Strong, Sleek and Sinful - By Lorie O'Clare Page 0,23

immediately the truth would send him through the roof. The level of protector’s instincts in this man was strong even for a cop.

“My guess is that would be out of character for you.” Perry watched her, the smoldering dark shade of his eyes resuming a forest green color.

Kylie’s heart skipped a beat, a mixture of excitement, at taking him on in a battle of wills, and sexual energy creating a pressure that swelled in her chest. The main door to the library opened, causing her to shift her attention from his face as four girls entered.

Dani hesitated when she saw Kylie sitting with Perry, and the three girls around her stopped as well and a group huddle formed as they started whispering among each other.

“I’m sure your investigative skills are in tune well enough for you not to jump to conclusions about anyone’s nature,” Kylie said dryly.

The girl who led the group to Kylie’s table looked a lot like Dani, except older. “Are you making the moves on our uncle?” she demanded, and slowly crossed her arms over her chest.

“God, Diane,” Dani groaned, rolling her eyes and then shoving herself in front of Diane. “Kylie, I thought bringing my sisters might help give you more information. You said different-aged teenagers would have different attitudes about stuff.”

“What is going on here?” Perry slid his chair back and stood, glaring at the four girls while he pressed his fists into his sides.

“Hi, Uncle Perry,” the youngest one said, and scooted around her sisters to give her uncle a hug. “We came here to tell the woman about teenagers.”

“Denise, shut up,” Dani ordered.

“Dani,” Perry growled.

“What’s the deal, Uncle Perry?” the oldest, Diane, asked, giving Kylie the once-over before raising one eyebrow and focusing on her uncle. “If I’d known you were coming, you could have hauled everyone here.”

Kylie looked over at the information desk where two older women glanced at their small group. There weren’t a lot of people in the library, but it was a Saturday and more would probably arrive as the day progressed. “Maybe we can move our discussion to a place where we don’t have to be quite so quiet,” she suggested.

Everyone looked at her and quit talking.

“You aren’t driving my nieces anywhere.” Perry put his hand protectively on the youngest.

Kylie stood, smiling. “That’s fine. You can drive them,” she said, guessing they would talk his ear off about catching him sitting with her. “Where is a good place to go?”

“How about your place?” Perry said, his gaze growing intense as he stared at her.

If he wanted to get inside her house to check her out further, she didn’t have a problem with that. Her temporary home was up and running and ready for visitors. “That’s fine, but I don’t have any munchies or anything.”

“You can order pizza,” Dani offered, grinning broadly.

Kylie stared at the expectant faces of the teenagers and at Perry, whose dark expression wasn’t readable. “Okay,” she said slowly. “We can meet over at my house.”

She gathered her things and then walked with the girls surrounding her to the door. None of them commented on her not giving Perry directions. She didn’t doubt he remembered where she lived after chasing the perp in her neighborhood the other day.

Kylie pulled up in front of her house, with Perry parking right behind her, and led the way to her door. After unlocking it, she pressed the keypad just inside her door on the wall to turn off the alarm system.

“Pretty elaborate alarm,” Perry commented, pushing the door open all the way and entering in front of his nieces. He stopped in the middle of her living room and turned slowly, taking in his surroundings. “That come with the rental house?”

“I paid extra for it. But my aunt owns the house, which is a blessing. Otherwise I’d be paying too much rent for a really small apartment.” She smiled at the girls, refusing to let Perry interrogate her further about her home. “Sit down. Where’s the best place to order pizza?”

All the girls spoke at once and almost immediately were arguing. Perry made himself comfortable on her couch, stretching his legs out in front of him and placing one arm across the back of the couch. He appeared to ignore his nieces while continuing to study her home with an attentive eye. There wasn’t anything in her living room to give away her nature, lifestyle, or career. He could memorize every inch of the room and the most she