Once Bitten, Twice Dead - By Bianca D'Arc Page 0,44

minutes at the desk while Sarah completed her survey of the room itself.

“Nothing very useful in here,” she concluded, putting her hands on her hips as she faced him.

“All right, let’s tackle the attached lab. It’s not big, but there might be something in there.” Xavier shut down the computer and headed for the doorway to the private lab.

“So why did you major in chemistry in college?” Xavier asked her as they went through the lab together. It was small but fully equipped.

“I had some idea about going into forensics,” she replied absently.

“The thought of your own patrol car lure you away?” he teased, standing back and letting her do the initial search.

She stopped to look at him. “You know darn well why I decided to be a cop instead.”

“Your friend Terry.” His voice dropped to a compassionate pitch and she read understanding in his eyes.

“When she was attacked…” It was hard to talk about this, even now, all these years later. “When I found her after the rape, I realized the importance of being a first responder. I knew I could help more people that way than if I locked myself in a lab. The first officer on the scene was a rookie who didn’t have a clue. I practically led him through the steps to secure evidence. If I hadn’t been there, Terry’s attacker might’ve gotten away for lack of evidence.”

“You’re a good friend, Sarah, and a great cop. I’ve read your file. I’ve seen the letters from people you’ve helped. In just the few short years you’ve been wearing the uniform, you’ve already made quite a difference. I bet your family is proud.”

A warm glow filled her at his words, but the last bit drew a troubled frown. “Proud? Actually, I don’t think they understand my motivations at all. The Petit men…well, they’re what you might call a bunch of macho chauvinist pigs.” She chuckled at her own description. “Don’t get me wrong, I love my family, but they don’t understand me at all. They’d be much happier if I gave up police work and did needlepoint for the rest of my life.”

“That would be a supreme waste of talent, Sarah. Take it from me. I evaluate soldiers and make recommendations for their places within the unit. I know a leader when I see one.”

Again that feeling of warmth suffused her being. She’d never been praised like this by any man. Not this openly or this honestly. If it was all some ploy to get in her pants, he had to know he didn’t need to flatter her. She’d already proven to be despicably easy where he was concerned and they both knew it. So the praise had to be real.

Wow.

She let that sink in for a moment, basking in the feeling.

“Thanks, Xavier.”

She reached up and gave him a totally inappropriate peck on the cheek. When she would have pulled away, he caught her around the waist and went way beyond inappropriate. He went straight into sinful territory as he captured her lips with his and kissed her like there was no tomorrow.

They were alone. Locked inside a private lab where nobody could see them. Sarah couldn’t think of one good reason to object other than the fact that they were both still on duty. Of course, her duty nowadays was to work with Xavier. She didn’t have any other place she had to be.

And the man could kiss. He’d already proven it twice over and it looked like he was going for the trifecta. He backed her up against the edge of the slate lab table. It hit her in the back, but she didn’t care. All she cared about was the warmth of his long, lean body in front of her, caging her in and making her crazy with need.

His hands dipped, riding over the curves of her ass, then lifting her straight up, onto the lab table. The tabletop was cold through the cotton of her uniform pants, but it barely registered. Not with Xavier’s hard body spreading her legs and stepping between.

He was a tall man and the height of the counter put her in the perfect position for him. He pushed against the crotch of her pants, the ridge of aroused flesh unmistakable even with two sets of clothing between them. He was hard and heavenly rubbing against her. She hadn’t felt this needy since she was a teen. Xavier had the ability to make her want him with just a few