bohemian.
His gaze met hers again.
“What’re you doing here?” he wondered aloud.
Both her brows arched as she gave him, then the holiday-festooned neighborhood, a questioning look.
“I mean, you don’t seem like a small-town type of woman.”
Her eyes dimmed. Lashes fluttering, she slid her gaze toward the ground as if she was afraid the sidewalk was going to buckle at any moment. After a second or two, she gave a one-shouldered shrug.
“This is my home. I was born here, grew up here. My family is here.”
Wondering why any of that would tempt someone to stay in a place that clearly didn’t suit them, he looked around. Old houses, old people, no nightlife, more twitching curtains. Nothing worth sticking around that he could see.
“So that’s it?” he clarified. “Roots and family ties?”
He almost wanted to hand her his sunglasses so she could hide the stricken look that swam in her bright gaze. Not so much for her sake, but for his. Seeing it made him want to slay dragons, kick asses and offer hugs. Clearly he was going crazy.
Then she puffed out a breath as if she was blowing away the urge to run, and shrugged. “It is what it is. The why doesn’t matter.”
A sentiment he usually lived by.
So why did it bother him so much to hear it from her?
Then she gave him a big smile.
“But hey, the upside is I know everyone in town. And I know everything about everyone in town,” she said, her words rising with excitement. “You know what that means, right?”
“That privacy is a myth in Diablo Glen?”
Her laugh was like a bell, bright and cheery.
“Well, yeah, but that’s a good thing because it means I can really help you out,” she offered, placing an enthusiastic hand on his arm. “I’ll introduce you around, lay the groundwork so people will talk to you, let you know if you’re getting the facts or works of fiction. It’ll be great.”
Great?
He glanced at her hand, so small and slender on his arm. He couldn’t feel her warmth through the leather of his sleeve, but he swore tiny sparks of electric heat shot from her fingers through his body, setting fire to all his erogenous zones.
Was she trying to kill him? First she made him think he was a superhero, making the first promise of his life. Then the almost-naked stretch session the night before that’d given him more aches than the too-uncomfortable-to-be-believed Speed Racer bed. Now this? As much time with her as he wanted, all in the name of solving a case?
“Thanks, but I work alone.”
“Well, sure. But this is a special circumstance, right? I have something you need, and I’m happy to share it.” Her smile teetered somewhere between sexual temptation and friendly encouragement.
“I appreciate the offer, but I’ll be fine without help.”
With a look somewhere between exasperated and amused, Jade shrugged. “Okay. But if you want easier entry, a smoother experience and quicker satisfaction, you just give me a yell.”
His body hardened as heat flashed, forbidden and sweet.
Yep. She was trying to kill him.
6
D IEGO HAD NEVER ACTIVELY , desperately craved a woman the way he craved Jade at that moment. Had never needed to bury his face in the tender curve of her throat and breathe in her essence to see if it was as sweet as he thought. Resisting her when they were alone in her house would put all his cop training to the test.
“Holy crap,” she breathed, stopping so fast he was surprised she didn’t slam face-first into the sidewalk. Had he thought that out loud? He watched her eyes round in slow, horrified increments.
“What?”
Jade sprinted down the sidewalk so fast, Diego didn’t know if she even heard him. As he stepped forward, the huge tree no longer blocked his view of her front yard.
He winced. “Holy crap, indeed.”
Her house looked as if it was waving its sexy flag. The front lawn, porch and a few bushes were all sporting lingerie. Panties here, bras there. A single black stocking dangled
His gaze met hers again.
“What’re you doing here?” he wondered aloud.
Both her brows arched as she gave him, then the holiday-festooned neighborhood, a questioning look.
“I mean, you don’t seem like a small-town type of woman.”
Her eyes dimmed. Lashes fluttering, she slid her gaze toward the ground as if she was afraid the sidewalk was going to buckle at any moment. After a second or two, she gave a one-shouldered shrug.
“This is my home. I was born here, grew up here. My family is here.”
Wondering why any of that would tempt someone to stay in a place that clearly didn’t suit them, he looked around. Old houses, old people, no nightlife, more twitching curtains. Nothing worth sticking around that he could see.
“So that’s it?” he clarified. “Roots and family ties?”
He almost wanted to hand her his sunglasses so she could hide the stricken look that swam in her bright gaze. Not so much for her sake, but for his. Seeing it made him want to slay dragons, kick asses and offer hugs. Clearly he was going crazy.
Then she puffed out a breath as if she was blowing away the urge to run, and shrugged. “It is what it is. The why doesn’t matter.”
A sentiment he usually lived by.
So why did it bother him so much to hear it from her?
Then she gave him a big smile.
“But hey, the upside is I know everyone in town. And I know everything about everyone in town,” she said, her words rising with excitement. “You know what that means, right?”
“That privacy is a myth in Diablo Glen?”
Her laugh was like a bell, bright and cheery.
“Well, yeah, but that’s a good thing because it means I can really help you out,” she offered, placing an enthusiastic hand on his arm. “I’ll introduce you around, lay the groundwork so people will talk to you, let you know if you’re getting the facts or works of fiction. It’ll be great.”
Great?
He glanced at her hand, so small and slender on his arm. He couldn’t feel her warmth through the leather of his sleeve, but he swore tiny sparks of electric heat shot from her fingers through his body, setting fire to all his erogenous zones.
Was she trying to kill him? First she made him think he was a superhero, making the first promise of his life. Then the almost-naked stretch session the night before that’d given him more aches than the too-uncomfortable-to-be-believed Speed Racer bed. Now this? As much time with her as he wanted, all in the name of solving a case?
“Thanks, but I work alone.”
“Well, sure. But this is a special circumstance, right? I have something you need, and I’m happy to share it.” Her smile teetered somewhere between sexual temptation and friendly encouragement.
“I appreciate the offer, but I’ll be fine without help.”
With a look somewhere between exasperated and amused, Jade shrugged. “Okay. But if you want easier entry, a smoother experience and quicker satisfaction, you just give me a yell.”
His body hardened as heat flashed, forbidden and sweet.
Yep. She was trying to kill him.
6
D IEGO HAD NEVER ACTIVELY , desperately craved a woman the way he craved Jade at that moment. Had never needed to bury his face in the tender curve of her throat and breathe in her essence to see if it was as sweet as he thought. Resisting her when they were alone in her house would put all his cop training to the test.
“Holy crap,” she breathed, stopping so fast he was surprised she didn’t slam face-first into the sidewalk. Had he thought that out loud? He watched her eyes round in slow, horrified increments.
“What?”
Jade sprinted down the sidewalk so fast, Diego didn’t know if she even heard him. As he stepped forward, the huge tree no longer blocked his view of her front yard.
He winced. “Holy crap, indeed.”
Her house looked as if it was waving its sexy flag. The front lawn, porch and a few bushes were all sporting lingerie. Panties here, bras there. A single black stocking dangled
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