Sunflowers and Sweet Peas

From Chapter One:

“Oop, hottie alert.”

Unoffended at the interruption, Cassidy opened her eyes and tilted her head lazily in the direction Nina’s chin pointed. When she recognized the man approaching their spot on the beach, her insides, as always, flipped.

 Hot was definitely the right word to describe Ian Roshan. He was also a rookie cop. Raised in a family of cops, Cassidy had a hard and fast no go rule where cops were concerned. It was one of the few exceptions to her rules-are-meant-to-be-broken approach to life. Hot or not, Ian Roshan was off limits, untouchable. Her stomach could just flip right on back now.

“Well,” Nina said, jumping to her feet, “My break’s over.”

“Nina,” Cassidy hissed. “Don’t you leave me here.”

“Sorry,” Nina said with feigned innocence. “Gotta go. Afternoon, Ian,” she called.

“You did that on purpose,” Cassidy hissed again, and wondered, on a scale of one to ten, just how off-the-charts rude it would be to simply keep her eyes shut tight and ignore the man. Pretty darn high, she thought with a sigh, and turned her head his way. Ready. Set. Engage.

“‘Lo, Ian.”

She smiled, and the dimples in her cheeks flashed at him. From her current position, she had a first-rate view of a pair of long, strong legs and a gun belt framing an equally solid-looking package. Which -- oops -- she’d just blatantly checked out.

He’d noticed, too, judging by the way his eyebrow arched when she pushed herself up to standing. His features immediately evened out until they were practically blank, although if he thought she hadn’t noticed the way his eyes skimmed over her sweet little navy bikini with its saucy white ruffle and its white plumeria flowers, he was sorely mistaken.

It brought out the devil in her, made her want to torture him just a little, no matter how unwise, so she took one step nearer. Her next step had her standing on the scalding pavement -- joke’s on her -- and while she danced from one burning sole to the other, his eyes lit with humour.

“Little bit hot on the feet, Cassidy?”

She smiled her sweetest smile and forced herself to stop fidgeting. She was standing here still wet from her swim and practically naked, and he was laughing at her. Not the reaction she generally got when she wore this bikini. She might be scalding every last inch of skin on the bottom of her feet, but she wouldn’t even give him the satisfaction.

“At least I’m dressed for it,” she said, “You, my friend, are looking a little overheated.”

“Step back from the Rookie, Flower Child.”

Cassidy’s smile split her face as Ian’s training officer, Buck Decker, hustled towards them carrying a take-out cup with the Walking Walrus logo splashed on front in each hand.

 “He wouldn’t know what to do with you, anyhow.”

“Ow.” Cassidy’s face creased with sympathy, and she shook her head then clicked her tongue. “No respect.”

Her laughing eyes looked up into Ian’s, and then crap. She’d forgotten for just a moment how potent those movie star eyes of his were -- hazel, in this direct sunlight, almost gold -- and looking straight into them never failed to take her breath away. Like now.

And then there was the sound of a blaring car horn, and Ian’s eyes cut sideways just as a classic 1957 pink Cadillac barrelled their way, jumped the curb, and plowed right into the maple tree they’d been standing beside.

Ian didn’t hesitate. While the sounds of a classic car turning itself into an accordion ricocheted around them, he wrapped his arms around Cassidy like a reflex -- and lifted her sideways.

If his reaction time had been five seconds slower, Cass realized as she gulped in air, the tree wouldn’t have been all the Caddy hit. With Ian’s arms still around her, steadying her, she peeked over at the car with its crumpled hood. The sight of its mangled remains made her shudder. To say she was glad he hadn’t released her just yet was an understatement.

“Cassidy, Cass.”

She noted that Ian waited until she looked away from the car and back at him. She suspected her eyes were huge. The truth was, she felt pretty shocked by what had just almost happened. What would have happened if Ian hadn’t been there. Now, he was looking at her carefully.

“You okay?”

Still trying to catch the breath which seemed lodged in her throat, Cassidy only nodded. She looked back up into Ian’s beautiful eyes, saw the intense focus in them as he scanned her face, and for a second, she could only blink. When his hand slid up to cup her shoulder and he peered deeply into her eyes, awareness rushed her back to consciousness.

She was in Ian Roshan’s arms -- Constable Ian Roshan’s arms -- pressed up against his solid chest, clinging to him like a wussy baby girl. His big, warm, slightly calloused hands were on her body, one on her shoulder, one at her waist. And -- oh crap -- she liked the way they felt there. Cassidy swallowed once, then came alive in his arms.

“I’m fine.” She tried to push him away, but he held her fast a moment longer as he attempted to read her eyes. “Ian,” she nodded in the direction of the munched car with its steaming front end, “Go.”

His gaze snapped over to the car, but he kept his hands on her a moment longer. His touch was entirely professional, but the shock of her near miss had started to wear off, and Cassidy could feel her skin starting to steam where he touched her every bit as much as the engine block of the Caddy was steaming where it had jammed itself up against the tree. Ian’s hands on her body were another kind of accident just waiting to happen.

Running over to the Caddy, Decker yelled for Ian. The rookie ignored his training officer, and instead gave Cass one last, thorough look over. Whatever he saw satisfied him enough that his hands dropped. Without another word, he left her standing on the street corner.