It looked to everyone else like I was trying to move on, but in actuality, I was looking for something I could use to go back to that night.

  There wasn’t much luck at her apartment. Everything she’d worn that night was still in evidence. Or so I hoped.

  And there wasn’t much to keep either, as her clothing taste was so very different than mine.

  So bland, and yet so sexy. Mostly black.

  Bleh.

  But she had some beautiful jewelery and photographs I couldn’t part with, for sentimental reasons more than anything else.

  When my phone rang and I saw it was Geoff, I picked it up, excitement pounding in my chest.

  “Hey.”

  He chuckled. A strange, sensual laugh I hadn’t expected from such a serious guy.

  “Hey, yourself. Meet me at the diner in half an hour. We need to go over some more training.”

  I looked down at the cleaning rag in my hand.

  “Okay. See you then.”

  I’d decided to stop asking questions of Geoff. Especially in regards to the help I’d enlisted him for.

  He seemed to know what he was doing, and I was hoping everything would be revealed in the long run.

  I brushed my hair up into a long, purple ponytail, out of the way of my face, as I grabbed by essentials and headed out the door.

  I’d been thinking a lot about Geoff’s training idea, too. About how to convince my sister that she needed to come with me when I needed her to.

  Amanda was a classic younger sister, and tended to do the opposite of what I said. Even if my way was better for her, and I only had the best of intentions.

  She fought me all the way. It was probably why she was as different from me as she could be.

  I had the radical hair, the motorcycle and the good job.

  She flitted between college and casual jobs all the while being blonde and sexily dressed. Sexy, but boring comparatively to my style.

  We were like a non-matching pair of bookends.

  But that didn’t mean I didn’t know her, or couldn’t tweak her if I needed to.

  I wove through traffic and made my way to Geoff’s café. How that place stayed open when he seemed to be the only one who ever ate there, I didn’t know.

  I pulled up in front of the shop and parked my bike as I had three days prior.

  I couldn’t help the smile that rose on my face at seeing him sitting in the back, working on his laptop once again.

  Alone. Except for the barista and the busboy.

  His glasses were perched on his nose, his brown hair disheveled and too long.

  Such a nerd.

  He looked my way, as though I’d called out to him and waved at me to come inside.

  I locked my helmet onto my bike and walked into the practically empty diner.

  Geoff looked me up and down for the first time in our association.

  I’d pulled out some of my old bike gear and found my leathers still fit me perfectly, although they did hug my ass a little tightly.

  Nice of him to notice.

  “Sarah, I was thinking of working with you on your fighting skills, if need be. How’s your self defense?”

  I blinked at him, shocked at his question. I was an academy graduate and active duty law enforcement. How did he think my self defense skills were?

  “They’re good, why?”

  He shuffled his work into that black bag he went nowhere without and stood up.

  “Great. Let’s go work out in the gym and see if I’m still up to snuff.”

  Something about the way he said that made me think that behind that over-sized shirt and strange coat, Geoff may be hiding more of a physique than I realized.

  It seemed that I’d soon find out.

  I followed him through the diner, past the restrooms and through a locked door.

  My heartbeat tripped over itself and began to race louder as we stepped into a room with no windows.

  “Where are we, Geoff?”

  “It’s my private training room, don’t worry. You’re perfectly safe.”

  He flicked on some brighter lights and the room lit up.

  It looked just like a normal gym, with weight and cardio equipment and far too many mirrors.

  There was also a large area for boxing and sparring, with thick rubber mats underfoot.

  It was just the kind of place I’d dreamed about having at my disposal.

  “You’ve been holding out on me.”

  He chuckled in response and pulled his ugly sweater off. Then his shirt, in that sexy way guys had of reaching over their shoulder and then pulling it straight over their heads.

  He tossed his outer clothes to the side and ran a hand through his tousled hair.

  Wow.

  He wore only a white wife-beater style undershirt, which on a lot of guys made them look weak.

  Not Geoff.

  He’d been hiding a killer body beneath those bulky clothes. His arms were massive, his chest too broad and super strong.

  A more than worthy opponent.

  I licked my lips, my mouth suddenly dry.

  “Um, I’m not sure why we’re doing this, Geoff. My combat skills are up to date.”

  “I don’t want to send you into a time loop without verifying you can protect yourself. Especially since you’re hunting a would-be killer. So come on, show me.”

  Geoff shifted his feet to a balanced fighting position and held up his hands.

  I sighed. Did I really have to do this?

  “You seriously want me to hit you?”

  “If you can.” His response was delivered without a smile or a smirk. He was serious.

  I stepped forward and put up my hands.

  He waited patiently, and I sighed. I really didn’t want to do this.

  “Do you have boxing gloves or anything like that?”

  He shook his head, his face as serious as an earthquake.

  “Okay.”

  I kicked out at his thigh, above his knee, not wanting to hurt him.

  He lifted his leg, twisted and kicked me away. Hard.

  I almost fell, but managed to catch myself, pain searing the inside of my knee.

  Oh, we were serious, were we?

  My heart began to thrum, the heat in my blood making a smile pull up my lips.

