Page 50 of Hidden Hero

“Hey, Cora,” he greeted, trying and failing to ignore how seeing her sent a spark through his chest.

Her gaze dropped to the bags in his hands. “I take it that’s the evidence you called about?”

“Yeah. Where should I put it?”

Janice walked over and held out her hands. “I can take it, Detective Pickett, and maybe you can convince this one to go home,” she said, jerking her head toward Cora.

He wondered if Cora had mentioned his personal relationship with her coworkers but simply nodded. “I’ll try.”

He handed the bags over, then looked beyond Cora to the table. He had wiped off the menthol from his upper lip but was glad the odor lingered. He blew out a breath and thought about what Cora had to work on for the past hours. Shaking his head slowly, he held her gaze. “I am so sorry?—”

She held out her hand. “Stop apologizing, Jeremy. I chose this career. What I work with isn’t always easy or pleasant or textbook.”

He nodded, still holding her gaze, wishing they were anywhere but in the morgue. “How much longer are you working?”

“I was just finished getting her ready for Janice to put into the drawer. I’m not too proud to admit I’m exhausted. I thought I’d head home for a few hours of sleep. What about you?”

“Same.”

They stood, neither speaking, yet the longing filling the space between them was so thick he could swear it was tangible.

“You need to feed your Tommy Girl,” she said, her gaze never leaving his face.

It took a second for her words to penetrate, and then he jerked his head in a nod. “Yeah. Yeah, I do.” It was on the tip of his tongue to ask her to come to his place when he remembered that she also needed to get home to feed Max and Mia. “So, um… can I walk you to your car?”

“If you can give me a minute.”

“No problem.” He jammed his hands into his pockets to tamp down the urge to reach out to take her in his arms.

She moved to the side of the room, removed her scrubs, hair protector, and face mask, and leaned back and stretched. Then she clicked several keys on her computer while Janice logged in the evidence.

“Go on, Cora,” Janice encouraged. “We’ve got this. You worked all night, so sleep today, and it’ll all be here for you tomorrow.”

Cora grabbed her jacket and purse, then said her goodbyes as she turned to walk toward Jeremy. He smiled as she neared and opened the door for her to move through. As they headed to the parking lot, he tried to think of any way he could come up with so they would not have to separate. Inwardly grimacing, he thought of how exhausted she was and how he was selfish to want to spend time with her when she obviously needed sleep.Hell, so do I.

At her vehicle, he waited until she clicked the locks, and then he opened her door. She stepped forward but stopped before sliding into the seat. Turning, she steadily held his gaze. “I’m going to toss out an offer, Jeremy. You’re under no obligation to accept. And God knows, it would probably be easier if you said no. But here it is. If you want to return to my house after you feed your cats, that’s fine. I can guarantee that the only thing that will happen first is sleep, but…” She shrugged, a look of uncertainty now crossing her usually confident expression.

The weight he’d felt choking him lifted suddenly at her words. Without hesitation, he blurted, “I’ll be there. Just let me get home, take care of business, and shower. Then I’ll be at your place. Give me about thirty minutes if you can hold on that long before falling asleep.”

A slow smile beamed his way, and it was as though the clouds had parted.

“I’ll stay awake,” she promised.

Now, he grinned and, with a chin dip, watched as she climbed into her vehicle, and he closed the door. After jogging to his SUV, he hurried home. He rubbed Tommy Girl and placed food in her dish before hustling into the shower. He scrubbed away the scents of the crime scene that seemed to invade his skin and hair. Afterward, he tossed his clothes into the washing machine and turned it on, figuring they could at least get washed while he was gone. Looking at the clock, he offered a hasty goodbye to his cat and jogged back to his vehicle. Soon, he knocked on Cora’s door.

When it swung open, she smiled up at him, exhaustion threatening to pull the corners of her mouth down. He stepped in as she backed up. Her hair was wet and braided down the back. She smelled like a summer breeze, and he inhaled deeply, dragging the fresh scent into his body. She was in a long T-shirt, but he had no idea what she wore underneath. His gaze dropped to the words on her shirt.Support your local medical examiner… Die strangely.

He barked out laughter and shook his head. “You and your humor. Gets me every time.”

She smiled at his words but remained standing just inside her foyer. Her fingers began to fiddle with the hem of her shirt. He’d never seen her fidget before. She looked up and asked, “Is this crazy?”

“Crazy?”

“Me inviting you over to sleep?”

His heart fell at the realization she was having second thoughts. He dragged his tongue over his bottom lip and then caught her gaze following the movement. She wasn’t unaffected… just uncertain. He stepped closer and placed his hands on her shoulders. She tilted her head back as her gaze lifted to his eyes.

“We’ve both been through a shit night that interrupted what I think our kiss was leading to, even if that was nothing more than just a continuation of mind-blowing kisses.”

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