“Neither are you, Odin. You’re not getting away from me just because the case gets closed.”
Warmth spread through his chest. Did it look as if he wanted to get away? Hell, no. What he wanted…
Odin wanted to figure out a way to keep Maisey. For as long as he possibly could.
I had one night. I want one hell of a lot more.
***
“So the plan is to just confront him?” Maisey paced in her den. “We have zero evidence. He’ll laugh in our faces.”
“He wasn’t laughing earlier. And either we confront him, or Ramsey does.”
She rocked back on her heels. “That sounds bad. Is it as bad as I think it is?”
He peered through the window to stare over at Clay’s place. “Sweetheart, I suspect it’s a thousand times worse.”
“Great. Wonderful.” She began pacing again as she tried to work off some of the nervous tension making her stomach quiver. “Okay. So am I the good cop? Or the bad one?”
He looked back at her. “I’ll be bad enough for us both.”
Maisey swallowed. “I don’t see him confessing.”
“We just need to trip him up. Get him to say one or two things that can help us to nail his ass to the wall. When we do that, we’re golden.”
If only. Maisey wasn’t exactly feeling golden at the moment. She turned and walked toward him. Stopped when she was right in front of Odin’s towering form. “I didn’t thank you.”
“You don’t have anything to thank me for.”
Uh, yes. She did. “What about being a human shield? Can I thank you for that?”
His jaw hardened. “I’m bigger. It only made sense for me to get on top when the shelves came down. You want to know what didn’t make sense?” He reached for her hand. “When you tried to shove me out of the way. If that move had worked, you would have been the one getting the brunt of that weight as the shelves rained down on you.”
“I-I know that.”
“You know?” He pulled her ever closer. “Then why the hell would you do something so dangerous?”
She thought it was obvious. “To keep you safe.”
Shock flashed on his face. But in the next instant, he’d schooled his expression. “You don’t need to do that.”
“I think I do.” On this point, she wouldn’t back down. “I think you need someone watching your back, and I’m not just talking about Jinx.” She wanted the job. If possible, she’d like to put in an application, please.
“Jinx.” The faint lines near his mouth deepened. “You know he’s outside right now, keeping an eye on Clay’s place? He’s gonna make sure Clay doesn’t leave—or have any unexpected visitors—before we’re done with him.”
She actually hadn’t known that. Jinx had kind of disappeared when she and Odin had gone to talk with Sandy. Maisey figured Jinx must be well hidden because she hadn’t seen him when they’d driven home. A faint sigh escaped her. “It’s a miracle you weren’t hurt when that stuff fell on us.”
His gaze cut away from her. “Yep. A miracle.”
Red flags started flying. “Odin? Odin, are you hurt?”
“Nothing I can’t handle.”
Hell. That meant he was hurt. “Show me. Right now.”
He let go of her hand. Marched for the door. “Let’s get this interrogation scene moving. The sooner we can toss Clay’s ass in jail, the better.”
“Odin! If you’re hurt, I want to help you!”
He glanced back at her. “Just some bruises. Nothing I can’t handle.”
She rushed to him. Shoved up the back of his t-shirt. Saw the already darkening bruises that mottled his skin. “Oh, Odin…”
“Not a deal. Don’t even feel it.”
He was such a liar. Maisey leaned forward. Her lips feathered over the skin. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t.”
She pressed another kiss to him. “I’ll do what I want. You’re hurt. You got hurt protecting me.”
“And what are you doing?” His whole body was taut. “Kissing it better?”
“Yes,” she said simply. Another press of her mouth against his back.
Odin shuddered. Then he spun around. “You make every damn thing better.” He caught her hands. Pulled her against him. Crashed his mouth down on hers.
You make every damn thing better. That might just be the nicest thing anyone had ever said to her.
But she didn’t get to linger too long on that because his tongue was driving into her mouth and, as always when Odin kissed her, need and lust seemed to burst to life within her. Her mouth met his eagerly, greedily, and she pressed as close to him as she could possibly get.
“Fuck.” Odin ripped his mouth from hers. “See—this is what happens if you put your mouth on me. Anywhere on me.”
She gazed up at him.
“You’re dangerous,” he accused.
She was? He was the first person to ever say that.
“We have a job. A suspect we need to push, before a crime boss comes along and tortures his ass.” His eyes blazed. “We have that shit happening, but I want to fuck you up against the wall.”
That was an option?
“But we have to go. Dammit.” His gaze cut to the wall. She could tell he was considering his options.
And she thought he was about to go for the wall when his phone rang. He whipped it out of his pocket and pushed it to his ear. “Jinx, tell me the bastard isn’t on the move…”
Her shoulders tensed.
“What? You’re shitting me.” A pause. “Huh. Yeah, that is interesting. We’re on the way. You hold your position.” He ended the call and glanced back at her. “Your neighbor just got a surprise visitor.”
She would not look at the wall. She licked her lips and still tasted him. “Do not leave me in suspense.” Her voice was way too husky.
“Heather Blass.” His voice was like gravel.
Heather was at Clay’s house? Right then?
“She and her boyfriend broke up,” Odin mused still in that gravel-rough voice that sounded like rough sex. “And now she’s at her professor’s house. Not hard to connect those dots.”
He was saying—Heather and Clay?
“You ready for this?” Odin asked.
She was more than ready. And the wall was apparently not an option now. Right. Of course. They had a job to do. The sex could wait. But I will so come back to it. Her head moved in a jerky nod.
“He could be dangerous,” Odin warned. “If he does or says anything that seems like a threat, get back. I’ll deal with him.”
They’d deal with him.
They raced over to the house next door. As they approached, Maisey could hear the raised voices from inside. Heather and Clay were having an argument.
“I did it for you!” Heather cried out. “Can’t you see that?”
Odin slanted a fast glance back at Maisey. Then he reached for the door.
It yanked open before he could knock. “You need to leave!” Clay bellowed. His head was turned away from the door so he didn’t see Odin and Maisey. “Go now, before it gets worse—”