Page 178 of Things We Hide from the Light
“You look different.”
“Different good or different ‘dear God, please grow the hair back to cover up the ugly’?”
She looked at me as if I’d rode in on a unicorn preceded by a marching band of leprechauns.
“You’re not makin’ me feel good about my grooming, Bannerjee.”
“Different good,” she said quickly.
Grave wasted no time in breaking into the box of éclairs.
“How’d it go with our overnight guests?” I asked him.
“They bitched and moaned until Dilton’s wife showed up and posted bail,” Grave reported. “You pressin’ charges?”
“If Dilton doesn’t go quietly, I will.”
Grave nodded. “We’ve got him dead to rights on three cases and we’ve only gone back eight weeks. Affidavits are on your desk. If he don’t go quietly, he’s a bigger idiot than we gave him credit for.”
I was both glad to have the proof we needed to build our case and pissed off that I’d given him the opportunity to abuse his power. There was no telling what kind of damage he’d already done behind the badge. But it ended here.
Grave gave me a closer look. “Why’s your face look like you got laid? Is that a hickey on your neck?”
“Shut up and eat your éclair.”
I spentan hour buzzing through paperwork, including the incident report from the night before and the three affidavits from Dilton’s victims. His presence on the force was only a formality at this point. He was never going to wear a badge again. I’d see to that.
I topped off my coffee, took a lap around the bullpen, and then scratched out a quick letter to my dad.
When I got back to my office, I found Piper passed out cold in the dog bed under my desk. I reached for my phone and snapped a picture of her, then opened my text messages.
There was nothing from Lina, which I’d expected.
I’d taken advantage of her sated, walls-down state to get what I wanted. A commitment. At least a temporary one. Now that I’d had her, all of her, I wasn’t letting go. I just had to hang on tight and wait for her to catch up.
I fired off the picture of Piper and followed it up with a text.
Me: Still freaking out? Or are you still in bed too exhausted from orgasms to move?
I held my breath, then blew it out when those three telltale dots appeared below my message.
Lina: What did you do to me? I tried to go for a run and my legs wouldn’t work.
I grinned, my anxious ego immediately soothed.
Me: Hopper just told me my face looks like I got laid.
Lina: Justice said I was glowing and Stef asked me if I got one of those placenta facials.
Me: Hope you weren’t planning on keeping this a secret.
Lina: Is that even possible in this town?
Me: Nope. Which is why I’m taking you out to dinner tonight.
If I asked, it would give her too much time to think. The more she felt and the less she thought, the better.
Lina: “Out to dinner” as in no nudity and orgasms?
