He swallowed to ease his parched throat. “You look…” Amazing, tempting, and too damned fuckable. “Really nice,” he forced out blandly.
Some of the confidence glimmering in her gaze dwindled, and he experienced a mixture of relief and regret for bursting her enthusiasm. But the last thing he wanted to do was encourage her brazen behavior in any way. He was already having a difficult enough time with his body’s reaction to this new and sensual Melodie.
So, instead, he focused on business. “Any calls this morning?”
She hesitated for a moment, then straightened her shoulders once again, as if attempting to rebolster her fortitude. Reaching across her desk, she gathered a few pink message slips and handed them his way, her movements slow and unhurried instead of quick and efficient, as was her usual manner.
“Lance Keesling returned your call from Friday,” she said, and even her voice sounded lower, huskier, to his ears. “Jonas Goodwin would like an update on the Williams insurance fraud case, and Bobby Malone will be stopping by later this afternoon to discuss the information you needed on the MacGregor custody case.”
He nodded succinctly. Bobby Malone was a detective with the Oakland PD, and also a good friend of Noah’s. The two of them traded professional favors on cases when needed, and Cole was waiting for crucial information on a prior felon embroiled in a custody dispute with one of his clients.
“Great,” he said, glancing back at her after reviewing the messages she’d taken for him. “Could you pull the Goodwin case file for me and bring it to my office, please?”
“It’s already on your desk,” she replied efficiently.
“Thank you.” At least some things hadn’t changed, he thought gratefully. Despite Melodie’s new attitude and alluring appearance, she was still the same old reliable, conscientious secretary he’d come to depend on in the office.
And that’s all he cared about, he told himself firmly.
“Good morning, everyone,” Noah’s deep, cheerful voice sounded from behind Cole as he entered the reception area, followed by a quick inhalation as he obviously caught sight of Melodie. “Holy sh—” he cut himself off. Cole turned to see his shocked outburst replaced with a wolfish grin. “Who in the heck is this impostor? Certainly not our sweet Mel!”
A pink blush swept across her cheeks, but something much more mischievous flickered in her eyes. “Maybe I’m her naughty twin.”
“Oh, I like that,” Noah said with a too-charming laugh that grated on Cole’s nerves. Noah circled around the desk, grabbed Melodie’s hand, spun her in a circle for a full inspection, then made a low, growling sound of approval and appreciation. “You look incredible. I think I need to modify ‘sweet stuff’ to ‘hot stuff.’”
She beamed up at him. “That would definitely go with my new image.”
“Hot stuff it is,” Noah confirmed, winking playfully at her.
An odd tension tightened at the nape of Cole’s neck and he was loath to acknowledge its source. Noah had always been a shameless flirt when it came to all women, yet Cole didn’t care for the way his brother was eyeing Melodie’s newly revealed figure he, himself, had ogled
earlier.
He clenched his jaw in frustration and issued a stern internal lecture. He’d never been a jealous man when it came to the opposite sex, and he didn’t intend to start now with a woman he had no business lusting over.
“I’m glad you came in early, Noah,” he said, drawing his brother’s gaze back to him. “Can I see you in my office for a few minutes?”
Noah let go of Melodie’s hand and nodded. “Sure.” He followed Cole down the short hall to his office, then dropped into one of the chairs in front of his desk. “What’s up?”
Taking his own seat, Cole rolled his shoulders to ease the taut muscles stretching across his back. “Do you have time this week to do some surveillance work?”
“Yeah, I can wing it. What do you need?”
“It’s for the Russell case. I’d like you to tail Jerry Thornton and see if he’s involved with another woman and uncover whatever you can regarding his credibility.” Withdrawing a piece of paper and a small picture from his side drawer, he pushed them across his desk toward Noah. “Here’s his home and work address and a photo, along with other pertinent info.”
Resting an ankle over the opposite knee, Noah gave the notes a cursory glance, then slanted Cole a furtive look. “Speaking of the Russell case, your sexy, sophisticated, intelligent candidate for the charity auction is standing in the other room.”
“Who? Melodie?” he asked, his tone infused with a plausible amount of incredulity—he hoped.
Noah smirked. “No, her naughty twin.”
“Forget it,” he told his brother firmly. “I refuse to cross that professional line with my own secretary.”
“In order to cross a professional line you need to be attracted to her,” Noah drawled, insinuating as much. “Come on, Cole, she’s perfect for what you need.”
Cole’s needs were making themselves known with a vengeance. Since the moment he’d laid eyes on Melodie’s newly revealed ass and long legs, his body had been clamoring for a more physical kind of contact. A languid dose of desire had settled beneath his skin, a nagging ache he feared would get much worse if Melodie continued her beguiling performance.
“And it’s not as though you have to sleep with her,” Noah added wryly.