  I pulled off my own jacket and threw it to the side.

  Geoff’s gaze slithered down my black corset top. One of my favorites.

  I stepped forward and swung a punch at his head, at half speed, just to see what he’d do.

  He blocked it with a hard forearm and leaned forward, pushing me back with a shove to my chest.

  “I’m disappointed, Sarah.”

  I heaved a sigh and narrowed my eyes. “Fine.”

  He wanted a serious sparring match, then so be it.

  I rushed forward and attacked, punching, kicking, attempting to throw him as I’d been taught.

  But Geoff blocked every move with ease and my frustration grew.

  I fought harder, dirty.

  And yet, at the end of the short session, the only person who ended up on her ass, was me.

  “Argh...” I whacked my hands against the mats from my place on the floor, and rolled to a stand.

  “What the hell, Geoff?”

  My chest was heaving with my strangled breathing and my arms ached from the amount of punches I’d thrown.

  Why couldn’t I take him down?

  Geoff relaxed his stance and wiped his brow, which I was happy to note was covered in sweat.

  “The academy did a shit job with you.”

  I give him the bird. What else could I do?

  “What the hell are you talking about? I’ve taken down and arrested hundreds of criminals. Hundreds.”

  Geoff held up his hands and shook his head. “Don’t get your shorts in a twist, Sarah. This is the end. I’m going to teach you.”

  My anger instantly calmed and I became far too aware of how my nipples were tingling beneath my corset.

  Being thrown by Geoff had involved him pulling me to his body and swinging me over, and damn, I wanted him to do it again.

  I would love to lie about how much my sex-starved body had enjoyed the contact. But I couldn’t. Despite getting my ego sorely bruised, my panties were in a different state from when they came in.

  He grabbed for his old shirt and pulled it over his beautiful chest, his skin gleaming with perspiration.

  Disappointment fell over me as I watched his body disappear from view.

  I grabbed at my own coat, wanting to cover myself up too.

  Why didn’t he seem at all affected by me?

  I wasn’t that ugly, was I?

  Could he be married? Gay? How would I know, unless I got into his personal life, and it didn’t look like that was going to happen anytime soon.

  “Sarah, there’s more to this than you know. There are Time Thieves who will do everything they can to steal your life force when you go back.”

  I stared at him.

  “Are you serious? What are they? Time Hoppers gone bad?”

  Time hopping was a learned skill, but in order to be taught, you had to have the genetic predisposition for the skill. There were whispers I’d heard at the academy of Time Hoppers who had taught themselves.

  Geoff went on. “Pretty much. Listen to me, you cannot let that happen. They have no relationship to your sister, and hopefully you will avoid them entirely, but they can tell a Time Thief when they see one. You will stand out like the proverbial sore thumb to them. And they will grab you, if they can.”

  I heaved a breath.

  That sounded dangerous, and illegal, and all sorts of ugly.

  I’d never even heard of Time Thieves before. But then again, up until a few days ago, I’d made sure to stay on the right side of the law.

  “So what can I do to stop that happening?”

  “You can fight, but you’re going to have to work on your skills. The academy may have prepared you to take down would-be criminals when they least expect it. But you won’t stand a chance against these time thieves. Like they’re like bounty hunter, they’ll do anything for a fee.”

  I was offended. I’d been a bounty hunter myself!

  Though, I’d never been the prey before.

  “So, what can I do?”

  I threw up my hands. How was I going to get any better without his help?

  He reached over his back and pulled his ugly shirt off once again, the ghost of a smile quivering over his lips.

  “I’ve got time now. If you do.”

  I threw my coat down and unbuckled my shoes. I needed better grip if I was going to take him down. Barefoot was the only way to go.

  “I’ve got all the time in the world.”

  “Then come at me.”

  I charged him and jumped, taking a flying leap at Geoff and kicking out with a roundhouse. My best, and most practiced move.

  He grabbed my leg tight, and hauled me to the ground.

  Pain exploded up my back as I landed on the mats, and his fingers gripped my thigh.

  I gasped out at the pain.

  He glared down, kneeling over me. “You’re too obvious. Slow everything down. Wait for me to move and watch carefully.”

  I nodded and waited for him to let me go, and eventually he did. But not until his fingers had seared my skin and my pussy ached for something it had long stopped craving.

  Damn it.

  Of all the people in all the worlds to be attracted to, it had to be this guy.

  A man living off the grid, in a criminal part of town, with the geekiest look and the hottest body.

  What a combination.

  We stood up and faced each other.

  “Again.”

  DAYS LATER I WOKE UP, stiff and sore from my daily training sessions with Geoff. The man was a machine. He didn’t stop, and would train for hours. Until we were both panting and covered in sweat.

  He’d grab a bottle of water for each of us, wait a minute, then start again.

  I rolled out of bed and headed straight for a hot shower, allowing the water jets to massage some of the stiffness from my muscles.

  If only Geoff would offer some sweet relief for the rest of me, I would be a much happier woman.

  Once I was dressed in my training gear—stretchy leggings and black tank top—I headed for the door.

