Outside The Lines by Kimberly Kincaid

ran his hand lazily over her ankle, and even the benign touch sent little sparks over her skin.
    “ I just brought a quick meal to the station house when your cousin was on shift the other day. No big deal.”
    “ Jules.” He took a deep draw from his coffee before putting the cup on the side table at his elbow. “Aaron said you made six trays of homemade mac and cheese and nine dozen double-chocolate brownies. That’s hardly a quick meal.”
    “ Hey!” She laughed, not wanting to cop to the buttered green beans and fresh lemonade that he’d left off the list. “Those guys work hard. Plus, you should see some of the things they try to pass off as meals. I mean, I know they’re busy and all, but Ho-Hos are not a food group. And anyway, Serenity and Violet helped,” she said, trying to spread the credit where it was due, but Blake shook his head.
    “Oh, n o you don’t.” With a firm but gentle yank, Blake scooped her into his lap, his palms tight over the low rise of her pajama pants as he anchored their bodies face to face. “When are you going to admit it? This carnival wouldn’t be half the event it is without all your hard work.”
    “I’ m organizing the catering. Yes,” Jules held up a hand to stave off the protest brewing on his already parted lips. “It’s a lot of work. But this is my job, remember? It’s just what I do.”
    “I see.” He slid his palms from her hips to the hem of her tank top, and oh God his hands felt so strong and hot and undeniably good. “And is it part of your job description to recruit Brentsville Police detectives to volunteer as extra security on the day of the carnival?”     
    Her laugh ter doubled its efforts. “That’s not fair! Jason and Noah wanted to pitch in, and they couldn’t volunteer for the bachelor auction since they’re off the market. I suggested security detail, but they’re the ones donating their time and expertise.”
    One sandy brown brow lifted. “There are seven volunteer detectives from two different departments on this list.”
    “What can I say? Jason and Noah are friendly guys.”
    “ Uh-huh, fine then.” Blake’s hands moved up, skimming her bare arms and leaving a spray of goosebumps in their wake. “Is it also just part of your job to garner nearly double the donations for the silent auction from local business owners?”
    “A lot of those guys come to Mac’ s for lunch and dinner. All I did was mention that we were catering the event, and they decided to donate extra.” Okay, so she might’ve also encouraged a teensy bit of friendly competition between a bunch of them to see who could donate the most . But it had been all in good fun, and the more money they raised, the more it would help people with cystic fibrosis. Win-win.
    “You know,” Blake said, pressing up to brush a kiss over her mouth. “The standard response when someone compliments your hard work is usually thank you .”
    “Haven’t we established that nothing about me is standard?” Although she meant the question as a sassy joke, Blake hooked a finger beneath her chin so she had no recourse but to meet the seriousness behind his smoky green stare.
    “ Nothing about you is sub-standard, either. I’m not letting you up until you say it.”
    “ Come on,” she laughed, shifting to push up from his lap even though it sent her libido into pout-mode. “You have to be at work in two hours, and you need to eat.”
    “Nope.” He circled his arms around her in a tighter grip, pulling her forward until her chest met his. “ Uh-uh. Not until you admit that you’re doing an amazing job.”
    “ No.” She wrapped the word in just enough northie-tinged knock-it-off for him to relent, unwinding herself from the comfort of his lap to head toward his kitchen.
    But the honesty on his face hit her like a hope-filled sucker punch, and something deep within her chest refused to let her cross the threshold.
    Blake believed what he’d said. Jules owed him the