Read Online Return to You by Samantha Chase - Free Book Online Page A

hinder anything.” His clipped words were said through clenched teeth; he was clearly doing his best not to out-and-out growl at her.
    â€œWhy aren’t you wearing a uniform, you know, like your partner?” Selena figured it was a safe topic. If they were going to be cleaning up together, she’d rather not have it done in silence.
    â€œMike’s not my partner. I’m a detective now. Sometimes when I can’t sleep, I go in and catch up on paperwork. I happened to be at the station finishing up on another case when the call came in. Mike knew that Jen had come in a couple of times and talked to me about the situation, and he let me know. I can finish my reports in the morning. I wanted to make sure Jen was okay first.”
    It made sense but it wasn’t getting him out of here any sooner. “What if whoever did this is still in the area? What if he’s close by and just waiting for you to leave? Shouldn’t you be out there looking for him and not…you know, sweeping?” Seriously, did the man need to be hit on the head to take the hint?
    â€œWe have a second car patrolling the area. Relax. I honestly don’t think this guy is a violent threat; he wants to bother Jen, not hurt her,” he said dismissively and went back to sweeping.
    â€œSo…what? That means we can all just relax? Because I have to tell you, James, that sounds like you’re just not taking this seriously.” She turned to walk away. “Maybe I need to speak to someone higher up than you to get this taken care of.” James reached out and spun her back around before the last word was fully out of her mouth. His dark brown eyes blazed furiously.
    â€œLet’s get one thing clear here. First, I am taking this situation very seriously. I’ve been watching this guy. Jen came to me scared, and because of that, I’ve looked into this guy’s life. He has no history of violent behavior or of previous harassment,” he said.
    â€œBut—”
    â€œ But ,” he interrupted, “that doesn’t mean that he’s not starting to. We’re working on it, Selena. It may not be fast enough for your standards, princess, but we are going to find out if Todd is responsible for this, and if he is, he will be charged.”
    Selena didn’t remember moving but suddenly found herself toe-to-toe with James, almost chest to chest. She looked up into his brown eyes, and it was as if ten years had suddenly disappeared; in front of her wasn’t the present-day man, but the boy she had fallen in love with. Lines became blurred; past and present seemed to collide.
    Her heart beat erratically in her chest and her breath caught in her throat. Against her chest, she could feel his heart beating just as rapidly. His gaze met hers: heated, narrowed. Selena swallowed hard and licked her lips. His face mesmerized her—it always had. Her fingers itched to reach out and touch it, to feel the rough stubble on his jaw, to trace the soft fullness of his lips. Her body trembled with the need she felt and with the restraint she was forced to have. It wasn’t fair that she still responded so strongly to him.
    And that she couldn’t act on it.
    Or shouldn’t act on it.
    Or…
    The broom dropped to the floor. “Damn you,” he muttered before lowering his head and crushing his mouth to hers. It wasn’t a kiss of reacquaintance. He poured ten years of anger and frustration into it, and he was surprised when Selena didn’t put up a struggle. One of his hands reached up and tangled into her hair, anchoring her to him while she grabbed fistfuls of his shirt in her own haste to keep him close.
    All James could think about was how one taste, one impulsive moment, wasn’t going to be enough. He would have been fine if she had been outraged or if she had tried to push him away. The fact that she seemed just as crazed at the moment as he was spurred him on in a