Chapter 171

Sullivan

"Dispatch, I'm taking lunch," I radio in as I pull up to The Café. It's been a long shift and I'm fucking starving. Rain moved in overnight, and it hasn't stopped in the last few hours.

"Gotcha, Sully."

Parking farther down than I'd like to, I get out, sprinting to the entrance, doing my best to stay dry. When I get under the awning, I slow my roll, shaking the water off my rain coat. Looking around to find an empty seat, I see the woman of my dreams at a booth by herself. Shelby's got her laptop to the side, a plate of food in front of her, and she's so focused on it, she hasn't noticed me. A spring in my step, I walk up to her table.

"Is this seat taken?"

Her gaze flies over to me, a smile spreading across her face. It's intimate, reminding me of the night we had, less than twenty-four hours ago. My thighs are still burning from the energy I expended making love to her.

"Hey," she whispers, biting her bottom lip, her eyes moving up and down my body.

"Hey," I a