“Yes, ma’am.” He killed the call, shoved the phone in his pocket, and caught Darcy by the hips to pull her close. “You look amazing.”
“Thank you, Deputy.” She accepted the compliment with an easy self-assurance.
A heartbreaker, he thought grimly. The kind of woman a man was never sure he possessed completely. That aloofness stirred his most primal proprietary instincts, and he was slightly irritated that he was no more immune to her allure than any other member of the male species.
But then she’d confessed today that they were “involved,” and she wasn’t the type of woman to use one man as an excuse to extricate herself from another. For now, she was his. It was up to him to decide if he wanted to keep her, and if he did, take the steps necessary to make that happen.
“You’re scowling at me,” she pointed out wryly, her cool fingertips smoothing the line between his brows.
“Sorry.”
“What’s wrong?”
Jared shook his head. “You’re perfect, Darcy. Just the sort of uncomplicated and undemanding female a guy like me hopes to pass some time with. It’s driving me fuckin’ crazy.”
“That makes absolutely no sense,” she said wryly.
“Tell me about it. Kiss me.”
“All right. Don’t move.”
He forced himself to relax. “Go for it.”
Stepping closer, she brushed her mouth across his. The kiss was soft as a butterfly’s wings, barely there. Her tongue darted out, licking the seam of his lips, dipping just a tiny bit inside. He groaned, fighting the urge to drag her close and take over. He wanted her to give to him whatever she chose, however much she chose.
Her hands went to his shoulders, then the one not holding her little clutch purse cupped his nape. Her head tilted and she sealed her mouth over his. She deepened the kiss, unraveling him stitch by stitch. He couldn’t say why, couldn’t figure it out. She was a pretty woman he’d met twenty-four hours before. They’d fucked like feral rabbits, which should’ve worked her right out of his system. Physically, he’d been thoroughly satisfied. Yet he couldn’t catch his breath because of a chaste kiss. His lungs heaved and burned, his heart pounded violently.
Pressing her forehead to his, Darcy exchanged gasping breaths with him. “I need you to touch me.”
He heard the tremulous note in her voice and caught her close, banding one arm around her hips and rubbing his hand up and down her back. He wondered if she’d ever really needed anything from any man. What twist of fate had aligned his ferocious need to take her with her unrealized need to be taken?
“Are we a pair or what?” he murmured with his lips to her crown.
“We’re something.”
“Yeah.” Jared rubbed his cheek against the top of her head. “We’re something.”
THROUGH THE LENS of his camera, Jared stood on the street corner and photographed every possible angle from the phone booth.
“Seems so wide open,” Darcy said. “Where do you take an investigation from here?”
He lowered the camera. “Cross-check local businesses with Lion’s Bay residents. Check cab fares from that day and time and this general vicinity. He probably drove, but maybe he was cautious enough to take a cab from a parking garage to somewhere nearby. Of course, if he’s that careful, he probably paid cash, but we’ll tie off that thread to be sure.”
She looked at him grimly. “You’re keeping yourself busy while we wait for him to strike again.”
“Building a case.” He put the cap back on the lens and put the camera back in its bag. “I’m done. Hungry?”
“There’s a great little café around the corner, although we might have to wait a bit for a seat.”
“Let’s go.” He caught her hand and led her straight to the restaurant. It was crowded, with a line out front and a harried-looking hostess who instantly brightened when she saw him.
“Jared.” Tiffany smiled and grabbed a menu. “Just in time for your reservation.”
He felt Darcy’s grip tighten on his and knew she caught the undercurrent of familiarity. He didn’t have a reservation, but Tiffany always found a spot at the counter for him…and time after work when he was in the mood for more than food.
“For two,” he pointed out gently, pulling Darcy up to his side.
Tiffany’s brows rose and her smile widened. “Absolutely.”