Her Lawman Protector

That’s what he’d wanted to hear, and he shot her a smile. “I’ll be as unobtrusive as possible. Your safety is my priority.” And that wasn’t a lie. If she was linked to the kind of people they thought, her safety was definitely a cause for concern. The police department needed her either on the stand as a witness or standing trial—and they needed her in one piece.

“There’s that barbecue tonight,” she said. “At my aunt’s place.”

He eyed her, waiting. There was a beat of silence between them.

“If you’re coming along, do we make up our story now?” she went on. “Because they’ll be asking a lot of questions.”

Jack was actually going to enjoy this part. The chief had warned him against getting emotionally involved with her, but undercover operations involved some acting the part. This was only for appearances, and other than that, he’d keep his professional distance. “All right. So when did we meet?”

“In Denver,” she said. “Let’s keep this as close to the truth as possible. Less to remember.”

Yeah. She knew how to lie effectively, it seemed. “Okay, I worked with Evan and got to know you that way. When did I ask you out?”

“Who says I didn’t ask you out?” she countered.

“Because I’m the kind of guy who doesn’t waste a lot of time,” he replied with a teasing smile. “But it’s up to you.”

Liv rolled her eyes, but a smile tickled the corners of her lips. “Fine. You asked me out. When?”

Jack thought for a moment. Keeping things as close to the truth as possible was the best course... “As soon as your separation was finalized,” Jack said. “Because I’m a decent guy.”

Heck, he’d been planning on asking her out then, anyway. It was only this investigation into her ex-husband that had put a crimp in his plan.

“Then we’ve been dating for a year?” she asked.

“Let’s call it eleven months,” he said. “It sounds more credible if it’s not quite a round number. And if they ask why you didn’t tell them about me, just say that you weren’t sure about me yet, and you’re still skittish postdivorce.”

“Which I am, so that’s believable. I suppose we could play the rest by ear.” She paused for a moment. “One more thing. You didn’t attend Evan’s second wedding.”

“Was I invited?” he asked.

“Yes, but you turned it down because you believed in monogamy and Evan’s cheating offended you on a very deep level.” Her tone was tight—this mattered to her.

“Okay...” He paused. “Liv, I didn’t condone his cheating.”

“Got it.” She shot him a bland look. “But if you’re going to be my fake boyfriend, I get to rewrite what I don’t like.”

“Fair enough. Anything else you’d like to rewrite?” He spread his hands. “It’s now or never.”

“I’ll keep you posted.”

Jack shot her a grin. “Do I get to rewrite anything?”

“Like what?” She looked like she might be dreading his answer, and he wondered what she was expecting him to say.

“If I’m going to be your fake boyfriend, I want you to pretend that you’re crazy about me,” he said. “I rock your world. I curl your toes. I’m the best thing to ever happen to you.”

Liv’s face cracked into a smile, and for a moment he was stunned by the transformation. He’d always known she was beautiful, but he’d never been smiled at quite like that. He swallowed.

“Fine,” she agreed. “But at the end of this, you’d better tell my family how heroic I was and all that, because otherwise I’m not going to live this down.”

“Deal.” Heroic. Or she’d be proven guilty, and he’d have no explaining to do at all.

CHAPTER THREE (#u21828506-0130-5ce3-9bbf-3318e6250db1)

LIV HADN’T BEEN expecting a houseguest when she woke up that morning, so as she led the way up the back staircase toward her apartment, she tried to remember exactly how clean she’d left the place. Did she have bras hanging over the shower rod? Had she left the window cracked open like she normally did to air out the breakfast smells, or had she forgotten? Always nice to introduce your living space smelling like old fried eggs. She was aware that she may have settled back into single life a little too well... Funny how fast that happened. When Evan had first left her, the emptiness had been agonizing.

“One of the officers will swing by my place and pick up a bag of clothes for me,” Jack said from behind.

“Where are you staying?” Liv asked as she reached the top of the stairs and fished in her pocket for the key.

“At a hotel, actually. I’m not settled yet.”

Not settled was an understatement, but then men were different. They didn’t seem to mind roughing it as much as she did. Liv liked to have a home—comfort, solitude, her personal items surrounding her to make her feel safe. Except safe right now was relative, wasn’t it?

Liv unlocked her door and glanced around before opening it all the way. Everything seemed in order—or mostly so. There were a few dishes on the counter, but that was probably forgivable.

“Come in,” she said stepping aside to make room for the burly cop. He gave her a nod of thanks, then stepped into the apartment and looked around. She got the feeling that his eyes were picking up more detail than anyone else’s would. She knew how cops worked, how they thought.

She’d have a cop staying under her roof for the next little while, and that was a bit uncomfortable. Not only was he very, very male—she glanced over Jack, who was checking window locks—he was muscular and intimidating. But under that shell, she could see hints of a regular guy—the stubble on his chin, the scrape across the knuckles of one hand. Every cop had personal armor they put on when they were at work, but they were human, too. It was the “guy” part of him that made this the most awkward. She’d only just gotten comfortable living alone again, and she didn’t need reminders of what she was missing out on.

“I hope you don’t mind the couch,” Liv said. “It doesn’t pull out or anything.”

“I’m not exactly a houseguest,” Jack replied. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll be sleeping with one eye open, anyway.”

“The water in the bathroom is a bit finicky,” she added. “It’s either piping hot or freezing. But there is a sweet spot, if you find it.”

“I’ll survive.” He shot her a rueful smile.

“Also, there’s a draft that I can’t seem to find the source of. We might need to move the couch about a foot if you don’t want to freeze at night.”

When Evan had shown her the place before they’d signed all the papers, they’d felt that draft and Evan had jokingly suggested a ghost. She hated being spooked, and back then, Evan had loved getting her into his arms... She pushed back the melancholy memory.

“You okay?” he asked. Liv looked up to find Jack’s dark gaze fixed on her.

“Fine.” She pushed the sadness back. Missing Evan took her by surprise sometimes, even though she knew that he wasn’t worth her heartache.

“So when you bought this place, you bought it jointly?” Jack asked.

“Of course.” She gave him a speculative look. What exactly did he think of her marriage? Evan had loved her once upon a time. “Jack, have you ever been married?”

“Not yet. Lived with a woman once, but we never got to a wedding. Why?”

“Because married people tend to buy things jointly,” she replied with a shake of her head. “We were married. We had a life together. I wasn’t tucked away in the background somewhere.”

“Got it,” he replied.

“Although being married to a cop is a whole new kettle of fish,” she admitted. “They have too many secrets. I’ll never marry another one.”