Page 14 of Tattletale

“Shove a wine bottle through his dick?” I bat my eyelashes.

“Something like that.” He gives me a once-over.

It’s not lost on me that his eyes linger on my chest. The lace of my bra doesn’t leave much to the imagination. Normally, this doesn’t faze Lance. But when he notices I’m watching his eyes, he flushes and looks up at the ceiling.

“I’ll text Vesper to send in NYPD to collect his body.” I head toward my phone, but Lance beats me to it.

“Let’s give the girls here some time to scatter. It’s NYPD, so even with a dead body in the back, they are still probably going to fixate on citations for prostitution.” He rolls his eyes. “Priorities, you know?”

“Fair point.”

“I’d say let’s grab a bite, but you’re in desperate need of a shower. How about we find a place to sleep and then order in.”

I collect my coat from Rossi’s body. It’s dark enough and hides most of the blood stains, so I wrap it around my body and fasten the tie. “I actually booked us two rooms at the Delgado. Online check-in, so no need to stop at the front desk.”

Lance’s lips meld into a tight smile as he raises one brow. “You booked two rooms at a hotel?”

“It’s discreet. There’s a service elevator we can use if we enter through the back of the building.” Lance is far more paranoid about being spotted. Probably because he’s slept with a lot of devious women whose husbands have his head on a target board.

“No, I mean, you bookedtworooms? Since when don’t we stay together?”

Since we kissed and things got weird.But telling Lance that would only make things more awkward, so instead, I say, “I thought you might want privacy in case you drummed up some company for tonight.” I pump my eyebrows at him. “Lots of beautiful women here.”

“Really? I only see one.”

I blink, lost for words.

“What?” he asks.

“Are you implying I’m beautiful?”

He runs his finger against his lips, looking wildly uncomfortable. “I mean…I’ve said that to you before.”

“No, you haven’t,” I insist. “I think you called me a cock tease a time or two.”

“Shit,”he mumbles. “I didn’t mean to—”

I grumble. “Lance, relax. I took it as a compliment.”

“Yeah, but… It was before—”

He stops talking abruptly. His eyes shift left, then right, like he’s trying to read the pages of his own thoughts. I tuck my hair behind my ear, suddenly feeling self-conscious. Dammit. Lance is my best friend. This has to stop being so weird. I need my best friend back.

“So…let’s go?” My voice comes out like a squeak, cutting through the uncomfortable silence.

“Know what?” He blows out a breath. “Fuck it.” Suddenly, his hand is on the small of my back, and he’s pulling me closer to him.

“What’re you doing?” I ask in a whisper, but I don’t pull away when he ducks his head, his cheek barely an inch away from mine.

“The truth is, I’m pretty sure a woman dosed me at the bar. My head is fuzzy.”

Pulling away, I laugh in relief.Oh, that’s what it is.“Drunk, horny Lance. Lovely.Come on, then, lover boy, let’s get you to bed.” I brush past him, eyes fixed on the door, but he catches my hand and gently pulls me right back into his embrace.

“That kiss a while back…”

My heart knocks hard, goose bumps on my skin rising. “The kiss we’re not talking about—”

“Yeah, changed my mind. I want to talk about it.”

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