link any of them to the newer robberies. Five hours later, and they hadn’t found a damn thing.
He was thankful for the quiet of the glassed-in conference room, but the stark fluorescents were giving him a headache on top of the headache he’d had when he came in. Luke closed his eyes and laid his head against the seat back. The tight muscles of his neck stretched. His spine popped. But his mind still twitched like a dying fish. He’d come back to Boulder to simplify his life. Yet another failure to chalk up on his list.
When his cell rang, he ignored the first few chirps before he stretched and looked down at it. He couldn’t have been more surprised by the name on the screen than if it had been Santa Claus.
“What the hell?” he muttered. He hit the call button and put the phone tentatively to his ear.
“Luke?” a sweet voice said.
“Yes.”
“It’s Tessa. How are you?”
“I’m … Yeah, I’ve been better. I wasn’t expecting you to call.”
“Oh. Did Jamie talk to you?”
“Yes,” he said, his muscles tightening anew. “He did.”
Silence drew between them for a moment, and then he heard Tessa inhale on the other end of the line. “Is it true? About your partner?”
He closed his eyes. “No.”
“Does everyone think it’s true?”
“Yes.”
She sighed and Luke waited for the next question. “Why?” she finally asked.
And Luke found himself telling the truth about it for the first time. “Everyone thinks it’s me because Simone and I are close. We were best friends. But we were never lovers.”
“So who’s the father?”
It was Luke’s turn to sigh. “I don’t know. It’s a long story.”
“You sound sad.”
Sad. Yeah. That actually made him smile. “I guess that’s one word for it.”
“Pissed?”
He smiled wider. “Maybe.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Luke frowned at the pen he was pushing around the table. “I don’t think that’s—”
“Come on. Just come over. Bring me dinner.”
“I …” Okay, this was awkward. Given any other circumstances, he would put up his hands and back slowly away from a hot virgin with two protective older brothers. Why the heck did she have to be the only person who managed to make him smile these days? Damn it, he said silently, rubbing a hand over his eyes.
“All right,” she said, her voice pulling down in disappointment. “I understand. I guess I’m the definition of complicated.”
Her? Good God. “Don’t be stupid, Tessa. I’ll be there in half an hour. Burgers okay?”
“I assume you mean burgers from the Sink?”
He grinned at the table. “I do.”
“Cheeseburger with guac,” she said quickly. “No onions. And park behind the house.” With that reminder of how idiotic they were both being, Tessa hung up the phone, probably afraid he’d call it off. Because any sane man would.
Yeah. That sounded about right. Any sane man.
At least he could claim one small comfort. There was no possible way he was sleeping with Tessa Donovan tonight, so she was probably the safest woman he could have dinner with.
“Even I’m not that stupid,” he muttered as he packed up his files and grabbed his keys. “No way.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
HE WASN’T A MISOGYNISTIC asshole with a pregnant girlfriend. He was just a hot single cop who was bringing her a cheeseburger.
Tessa smiled as she fired up the stereo, damn happy with the way this day was turning out. It might even call for a little Van Morrison. Yeah, it definitely called for Van Morrison. Tessa turned on “Brown Eyed Girl” and danced into the kitchen to finish tidying up.
She’d saved the day—probably—and now she was going to get the man—maybe. What more could a girl ask for? Feeling a lovely bond with all the other women in the world, Tessa typed up tonight’s Twitter message and sent it out.
Feeling my Celtic roots tonight, ladies. You know what that means. Come on by & and say sláinte.
Jamie had been wearing his kilt tonight, and their Twitter feed was already buzzing with it.
She was still grinning when a car door shut in the alley behind her house, and Tessa rushed to the back door to open it. But her smile fell when she saw Luke. He looked exhausted. As if five days had passed since she’d seen him and he hadn’t slept a wink since.
“Luke! You look awful!”
His brow crumpled even as his mouth turned up at the corners. “That’s a terrible way to greet a man who comes bearing burgers.”
“I’m sorry! You just look tired.”
“Fair enough. I am.”
Tired, but still hot and strong. So she kissed his cheek as she took the bag from his hand and led him into her lair. “Red wine with burgers, do you think?”
He raised an eyebrow.
“I don’t want to think about beer tonight,” she explained.
“Red wine, it is.”
Half a bottle and two burgers later, they were sitting snug on her couch with the music turned down to a whisper so they could talk. “So tell me why you look so beat up today. Big murder case?”
“You’re determined to turn me into a TV show, aren’t you?”
“Well, for a minute there, you were headed into Jerry Springer territory. I’m trying to steer you back toward CSI.”
“Oh, right. That.” The tightness around his eyes told Tessa that this was what had been weighing on him.
She raised her eyebrows and waited.
“I don’t really talk about it.” He paused as if that would be enough, but Tessa didn’t let him off the hook. “My partner. It’s complicated.”
“Complicated as in … you’re in love with her and she has a boyfriend?”
“No!” He shook his head. “But you put it in perspective, I suppose. Complicated as in, she’s pregnant and she won’t talk to me about it.”
Tessa felt the exact moment when her heart began to melt. She could actually feel it go warm and squishy inside her. “I’m sorry, Luke.”
“She’s not married. There’s no boyfriend. She’s alone.”
“Maybe she’s okay with that.”
His frown turned angry for a moment. “That’s the thing. Simone would be okay with that. So why the hell isn’t she?”
“She won’t tell you anything?”
“Nothing. And I …” He raised a hand as if he were going to make a point, but his fingers hovered, half curled, before he dropped his hand to his knee. “I just want to fix it.”
Aw. Tessa took his hand and curled her feet beneath her to scoot a little closer. Men were such adorable creatures. He was going crazy because he couldn’t fix everything for his partner.
She stroked his fingers until they curled