Page 44 of Bachelor Cop Finally Caught? (Hot off the Press! 2)

“You still have no evidence to suggest that Eddie’s met with foul play?”

“None. As I mentioned, one of his schoolmates thought he spotted Eddie at a teen club in Little Rock, but he said he never got close enough to be certain.”

Somehow, Dan had ended up almost pressed against the arm of the couch, with Lindsey still right beside him. He literally had nowhere else to go. As if he’d abruptly become aware of their changing positions, he frowned down at her. “Why do I have this sudden sensation that I’m being stalked like a twelve-point buck in deer season?”

“And why do I suddenly feel like an amorous teenage boy trying to get to second base with his skittish date?”

Dan smiled a bit nervously in response to her teasing. “I’m trying to be sensible here.”

“Why?”

He blinked. “Because someone has to be.”

She rested a hand on his thigh, feeling the muscles tense beneath the denim. “Why?”

“Lindsey—”

Because he had said her name in just that tone again, she giggled, feeling deliciously bold. Maybe it was the bump on her head that was causing her to act so out of character with Dan—or maybe it was just time for her to fish or cut bait, as her father would have said. Whatever the catalyst, she had Dan’s full attention now. She would hate to waste yet another opportunity to find out if there was any chance of a future for them together.

Dan’s expression suddenly turned serious. “We need to slow this down.”

“Slow down?” She sighed gustily. “Dan, we’ve known each other for twenty years! How much more time do you think we need?”

He looked vaguely sheepish, but stubbornly persisted with his argument. “We’ve known each other as friends. Professional associates, in some ways. It’s only very recently there’s been any hint of anything else.”

“It’s only very recently you’ve started noticing those hints,” she amended. “And, correct me if I’m wrong—you don’t seem to be trying too hard to escape.”

“You aren’t wrong,” he conceded after a very long moment, making her pulse speed up again. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t interested. I just want to be…careful.”

He was interested. That was exactly what she’d wanted to hear. “Okay. So, now what?”

Again, her directness seemed to take him aback. “Well…uh…”

“I need some guidelines here, Dan. Are we going to try dating? See each other discreetly in private until we want to go public? Keep pretending we’re just friends while you think about this some more?”

He scowled. “Hell, Lindsey, I don’t know.”

“Sorry if I’m making you uncomfortable, but I like things spelled out. Straightforward. Out in the open.”

His mouth twisted ruefully. “No kidding, hotshot reporter.”

“I’m not talking about my work.”

“No, but you could be. Your passion for getting everything out in the open is what led you into journalism in the first place.”

“Probably. But anyway, what I’m saying is—”

The ringing of a telephone cut through her words. Dan reached automatically for his shirt pocket. Lindsey smiled and shook her head. “That’s mine. I turned the ringers back on after you left.”

The phone was on the end table beside Dan. She had to stretch over him to reach it. She deliberately took her time doing so. She was rewarded by a sound from Dan that might have been a low groan.

Oh, yeah, she thought, picking up the receiver. She was getting to him. “Hello?”

“Lindsey? Hi, it’s Bo. I heard you were hurt. Are you okay?”

“Why, Bo, how nice of you to call. I’m fine, thanks. Just a little bruised.”

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