lips. She slipped her hand inside his and her shoulders
dropped as if she were reassured by his touch. “Truce.”
“Did Albert hav e any enem ies?”
“I wouldn’t say enem ies. Com petitors, m ay be.”
“For what?”
Holly gav e his hand one last slight squeeze before she pulled
hers back across the table. “Albert dev eloped a m iracle weight loss
supplem ent. Perm aSlim cornered the m arket and m ade him a
billionaire.”
Although disappointed at the loss of phy sical contact, Brett
forced him self to keep his attention focused on the inv estigation.
“Perm aSlim ? Nev er heard of it.”
She lowered her ey es from his face and m ov ed them down the
front of his body . Her perusal m ade him want to beat his chest and
y odel like Tarzan. Instead, he cleared his throat.
She snapped her gaze back to his ey es and her cheeks pinked.
“You don’t need to lose weight.”
Holly ’s blatant desire sucker-punched his libido. Brett fought
the prim al urge to pin her to the table and take her right there in
the m iddle of the fajitas. Patience, he rem inded him self. Help her
first.
“Albert dev eloped the drug alone? No partners?”
She shook her head. “No partners. Albert was a chem ical
genius. And an expert at keeping secrets.”
Brett intercepted the bitter tone in her v oice. Did she expect
m ore m oney after Albert’s death? Or did she discov er som ething
else?
“Secrets?”
Holly tossed her hand in a dism issiv e gesture. “Nev er m ind.”
“What happened to the business after his m urder?”
“Nothing, really . He’d already m arketed the pill. The roy alties
transferred to m e. I’m sure the scientists at the drug com pany are
attem pting to analy ze the com ponents as we speak.”
“And then they ’ll m anufacture the pill them selv es?”
“Not until the patent expires.”
“Who holds the form ula now?”
There was a long, brittle silence before she finally answered.
“Me.”
Bingo . “That’s what they ’re after.”
“What does m essing up the swim m ing pool hav e to do with the
Perm aSlim ?”
“A sm oke screen. If y our concentration is focused on
v andalism , som eone hopes y ou won’t notice their search for the
form ula.”
“The form ula’s not at the gy m .”
“Nobody knows that but y ou,” he argued.
“And y ou.”
Brett tilted his head. “And m e.” He watched her purse her lips
and twist her hands. “You won’t tell m e where it is, will y ou?”
“No,” she said softly .
“Because y ou don’t trust m e.” And she shouldn’t. Ev ery scrap
of inform ation he pulled from her, he already knew. He tested her
and she passed.
Holly ’s hand shook as she lifted her glass to drink. He sat,
m esm erized by the cream y skin of her neck as her throat worked
the liquid.
“I can’t,” she answered as she set the glass back on the table.
He reached across the table and cov ered her hand with his.
“You can.”
Brett felt the heat from his touch warm the cool surface of her
skin as she processed his adm ission. Just when he felt she would
relax, electricity sparked between them and she slid from his grip.
“No, I can’t. You’re lethal.”
Encouragem ent flooded his v eins. Either hell had just frozen or
he’d m anaged to conv ince her of his sincerity .
He couldn’t stop his grin. “Lethal?”
“Don’t get too excited. I just m ean y ou’re not easy to ignore.”
“So, don’t ignore m e.”
“I don’t intend to, but I still don’t trust y ou.”
With a cocky sm irk, he decided to back off. A little tim e and
space would change her m ind.
“You did the right thing by calling Sterling. We’ll figure out
this m ess.”
She gav e him a m ischiev ous sm ile. “I didn’t hav e y our phone
num ber.”
Barely restraining him self from jum ping across the table, he
reached into his back pocket, fished a business card out of his
wallet and pushed it toward her. “Now y ou do.”
“I
dropped as if she were reassured by his touch. “Truce.”
“Did Albert hav e any enem ies?”
“I wouldn’t say enem ies. Com petitors, m ay be.”
“For what?”
Holly gav e his hand one last slight squeeze before she pulled
hers back across the table. “Albert dev eloped a m iracle weight loss
supplem ent. Perm aSlim cornered the m arket and m ade him a
billionaire.”
Although disappointed at the loss of phy sical contact, Brett
forced him self to keep his attention focused on the inv estigation.
“Perm aSlim ? Nev er heard of it.”
She lowered her ey es from his face and m ov ed them down the
front of his body . Her perusal m ade him want to beat his chest and
y odel like Tarzan. Instead, he cleared his throat.
She snapped her gaze back to his ey es and her cheeks pinked.
“You don’t need to lose weight.”
Holly ’s blatant desire sucker-punched his libido. Brett fought
the prim al urge to pin her to the table and take her right there in
the m iddle of the fajitas. Patience, he rem inded him self. Help her
first.
“Albert dev eloped the drug alone? No partners?”
She shook her head. “No partners. Albert was a chem ical
genius. And an expert at keeping secrets.”
Brett intercepted the bitter tone in her v oice. Did she expect
m ore m oney after Albert’s death? Or did she discov er som ething
else?
“Secrets?”
Holly tossed her hand in a dism issiv e gesture. “Nev er m ind.”
“What happened to the business after his m urder?”
“Nothing, really . He’d already m arketed the pill. The roy alties
transferred to m e. I’m sure the scientists at the drug com pany are
attem pting to analy ze the com ponents as we speak.”
“And then they ’ll m anufacture the pill them selv es?”
“Not until the patent expires.”
“Who holds the form ula now?”
There was a long, brittle silence before she finally answered.
“Me.”
Bingo . “That’s what they ’re after.”
“What does m essing up the swim m ing pool hav e to do with the
Perm aSlim ?”
“A sm oke screen. If y our concentration is focused on
v andalism , som eone hopes y ou won’t notice their search for the
form ula.”
“The form ula’s not at the gy m .”
“Nobody knows that but y ou,” he argued.
“And y ou.”
Brett tilted his head. “And m e.” He watched her purse her lips
and twist her hands. “You won’t tell m e where it is, will y ou?”
“No,” she said softly .
“Because y ou don’t trust m e.” And she shouldn’t. Ev ery scrap
of inform ation he pulled from her, he already knew. He tested her
and she passed.
Holly ’s hand shook as she lifted her glass to drink. He sat,
m esm erized by the cream y skin of her neck as her throat worked
the liquid.
“I can’t,” she answered as she set the glass back on the table.
He reached across the table and cov ered her hand with his.
“You can.”
Brett felt the heat from his touch warm the cool surface of her
skin as she processed his adm ission. Just when he felt she would
relax, electricity sparked between them and she slid from his grip.
“No, I can’t. You’re lethal.”
Encouragem ent flooded his v eins. Either hell had just frozen or
he’d m anaged to conv ince her of his sincerity .
He couldn’t stop his grin. “Lethal?”
“Don’t get too excited. I just m ean y ou’re not easy to ignore.”
“So, don’t ignore m e.”
“I don’t intend to, but I still don’t trust y ou.”
With a cocky sm irk, he decided to back off. A little tim e and
space would change her m ind.
“You did the right thing by calling Sterling. We’ll figure out
this m ess.”
She gav e him a m ischiev ous sm ile. “I didn’t hav e y our phone
num ber.”
Barely restraining him self from jum ping across the table, he
reached into his back pocket, fished a business card out of his
wallet and pushed it toward her. “Now y ou do.”
“I
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