Page 93 of Shadow Sabotage
I shook myself, realizing I’d gotten lost in a fantasy and hadn’t responded to his question. “Um. Let me check.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket and looked. “Yes! He did.”
“Here.” Vance took my phone from me, typing quickly before handing it back. “I just emailed it to myself. We can watch it on my laptop.”
“Perfect. But I need coffee first.”
I felt my eyes sparkle. Knowing thatSerenawas our bad guy had improved my mood immensely. I felt no loyalty to her, no sense of betrayal because of her actions. And it redeemed Sheriff McGrath somehow, too. Hiding the truth from us had been wrong, but he had done it to protect his family.
I could respect that.
“Help yourself,” Vance said, shooting me a grin. “I’d ask you to pour me a cup, too, but…”
I blushed, remembering how I’d snapped at him the day we’d been paired together, thinking he was going to treat me like I was less than all the others because I was a woman.
I was so glad I’d been wrong.
I went to the kitchen and poured us each a cup of black, carrying both mugs in one hand so I could grab the bag of desserts, too. While Vance pulled up the video on his laptop, Isettled in on the couch, taking a sip of the delicious dark blend before diving into my creme brûlée. The combination was as heavenly as I could hope for.
“Ben’s a genius,” I said around a mouthful of sweetness.
Vance cut his eyes toward me. “Genius, huh? Should I be worried that he’s going to swipe my partner away from me?”
“Yes,” I said, laughing. “I’d marry Ben in a heartbeat, just so he’d make me breakfast every day.”
Vance attempted a casual smile, but the jealousy in his eyes was clear.
It gave me a thrill to see him as jealous over me as I was over him. I was tempted to tease him just to see a little more of it. But I smoothed it away instead.
“Unfortunately, I’m not his type,” I said, winking. “You’d have better luck seducing him than I would.”
Vance relaxed. “I guess it’s a good thing I don’t have much of a sweet tooth.”
“Try this and see if you feel differently.” I held out a spoonful of the delicious dessert for him to taste.
He locked eyes with me and wrapped his lips around the spoon as I held it, heating my blood and sending a delicious ache between my thighs when he licked off the last of the cream.
“Delicious,” he murmured, those eyes still locked on mine. “But unless Ben’s a blonde with the eyes of a mermaid, I’m not interested.”
“The eyes of a mermaid?” My voice was almost breathless, like all the air had been sucked out of the room. Vance’s intensity held me captured.
He nodded, his gaze darkening. “Those eyes of yours are dangerous. A swirling ocean. And you’re tempting enough to make a man want to drown in it.”
Serena, the case, the creme brûlée, all of it—forgotten. One more second of his smoldering gaze on me and I would haveclimbed into his lap again, savoring the taste of his lips more than the dessert in my hands.
I didn’t know whether to be disappointed or grateful when his phone buzzed, pulling his attention away from me.
“Who is it?” I asked, trying to be casual even though my heart was still racing.
He frowned. “My father.”
“Do you need to take it? I can give you some privacy.”
He thought about it, then shook his head and flipped the phone over to where he couldn’t see it. “No.” He swallowed hard. “No distractions.”
I knew he was talking about more than just his phone.
His face hardened as he started the video on his laptop and turned all his attention back to the case.
Hours later,I stretched my arms above me and yawned. “I’m starved,” I announced.
