Bullets wiz by my ear as I duck for cover behind a wooden pallet. We should have waited for more back up. There are far more gunmen than police at this point. But my partner, Keith, has something to prove apparently. He went in, and the rest of us had to follow.

The abandoned factory is hot with stale air, reeks of gasoline and piss, and buzzes with adrenaline. My pallet doesn’t feel secure so I roll towards a metal wall-looking thing. I feel like I got away with it because I am not shot, and I’m able to cover my partner better here.

And then the lights are out. My head feels achy and warm as I open my eyes. I guess it was just my own lights then.

There is a large man dressed in all black frowning at me. His mask is partially lifted to reveal his mouth and chin. He sips out of a water bottle.

I have been disarmed, but I’m not tied up. His mistake. I hear the shots continue to fire outside of this area. We must be in a little side room.

I’m sitting on the floor but I stand and face the man. It’s odd how he didn’t just shoot me back there. Why separate me from the rest like this?

Squaring off, I begin to circle my prey. He watches but continues to finish his water before tossing it aside. And then I strike.

Or at least I try to. He is so fast. He dodges my fists and high kicks. And then he pulls off his mask and throws it towards some items by the wall.

My first thought is he will kill me now that I will know his identity. Or maybe he is stupid. But my next thought is dang. This man is the hottest man I’ve ever seen.

“You shot two of my men out there. This is going to be fun.” He says with a smile. His voice sounds gruff and warm. And his accent confirms an Italian background.

Clearly, it’s been too long since I’ve gone out on an actual date. I’m about to be murdered by a man in the mob. And all I can think about is how muscular he is. How his dark hair would feel in my hands. I bet it would be soft.

Get it together, Em. You got this! I smile back at him.

“I don’t need my gun to make it three.” My body goes back into a fighting stance.

His laugh does things to my stomach. “You are the tiniest cop I’ve ever seen. My name is Dante. Please tell me your name so I can tease my men for being shot by a little Tinker Bell like you.”

Dante. Crap. This isn’t just a man in the mob.

This is the mob boss’s son. The man that is probably the scariest one. No one has seen any sightings of him in months.

And he wants me to tell him my name? I’m not gonna die today or later on if he hunts me down. No thank you.

“Tinker Bell is fine.” I circle him. He stands and just stares at me with amusement all over his face. He’s enjoying this.

“You can tell your buddies that Tinker Bell got you too.” I throw a punch at his beautiful face.

His hand catches my fist too easily. He whirls me around so my back is against his chest. He’s a lot taller than me. A lot firmer too.

My arms are caught, but not my legs. I kick at his lower region. He expects this and catches my foot between his thighs.

I anticipated his moves. My other foot comes down hard on his shoe. I’m wearing boots. He’s wearing nice leather shoes. My boots win.

He releases me and laughs. “Maybe a little fire instead of Tinker Bell.” He shakes his foot out and watches me.

“I haven’t had this much fun in a while. Please, let me take you to dinner sometime?” His eyes search mine hopefully.

A choked laugh escapes me. “You can’t be serious?” Holy crap, he is serious. “I am a police officer!” I yell at him. “You are the son of a mob boss!”

“But would you like to have dinner with me?” He emphasizes the ‘me’ in his question.

“Why me?” I emphasize the ‘me’ in my own question.

He shrugs. “Intelligent, beautiful, funny, skilled.” He ticks off his fingers. “Why wouldn’t I want to take you out, Tinker Bell?”

“I’m a cop!” I just yell back at him.

He steps forward, and I let him. Dante leans over me till my head tilts up to look at him. His hand grabs my neck and cheek. It’s warm and surprisingly soft.

I can’t believe I’m not flinching or fighting him. I can’t believe he’s looking at me like this. “I’m a cop.” My voice is smaller.

His lips are warm and soft but demanding. He pulls me even closer to him with his other hand on my hip. The kiss deepens, and I find myself climbing him like a tree.

My legs feel his muscles as they wrap around his torso. My hands finally get to feel how soft his hair is. I was right. It’s incredibly soft.

When he pulls back, I struggle to catch my breath. I’ve never had a kiss like that before, all consuming. Our eyes search each other’s.

“You’re a cop.” He says, and my stomach sinks. I try to release my legs but one of his hands cradles my butt to keep me from letting go.

The confused look on my face makes him smile. “Our jobs are about to get a lot harder. I have to go tell my men that little Tinker Bell got me too.”

“My name is Ember.” I choke out.

He laughs. “Fitting.” He sets me down and kisses my nose. “This is gonna be fun.”