told him, and the man had assured her he would try to find out something. Did the mysterious tail have anything to do with that?
CHAPTER 23
Colin returned to Emily’s bungalow, showing up with a big bouquet of daisies and freesia.
“Right on time,” Emily greeted, still wearing her white silk robe and bare feet. Her hair was twisted into a pile of loose curls on her head.
“These are for you.” Colin held the flowers out to her.
“They’re lovely. I love daisies!” she squealed, taking them from him.
“I know.”
She pushed up on her tiptoes and kissed him. “Thank you. Just let me put them in a vase and I’ll be ready in a second. I just need to slip into my dress. Why don’t you have a seat in the living room and I’ll be right out.”
He wandered over to the sofa as she hurried back to the kitchen for the vase. In a few minutes she emerged from her bedroom in a little black dress, sticking diamond studs into her ears.
He rose when she entered the room, an old habit his mother had drilled into him as a boy, he’d told her.
She glided over to him and spun around. “Will you zip me up?”
He bent his head down and kissed the nape of her neck which sent heat radiating down her spine. He slowly pulled her zipper up and kissed her neck again, just below her ear, sending a shudder of pleasure through her.
She turned to face him and met his lips with hers. “I’ve missed you,” she whispered, looking into his sultry eyes.
“We should go,” he said. “We have reservations.”
There was coolness in his voice and his expression that puzzled her. She wondered what he was thinking. He was the one who kissed her first, but then it felt like he pulled back.
Once they got to the restaurant, he relaxed a bit and she seemed to have the old Colin back, warm and funny. After dinner, he led her onto the dance floor and held her close as the small jazz band played a slow song.
Emily laid her head against his cheek, closing her eyes to shut out the whole world around her. She remembered their first date at DaVinci’s, when their bodies had swayed in unison, as they did now, and their attraction to each other had moved to another level.
In her thoughts, as they danced, she imagined their hands and arms curling around each other, embracing, as if they couldn’t get close enough. She had forgotten how deeply and thoroughly kissed Colin could make her feel, sending her senses to places she had only gone with her husband. She willed her mind to other thoughts before she groaned out loud.
As she thought of Colin’s return to Paradise Valley for good, she desired to find that soul-felt intimacy with him again. By the time he was back, she hoped to have Evan’s murder solved and that disturbing chapter of her life closed. As long as suspicions and questions went unanswered, she wondered how she could ever be free to give herself fully to another man.
“A penny for your thoughts,” he murmured in her ear.
“Thinking of you, enjoying the music,” she responded truthfully, her eyes still shut. “I was thinking how wonderful it’ll be when you come back here for good. What about you?”
“I’m remembering how good you feel in my arms, and thinking how sad it is that people wait for a tragedy to visit the ones they care about.” He kissed her temple gently and held her hand close to his heart as they continued to slow dance.
The song ended but she didn’t want to open her eyes and be sucked back into reality. She didn’t want to let go of him. She relished the warmth of his body against hers and she felt safe in his strong, protective arms. Fighting reality was a useless endeavor, she conceded, and she forced her eyes open.
“Do you want to get out of here?” Colin asked, still holding her hand.
“What did you have in mind?” she asked eagerly.
“Let’s get our dessert to go and head back to your house,” he suggested. “I think we need to talk.”
“About what?” Her head tilted slightly.
“Not here. I just think there’s some things we need to talk about.” He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed the top of it lightly, gazing deeply into her eyes. “Nothing to worry about,” he promised.
“Forget the dessert, let’s just go home,” she replied flatly, letting him