“No way.” Sarge shook his head with a laugh.
“Why? Because he’s a sweet old man?”
“No, because he threw his back out two years ago, and the reason he works as a mailman is because he uses the cart as a walker.”
“Sarge,” she placed a hand on his shoulder, “the guy lives with his mother. How many serial killers lived with their mothers?”
“You’re wrong.”
She shrugged. “I hope for your sake you’re right about him.”
“Candy Man?” Henry mouthed to me with a smirk. I shook my head and smothered my laughter.
When I turned back to Spencer, she was gone.
Where did she go?
“Excuse me.” I pushed off the bar and started to make my way through the crowd.
“You look lovely, dear.” Lisa pecked my cheek as I stopped to ask if she’d seen Spencer. “No clue.” She looked around. “She was just here a moment ago.”
I managed to dodge a few others who wanted to chat with me and made it out to the hallway and straight into Zoe.
Oh, kill me now.
“Damn.” She raked her desperate gaze up and down the length of me. For the first time in my life, I felt dirty being ogled by a woman. “Someone was listening to my prayers.”
“Have you seen Spencer?”
“I have.” She smirked. “What are you willing to do for the information?”
“Where is she?” I changed my tone. I wasn’t in the mood for her shit.
“Mm.” She stepped closer to me and dragged a finger down the lapel of my jacket. “I do love an alpha male.”
I smacked her hand away. “Zoe, if you have any self-respect, you’ll back off and realize I’m not interested. Save yourself the humiliation of me rejecting you once again and walk away.”
She laughed and finished off her drink. “While you’re here talking to me, she’s with him.”
“Him, who?” I hated her games.
“The one that got away.” She squinted like she tried to focus in on me. Shit, she was lit.
“Who?”
“Her ex.”
I rolled my eyes. Spencer hated him. “Screw off, Zoe. Where is she?”
“Don’t believe me? Fine.” She pointed with a wiggly finger. “Two doors down on your right will prove I’m right.”
I pushed by her and headed for the door. When I stepped through it, the room was empty.
What the hell?
The door slammed shut behind me, and there was Zoe blocking my way.
“You’re pathetic.” I moved to push her out of the way, but she grabbed my neck and slammed her drunken lips to mine.
I pushed her off, and she tumbled toward the wall with a laugh.
“You want to leave, then leave.”
Her mind games were seriously jacked up.
I swung open the door to find Spencer, who did a double take and then looked over my shoulder. Her eyes flashed as she slowly turned on her heel and walked back toward the party.
I glanced back at Zoe. She had her dress pulled down over her shoulder, and her obviously smudged lipstick made her look like exactly what she was.
With a curse, I went up behind Spencer, and careful not be too obvious, I took her arm to pull her away from the party.
“Hey, it’s not what you think.”
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself.
“Did she kiss you?”
My face dropped, and she saw it all.
“Of course, she did,” she muttered under her breath.
“I didn’t kiss her back. I—”
“It’s fine.” She held up a hand to stop the conversation. “Just…it’s fine.”
“Spencer, please, you have to know what Zoe’s like.”
“I do.” She nodded, but I could tell she was still upset.
I didn’t care. I took her hand in mine. “I love you, no one else but you.”
Her head snapped up in shock. We hadn’t gone there with each other at all, and frankly, I never thought I would after my ex.
Her lips opened to speak just as Benny rounded the corner. Spencer pulled to release my hand, but I held her tight in my grip.
“Hey, guys.” His grin fell when he saw our hands. “Wait, are you two…?”
“No,” Spencer spoke up, “I just got spooked and Blake was trying to calm me down.”
He moved closer, and I dropped my hand away. “Are you okay? Do you need anything?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Well, then, can I just say that dress is something most men dream about?”
She faked a smile then stole a glance at me. Benny was right. She looked incredibly sexy in her tight black dress that had a holy-shit slit that landed a little too high on her thigh for my liking.
“Any man would be lucky to call you his.” Benny kissed the hand I just held, and I gritted my teeth. “Well, I have to go find Jackson.” He disappeared into the crowd.
Enough was enough. I didn’t care anymore. I stepped into her, gently held her face, and devoured her mouth. She protested at first, and she was right. I was risking everything, but nothing else mattered if she didn’t know how much I wanted her. The rest would just have to fall into place.
Our tongues danced, my hands twisted into her soft curls, and I pulled her head back to deepen the kiss. Her tiny squeaks encouraged me to back her up to the wall. I had her pinned, and we both knew I could do whatever I wanted, and all I wanted was her beneath me.
“Blake,” she gasped when I came up for air.
“Move in with me.” I cut her off, and her eyes widened. “I want to wake up and fall asleep with you in my arms. I don’t want to go home to an empty, cold house. I want to come home to you in my shirts, hair up in that sexy messy bun you wear when you write. I even love that evil cat of yours, who I swear plots my death daily.” Her lips twitched. “Everything about you speaks to my soul. I know you feel it too, or you would have stopped that kiss.”
“I…” she stumbled, and I felt my stomach sink. “I, ah…”
“I’m in my late thirties, I’m a night owl, and my life revolves around murders and killers. I love my job, but I love you more. You get my life, and I get yours.” I squeezed my eyes shut. I had never been this open with anyone before. “You challenge me to be a better person. No one has ever been able to do that.”
She placed her delicate hand over my mouth to stop my ramblings. “All I was about to say was that you are going to have to move, because I can’t leave my cabin.”
I grinned like when I was seven and my parents got Henry and me a puppy.
“Really?”
“Yeah, well, you know, I kinda like you too. “
“Just kinda?” I played.
She nodded and matched my childish grin. “But,” she dropped the fun, “honestly, Blake, we really should keep it quiet until all this is over.” She wrapped her arms around her midsection. “I just don’t think I could be involved in all this without knowing you were on the case.”
I knew how much the case weighed on her, and, frankly, I had hoped she would open up a little more with me about it.
“I agree. But, Spencer?” I stepped closer to whisper, “I want…I need to protect you.”