Her Christmas Detective - Laura Ann Page 0,16

away from work for just anybody.”

The pink in her cheeks let him know his words were doing their job. Slowly, he let his fingers slide along her jaw and chin, enjoying the smooth feel of her skin. He let his fingers slide to her cheek and then tuck her hair behind her ear. His hand then slid through her hair, coming down to the end and letting the silkiness slip through his fingers.

“Are you saying I should feel special?” she asked, her voice slightly breathless.

Hank grinned. “You should.”

“I have a confession to make.”

He raised his eyebrows in invitation.

“Flattery absolutely works on me.”

Hank chuckled and leaned in closer, the moment they had lost rushing back all at once. “Good to know,” he murmured just as their lips brushed. Heat rushed through him from that simple touch and he almost pulled back. It was just as he’d suspected. Starting something with this woman was going to be different than any other relationship he’d ever had, which meant their possible parting when they both went back to their lives was going to be different as well.

Bella didn’t seem to have any of his reservations, however, as she leaned in and brought their mouths fully together, slamming him with more sensations than he’d thought one body could hold. When she grabbed the front of his shirt, he groaned and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his lap with a quick jerk.

A thud overhead went unnoticed as he got lost in the feel of the petite woman in his arms. She felt so perfectly right. He’d never believed in soulmates, but this was a whole other level of connection that he hadn’t known existed.

Another loud thud sounded above them, and this time his ear tuned in to the sound. When it was followed by a scream and some shouting, Hank forced himself to pull back. Both he and Bella were breathing heavily, but he forced himself to think on what was happening upstairs. “Did you hear that?”

A loud crash sounded and more screaming ensued.

“What in the world?” Bella looked up with her jaw open.

“Stay here,” Hank ordered, gently lifting her off his lap as quickly as he could and darting to the doorway.

“Over my dead body!” Bella called out, running after him.

Hank cursed in his mind, knowing her refusal to listen was just a sign of things to come, but he ran on anyway. Something important was going on upstairs and he needed to be there.

CHAPTER 6

TAKING A SECOND TO ditch her high heels, Bella raced out of the dining room from a closer door to the stairs. She grinned. Henry didn’t know this house as well as she did.

“Bella!” he yelled from where he was now behind her.

Ignoring his call, she dashed up the stairs as quickly as she could in her pencil skirt. It hindered her leg movements more than she wanted it to, but right now was not the time to worry about it. Henry wasn’t far behind her, and if her ears were to be believed, Bella could tell he was gaining ground.

The crashing sounds had stopped, but screams of anger and distress were still ringing through the house. A couple of doors opened as she rushed down the hall, but Bella didn’t stop. She could hear Henry asking everyone to stay in their rooms.

She slid to a stop, nearly toppling head over heels on the shiny hardwood boards.

“It was supposed to be me,” someone said, tears evident in the sound.

Bella grabbed the handle, trying desperately to catch her breath. “What in this world?” she asked with wide eyes as she opened the door. It looked like a hurricane had swept through. Shards of porcelain and glass were scattered all over the carpet. Hope lay sprawled on her backside, one hand on a bleeding cheek, while Enoch was crouched over a woman. The woman was struggling and screaming against his tight hold.

“Bella, can you call the police, please?” Enoch said, his voice strained.

“I’m here,” Henry said from behind Bella. He pulled a pair of handcuffs out of his back pocket and walked up to Enoch. “Just bring her hands in front here.”

Bella watched, wide-eyed and fascinated, as Henry cuffed the woman and led her away from the scene, hissing and spitting like a wild cat. Several more people were working their way down the hall, and Henry had to navigate between them to get the woman downstairs and outside.

She made a mental note to follow him to the police