“That won’t do anything but create more panic.”
“We all need to be panicked,” she argued, rounding the desk, as if she felt the need to be closer, to make her case more urgent. “We have a serial killer on the loose. Something has to be done.”
He studied her a moment, thinking of the research he’d done on her, of her reputation of dogmatically taking on cases until they were solved. She’d gone so far as to dive into what would be police work, risking any danger to herself for her personal involvement. He didn’t want her outside of this lab, in the sights of a hungry monster who’d make this her last investigation.
He grabbed one of her business cards and a pen, then scribbled his number on it, and took her hand in his. It was small and soft, but he knew that while her body might be feminine and delicate, her spirit was not.
“Call me before you act on any lead you might discover,” he said softly, sending her a mental compulsion. “I’ll make sure it gets followed up on, for you.”
“Yes,” she said, blinking up at him, those gorgeous hazel eyes melting into his. “Yes, okay.”
He released her mind and she blinked again, her gaze lowering to their joined hands, then lifting to his. Electricity sparked between them, wicked hot, and unexpected when really, it shouldn’t have been. His attraction to this woman was red hot, instant and unwelcomed.
Aiden let go of her hand and took a step backwards, feeling the burn of the past in his undeniable connection he shared with this woman. A connection that reached far beyond his body humming with desire to strip her naked and have his way with her. No, the desire was a product of chemistry, of interest, of that intrigue he’d felt with her
He wasn’t a hard learner. He wasn’t a man to relive mistakes, repeating bad history. That’s exactly why he never, ever, allowed himself a personal connection to a human. He’d done it once thirty years before and Darla had ended up dead, just like his parents and younger sister. It was enough to watch out for his Warden brothers and now his eldest brother’s newly turned wife, Marissa, who’d all but died after a werewolf attack.
“I’ll get this monster, Kelly,” he vowed. “You have my word.” He didn’t wait for a reply. He turned and headed for the doorway, putting as much distance between himself and the temptation of Kelly as he could find.
CHAPTER TWO
Two days after meeting Aiden Brooks, Kelly sat at her desk, her files open, her hand on the card he’d scribbled his name and number on. Again. She kept radiating to that card and she didn’t know why. She wasn’t one to get distracted by a man—well—not since college when she’d almost flunked a semester of school over the hot older boy in her biology class, and then found him in bed with her “best” friend. Distraction and slipping grades had come next, followed by the wrath of her parents. The joy of being an only child was that you got all the love of your parents, but in turn, all the wrath as well.
A decade later, Kelly sometimes wondered if that experience had scarred her for life, because she sure hadn’t found a man to distract her beyond a few dates when work always became more important. Until now, until Mr. Tall, Dark, and Dangerously Sexy had walked into her lab, and left her in a warm puddle of lust, she’d yet to shake.
She picked up the card, trying to figure out why this man, verses others, affected her so. Why she had him on her mind when she was at work at eight o’clock at night. Maybe, because he’d seemed as passionate about catching this ‘monster’ as he’d called the killer, as she was. Her mind, however, gladly supplied the image of a hard body and a strong face, as if that explained it all. It didn’t. It was his eyes, she thought—those mysterious black eyes, so unlike any she’d ever seen. When he’d looked at her, she’d felt something stark and raw in him. Something dark and dangerous, but not frightening. He was too beautiful to be frightening, despite his massive size. She almost laughed at herself for such a silly thought. Wasn’t Jack the Ripper suppose to have been a gorgeous man? Or maybe that was Jeffrey Dahmer.
A sound in the lab, just outside her office, snapped her attention to the doorway. Her body tensing, nerves pricking with unease. The timing was really crummy, considering her serial killer thoughts, no doubt, and she told herself to calm down, but no such luck when her mind was racing with possibilities, all more monster ridden than not. She’d locked up hours ago, so there was no one but Jed, the aging, but effective, security guard who could be here and she’d known him for years. He’d call her, or knock, before entering.
“Hello?” she shouted, her hand sliding to her cell phone a moment before she realized she’d not only dialed Aiden’s number, but somehow had it memorized. She knew that was odd, but she didn’t care. Not right now. She was about to hit ‘send’ and call him when the newest member of the Austin Homicide division, Detective Derek Wright, appeared in her doorway.
“You really should lock up when you work late,” he said, leaning a broad shoulder on the frame and looking like Mr. American with his neatly trimmed blond hair and blue eyes, rather than someone she should fear. So why did the hot looking crime fighter make her uneasy and not just right now, but every single one of the half-dozen times she’d met the man?
“I did lock up,” she said. “So I’m guessing you flashed your badge at poor Jed and intimidated him into letting you walk right in without calling me first.”
“Jed was asleep,” he told her. “Not what I call protection, especially not when you’re doing valuable research on a serial killer.” His voice lowered. “You fit the profile of the victims far too well to be this exposed. Not only are you a young, beautiful female, but you’re directly in the path of the killer.”
A shiver of warning sizzled a path down her spine, the compliment sliding past her, while the threat of danger did not. “I’m ten years older than the victims.”
“But you don’t look your age and you’re every bit as pretty as they were. Even more so, you are just as much in his path as they were, if not more so. You are the woman trying to put him behind bars.”
Her hand went to her cell phone again, instinct telling her to call Aiden—a stranger—when there was a detective standing in front of her. It made no sense.
“Which is why I called and arranged to have a patrolman placed at the facility until this is over, starting tomorrow.”
Surprise rushed through her. “Oh. Well. Yes. Thank you.” She let go of her cell phone. She felt silly for her paranoia. “This case is making me a little crazy, I think. Extra security will be comforting.”
“It’s making us all a little crazy. But we might have a break.” He pushed off the doorframe and sauntered to her visitor’s chair, perching on the arm. “I came by to grab the toxicology reports on the recent victim for the FBI lab. They want to analyze it first thing in the morning.”
“They called me,” she said. “I’m faxing the paperwork tomorrow.”
“I’ll take them myself,” he said. “One of their people is meeting me tonight to discuss a lead. He wants me to bring the results.”