering in his throat, he knelt down on the blanket beside her.

“Sit up,” he commanded, keeping his voice low. “Immediately.”

“I’m good.”

His gaze lingered on her bottom before coasting down over her thighs. “You’re the opposite of good.”

Everything below her waist tightened. “W-what are you doing here?” she managed.

He sat back on the blanket keeping his legs bent, moving like such a sleek animal that Lucy’s breathing faltered. “Your brother doesn’t know you’re alone. Apparently you weren’t finished lying when I dropped you off on Friday.”

His harsh comment hit home and she finally sat up, wondering if he’d known calling her on her lie would achieve his goal. “Mood killer,” she muttered. “If you came here to knock me down another peg, it’s not necessary. You did a bang-up job of it last night.”