Em knew the kids were only there because they had to be; the alternative was being expelled. But she hoped she wasn’t the typical adult, with too much authority and not enough understanding (like Levi), or one of the irritating kind who pretended to be their age and used words like smexi and hater. She wanted them to be able to count on her. They didn’t have to like her, but she hoped they did.

It was eight o’clock before she knew it. “Pack it in, kids,” she said.

“Show us your cop trick,” Tamara said. The kids had been ridiculously thrilled last time when she’d radioed Dispatch for an audio check. Smartphones had replaced the wonder of walkie-talkies, it seemed.

“Shoot a bull’s-eye into that clock,” Dalton suggested.

“That would be illegal and get me fired,” she said.

“Tase Dalton,” Kelsey said.

“I can’t. I can’t tase anyone, alas,” Emmaline said. “So unfair.”

“Show us how to take down the bad guy,” Cory suggested.

“Yeah!” Tamara said.

“I volunteer,” Dalton said. “Don’t be rough with me, Officer Em.” He grinned like a naughty toddler.

“Inappropriate, young man,” she said, borrowing a line from her boss. She glanced at Jack. “Do you mind helping me show the kids how to bring down an assailant?”

“Hell, no,” he said.

She felt a warm buzz in her lady parts. She was about to touch him, and heck! She needed to get out more. “I might hurt you,” she warned.

“You can try,” he said.

“Oh, a challenge! How thrilling for little old me. Okay, kids, watch this. Jack, go ahead and grab me from behind.”

“I was hoping you’d say that,” he murmured.

“There are children present. Behave.”

“I’m the bad guy. I’m not supposed to behave.” He smiled.

She narrowed her eyes, then turned her back. Was her heart embarrassing itself by hammering a little too hard and fast? Why, yes, the idiot organ was.

The kids gathered around to watch.

“How should I grab you?” Jack asked.

“Any way you want,” she said.

He bear-hugged her, eliciting a bark of joy and some laps of delirious excitement from Sarge, and Em really would’ve liked to just sit there and think happy thoughts and maybe press back a little bit and had she washed her hair today? Hopefully, it smelled good and not like garlic... Oh, where was she? She did a neat step-twist-push, and Jack was down on his knees and then flat on his face, and she had her knee in the small of his back and was handcuffing him.

Gosh, it was fun.

“Any questions?” Em asked, grinning at the kids.

“Yeah, Officer Em!” Tamara yelled. “You’re such an awesome chick!”

“I turn eighteen in two months, Officer Em,” Dalton added. “Just putting that out there.”

Her dog loped over, licked Em’s face and then bit Jack’s ear. “Ow,” he said.

“That’s it for tonight, kids. I’ll see you next week. And make sure you show up when you said you would for tutoring. Jack is not just here to look pretty.”

She uncuffed her volunteer, and he got up. “Next time we use handcuffs, it’s my turn,” he said, his voice low and, uh, scrapey and velvety at the same time. She focused on putting the cuffs back on her belt and not blushing.

“See you, Officer Em,” Cory said.

“You bet, honey. Stay out of trouble, okay?”

He muttered assent and left, hitching up his droopy pants. Kelsey followed, staring zombielike at her phone, and Dalton and Tamara headed out, as well.

“You’re really good with kids,” Jack said.

“You, too. I’m surprised you and Hadley didn’t have any.”

“Why do you always bring her up?” He folded his arms and gave her a stony glare.

“Why is she always around? Why don’t you tell her to take a flying—”

“This is America. She can live wherever she wants.”

“I think you like having a stalker. How’s her delicate little ankle?”

“Swollen and blue.”

“You going over to carry her to bed? Tuck her in, read her a story?”

Jack didn’t answer. Just kept looking at her, then raised an eyebrow with great effect. Em felt her cheeks flush.

“Sorry,” she muttered.

Sarge flopped down on the floor and began gnawing on Jack’s bootlace.

“Would you have dinner with me if Hadley wasn’t around?” Jack asked.

“Would you want to have dinner with me if Hadley wasn’t around?” she countered. “That’s the real question.”

“I’m guessing I would,” he said, stepping closer. “I had a nice time with you in Malibu. I liked sleeping with you. I’d like to see more of you.”

“Shit, Jack, knock it off.”

He laughed. “What did I say?”

“Nothing! You’re just hard to argue with.”

“So don’t argue.” There it was again, that deep, velvety voice. “Just say yes.” Em swallowed.

If she were honest, she’d say, “Here’s the thing, Jack, I want a devoted husband and three extremely well-behaved but delightfully irrepressible children. You up for that? Because otherwise, let’s skip dinner, since I’d probably fall in love with you in twenty, twenty-five minutes, then spend months resenting you for not feeling the same about me.”

He reached out and touched her earlobe.

Good God. She was halfway to Planet Orgasm because he touched her ear. Get a grip, Neal. You own adult toys for a reason.

“Come on, Emmaline. Say you will.”

Then again, who was she to tell him he didn’t want to date her? Of course, he wasn’t talking about dating, not really...it was just “dinner,” which probably would lead to sexy time, and in this case, sexy time probably meant “I’d rather do you than have a flashback and also use you to make my ex-wife jealous” and that, friends, was where stupidity lay, but his finger really knew what it was doing, and who knew earlobes were directly connected to other parts of her anatomy?

His phone chimed with a text.

Em stepped back. “Bet I know who that is,” she said. Her voice sounded normal, she was almost sure.

“Would you like to have dinner with me sometime, Emmaline?” he said.

“Check your phone.”

“As soon as you answer, I will.”

“Nah,” she said. “I’d rather you take this first.” Da-da-ling. “Ooh. Another one.”

“You’re tough,” he said.

“Thank you.”

He pulled his phone from his pocket, looked at it and put it back. “My sister.”

“Which one?”

“Faith.”

“Liar.”

“Fine,” he said. “You’re right. It’s Hadley.”

“I bet she needs something, and you’re the only one who can help.”

“Well, I need something, too, and you’re the only one who can help.”

“See, that’s just it, Jack. I don’t think that’s true.”

“You have a terrible self-image.”