Courting Suspicion. Kimberly Dean
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Название: Courting Suspicion
Автор: Kimberly Dean
Издательство: HarperCollins
Жанр: Современная зарубежная литература
isbn: 9780008181055
isbn:
This wouldn’t do. This wouldn’t do at all.
She swept her fingers over her mouth to tidy up any smudged lipstick, but discovered she had none left. She uncrossed her legs and put both feet square on the ground.
‘Nina,’ Morgan said in warning.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said politely, ‘but it’s getting late, and I have an early morning.’
‘Come on, Nina. That’s been coming for a long time, and we both know it.’
She zipped up her purse and tucked her hair behind her ear. He was still leaning towards her, getting in her space. She could feel the people seated around them leaning in, too, trying to hear.
‘I really need to go.’
His eyes narrowed. ‘The deal was for a game.’
She glanced at the scoreboard. Her scorecard was way behind now. ‘It’s the seventh inning. The game is official.’
‘You agreed to ride with me.’
‘To the game. Mr Howard can pick me up.’ She pulled her phone from the side pocket of her purse and began to text her security night detail. Her fingers were steady as a surgeon’s, but her forearms were clenched so tight they ached. ‘Please, stay and enjoy the rest of the game. Your ticket will get you into the post-game media interviews, too.’
‘Nina.’ Morgan’s voice like a rock against slate. His hand was in her hair again as he made her look him in the eye.
He could see right to the heart of her.
‘You don’t want to run from me.’
No, one should never turn their back on a predator.
‘I appreciate what you did for Rielle.’ She stood smoothly. ‘Thank you for inviting me, Detective.’
The low sound that emerged from his chest was practically a growl.
‘Josh,’ she said, her voice breaking. ‘I can’t do this.’
‘Yes, we can.’
‘No. We can’t.’
He let her past him, and disappointed sounds emerged from the crowd who’d witnessed it all.
Nina felt the weight of their stares as she walked confidently but quickly to the exit. She could feel the disappointment of all the strangers around her, but it didn’t come close to the regret she felt deep inside her chest.
Her body ached with arousal. Her lips felt puffy, and her fingers craved more than the brief touches they’d stolen. This had been it, her one little bit of self-indulgence. She swallowed hard and lifted her chin.
After tonight, she’d never see him again.
She’d been trying to push Josh Morgan off her trail for a long time now. She was pretty sure she’d finally accomplished her goal. And it was for the best. For everybody.
No matter how much it hurt.
Josh rode the elevator up to the seventh floor of the Emissary Hotel, glaring at the numbers as they ticked off with a merry chime. It had been one o’clock in the morning when his phone had started ringing.
One stinking o’clock.
He rarely did ‘merry’, and never at this hour.
He twisted his neck to the side and heard a satisfying crack. This is what he got for being a nice guy – although others might argue with that assessment. He hadn’t been in a good mood for a while now, with good cause. He ran a hand over his face and straightened from the railing against which he’d been leaning. He didn’t work the night shift, but he’d been called in. Whatever it was, it better be worth his time.
The happy elevator finally arrived at its destination, and he glowered at the uniformed officer waiting in the elevator lobby.
The cop’s spine stiffened, making him stand up at least an inch taller. ‘Room 740, Detective.’
‘What are we looking at? Assault? Theft? Murder?’
He needed to get his brain in the right place before he walked in there.
The uniform’s Adam’s apple bobbed. ‘Solicitation, sir, and breaking and entering.’
Well, that was a combination.
Josh muttered a curse and swiped a hand through his mussed hair. He hadn’t taken the time to primp before he’d driven over here. ‘Sounds like something you guys could handle. Why am I here?’
The cop swallowed hard again and shrugged.
The tired ache in Josh’s head pressed harder. He turned on his heel and strode down the hallway. The place was swanky. The carpeting was a deep emerald green. There were skinny wooden tables with spindly legs holding vases of flowers. The wall sconces looked to be brass, with frosted glass shades. The staff downstairs had all been clad in uniforms that matched the green carpeting, and just the air of the place said money.
It definitely wasn’t the kind of place that rented by the hour.
That didn’t mean that all the wealthy patrons didn’t have their eyes pressed against their doors’ peepholes right now, watching everything that was going on. They were probably just as pleased as he was at having been awakened in the wee hours, although the Emissary would no doubt be making it right with them.
He might get a handshake out of the deal.
With a grunt, he focused on the spectacle ahead of him. Police swarmed the end of the hallway, a lot for a solicitation charge. There were uniformed cops, a hotel manager, and some guy in a suit on a phone.
He frowned. What had happened? Had the john gotten rough? Was it a freaking orgy in there?
The young officer who’d called him stepped into the hallway, writing feverishly in his notebook. Simons was a good cop, and the son of the guy who’d mentored Josh. Blue ran in the family’s blood. The kid wouldn’t have called him here if he wasn’t needed.
‘Simons,’ Josh said.
The cop looked up and a relieved expression settled onto his face. ‘Detective Morgan. Thanks for coming.’
Josh crossed his arms over his chest. He felt a bit better for having been rolled out of bed. ‘You need an assist?’
‘Yeah.’ Simons blew out a breath and looked over his shoulder towards the hotel room. ‘I’m in over my head.’
So he’d called in СКАЧАТЬ