crisp ecru cotton. When she felt the strong beat of his heart leaping beneath her palm, Elise realized she was doing more lingering than pushing, but couldn’t seem to break away from the tempting intimacy. He probably didn’t even know how all this closeness and concern was affecting her. Or maybe he did.
He covered her hand with his before she could make herself escape. His fingers splayed over hers, infusing her with warmth from both his body and touch. “We need to discuss this, too.”
The quiet depth in his tone, along with his firm touch, made his message perfectly clear.
“What ‘this’? There is no ‘this.’” There couldn’t be. Knowing he felt something, too, would only make it that much harder to keep a professional distance from him. She hugged the folder to her chest and pulled against his grip. “We’re coworkers, George. Friends, at best. I respect you tremendously, and I’m grateful for the job, but you’re not the kind of man I want to get involved with.”
“What kind of man do you think I am?” His eyes darkened like granite and his hand fell away. “Don’t answer that.” Giving her the space she’d asked for, he retreated to his window overlooking the north edge of the city. “Get me the right file and show Hale in.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to call him back. To tell him none of this was his fault—to admit how easily she could fall for him. She wanted to explain her screwed-up track record with men and how her best line of defense was to avoid giving in to any of this attraction or that need. But Elise knew a smarter plan of action was to overlook the sting of his words, accept his dismissal and scoot on out of the room.
She opened the door to find Denton Hale standing next to the chair behind her desk. He’d been slightly stooped over, but pulled up as soon as he saw her. Odd. Elise crossed the room to roll her chair back into position and reclaim her personal work space. “Did you need something?”
He spun his uniform cap between his hands, nervously covering for whatever he’d been up to. “I was just trying to double-check when my appointment was. I have to report back at three.”
“Sorry for the wait. The deputy commissioner will see you now.”
“Dent?” George called. “Come on in.”
Officer Hale’s brown-eyed gaze danced over her face for a moment before he heaved a sigh. “Sorry. I know I seem a little uptight about gettin’ in to see Madigan. But I need this job. My family depends on me.”
Now why did that apology sound like some kind of threat? Would she ever trust what a man said to her again? “I’m sure they do.”
With a nod, he circled around her desk and closed the door as soon as the two men shook hands.
Squeezing the back of her chair as if she needed its support to stand, Elise warned herself to get a mental grip instead. She dropped the budget file onto the desk and sat down to straighten it. Yes, the appointment calendar had been moved, but so had a couple of other things. And her screen saver was no longer on, meaning Officer Hale had either bumped the mouse in his brief search, or he’d clicked it on purpose to view something on her screen. While she did keep both a written and electronic record of the deputy commissioner’s appointments, the only thing on her screen was the budget report she’d been working on.
Had Denton Hale seen the paragraph about salary freezes pending evaluations for officers with poor performance reviews or reprimands in their files? Was he truly in fear of losing his job? What did Hale’s service record with the department look like?
With suspicion already pumping through her blood, Elise clicked off of the report and brought up the link for KCPD service records. Just as quickly, she backed out of the system. If Denton Hale did have something in his file that targeted him for extra scrutiny and job probation or termination, it wasn’t her business.
After all, she didn’t want KCPD or
He covered her hand with his before she could make herself escape. His fingers splayed over hers, infusing her with warmth from both his body and touch. “We need to discuss this, too.”
The quiet depth in his tone, along with his firm touch, made his message perfectly clear.
“What ‘this’? There is no ‘this.’” There couldn’t be. Knowing he felt something, too, would only make it that much harder to keep a professional distance from him. She hugged the folder to her chest and pulled against his grip. “We’re coworkers, George. Friends, at best. I respect you tremendously, and I’m grateful for the job, but you’re not the kind of man I want to get involved with.”
“What kind of man do you think I am?” His eyes darkened like granite and his hand fell away. “Don’t answer that.” Giving her the space she’d asked for, he retreated to his window overlooking the north edge of the city. “Get me the right file and show Hale in.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to call him back. To tell him none of this was his fault—to admit how easily she could fall for him. She wanted to explain her screwed-up track record with men and how her best line of defense was to avoid giving in to any of this attraction or that need. But Elise knew a smarter plan of action was to overlook the sting of his words, accept his dismissal and scoot on out of the room.
She opened the door to find Denton Hale standing next to the chair behind her desk. He’d been slightly stooped over, but pulled up as soon as he saw her. Odd. Elise crossed the room to roll her chair back into position and reclaim her personal work space. “Did you need something?”
He spun his uniform cap between his hands, nervously covering for whatever he’d been up to. “I was just trying to double-check when my appointment was. I have to report back at three.”
“Sorry for the wait. The deputy commissioner will see you now.”
“Dent?” George called. “Come on in.”
Officer Hale’s brown-eyed gaze danced over her face for a moment before he heaved a sigh. “Sorry. I know I seem a little uptight about gettin’ in to see Madigan. But I need this job. My family depends on me.”
Now why did that apology sound like some kind of threat? Would she ever trust what a man said to her again? “I’m sure they do.”
With a nod, he circled around her desk and closed the door as soon as the two men shook hands.
Squeezing the back of her chair as if she needed its support to stand, Elise warned herself to get a mental grip instead. She dropped the budget file onto the desk and sat down to straighten it. Yes, the appointment calendar had been moved, but so had a couple of other things. And her screen saver was no longer on, meaning Officer Hale had either bumped the mouse in his brief search, or he’d clicked it on purpose to view something on her screen. While she did keep both a written and electronic record of the deputy commissioner’s appointments, the only thing on her screen was the budget report she’d been working on.
Had Denton Hale seen the paragraph about salary freezes pending evaluations for officers with poor performance reviews or reprimands in their files? Was he truly in fear of losing his job? What did Hale’s service record with the department look like?
With suspicion already pumping through her blood, Elise clicked off of the report and brought up the link for KCPD service records. Just as quickly, she backed out of the system. If Denton Hale did have something in his file that targeted him for extra scrutiny and job probation or termination, it wasn’t her business.
After all, she didn’t want KCPD or
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