“You’re doing what you can. Don’t beat yourself up for it. Do you still want to meet with the other guy?”
Oh, yeah. He’d almost forgotten. The other dude with a previous battery charge in his criminal record. Tony Brogan. “Yes. We’ll pay him a visit next. Liam said he works security and also part-time as a personal trainer at a gym.” He reached for the GPS system in the car and punched the address of the gym Liam had given him. “Brogan should still be there for another hour or so.” He shoved his foot on the pedal, a rush of adrenaline sweeping over him.
“And you also want to talk to Kace Jarred?” she asked, a note of apprehension in her voice.
“Yeah. I’ve come this far. But I’ll prepare first. See who I’m dealing with, then pay him a visit.” To see Kace, he probably needed to gather more information to have the upper hand in their interaction. Questioning Mike and soon Tony at their places of work was quite different than intruding into Kace’s territory unannounced, if he were in fact a dangerous son of a bitch capable of murdering his sister. “We’ll talk to this guy, then I’ll drive you back to your office.”
“Don’t drive me back to my office. I want to be with you the rest of the day,” she said.
Her offer caused a hot throb to awake his nerve endings. “Are you sure?” he huffed. Hell, the last thing he wanted was to be charity. After dinner the previous night, she’d distanced herself, and he’d chastised himself for pushing her too far with his questions—questions that had zero to do with what had happened to Pamela. He’d missed Alexa but had decided to give her space. And now she was suggesting they spend more time together. Why not? If he were honest with himself, the way he felt about Alexa stopped having anything to do with finding out about his sister a long time ago.
She met his gaze, a faint smile forming on her lips. “I’ve never been so sure.”
Chapter Thirteen
Alexa lit the candles in her room. They’d ordered Chinese, and he’d gone to her bathroom to shower and relax after he’d texted Kace’s name to his investigator. A nagging sensation lumped in her throat. She should have been glad she hadn’t directly been responsible for Pamela’s fate, but the idea she’d been involved with a sleazeball like Kace was even worse.
Earlier, they’d also paid a visit to Tony Brogan, a buff twenty-five-year-old who had readily told them what he knew about the auction night—which hadn’t been much. According to him, he’d never seen Pamela enter the building, and had never seen her after the event.
Pamela. Alexa shuddered.
Pamela had been a lost soul, and Alexa wished she had noticed a trace of uncertainty in her when interviewing. She’d never select a woman who wasn’t 100 percent sure for an auction, and not only for practical reasons. Everyone had the right to choose what and how they did their first time.
“I’m glad you invited me over,” Brooks said, hugging her from behind, then planting a kiss on her shoulder.
Little ripples of awareness traveled through her, and she enjoyed the sweet embrace without moving, not wanting to break contact or let go of him. Ever. A shiver raced down her spine and she sighed. Keep it realistic.
His hard-on pressed against her skirt, and his appreciation became even more obvious. God. He still had on a towel she’d given him, heat oozing from his every pore. She leaned back, and he took full advantage, tracing his tongue along her neck.
A raspy moan fled her lips, her nipples taut with ache and desire. He hadn’t tightened his grasp on her, yet she felt so connected to him he might as well have glued her back to his front. She reached to his side, and with a jerky movement, took off his towel, which pooled at her feet.
“You’re so goddamn sexy.” He caught a fistful of her hair, dipping his head lower and nipping the curve of her neck. His teeth automatically sent a flurry of sizzles through her, arrowing down her core and pooling between her legs. She curled her hips, rocking them into his big cock, teasing. “You know, my sweet Alexa, I’d be remiss if I paid no attention to your toy box. Since you so generously showed it to me.”
A shiver rippled over her skin. “Is that so?”
He slid his hand under her shirt, the front