Ad copy

“You’re under arrest.” Officer Landon Scott pulled his handcuffs off his belt. He could tell this was going to be a difficult one already. “For what? Having a sense of humor?” The woman giggled and put her hand over her mouth instead of holding her wrists out to be cuffed. “Disorderly conduct, but I think you already know that.” “Is this really necessary?” A woman looped her arm through her friend’s elbow. “Michelle’s just had a little too much to drink. I can take her back to my place and get her into bed.” “If drinking too much wine was all she did, I’d be open to that,” Landon replied. “But mooning half of the winery and then the responding officer is a different story.” “Come on, now,” Michelle slurred loudly. “Maybe those Karens over there didn’t like it, but you know you did.” She awkwardly winked as she held out her wrists. He clamped his teeth down on the inside of his cheek and focused on the cuffs instead of those wide eyes. The wineries were prevalent around there, but most of them attracted well-behaved crowds. When he’d gotten the call, he hadn't even been sure he’d heard it right. Not until he’d come through the front door, only to be greeted by Michelle’s behind. There was plenty of it, and though the sight of it had made his bear stand at attention, he was an officer of the law and had a job to do. “Ms. Lyons, I’m going to have to ask you to keep your voice down.” “Whatever you say.” Michelle smirked and turned toward her group. “Men. I tell ya.” “All right. Let’s go.” Michelle teetered to her feet and fell straight forward into his arms. “Oops! Damn. You’re built like a brick house, aren’t you?” This woman had caused a scene and needed to understand it wasn’t acceptable. His bear was reacting, too, and he shoved that down in the process. Whatever it was insisting on could be dealt with later. “Out the door. Come on.” “Hey, what’s that say?” Her focus was still on his chest as she pointed at his name badge. “L. Scott. What’s the L stand for?” “Landon.” “Landon?” she repeated, rolling his name around on her tongue. “Like the guy from 𝐻𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑛?” Great. He thought all the Michael Landon jokes had stayed in the 80s with his elementary school days. “No, not exactly.” “Oh, sorry. Did you like 𝐿𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝐻𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑃𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑒 better?” Michelle could barely stand on her feet as the two of them staggered toward his squad car. “Is this your wagon?” she cracked. “Are we headed out West?” He put his arm around her to keep her from sliding to the ground as he opened the back door. “Something like that.” He made sure she was all the way in the back before shutting the door. Landon sighed, knowing his shift was just about over, and he’d be able to go home soon. “Losers,” she mumbled when he got in the driver’s seat. “Excuse me?” Landon lifted his gaze to glance in the rearview mirror. She’d leaned forward against the partition, her curly hair poking through. “Those women at the winery. That’s why I mooned them. They deserved it. But you’re not a loser. I don’t know. Are you? Do you cheat on your wife?” The question struck something deep within him, something that made him turn around. Landon made it a policy not to interact with the criminals he worked with any more than he had to. He didn’t want to mix his personal life with business, and he knew how some people would get you talking just to get your sympathy. He was already failing at that with Michelle, not liking how his hardness began to crack as he looked into her eyes. They may have been glassed over at the moment, but he could see the hurt there. “I’m not married, but if I were, I’d never do that.” “Good.” She sat back and nodded. “At least one man in Oregon knows how to keep his pants on.” He put the car in drive and headed downtown, knowing it was going to be a long night. *** 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝟒𝟎, 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐫. 𝐍𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫’𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐲. - 𝐵𝑜𝑜𝑘 9 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐹𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑂𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑦 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠, 𝐶𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑀𝑖𝑑𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒 𝐵𝑒𝑎𝑟 *** Dive into a captivating world of swoon-worthy midlife shifters and relatable sassy heroines in the Fated Over Forty series, now available as a complete 11-book collection! If you love steamy bear shifter romance with fated mates, unforgettable twists, thrilling action, laughs, and heart-melting happily ever afters, this bestselling series is your next binge-read obsession. Click below to grab your copy! * * * Read FREE with Kindle Unlimited * * * * * * Also Available on Audible * * *