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“Never mind.”

I cup her face, and she tilts her head up as my lips lock with hers. At first, she feels stiff, fixed in place by nervous fear, but as my lips caress hers, she starts to move and blends her kiss with mine. I keep my tongue in check, holding it back until I know she’s ready.

Anna lays her hands flat on my sides. I feel her fingers tremble and I slowly wrap one arm behind her just in case it spreads to her knees.

She pulls away, breaking the kiss as she gasps for air. I quickly realize that I’m just as out-of-breath and I fill my lungs.

“Did you feel it?” I ask.

She nods. “Oh, yeah.”

“Good.”

I crush my mouth on hers again. Her hands clench my sides as I spin us around and lift her up to put her on the washer. My tongue takes over, gently swiping along her lips until she opens them for me. I spread her knees apart to get as close to her warm body as possible, and she locks her ankles behind my back.

I push my hands up her body, feeling the trembles beneath her skin as they rock up and down her spine. Her hands slowly drop to rest just above my ass, staying there for what feels like an eternity before she works up the courage to go a little lower. Blood pounds through me as she grabs at me, and I can’t help but dig my fingertips into her as well.

I move my hands beneath her shirt, and she lurches back.

“Cold hands,” she says. “Cold hands.”

“Sorry.” I try to rub them together behind her back, refusing to unlock our lips. I give up and lay my palms down on her back, running them repeatedly up and down to spark some warmth.

Her face contorts as she holds back a laugh. “Uh…”

“Sorry—” I touch a bit of her skin beneath her top. “Good now?”

“Good enough.”

We kiss again, putting the awkward moment behind us as my hands slide up to her breasts. She feels and tastes as good as I thought she would, but I want more. I want all of her. I’ve wanted her since the moment I saw that tight ponytail.

I inch a hand up her neck, curling it around behind her head to take hold of her hair. Her breath quivers as I grab her ponytail and gently ease her head back to get to her neck. Her nails dig deeper into my back with each bite and kiss I leave on her skin. A moan trembles from her throat, vibrating my lips as I hook my other hand along the top of her jeans.

“Too fast,” she gasps. Her body locks. “Too, too fast.”

I release her hair. “Okay, we can slow down.”

She pushes me away. “No, we can stop.”

The s-word. I take another step back, letting go of her jeans, too.

“Fuck…” She slides off the washer. “I can’t do this.”

I reach out, but she slips away from me. “Wait, Anna⁠—”

“I’m a cop and you’re…” Her chest heaves. “This is so inappropriate.”

I shrug. “So?”

She frowns. “So?”

“Yeah. So, what?”

“You’re a person of interest in my murder investigation,” she says. “I could lose my job over this.”

“I’m also the father of that girl out there,” I argue. “This ain’t exactly black and white.”

“Okay…” She straightens up. “Let’s get one thing perfectly straight here, Milo. You are not a father. You might be genetically related to her, but in no way have you earned that title, so don’t start throwing it around like it means something.”