Ridin' Solo (Sisters From Hell Book 1), Marika Ray [librera reader txt] 📗

work. If I saw him, he’d just flash that smile, give me a wink, and I’d be persuaded to give him more time. For what, I had no idea. Honestly, it was probably just bullshit. Which made what I was about to do even scarier. What if I was sacrificing my reputation for a guy who didn’t deserve me?

I knocked on the sheriff’s door and swiped my sweaty palm down my pants. So much for the crease I’d ironed into them this morning.

“Come in,” barked Sheriff Locke.

I pushed the door open and closed it behind me, having a seat across from his metal desk before I could talk myself out of confessing. The chair was cold, adding to my nerves and making me shiver.

“What can I help you with, Captain?” Sheriff Locke asked, looking up from his computer with a frown.

Maybe now wasn’t the best time to broach this subject. Maybe I should really think this through a bit more.

“Spill it before I have to go back to this infernal spreadsheet.”

I tried out a smile, but my cheeks didn’t participate.

“I, um, would like to request a transfer to another department.”

I cringed, not quite believing I’d put it out there. The air went fuzzy and my lungs had a hard time taking a full breath. My intention coming in here had been to ask for the sheriff to transfer Wyatt to a different department, but at the last second, I realized that was taking the easy way out. I wasn’t about to start being a pussy now. I was a cop, dammit. We did the hard things, and we did them without complaint.

The sheriff folded his hands on his desk and faced me fully. “Say what now?”

My knee started bouncing up and down. I had to push down with my palm to still it. “Well, you see. Funny thing happened. I actually enjoy having a partner. Good job calling my bluff on that one, by the way.” I gave him the double-gun hand gesture, but his eyebrows stayed pinched tighter than an asshole. I cleared my throat. “The problem is that I like my partner too much. I’d like to date Wyatt, sir. And I know that’s against department policy, so I’d like to transfer.”

The door behind me swung open so hard it hit the wall with a bang. I spun in my chair, hand already on my service weapon.

Wyatt.

His gaze bounced between me and Sheriff Locke. Then his expression cleared, and he shot us both a lazy smile.

“Did she pull the prank on you, sir? I told her it wouldn’t work. You’d see right through it.” Wyatt sauntered into the room.

“What are you—?” I tried to get the conversation back on track, but Wyatt wasn’t having it.

“April fool!” he shouted, cracking up. The life of the party.

Sheriff Locke finally unfroze and guffawed, standing and coming around his desk. He slapped Wyatt on the back and held his fist out to me.

I blinked, not quite sure what the hell was happening, other than realizing that maybe the joke was on me. What was today’s date? Oh fuck, it actually was April first. Weakly, I tapped my knuckles to Sheriff Locke’s and stood.

“I mean, that just went too far. Oakley would never fraternize with a deputy.” Wyatt smirked, the acting job going a little too far if you asked me.

I couldn’t salvage my original conversation with the sheriff, that was for sure. Instead, I smiled at my supposed April Fool’s joke and backed out of the room, pushing Wyatt out with me. When we got to the doorway, Sheriff Locke sat back down and glared at his computer screen.

“That was funny, but don’t pull that shit again. Get back to work, deputies.”

“Yes, sir!” I hurried to answer, shutting his door again and rounding on Wyatt.

“What. The. Actual. Fuck?” I whispered in his face, feeling like the heat in my cheeks was about to explode outward in the form of flames, consuming that smug smile on Wyatt’s face first, then his sexy forearms that distracted me to no end, and lastly, his stupidly talented cock that had gotten me into this mess in the first place.

He grabbed my arm and dragged me outside. As soon as we got to our cruiser, I pulled his middle finger backward and he let go of my arm with a yelp. My hands went to my hips, and I was ready to battle it out.

“Are you crazy?” I shouted.

I should have kept my voice down, considering where we were, but I couldn’t seem to help myself. This was why I kept myself on lockdown most of the time. Giving way to emotions and whims got people in trouble. It was how crimes were committed. I knew better than to take the lid off a boiling pot.

Wyatt put a hand out, probably ready to placate me like he always did. Smooth talkers always gonna talk. I wanted to hit that hand. Maybe even shoot his hand, I was so mad.

“Just get in the fucking car,” I growled, moving away from him to wrench the door open.

I got in and slammed the door shut. After a moment, he did the same, locking us into a small enclosed space where we’d have to work together all day. I couldn’t work with a partner while I was this upset with him. We needed to talk it out and settle things.

I spun in my bucket seat. “I wanted to come clean. I told you that was important to me and I gave you almost a week to sort out whatever business you had to attend to.” I used air quotes when I said business. The way his eyes heated and his jaw clenched told me he didn’t appreciate it.

“Maybe as partners, you should have consulted with me first before blowing up both our jobs. Isn’t that what true partners—at work or in a relationship—do?” The fucker gave me air quotes right back.

Well, shit. He had me there. Somehow that didn’t seem to