“Sweetheart, you have your cleavage in my face and your hand down my trousers. There is nothing about this I understand.”
Davina jerked back from him, pulling out the wallet. His face was as red as hers felt. The air between them seemed warmer and she was aware of every tiny movement he made.
“Got it,” she said triumphantly, and to her disgust, rather breathlessly.
“Look at the ID,” he said through gritted teeth.
She flicked the wallet open. There he was, strained and serious, glaring at her from his driver’s licence.
“This is a terrible picture,” she told him.
“Yeah, I was worried sick about what you’d think of my photo ID.”
“Jack Miller, thirty six, that’s all it tells me.”
She flicked through the rest of the wallet. Four credit cards, one library card, which surprised her as he didn’t look the type that read, and one video card. Twenty pounds and change, and a condom that expired in the 90’s.
“This is out of date,” she told him before she could stop herself.
“I don’t intend to use it. It’s my lucky condom.”
“How can it be lucky if you can’t get lucky with it?”
Honestly, the man was an idiot. She thought she heard him gnashing his teeth.
“How is this supposed to help me?” She waved the wallet in front of him. “There is nothing in here that says you own this house.”
His sharp jaw clenched as his head turned slowly on a neck that was thicker than her thigh.
“Get the phone. I want you to call Brighton Police and ask for a friend of mine, Andy Harper. He’ll tell you the truth.”
“You have a friend in the police?” Her voice went into high-pitched Betty Boop territory, which she knew wasn’t attractive.
His eyes narrowed.
“I was police. Eighteen years. Drug division. Brighton.”
Davina gulped as everything within her ran around in a panic. She flicked her eyes towards the house. He’d almost gotten in. She flicked her eyes back to him. She’d hit a policeman?
“It isn’t so entertaining now, is it?” he asked drolly.
Davina straightened her back.
“I’m not taking your word for any of this.”
“Then get the phone.”
“It’s not in there.”
He looked skyward.
“Well, try the other pocket.”
Davina swallowed hard as she looked at his other pocket and tried not to look anywhere else. She shrugged wearily – in for a penny, in for a pound. Things couldn’t get any weirder, right? She reached across his body to the other pocket.
As soon as she started to root around, she knew it was a huge mistake. She should have walked around his body instead of leaning over him. She could feel his breath on her neck. If he strained upwards, she would be touching his chest. Her skin began to tingle at the thought of it. No. No. NO. Do not get distracted. Her fingers touched the phone and she dug in deeper to get it. Jack let out a strangled groan. Davina stilled. Slowly, with her right hand still in his pocket, she
turned towards his face. He seemed to be in pain.