Chapter Text
He could still picture her in his mind. The crimson red of her lipstick, the way her long locks tumbled over petite shoulders in delicate waves, or how those jeans clung to her ass in just the right way. It’d been a long time since he’d found someone to go toe to toe with. She had a habit of pushing back in the most unexpected ways…
Before I leave, Officer Bradford, I just wanted to give you this. It’s my evaluation of you.
He’d been standing with the TO’s, off to the side as he downed his second drink of the night. Lopez had hidden a smirk behind her own cup as the Rookie approached. That’s not how it works, Boot. She knew that but he’d felt the need to remind her. Call it male ego, call it a front before three beautiful women, call it whatever the fuck you want.
Yeah well, if you don’t want to read it, don’t. He had absolutely no intention of opening the letter there, by the street truck with Lopez and Bishop watching on. God only knew what she’d written about him... after the way he’d treated her the last few weeks, Bradford wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to read it at all… but then one of them pushed him. You going to open it? Lopez’s smug tone was the only reason he found himself thumbing the envelope, sliding out the small document… too small to be any kind of evaluation.
What is it?
Her question had barely registered as eagle eyes scanned the slip of paper, scrunching it in his hand as he turned to yell at the Boot, only it was too late. Her ass, along with Nolan and West had already hightailed out of there. Their bar tab. That little…
He could just hear her giggling all the way home. Bradford decided then and there that he was going to make her pay. He’d tried to push it aside, to focus on something, anything else whilst he orchestrated his revenge and before long, realized there was no way he could wait until the morning. No, he’d found himself excusing his presence amongst the other’s a few minutes later and wound up across the street from Chen’s building.
A small voice inside him was urging the Officer to turn around, beat feet out of there and find another way… what he was planning to do, it was a line he couldn’t uncross… but there was no turning back. Not as he stood before her door, the hard rap of knuckles sounding across the ageing wood announced his presence.
He could hear the soft padding of footsteps as she moved across her apartment with a feline grace, could picture the sway of her hips as she closed the distance between wherever she had stood and the door that now served as the only remaining barrier between them. There was a heartbeat pause as she undoubtedly rose to the tips of her toes to look through the peephole, closely followed by the subtle clink of a chain being slid out of position.
The door opened to reveal a tiny little Rookie, standing in the frame with a puzzled expression and a whole lotta’ leg. She’d switched the leather jacket and jeans for a loose fitting t-shirt and by the looks of it, absolutely nothing else. The lipstick had been wiped off and her long hair brushed back, the curls sitting loose on her shoulders.
Beyond the curiosity, there was a glint in her eye. The kind that told him she knew exactly why he was here. “Thanks for the evaluation, Boot.” He stepped forward, taking away whatever space had stood between them as a large hand slid across her hip, finding the small of her back and yanking her hard against him. “Now it’s time for yours…”