Read Online Kissed Blind (A Hot Pursuit Novel Book 2) by Emerson Shaw - Free Book Online

this.”
    He held his breath again. “There’s another reason I’m calling too.”
    “Which is?
    “I have to work late again.”
    I grunted. “Again? If you keep this up I might lodge a formal complaint with the union for overworking you.”
    He laughed. “Good luck with that. For all intents and purposes, I am the union. I’m not sure how many late nights I’ll have at this point. Things are on the verge of disaster with this deal.”
    Vance’s accusation resurfaced in my brain. My body was suddenly ten pounds heavier, and I leaned against the table for support.
    “Di?”
    “Yeah?” I smiled, yet had no idea why.
    “I gotta run. I’m late for a meeting. I’m taking you out to dinner soon. K?”
    “Okay.”
    “Love you.”
    “Love you too. Have a—” The line went dead before I finished my sentence.
     
    .              .              .
     
    I waited outside my apartment until Vance pulled up at the curb. When I got in the car, I noticed he’d trimmed his thick beard into a more manicured stubble.
    “What’s with the George Michael look you’re rockin’? You look super dreamy.” I checked my cheek in the visor mirror and then batted my eyelashes at him.
    Vance stroked his face, leaning into the rear view mirror. “You don’t like it?”
    It wasn’t a question of whether I liked it or not. Vance was a handsome man with or without facial hair, but with it he was more rugged and masculine. “I do but...” I clicked my seat belt across my lap, and Vance pulled into traffic. “Beards and facial hair have been all the rage lately. I’m surprised you gave into a trend. Next thing you know you’re going to grow your hair out into one of those ridiculous man buns.”
    He snorted and ran his hand through his short, inky black hair. “No way, my hair is staying the way it is. But the stubble, eh, I like it. There’s no agenda. Just keeping the ladies on their toes.”
    I smiled and shook my head. “How’s your stomach?”
    “Sore, but nothing major. A great nurse patched me up.”
    “Good. We need to be extra careful with Oliver. What happened last night was crazy.”
    “No kidding.” Vance was getting ready to pass my favorite coffee house. “Want to grab a coffee?”
    I’d already reached my caffeine limit for the day. “Nah, I’ve got the shakes from this morning’s cups already. We should just get to Oliver’s so we’re not late. The first street car is heading into the city. Traffic could be a nightmare.”
    One of the many developments made to the city was the Cincinnati Street Car System, a multi-million dollar project aimed at improving transportation and city appeal. After years and years of work, the first streetcar was being transported from Northern Ohio to downtown Cincinnati.
    “Oh, that’s right. I take it you saw us on the news then?” Vance asked.
    “Uh, yeah, I sure did. Couldn’t miss it.”
    “Well the two of us plastered all over the news should make Cavanaugh happy. Gotta say, if you’d told me six months ago we’d be side by side fighting a criminal in an article about Oliver and Camille Pierce, I would have called you insane.” Vance merged onto the highway.
    “Yeah, me too.” I laughed. “And get this, Gabe called me this morning and didn’t freak out about it.”
    Vance looked at me with wide eyes. “Really? That’s huge.” He tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. “Is he taking you out tonight?”
    “No, why?”
    “Because he says he’s fine with what happened, but he’s not. He needs to see for himself that you’re okay. So I’m guessing he offered to take you to dinner. You’re a sucker for a good meal.”
    “Well, Mr. Know-It-All, he’s not. He’s working late again.” He pulled in air through clenched teeth. “Ugh, don’t start.” I stared out into traffic, breathing off the heaviness still resting on my chest.
    “Start what?” He chuckled.
    “You know what.” I sighed. “How’s your