The Badge Bunnies series: Ride-Along Read Online Free Page B

nod and throw in the occasional word or two.
    But while she was attracted as hell to both men, she wasn’t a two-cop-bagging badge bunny. There was no way she could ever go through with something like that. Besides, the purpose of the ride-along was to get an in-depth look at a day in the life of a police officer.
    “Okay,” she said as she sipped her iced tea. “You’ve both told me what you like best about being cops. What’s the worst part of the job?”
    She half expected them to make a joke about the lousy hours again, so she was surprised when their expressions turned serious.
    “The stupid and completely preventable deaths caused by drunk drivers.” Grant pushed his empty plate away. “Showing up at a scene and finding out a guy is so intoxicated he can’t see straight much less drive a car, and that he killed someone because he was too proud or too stubborn or just too damn stupid to get a ride is hard to deal with.”
    Beside her, Jase nodded. “I’ll agree with that. Then there’s the domestic violence calls we get. Sometimes at the same address. You arrest the asshole husband or boyfriend because the wife or girlfriend has bruises, but then by the time you get the guy to the station, the woman refuses to press charges. I understand why some of the women feel they’re trapped in the relationship, but it's still hard to see it over and over.”
    As she finished her sandwich, the two men told her stories that were heart wrenching enough to make her want to cry, and yet they saw these things happen almost every day. It pushed her respect for police officers—and these two in particular—up another notch.
    “So, how was everything?”
    Laci looked up to see their waitress standing by their table, a huge smile on her motherly face.
    Jase flashed her a grin. “Wonderful, as always.”
    He was right. The turkey sandwich had been delicious. She might just have to come back here for lunch again. Of course, the company she was in could have a little something to do with how good the food tasted. Laci smiled as Jase and Grant listened intently as the woman told them about her grandchildren. Laci had already figured out the two men were passionate about their work, but more than that, they really cared about the people they kept safe. It wouldn't be difficult to imagine how a person could become hardened to all the pain and violence Jase and Grant saw so much of on a daily basis, but they weren’t. Instead they put themselves out there day after day, trying to make a difference.
    As they left the diner, however, her mind turned to thoughts of sex once again. Except now random imagines of her sleeping with either Jase or Grant had been replaced with her doing it with both of them at the same time.
    Jase took over driving, which left Grant free to tell his badge bunny story. Laci patiently—or maybe not so patiently—waited for him to start, but he merely gazed out the window. Damn.
    “You going to share your badge bunny story or what?” Jase asked.
    Grant glanced at his partner, then at Laci. “You really want to hear about it, huh?”
    She nodded so vigorously she probably looked like a bobblehead doll. Grant must have thought so, too. His mouth quirked as he turned back around.
    “Her name was Jessica and she worked the front desk at the gym I go to,” he said. “We talked whenever I’d go in, but I didn’t realize she was interested in me. It was usually after my shift, so I was in a hurry to catch a workout before the place closed.”
    “There are twenty-four-hour gyms around, you know,” Jase said conversationally.
    “Yeah, I know. But I like the place I go to. They have an awesome weight room. And the treadmills have built-in televisions with cable so I can catch Sportscenter .”
    Jase lifted a brow. “Really? Damn, that is kinda cool.”
    Laci gritted her teeth. Who cared about the equipment they had—although a treadmill with a built-in television would be nice. She wanted to hear about