Breaking Bad by Karin Tabke

again.”
    His words elicited a warm flush from her nipples straight to her womb. “If I want you inside of me, I’ll put you inside of me.”
    He leaned forward across her coffee table, but didn’t get up. “You’re afraid to ask for it. You’re afraid to acknowledge your need for what I can give you.”
    Moving over to the edge of the sofa nearest the TV and farthest from him, she sat back into the soft cushions and caught and held his gaze. “You’re not the only man out there with a talented penis, Jack.”
    He grinned and leaned closer. “Who else have you been with since me?”
    Did battery-powered boyfriends count?
“That’s none of your business.”
    His eye widened and Stevie realized he guessed her secret. “You haven’t been with anyone, have you?”
    Embarrassment warmed her cheeks. “Like I said, who I’ve slept with since you is none of your business.”
    He sat back, spread his long arms across the sofa cushions on either side of him, and considered her answers. She was a lousy liar, but for the sake of her pride and not inflating Jack’s ego any more than it was, she thought she sounded damned convincing.
    “I doubt you’ve had another lover.”
    “What makes you so sure I haven’t had sex with anyone since you?”
    “Because I was that good.”
    Stevie’s jaw dropped.
My God, he is so full of himself!
    “And I know your little secret. Who else does?”
    She snapped her jaw shut, then said, “My sex life is off the table for discussion. The only reason you’re here is because I want to nail Spoltori more than I want to never see your face again. So let’s get to it.”
    The doorbell rang.
    Jack stood. “Pizza’s here.”
    She stared at his ass as he sauntered off to get it. She really needed to focus on the case and not any part of Jack Thornton’s anatomy.
    When he came back with a large pizza box and a six-pack of beer, she frowned. “Where’d the beer come from?”
    “I made it worth the driver’s while to make a stop along the way.”
    “How?”
    “I’m a special agent who gets specialty treatment.” He grinned and opened two bottles. Handing her one, he drank deeply from the other.
    It was cold and it was a brand she liked, though she wasn’t much of a beer drinker. Her preference ran toward good tequila and occasional red wine. The scent of the pizza, however, was right up her alley.
    Jack set his bottle down on a coaster and opened the lid.
    “Oh, Jeff’s Special. My favorite.” Her stomach rumbled as she salivated. Jack slid a large slice onto a paper plate and handed it to her.
    “I know.”
    As she took a bite and chewed, savoring the deliciousness, she asked with a full mouth, “How’d you know this was my fave?”
    Jack grinned and hoisted a large piece to his mouth and said, “It’s my job to know these things.”
    “What else do you know?”
    “That you work too many hours, don’t take time off, and bust anyone’s balls who gets in your way.”
    “Yeah, but my closed case percentage is ninety-four percent.”
    “Highest in the PD.”
    She set her pizza down and wiped her fingers on a napkin. “Have you been keeping tabs on me, Thorn?”
    “I’ve made an inquiry or two.”
    She picked the pizza up and said, “I’m not sure how I feel about that.”
    “No inappropriate inquiries, just a feel for how you were doing.” She could live with that. Even if he had nosed into her personal life, he’d have discovered she didn’t have one. She devoured the rest of the slice, then took another.
    “This is good,” Jack said as he took a third slice.
    As she daintily dabbed her mouth with a napkin, she said, “The chicken wings are to die for.”
    Jack grinned as chewed. After he swallowed he said, “Next time, I’ll order them to go with.”
    Taking a long swig of her beer, Stevie set it down and crossing her legs Indian style she faced Jack across the table. “There isn’t going to be a next time, Jack.”
    His handsome face tightened, but he