  The doorbell rang just as I went to grab the handle.

  Who could that be?

  I looked through the peephole and saw an old friend from work. She wasn’t assigned to my division anymore, but we’d been very close, once upon a time.

  I pulled open the door, an authentic smile on my face. “Hey, Lexie, how are you?”

  Lexie leaned forward and hugged me, then continued into my apartment, uninvited.

  “Good, Sarah. How are you doing?”

  I turned around slowly and shut the door, my detective senses telling me that this wasn’t a social call.

  “Oh, you know...”

  She wouldn’t know, and she didn’t seem to want a more elaborate answer.

  Lexie smiled and leaned against the arm of the couch. “So what have you been up to with your time off, Sarah? I can imagine preparing for your sister’s funeral must be stressful.”

  I opened my mouth to respond with something sarcastic, but shut it again. I didn’t really have time for this conversation.

  “Well, considering the fact they still haven’t released her body, nor have they told me an actual cause of death, the funeral is impossible to plan.”

  “Oh, how terrible,” she murmured and nodded like she cared.

  My temper snapped.

  “Lexie, why are you here?”

  She made noises like she didn’t know what I was carrying on about. “Oh, I just wanted to see how you were doing.”

  I stared at her and waited, and watched as her face cleared and the serious side of her came out.

  Now I remembered why we didn’t stay friends after she’d left my precinct.

  She’d always been a political animal. Had risen to the top by stabbing others in the back.

  She crossed her arms over her abundant chest. “Someone told me you’ve been hanging out with Geoff Wolfe.”

  Oh, they’d talking about me at work, had they? No point denying it. I hadn’t exactly been hiding it.

  “Yeah, so?”

  I had every right to talk to whomever I liked, and she knew it.

  “Oh, Sarah, don’t you even know who he is? You can’t trust him. He’s as shady as they come. How’d you even meet him?”

  I ignored the question and leaned against my dining room table. Then changed my mind and sat in one of the chairs, keys still in hand. I had things to do, places to be, but if Lexie had more information on Geoff, then perhaps I should listen.

  “What do you mean... shady?”

  Lexie gasped, her eyebrows drawing up into a look of mortification that was so false it was predictable. But I’d play along for the moment. “You don’t know?”

  I shook my head.

  Was she going to get to the point soon?

  And what I really wanted to know was, who sent her?

  Who’d been watching me?

  Lexie leaned forward and lowered her voice like she was sharing a state secret.

  “Geoff’s been arrested for going back in time and forcing people... other people, to time hop as well, to do his bidding. He doesn’t even care if they lose a portion of their life when they do.”

  I struggled to keep my face impassive against this new information.

  I didn’t entirely believe Lexie. She wasn’t here to warn me off Geoff for my own good, she’d been sent here to get me away from him.

  But why?

  And was her story true? It didn’t sound like the guy I knew. He’d tried to talk me out of time hopping backwards many times, and was now going to extreme measures to make sure that I didn’t get hurt in the process.

  But there was only one way to find out, and that was to ask him myself.

  I opened my mouth to interrogate Lexie, ask her who’d sent her and why. But that would mean she’d go back to them and report that I was suspicious. I couldn’t have that.

  I forced a smile to my face. “I had no idea. Thank you so much, Lexie. I can’t believe you came all the way over here to warn me about him.”

  Especially since we haven’t talked in three years and I’d heard you’d made your way all the way up to the mayor’s office.

  “So you’ll stay away from him?” she asked, her voice a little too high and hopeful, considering the conversation.

  I shook my head.

  “Oh, yeah, that’s not a problem. He was just helping me import a new motorbike from a private buyer, but if you think that’s too dangerous, I can always cancel the order,”

  I lied smoothly, hoping Lexie took that piece of information back to her informant.

  I stood up and grabbed my bike jacket.

  “I better head off, Lexie. I was on my way out when you caught me. But thanks again for the info. I really had no idea he’d been in trouble with the law.”

  And I was sincere in that, although I assumed as much.

  Why else would a man as talented and well-trained as Geoff be hiding in some run down diner in the middle of gang owned real estate?

  “Oh... where were you going?” Lexie asked, as I ushered her out the door and locked it behind me.

  “The gym. It’s the only thing that keeps my mind off things,” I explained, the half-truth sitting easily with me.

  She glanced down at my sneakers and leggings.

  She must have believed me because she didn’t pursue it. We rode the elevator down together and she gave me a weird little hug as she said goodbye.

  “Oh, well... I suppose I’ll see you at the funeral, maybe?”

  I wasn’t so sure about that. But for now... “Yeah, maybe. I can’t wait to get back to normality again. Once all that stuff is behind me.”

  I waved Lexie off, put on my helmet and climbed onto my bike, the strength of the motor between my legs roaring to life.

  Now I had even more questions to ask Geoff.

  I pulled down my visor and took off, heading towards the diner where the gym was situated.

  I had a feeling that Geoff lived on top of the shop, or very nearby. But he’d never invited me back there, and with a man like that, nothing was certain.

  When I arrived, I parked my bike on a side street, out of view of the normal foot traffic.

 

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