Drawn To You (Taking Chances #3) by Liwen Ho Page A

again, and immediately regretted his decision. In his rear view mirror, he saw the flashing lights first, then heard the siren.
    “You’re kidding me.” Never in his life had he gotten a moving violation; he wasn’t about to taint his record now. What kind of example would he be setting as a police officer? What was worse, they were only a few miles from his own station. What a nightmare it’d be if one of his own pulled him over. He’d never live that down.
    He pulled his car to the curb and shut off the engine. He ran his hands through his hair, uncertain of how to handle the situation. The only one skilled at getting out of this mess was sleeping soundly next to him. He nudged her shoulder. “Sammie? Sam! Wake up. I need you.”
    Sam stirred and opened her eyes. “What? Are we home?”
    “Not yet. We have a little situation on our hands. One I’m not familiar with.”
    “What kind of situation?” She glanced around the car, then leaned forward to look into the side mirror. “Is that who I think it is? You got pulled over! What did you do?”
    Lucas switched on the light panel above them. The grin on Sam’s face matched her giddy tone. “Try not to be so happy, will you? I didn’t do anything illegal.”
    “Says the cop who just got pulled over.”
    “I was halfway through the intersection before the light turned red, I’m sure of it.” The desperation in his voice sounded foreign to his own ears.
    A look of concern crossed her face and she reached over to touch his arm. “Hey, stay calm. If you’re innocent, you don’t have anything to worry about. If you’re not, just follow my lead.” She winked, then turned toward the open window.
    “Good evening,” a male voice greeted them. “License and registration, please.”
    “Good evening, Officer.” Sam took the paperwork Lucas handed her and passed it to the cop. “Here you go. License and registration.” Leaning out the window, she remarked, “My, what a striking watch that is. It looks like it was made for you.”
    “It’s a beauty, ain’t it?” The officer bent down to reveal a balding head. “An anniversary gift from my wife.”
    “Oh, how sweet. How long have you been married?”
    “Fifteen years last month.”
    “That’s amazing. I’d love to know your secret. My boyfriend and I could use all the help we can get. We get along most of the time, but every now and then we just drive each other crazy.” She turned to Lucas and remarked, “Isn’t that right, babe?”
    Slumping down in his seat, Lucas squeezed out an uncomfortable smile. As soon as he had heard the officer’s voice, he knew there was no easy way out of this situation, even with Sam’s help.
    Flashing him an impatient glare, Sam grabbed his hand and held it between both of hers. “I’ll have you know, Officer, that my sweetheart’s an excellent driver when I’m not around to distract him. He’s a boy in blue like you”—she pointed to the sweatshirt she was wearing—“a proud member of the Milpitas P.D.”
    Lucas groaned. Oh no. He might as well put his hands up and surrender now.
    “Is that so, Mr., uh …” The officer shone his flashlight at the driver’s license, then peered into the car window past Sam’s head. “Wait a minute. Stickler, is that you?”
    Sam’s hair whipped against her cheeks as she looked from one man to the other. “What the—? You guys know each other?”
    Lucas dropped the hand covering his eyes. “Hey, Oliver.”
    “It is you!” Oliver doubled over in laughter and slapped his hand against the roof of the car. “Wait till I tell everyone. I can’t believe I’m the lucky one.”
    Sighing, Lucas turned to Sam. “Meet my former Field Training Officer, Oliver Dunham. He’s been waiting five years for this moment.”
    “This moment?”
    “Whoever catches Lucas breaking a rule wins a pot of money we’ve been collecting around the station,” Oliver explained. “It’s up to $180 now. Boy, oh boy, the wife and I are