Nothing Special

 Protecting What's His by Tessa Bailey 

 I read this in one day, but it was not that dense of a book. It was fine, but not great. The characters did not feel fully formed and the romance was a bit rushed. However, I did read it in one day, so it couldn't have been that bad because I didn't want to put it down. Derek was cop with commitment issues, except for his job. Ginger was raising her younger sister and running from their drug addict mother who she stole a lot of money from. They don't build a very good emotional connection, purely physical. Except they both feel very strongly for the other as evidenced by how he reacts when he sees a bar patron accost her and how she reacts when she thinks he got shot in the line of duty. Her sister is thriving in the new environment and it makes her realize that she needs a change, so she decides to do the right thing and takes the money back to Nashville and ignores all phone calls while doing so. He gets home from work, finds her gone and immediately starts looking for her. He has already been working to protect her from the issues chasing her, but since she ran right back to them he can't do anything but follow. She is sneaking the money back when her mom is brought back home and then beat. She shows herself and the money, but she is short because she used it as a deposit on an apartment. She says take me to a bank and I can get you the rest of the money. He decides to take her captive instead. Then Derek and the cops show up as she's being shoved into a trunk. Bad guy gets arrested. She gets saved. They have an awkward drive home-ish; they stop at a motel because he hasn't slept in days. Fast forward 10 months, she finally moves in with him. Little sister has graduated and is doing a study abroad with her boyfriend and everyone is happy. It wasn't great, but it was light and fluffy and easy to consume.