Page 25 of Beneath the Scars

"Oh?" he questions.

"Sorry, Karl." I shake my head, trying to clear the sudden jump in adrenaline caused by his sudden appearance. "There's some creep sending me gifts and scary notes. Agent Byron is coming back now to get it."

Karl's scowl deepens at my words, and he steps closer to the desk to pick up the chocolates.

"Don't!" I cry out too late to stop him from touching it. "Shit. Sorry, they're trying to get prints from it to see if they can figure out who sent it."

Karl shrugs before lifting the box to check the bottom. "They can just exclude mine; you know how it works."

But a little voice inside my head wonders if excluding him might be a stupid idea. As soon as the thought pops up, I push it right back out again. Karl and I have been working together for as long as I've been here. He's the reason I'm even working here.

"I was going to ask if you'd mind if I slipped out a few hours early. I have a few things I need to do for my girl," Karl says, carefully placing the chocolates back on the desk. But I'll wait until the FBI guy shows up before going, if that's fine with you, Doc."

"Uh. Yeah. That's fine. You can go now, too. I'm safe here."

He shakes his head and sits behind his desk with his feet up.

"So you're seeing someone?" He raises his eyebrow in question, inviting me to share, but I'm a little reluctant to open up again after the way Jayne reacted.

"Yeah. It's new."

Karl frowns, and I hate that I don't know if I can trust what it's about.

We both sit in silence after that, which isn't anything new for the two of us. Over time, I've grown accustomed to sharing the quiet with Karl. It's one of the things I like about him.

When Byron finally shows up without his new partner, Karl leaves without a word to either of us.

"Where's Agent Jones?" I ask Byron after he tucks me into his side so he can look at the note.

"Getting something to eat. I told him I'll meet him at the hotel once we're done here. Apparently, he has no interest in a stalker bothering the local medical examiner when there is a serial killer in town."

He sounds annoyed with his partner, but I'm just too relieved to have him with me, and the distance between us has gone, to worry about why his partner has annoyed him now.

"Who's seen us together?" Byron muses after putting the note back down on the desk before pulling my body flush against his.

"I don't know that anyone has," I respond, thinking things through. "I mean, we haven't been hiding anything, but we also haven't been flaunting it, so I don't have a clue."

"I'll keep you safe, you know that, right?" He's staring down at me, his eyes imploring me to believe him. And I do. With all my heart. It's the only reason I haven't packed a bag and left town already. At my earnest nod, he leans over and catches my lips with his in a searing kiss. "Where did Karl go?"

I look toward the door through which my assistant had hastily exited. "I don't know. Something about getting a gift for his girl." I shrug and turn my focus back to Byron.

"Is anyone else going to be showing up?" He lifts an eyebrow at me, his fingers stroking my back as his hand moves up to my neck.

"I mean, there's always the chance of someone showing up with a body or a request," I respond to both his words and the intense look in his eyes. I wrap my arms around his neck and stand on the tip of my toes to bring my mouth back to his. "But the morgue has a pretty sturdy lock, and other than my boss, I'm the only one with a key."

His words last night and how they made me feel come back to me, and I shiver in anticipation.

I shouldn't. It's my place of employment. I have a crazed stalker who's definitely showing signs of getting even more crazy. And my new semi-best friend is being weird.

But all I can think about is how exciting it will be to let Byron have his way with me in a place where anyone could walk in on us at any minute.

"Go lock up, beautiful," he orders, his voice husky as he sends me to the door.

When I turn back to him after I'm done, the hunger in his gaze takes my breath away. He crooks a finger, beckoning me closer, and the invisible cord between us pulls me in.

"It's going to be fast and dirty, baby. But I'll make you feel good," he promises before picking me up and placing me on the cold metal slab.

I should not be this hot and bothered. Not while the sexy man in front of me is slowly slipping my trousers and panties down my legs while my back is on the same table I usually perform autopsies on, but the taboo of it, along with the threat of being caught, only makes it hotter.

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