Just a Little Embrace by Tracie Puckett

 
    Chapter One
    Wednesday September 12
    “Up and at ‘em, Little. ” Luke’s voice rang through my ears. He ripped the sheets from the bed and flipped on the lights. “You’ll have plenty of time to sleep when you’re dead. Now get up.”
    I rolled over and checked the clock.
    4 am ; just as I’d suspected.
    I buried my face in the pillow and prayed my pink satin pajamas would be enough to keep me warm. Whether he liked it or not, I was sleeping in. And I didn’t need the sheets . Joke’s on him.
    “Don’t even think about it,” he said, stomping to the side of the bed. He tucked his arms under my body and pulled me up. He swung my legs over the bedside and backed away. “You have five minutes. Use them wisely.”
    And with that, Luke marched out of my bedroom, closing the door behind him.
    Across the room , I noticed the white sports bra and shorts I’d laid out the night befor e.
    Right.
    Our run.
    With ten hours to go before completing my job shadowing requirement for the Oakland High School senior project, my Uncle Charlie suggested I forget about patrolling the streets and start living the lifestyle required of a ny man—or in my case, woman—in uniform.
    To me, that meant sitting around the Oakland PD break room all morning eating donuts and sipping coffee. To my mentor Luke, it meant waking up at an ungodly hour to get in a five-mile run to jump start the day.
    I hadn’ t known Luke long—two weeks to be exact—and each day we spent together came with its own set of surprises.
    When it came to Officer Lucas Reibeck, there were only two things I knew for certain . One, there was no one in the world who could hold a candle to his physical assets . His dark hair, brown eyes, a nd strong stature only lai d the groundwork . And two, the crush I ’d developed during my first ten hours of job shadowing hadn’t subsided . If anything, it had only grown by leaps and bounds.
    “Three minutes, Little,” Luke said, tapping on the door.
    I mustered the energy to stand and traipsed across the room to my workout attire. I stripped my pajamas to the floor and slid into the sports bra and workout shorts before completing the ensemble with a pair of bright, pink tennis shoes.
    I stopped at the mirror and ran a brush through my hair, meticulously styling it back into a ponytail. With a quick application of lip gloss and a single br ush of mascara, I dubbed myself acceptable.
    Yes, it was only a run. But it was a run with Luke, and I couldn’t squander a single opportunity to catch his eye.
    I left the room and reminded myself that just d own the hall, my cousin Matt was sleeping soundly. Lucky for him, he had another two hours of beauty rest before he’d have to get up and be ready for school.
    I took each step down the back staircase a little slower than the one before. When I finally reached the kitchen, Luke and Charlie looked up from the table with wide eyes.
    “What are you wearing?” my Uncle Charlie asked, shielding his eyes. “For the love of God, go upstairs and put some clothes on.”
    I looked down at my outfit and back up to the men. “I thought we were running—”
    “We are,” Luke interrupted, standing up and taking a step closer. I caught his eyes wonder ing down my torso for a brief moment before he looked up to meet my gaze. “I guess you’re ready then?”
    “Guess so,” I said, turning to Charlie. “You comin’ with us?”
    Still shielding his eyes, he shook his head and motioned for us to leave.
    “He’s not comfortable with you baring so much skin,” Luke said as we walked out of the kitchen and through the living room to the foyer.
    In his running shirt and black shorts, Luke looked just as irresistible as he did in his uniform—if not more. The way the material clung to his muscles made my heart flutter a bit off beat. And as I stood in front of the door, assessing his shoulders and tight chest with a mindful eye, I caught him gazing at me yet again.
    “Is it that