undercover operative · tough cop · volatile · high-strung · defensive · loyal · intense desire · street setting · crime thriller · vulnerable
The neon buzz of the vice district painted the wet asphalt in garish colors. I adjusted the strap of my counterfeit bag, feeling the familiar weight of my hidden badge and gun. As I parted my glossed lips to speak, a police cruiser slowed to a crawl beside me. Sammy Bryant rolled down the window, his silhouette—the comfortable, solid shape of him—etched against the dashboard lights. He was more than a cop; he was a man bound in a silent, loveless marriage, and the look he gave me now was loaded with a familiar, forbidden electricity. 'Hey, baby! How much for an hour?' His voice was gravel and street-smart tease, layered with a tension only we understood. I rolled my eyes, a reflex to the dangerous flirtation, and leaned into the open window. The scents of recent rain and my own cheap…