Deadly Coincidence (Brantley Walker Off the Books #4) - Nicole Edwards Page 0,34

want to drag anyone down, thought maybe you’d like some help.”

JJ glanced over at her laptop, back to him. “I’m not workin’ on anything important.”

A lie, no doubt. Everything JJ worked on was important. And he knew she spent the majority of her spare time searching for Juliet Prince.

“Nothing important?” he challenged.

“No.” Her forehead creased with her frown, her hands still on her hips, only her fingers had started to flex and tap. It was a nervous tic, one he wasn’t sure she knew she had.

Tesha must’ve sensed the tension building, because the dog lifted her head, cast a sideways glance their way. Clearly believing it was safe, she curled up tighter and went back to sleep.

When Baz looked back at JJ, he noticed her eyes had glassed over, unshed tears filling them. His heart clenched in his chest.

How they’d managed to make it a full month without having this conversation, he didn’t know. But now that he was here, now that she was paying attention to him, Baz knew they had to clear the air between them.

Before he could begin, JJ blurted, “You might as well just say it.”

“Say what?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, Detective.”

And there it was. JJ had gone back to referring to him as Detective rather than by name. He’d learned early on that was her way of keeping him at arm’s length.

“You know exactly what I’m talkin’ about.”

Baz leaned his shoulder against the wall, feigned a casualness he didn’t feel. “Actually, I don’t. Enlighten me, JJ.”

“If this is your way of punishin’ me, you suck.”

Punishing her? What the fuck was she talking about?

He stood tall, frowned. “I’m not punishing you. Why would I?”

JJ held her ground, facing off with him, hands still on her hips. “Because I stood you up on Thanksgiving.”

“That was weeks ago.” And he’d been biding his time, trying to determine the best approach to ensure they got back to the way things were before.

“Yes,” she agreed. “It was. And … and because of…” She waved her hand.

“Because of what?”

“Because I’ve avoided you all this time.”

Baz held her gaze. “Since I’d been expectin’ it, perhaps I wasn’t all that bothered by it.”

Okay, fine. That was a lie. Baz had been bothered by the fact JJ had ghosted him on Thanksgiving after agreeing to go with him to his father’s house for his family’s traditional holiday dinner. He’d been looking forward to spending some time with her, time outside of work, outside of her regular routine. And yes, he’d been looking forward to introducing her to his family.

However, he wasn’t lying when he said he had expected it. JJ was a complicated woman who’d successfully erected many walls around her heart in an effort to keep everyone out. So, yes, the one thing Baz knew she would do when given the opportunity was run. And hide.

Fortunately, he was a patient man. He’d already told her they would take this at her pace, and the last thing he expected was for this to be easy. The important things in life never were.

“So you’re not pissed?” she asked, her eyes sliding over his face as though she was attempting to read his answer by his expression.

He could see the wariness, the concern. And yes, he could see that she had feelings for him even if she would be the first to deny it.

“Pissed, no,” he admitted. “Disappointed, yes.”

She swallowed hard. “Well, I’m good at that. Disappointin’ people. It’s what I do, Detective.”

Baz closed the distance between them before she had a chance to bolt. He cupped her jaw with one hand, sliding his fingers along the warm, smooth skin of her neck.

“You didn’t disappoint me, JJ,” he whispered. “I want to spend time with you. That’s all. But I told you, I’ll wait for you.”

“I don’t want you to wait for me, Baz,” she said, her voice quivering slightly.

Now she was lying.

He’d gotten rather adept at pinpointing untruths because that was his job. And while JJ wasn’t necessarily easy to read, he’d caught on to a few of her tells. When she lied, she pressed her front teeth against her bottom lip. It was subtle, but he’d been looking for it.

“Tough shit,” he said, brushing her cheek with his thumb.

Oh, how he wanted to kiss her, to touch her, to make love to her. Before he’d ruined things by pushing her too hard, they’d gotten close. Shared some dinners together, talked endlessly although mostly about work. And yes, they’d ended up in bed together, which