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what he had written.
    Tempest scanned the parts she’d already read, wondering what he’d thought of her heaps of lingerie scattered around her apartment yesterday. Had he been curious about the fact that there were ten times as many camisoles on the carpet as sweaters?
    She happened to really enjoy lingerie.
    “Must like dogs?” She couldn’t help but focus on the one other characteristic she shared with Wes’s cheesy dream woman.
    “That’s too honest, isn’t it?” He tapped his finger along the delete key to get rid of his last line.
    “And you honestly want a woman who likes dogs?”
    “I’ve got Kong, remember? She’s a St. Bernard, so she tends to scare off all but the most adamant of dog lovers.”
    There was something reassuring about a guy who had a pet. He could care for something. And chances were he had low blood pressure, right? Pet owners couldn’t be too fussy or uptight. “A St. Bernard?”
    “I know—you think it’s too big for a city apartment, right?”
    “Heck, no. I just say that because everybody automatically tells me I shouldn’t keep Eloise cooped up in here with me and I’m tired of hearing it.”
    They compared dog notes, shared frustrations of hair on their favorite clothes and agreed a dog made the Sunday morning trek for the newspaper way more fun.
    And somehow, Tempest really wished she’d be on the receiving end of his blind date.
    “Are you really going to submit that form?” She wasn’t sure if he’d been serious, or if he just wanted to see what kinds of questions the program generated.
    “Of course. I need to talk to the woman in charge of MatingGame, but until then, it might help me figure out whether or not the business is legitimate.” And before she could say another word about it, he clicked the send button to launch his dating criteria into cyberspace.
    Surprise made her stare at the computer even after the form disappeared. “But you won’t actually go on the date?”
    “Depends.” He shut down the screen and swiveled his chair toward her. “Right now I’m only interested in one woman.”
    Tempest held her breath while she waited to find out who that might be. Like a Friday afternoon cliff-hanger, he left her tense. Anxious. And so much more intrigued than she should be.
    But no matter what he said, Tempest knew she couldn’t let him stay.
     
    W ES TRACED HIS THUMB down her soft cheek, knowing he couldn’t let her push him aside like she seemed to shove away everything else in her life. She wasn’t close to her family and didn’t enjoy being part of her father’s business so she lived a secret life in Chelsea when she wasn’t a corporate executive.
    He liked Tempest. She didn’t put on airs. Didn’t pre tend to be something she wasn’t. And after women he’d dated in the past, he found that kind of honesty intriguing.
    Hell—to be honest with himself —he hadn’t found anything about women intriguing during the rough months since they found his first partner’s body. So the fact that Tempest Boucher made him sit up and take notice was a major event.
    He just didn’t want to let her know it or he had the feeling she’d run far and fast.
    “I think I’ve made it obvious I’d like to get to know you better.” He’d let his kiss say as much, hadn’t he? “But when it comes to my job, I can’t afford to over look any avenue that will achieve my ends. I need to know what’s going on at MatingGame and Blind Date seems like the only place on the site that might allow a hooker to ply her trade.”
    “You think your killer could be working alone? Maybe this woman doesn’t go through any kind of service.” Tempest remained very still as he touched her cheek.
    Wes couldn’t afford to encourage the hope in her eyes. “I doubt it. Most women in the business know that’s not a safe way to work.”
    “So you’ll test the Blind Date service personally.” She raised an eyebrow, clearly disapproving of his methods. Still, she didn’t