Page 64 of Midnight Secrets

Suddenly, he rose, looming over me.

I gripped the desk with my free hand and stared at him with wide eyes.

“Trust me, Claire. This isn’t easy for me, either. I’ve done little but dream every night about what it would be like to finish what we started. But I can’t jeopardize my investigation or my career.”

He was so close, I could see those gold flecks in his eyes again.

“Think of it this way; I have some powerful motivation to close this case.”

A smile toyed with my lips. “I guess so.”

His gaze dropped to my mouth. Fire leaped to life in his eyes.

An answering burn ignited in my belly. I understood where he was coming from. It didn’t mean I liked it, but I understood it. To me, it wasn’t a big deal. I was a minor player in his investigation. But apparently, it was a bigger issue than I thought.

So, I vowed not to push it.

Because, like it or not, if I wanted a relationship with this man and not just a quick roll between the sheets, I had to respect his boundaries.

Even if my body was currently attempting to shove my rational side into the vault again.

Staving off the urge to wrap my arms around his neck and haul him in for a fierce kiss took every degree of willpower I had, though, and kept me rooted to my spot on his desk.

He seemed to be in the same boat. Fire still blazed in his eyes.

“You should get back to work,” I said, barely above a whisper.

“I should.” He leaned closer, his voice low.

I swallowed, my eyes dropping to his mouth. I thought we weren’t doing this. Why were we doing this? “I should go.”

“You should.”

His warm breath puffed against my lips. It was enough to send prickles over my scalp and racing down my spine. My eyelids fluttered closed.

The warm, firm press of his mouth to mine sent the prickles everywhere. I let go of the desk to clutch the hair at the nape of his neck.

It was a brief kiss, but it packed a punch. After just a couple of seconds, he lifted his head. I opened my eyes to stare into his as my lungs fought for air. He’d sent it all scattering to the wind.

Slowly, he eased back and offered me a hand, helping me off the desk.

“Go home, Claire. Let me do my job.” The words were harsh, but his tone wasn’t. It pleaded with me to be patient.

I pressed my lips together, tasting him there, and nodded. “Work fast, Detective.”

Forcing my legs to function, I spun and hurried out of his office as fast as my broken leg would let me. Another vow echoed through my mind. One to avoid him as much as possible until this case was over. I wasn’t sure I could handle walking away again.

CHAPTER 23

Ozzie

The bitter scent of the department’s burnt coffee wrinkled my nose as I lifted the black mug with my old unit’s logo on it. Stifling a yawn, I couldn’t help but wish it was filled with the same brew Claire brought me earlier today. That was long gone, though.

At least this stuff was hot. Cold, burnt coffee was the worst.

“Why are you drinking that swill?”

I turned slightly to see Chief Riggs as he walked into the breakroom, empty coffee mug dangling from his fingers. His face scrunched with disgust as he walked over to the pot and picked up the carafe, dumping the remnants down the drain.

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