Instead, he took a breath and forged on in a way that wouldn’t get X-rated within seconds. “You don’t want to see me again on a personal level, that’s your choice. But it won’t stop me from looking out for you. Tonight or in the future. Like it or not, I’m going to protect you, every way within my means.”
She stepped into the hallway, pulling the door closed behind her. No comment, she just waved her hands at him, as if to get on with it.
A grin tugged at the corners of his mouth, and he let it take hold. “Sorry,” he said when she all but growled at him. “Your dad does the same thing with his hands, that’s all.”
She still didn’t say anything, but her expression softened.
“You want me to hang around while you talk to Joe, or leave so you have privacy?” Yeah, he was pushing her with that question. Fuck it.
A battle waged across her features. The same struggle he’d seen there multiple times before. The woman must have some serious shit going on inside, to be constantly at war with herself over every personal decision.
He didn’t need to be involved in that fight. Did. Not. Need some chick’s emotional turmoil taking over his life.
“Hang around.”
“Done.” Win or lose, he was officially all in. He stepped aside, leaned on the dull, gray wall. “I’ll be right over here.” He didn’t add if you need me. Sara didn’t want to need him, and for now, he accepted that.
He kept his mouth shut and ears open while Williams talked with Sara. Of all the officers who could’ve responded to the call, Curtis couldn’t have handpicked somebody better. Joe’s nonthreatening demeanor and fatherly vibe seemed to put Sara at ease. Curtis wouldn’t describe her as receptive, but she didn’t bite the man’s head off either.
Mostly, she gave concise answers. She had lived here four months. Didn’t have any friends or acquaintances in the immediate area. Didn’t know her neighbors in the building. Yes, she had seen those guys around the building prior to this evening. No, she didn’t know any of them beyond facial recognition.
“Do you entertain a lot of male visitors, Ms. Robinson?”
Curtis’ ears pricked up at Joe’s question.
Across the corridor, Sara’s eyes narrowed. “How many men cross my threshold is nobody’s business.” Her gaze shifted from Joe’s face to Curtis’. “But for the sake of being cooperative, I’ll tell you. The only man to set foot in my apartment was my brother-in-law, on moving day.”
A victory bell rang in Curtis’ head. Totally unjustified. Just because she hadn’t brought dates to her apartment didn’t mean she hadn’t been with anybody for four months. Besides that, he shouldn’t care. About her past, present, or future sexual encounters.
Williams nodded, sending out his next question while jotting notes on a pad. “Any idea why those men would’ve implied you’re a prostitute in front of Curtis, and, assuming this writing on your door is the same group, why they’d call you a whore?”
Oh, shit. Curtis gritted his teeth and braced for impact.
“I can’t say why, no.” Unlike earlier, when she’d gone ballistic on him for a far less pointed question, she maintained a calm, neutral tone.
The lack of patented Sara snark pinged on his radar. So did what appeared to be a carefully worded answer.
Williams wrapped up the interview with a few more standard-type questions. Then he excused himself and headed down the hallway to knock on the nearest door.
“He’s wasting his time. Nobody will have seen anything,” Sara said as the unanswered knocking echoed in the corridor. “You do realize that, right?”
From his position across the hall, Curtis shrugged. “Maybe so. Or maybe this’ll be his lucky day.”
She stiffened, not missing his carefully worded answer.
He pushed off the wall and closed the gap between them to a matter of inches. “Anything damaged from the rain before you got your window closed?”
“Nothing important.”
“Good. Grab whatever you need and let’s get the hell out of here.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“All right, here’ll do. Open up, I’ve had enough of this damn hallway.”
Though she still wore the black dress, she’d removed her heels, making it necessary for her to tip her chin up to achieve the death stare she shot him. “You’re not coming in. I didn’t tell you to hang around so we could pick up where we left off.”
“Yeah, I figured that out, despite being a stupid cop.”
“I don’t think you’re stupid. That’s what I wanted to say to you before you take off.”
“Not the best apology I’ve ever heard, but I accept.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, the action squeezing her fantastic tits higher. “If I was sorry, I’d say so. Directly. I’m not talking about your career, I’m talking about you. You’re a smart guy. So when I tell you we’re done hooking up, I know you have the capacity to understand that’s final.”
“There’s just one problem with that.” Half a step and he had her pinned to the wall, her hot body lighting up every nerve ending between his nose and his toes. “This is more than just hooking up.”
Her hands slid up his chest. Palms flat on his pecs, she met his gaze. “Not to me.”
“I thought you didn’t lie.”
“And I thought you didn’t want a permanent relationship.”
Apparently they both had damn good memories. He circled her left wrist and swept his fingertips over the top of her hand, tapping her bare fourth finger. “I didn’t ask you to marry me, troublemaker. And I’m not going to. But I’d like to see more of you until we hit that point where we can’t be bothered anymore.”
“You sure know how to sweet-talk a girl.”
“So I’ve been told.”
“I bet.”
Oh man. Sara would get a huge kick if she knew how many women had cursed him out for his unromantic or noncommittal ways. Maybe he’d tell her some of his crazy breakup stories sometime. Just for the sound of her laughter and smart-mouthed remarks. However, that time would have to wait.
First priority was ensuring nobody had an opportunity to make any up-close threats against this woman who drove him crazy in every way possible. “You can’t stay here alone until Williams has had a chance to chat with the piece of shit who spray-painted your door.”
“That could be never.”
“Then I guess you’d better start apartment hunting tomorrow.”
She wiggled free of her caged position. “If it were that simple, I’d have found something else already. There aren’t a lot of options in the cheaper-than-dirt category.”
“Here’s an idea—put the money you spend on your car toward rent.”
“No.” Her lips thinned to a straight line. Her eyes lost their passion and the color drained from her face. Boom, just like that, her walls were up. She pushed her door open and stepped inside, reeling on him when he didn’t hesitate to follow. “I didn’t invite you in.”
“Good thing I’m not a vampire.”
“Stop grinning. It wasn’t that witty.” She rolled her eyes when he shrugged and closed the door behind him.