Shielded In The Shadows

You wouldn’t know that by the way he spent the next several minutes grilling her. And then checking Bill Heber’s phone app to verify that both times she’d thought she’d been followed, the man had been nowhere near Santa Raquel. And then passed another long minute as he attempted to call her out for not telling him about it.

“There was nothing to tell,” she said, her tone firming enough that he backed off.

Sat back. Studied her.

And made her want to crawl back into his arms again.

“I had a great time earlier tonight.” Did his voice really just drip sex? Or was she losing all control? And was he reading her mind, too?

“I did, too.” She couldn’t sit there and lie to him. But added, “It was just like we said it would be...just physical.”

The way he was studying her made her uncomfortable. She shifted in her chair, pulled her skirt down underneath her thighs. Worried about the missing top button on her blouse. Nothing but the edge of her bra showed. A lot of women displayed more than that.

She wasn’t a lot of women.

And her breasts tingled. Her nipples hardened. Remembering.

“My physique wants to know if you’d be interested in a repeat performance sometime.”

“Of course.” The words slipped out. Inside, Emma slapped her darker side down. But it was too late. Jayden was already smiling. Not a big smile. Not sitting there in what was really an interrogation room. But a smile that reached her baser instincts with a thunk. “If...you know, the whole idea was to rid ourselves of the magnetism. Even in relationships that fades with familiarity.”

“Right.”

He nodded. Didn’t look challenging at all. Good.

They’d get rid of their desires and be done.

* * *

Chantel wanted to send Emma home under police protection—just until Luke Lincoln was found. She understood the concern, she’d said. Shared it. But added that in her neighborhood cars weren’t allowed to park on the street. Of course, they could get permission from the homeowners’ association, due to the circumstances, but she was loath to draw undue attention to herself. In small communities like hers, word spread. It was bad enough that they’d note the police car out front. Still, she could play it off as minor vandalism. She hadn’t been robbed. There was no reason for anyone else in her community to be afraid. And she liked her current anonymity.

Those who knew of her at all, knew her simply as a lawyer who worked all the time, was quiet, lived alone. She explained herself to him and Chantel quite clearly.

Jayden could hear a hint of fear in her voice, though.

There were other options. Cars in her driveway, for one. Surely her neighbors wouldn’t find it completely a shock for her to an overnight guest.

“I just...there is so much real crime out there,” she said. “I don’t want to waste personnel watching my house while I sleep.”

He got that. The attention wouldn’t feel right to him, either.

“I’ll just stay in a hotel. At least for tonight.”

“Luke’s my responsibility.” Jayden spoke up for the first time since Chantel had come back into the little room to let them know that the warrant to pick Luke up had been sent to departments all over the state, but no one knew where he was. His sister said she hadn’t seen him since he’d left court earlier that day. He hadn’t been due to work, because of the court hearing. And, so far, no one up north had seen him, either. “I can follow you home. Sleep on your couch.”

Or in her bed. Whichever she preferred.

He half expected her to stick with her hotel plan. Didn’t like the idea that he really didn’t know what to expect with her. Usually, when he slept with a woman, there was at least a modicum of expectation...

“The city would most definitely put you up in a hotel,” Chantel said when Emma didn’t immediately respond.

“If I go to a hotel, I’ll foot the bill,” Emma said, standing.

Jayden stood, too. “I’ll pay for it. As I said, Luke’s my responsibility.”

Seriously? It was past midnight and they were going to stand there and squabble about a hundred bucks?

“No.” Emma put her satchel on her shoulder. “I’ll just go home. And you can sleep on my couch, if you must,” she said, glancing at Jayden and then back at Chantel. “I’d have to go back to the house anyway to get my things. Someone would have to go with me. And I’d rather sleep in my own bed. If whoever did this is watching the house—and somehow I feel certain that Bill is—then he’ll know he won if I’m not there. And he’ll know he’s going to lose if he makes a move while Jayden is.”