are standing here so early in the morning after a very long night in the police station, trying to pick up where we most definitely left off. I told you that it had nothing to do with you, personally. We agreed that we couldn’t date, that it’s a conflict of interest, remember? And I think being friends falls under that category, too.”
“If I’d been a doctor and not told you what I did for that long, would you have been as upset?” She’d been angry that he hadn’t been open about the fact that he worked undercover at times, and he’d been angry at himself for not putting it together that she was the fireman’s sister.
Truth be told, he hadn’t wanted to make the connection. All he’d wanted was to be with Kayla.
Two long spikes of green, maybe palm leaves, went into the middle of each of the arrangements. He wondered how she knew exactly where to place each stem so that the final product looked so perfect.
“Yes, I would have wondered why you hadn’t told me what exactly you did.”
“I told you I was a cop. And as soon as I was assigned directly to Keith’s case, I should have asked to have it given to someone else.”
“It doesn’t matter now, does it?” She shook her head as she selected more blooms from a large plastic bin in the professional-grade refrigerator at the far back of the workroom. She shut the heavy door with her hip and the latch automatically clicked shut. “Stop watching my hips, Rio. It’s distracting.”
“Yes, ma’am. And for the record, it does matter. Because we still obviously have some chemistry between us.”
“Chemistry isn’t enough to make something work when one partner is always gone. You disappeared in the middle of our, our...” She pursed her lips as she clipped away at unwanted leaves on the stems of some kind of purple flower.
“Our affair?”
He loved watching the color rise from her chest, bared by her crewneck, up her neck and across her cheekbones. It reminded him of the other ways, one in particular, that he’d made her blush so profusely.
“Whatever you want to call it.”
He laughed. “Kayla, you are hands-down the most complicated woman I’ve ever known.”
“Thank you, I think?” She put her gloved fists on her hips. “Rio, I understand that you’re here because you’ve probably been assigned to keep an eye on me. You and I know I’m nothing more than a witness—I wasn’t involved in the murder. Do what you need to do to get your job done. But don’t think you have to sugarcoat it with fancy coffee and polite conversation. We’re not supposed to be talking to each other, remember?”
“We can’t discuss your brother’s case, that’s all. And I’m not a sugarcoating kind of guy, Kayla. You know that. I’m here because I want to be. You can have SVPD cops checking in on you, but the regular presence of uniformed police in your shop probably isn’t the best thing for business, is it?”
“My customers aren’t afraid of the police, if that’s what you’re asking. Your colleagues crawled all over my shop at Christmas, after I delivered the flowers to Zora from the Female Preacher Killer. It didn’t hurt business then.”
He had to level with her.
“We’re watching the new mayor closely.” He watched her as he explained. “You mentioned that his wife frequents your shop. And now, with the wedding this weekend, it’s a good opportunity to try to learn more about them.”
“You’re using my business as your cover?”
“Not exactly. We need you to help us out.”
“I already told you, I’ll keep my eyes and ears open.”
“That’s good, Kayla, but I need you to be careful. If the mayor is who we think he is, associated with the kinds of people we suspect, he’s a dangerous man.”
“Which is why his assistant is dead, I presume?”
“Maybe.” He hesitated, knowing he shouldn’t share everything with her, but somehow needing to. “Kayla, I suspect that whoever is behind your brother’s civil suit may be tied to the mayor, as well. I can’t say much more, but trust me when I tell you there’s a chance that as we delve into this murder investigation we may uncover some ugly facts.”
“Any chance the facts could clear Keith?”
“Yes, that’s what I’m hoping for, but again, I can’t promise you anything. You know that if Keith’s case goes to trial I’ll be stating that I don’t believe the charges against him are valid. And I shouldn’t say any more.” She looked so damn hopeful and he hated putting the encouragement out there when he, more than anyone, knew it could end up being a long haul. “I can’t say anything else about Keith, Kayla. And trust me when I tell you that the people on the other end of this, the persons I suspect the mayor may have ties to, are wily and loaded. It’s an uphill battle. Their coffers run deep and money keeps otherwise nonsensical claims alive in court.”
She snorted as she clipped the stems of several daisy-type flowers.
He watched as her tongue darted out to moisten her lower lip. “Kayla?”
“You think Keith’s innocent, too. Don’t you?”
He looked at her. Knew he shouldn’t do what he was going to do, what he’d wanted to do since he’d walked into her shop. Since he saw her last night, shivering in shock at the barn. Since he’d last made love to her, four months ago.
Her eyes were tired; she’d been up most of the night, as had he. But they reflected the same spark of attraction that he felt, the combustible chemistry that was making him hard. He reached out and cupped her jaw. “You’re beautiful, Kayla.” He didn’t have to pull her to him—she leaned in for the kiss.
When their lips met there was no pretense of it being a first kiss again, or a simple affectionate gesture. Her mouth pressed against his with equal force and when he slid his tongue between her lips she met it with hers. Rio stopped thinking and let Kayla’s moist breath, her soft gasps, her urgent caresses against his upper arms, take him away from the gravity of the case.
Her arms went up around his neck and he took the opportunity to cup her breasts as they kissed, then moved his hands to her firm butt and gently pressed her against his erection. Her work counter was up against his back and he used the support to take most of her weight, forcing her onto her tiptoes.
“I want you, Kayla. I’ve never stopped wanting you.”
Her reply was a quick nip to his lower lip before he felt cool air against his face. He reluctantly opened his eyes and found her stare unnerving.
“We aren’t supposed to be doing this, Rio.”
“I know.” He stroked the distinctly feminine curve of her lower back and watched as she bit her lower lip, trying to hold back the moan he wanted to hear.
“Stop, Rio.”
He lowered his arms and she took a step back. Her face was as bright pink as the tulips on the worktable and he couldn’t miss her hard nipples as they pushed against her shirt.
“I’m sorry, Kayla. When I’m around you my dick does the thinking.”
“That’s all it is, Rio?” Her tone cooled as quickly as he’d heated up during their kiss.
“We never lasted long enough to find out if it could be more.”
“Your career is your first priority.” She sniffed and picked up a bunch of green stems with fluffy leaves.
“And you don’t want to date a cop. And you can’t trust me, right? We’re back to square one.”
“Not exactly.” Challenge lit her expression. “We both want my brother’s name cleared. And I want to see this mayor get his due if he’s a bad guy. So do you. Let me help out as much as I can with