Page 35 of On the Chase
She crouched, muscles bunched, just waiting for his command.
“Okay.”
Lexi jumped onto the low, wide branch closest to the ground.
“Hang on,” Grace said from her spot ten feet above his head. “Is your dog seriously climbing this tree?”
Just to rile her, Hugh gave Grace a “duh” look. When she visibly bristled, he ducked his head to hide his grin. “Of course,” he said slowly, as if explaining something to an especially thick person. “How else do you think she’ll get on the roof? She’s a dog, not a flying squirrel.” He could feel Grace’s glare as he concentrated on helping Lexi scramble onto the second-lowest branch. If he looked at Grace, if he saw the offended glower, he knew he’d lose it and start laughing. She was just so easy to tease, and he enjoyed it way too much.
With an audible huff, Grace threw her leg over the next branch up and began sliding toward the building. The tree limb extended over the flat roof, making it the perfect bridge. Hugh swung up to the first branch, using Lexi’s harness to steady her as she climbed ahead of him. A few times, he had to lift her bodily to the next branch. Between that and the pain tearing jaggedly through his injured thigh, Hugh was sweating a little by the time he reached the branch Grace had used to move above the building.
As he straddled the tree limb, Lexi in front of him, Grace swung down so she was dangling by her hands, her feet just inches from the roof. Letting go, she landed softly with bent knees. Without shifting her feet, she raised her arms above her head, as if she’d just finished a tumbling routine in front of a cheering audience. Turning, she let her arms drop as she shot Hugh a triumphant grin.
The sight brought a surge of admiration, along with a hefty dose of amusement. When her gaze turned quizzical, he realized he was staring, but he didn’t care.
Lexi gave a faint whine, jerking him back to reality.
“Walk,” he told the dog, and she navigated the branch with the ease of a mountain lion. He followed much less gracefully, scooting along the branch until his feet were dangling above the roof. Getting a firm grip on Lexi’s harness, he called quietly to Grace, “Catch.”
“Wha—?” The dog jumped, and Hugh caught her weight, lowering her into a startled Grace’s arms. Although she was on the smaller end for a Malinois, the dog was still a solid forty-five pounds, and Hugh hurried to swing down onto the roof so he could help Grace.
Instead of struggling under the dog’s weight, however, Grace had a solid grip. She was giggling, trying unsuccessfully to dodge as Lexi licked her face. Another surge of admiration hit Hugh. When he’d first met Grace, she’d struck him as a bit of a princess, but here she was, cleaning kennels, climbing trees, jumping onto roofs, holding an armful of heavy, wiggling dog—hiswiggling dog—and laughing. If she was a princess, then she was a fun one, one who could take all of his teasing and give it right back to him, one who had a core of steel under that soft-looking exterior. In fact, she’d ruined him for all non-Grace princesses.
He took Lexi, lowering her to the rooftop without looking away from Grace. The memory of their earlier kiss returned for the hundredth time, and his blood ran hotter and faster through his veins. Her laughter dried up as she met his gaze, her lips parting slightly as she stared back at him. Grace looked as hungry for him as he felt for her, and he sucked in a hard breath through his nose. He’d never felt like that before, as if he had to kiss her, had to touch her, or he’d explode. Hugh leaned closer, drawn like a magnet. She gave an almost silent gasp and shifted, tipping her body forward as if she felt the same pull. They drew closer, until her breath brushed against his lips, sending a bolt of need so strong that it felt as if he’d been donkey kicked in the gut.
Just before their lips made contact, a revving motorcycle engine broke the spell, jerking them out of the world where only the two of them existed. Startled, they both pulled back. Grace looked away, visibly breathing hard, and Hugh had to give himself a firm, mental slap across the back of the head. Now was not the time for shenanigans—well, for the sexy kind of shenanigans, at least.
“C’mon.” His voice was rough, and he cleared his throat, focusing on moving around the mechanical equipment and capped flues until he was at the front edge of the roof. Another tree, this one in front of the print shop, offered some concealment from the people in the street below. Just as Hugh had thought, the other cops had made the stop just a half block down from the print shop. He and Grace would be able to get a perfect view of the bust.
Although he didn’t glance over at her, he knew exactly when she joined him. It was like she radiated heat or…somethingthat made him ultra aware of her. They watched without speaking for a few minutes. It seemed as if everyone on the department—everyone except for Hugh, at least—had shown up for the party. He quickly found Theo and Otto in the crowd. Otto was talking to one of the R and R riders, while Theo was listening to something the lieutenant was saying. Although Hugh tried to determine if what LT and Theo were discussing was good or bad, Theo’s everyday scowl was firmly affixed, not giving anything away. Shifting his gaze away from the pair, Hugh scanned the rest of the group.
The R and R riders looked outwardly cooperative, despite a few wearing resentful expressions. There was a strange feeling, though, a tension, that made Hugh’s muscles tighten in preparation for a fight. Next to him, on the opposite side of Grace, Lexi was alert as she eyed the crowd, her ears tipped forward.
Grace leaned closer to ask in a low voice, “Do you think they found anything?”
Hugh wasn’t sure why she was speaking so softly. The rumble of engines would’ve covered her loudest outside voice, but he wasn’t about to complain about her whispering if it made her lean so close to him. She smelled really good, like warm, sweet things. He wasn’t sure how she managed that after the messy day they’d had, but she did. He shifted closer, pretending it was so he could hear her, rather than so he could breathe her in.
She was looking at him curiously, and Hugh dragged his brain back to her question. “Doubt it. See, they’re just talking, running IDs. If they’d found something, there would be a lot more guys getting cuffed.”
“What about him?” When Hugh followed her gaze, he spotted a burly guy with ratty blond hair and beard, his hands secured behind his back, being escorted toward one of the squad cars.
“That’s Orv Beaumont.” As he watched Orv get into the backseat, his face twisted into a scowl, Hugh had to grin. Even if they didn’t find so much as a joint, this bust had been worth it just to bring in that jackass. “He’s got an active domestic violence warrant.”
Grace turned to look at Hugh and then back at Orv. “That’s good. That he’s caught now.” The squad car door closed, shutting the biker inside. A smile curved Grace’s lips, and it was so satisfied that Hugh felt another jolt.
Seriously, this woman was perfect for him.
Chapter 11
As she watched the pissed-off biker get arrested, Grace understood how being a cop could be incredibly rewarding. Opening her mouth, she turned to say something to Hugh, but the look on his face knocked all the words right out of her head. Instead, all she said was, “What?”
“What?” he threw back at her. Of course he did. Because having a conversation with Officer Hugh Murdoch was like trying to discuss things with a twelve-year-old. And, for whatever strange reason, it turned her right back into a twelve-year-old as well, fighting the urge to stick out her tongue or kick him in the knee.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Like what?”
“Like that.”
