Page 19 of Petty Deadly Gorgeous

The man sitting in my kitchen is far from what I think of when I think of detectives. He’s young, thick dark wavy hair, ocean blue eyes and his hands felt strong when I checked them out.

I bet those would feel amazing wrapped around my throat.

I watched as his eyes filled with skepticism and I knew my kiss with Jon confused him. “Jon and I are very open, Detective Moody.” I refreshed his coffee. “Now what was it you needed to talk with me about other than the missing girls?”

His face relaxed, and he sat back in his chair. “When you were thirteen…”

“Ah. My parents’ deaths.” I nodded, schooling my features to show sadness. “It’s been so long.”

He studied me. I could feel his eyes searing into my soul, looking for any crumb he could find. His blue eyes were welcome to gaze upon me as long as he wanted. From the moment we met, I felt his lust and taking him to bed would be a delight.

I swallowed hard, pulling energy to play my part. A small sigh left my parted lips, and I refilled my teacup. “Let’s get comfortable for that talk.” Picking up my cup and saucer, I motioned with my head as I stood for him to follow me.

His chair scraped the floor as he scooted back, and I heard his footfalls as he trailed behind me to the front parlor. I skirted around a recliner and set my saucer down on the coffee table before turning and holding my hand out for his blazer. “Allow me to hang that up for you. You’ll be more comfortable.”

“Do I need a coaster?” He nodded to the table.

“No. It’s a piece of furniture to be used, not pampered.”

After he set his cup down, he shrugged out of his jacket, showing off his shoulder harness and giving me more to look at before handing it to me. I could still feel his eyes watching me as I moved away from him to the coat tree and back. He waited for me to sit first and I smiled at him again. “So gentlemanly.”

He chuffed and adjusted his tie. “I assure you, not everyone thinks so.”

“Then they’re wrong, Detective.” I tucked my leg under my body as I sat down in the corner, cocked to face him. “What would you like to know about my tragic birthday?”

He sat back on the couch and crossed his left leg over the top of his right, with his ankle resting on his knee. His pink tongue darted out and wet his lips as he looked over at me. “According to the report, you found your parents.”

Crossing my arms, I rubbed my hands on the upper part and nodded. “Yes. I spent the night here with my Gran. In the morning, we had a massive breakfast of all my favorite foods and then I walked home. I remember the sun shining, the birds chirping and the strange smell when I entered my home.”

“Strange how?”

My lips twisted as I thought for a moment. “Metallic.” I scrunched my nose up. “Raw sewer or rotting vegetables?” I nodded. “Yeah, that was mostly what I smelled. It was bracing and unforgettable.”

“I’m sorry you had to experience that at such a young age.”

I reached up and wiped a tear from my eye. “Thank you.”

Silence hung between us. He sat forward to get his coffee, cleared his throat, and took a drink before asking his next question. “Did you touch anything in the house?”

“No. I dropped my bag on the kitchen floor and ran through the house, looking for them. When I reached the end of the hall and saw them there, naked, bloody, on the bed, I screamed.” I fanned my face to keep the tears from falling. “I remember the neighbors’ arms around me, pulling me from the house and then police and medics.”

“I’m sorry. Do you need a minute?” His eyes looked genuinely worried for me.

“It’s just such a traumatic event.” I sniffled and got up to get some tissues from the small table next to the recliner. “And even now, no one knows who would even want to hurt my parents that way!”

I dropped into the chair and held my head with my hands and let the tears flow. Dominick sat forward on the couch with his elbows on his knees, letting go of a sigh. “We haven’t given up, Anna. We’re still working on the case.”

“Tell me, Detective Moody, do these cases get solved after almost thirty years?” I sat up to meet his gaze and blew my nose. More tears fell like the rain down my cheeks.

“Sometimes we get a break and yeah, we solve them.”

A loud clap of thunder rumbled through the house, showing all the storm’s fury as the wind howled and shoved the trees around outside.

I wrapped my arms around my body and nodded to the window. “This storm is getting worse. You may want to call your wife, and let her know you’re staying here.”

A small smile cracked his stoney demeanor. “There’s no wife to call.”

“Boyfriend?” I raised an eyebrow, teasing him.

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