Slowly, she turned.
Immediately, she began profusely apologizing for just walking into his room.
“I should have knocked. Ivan, I feel horrible about invading your privacy.”
Yeah, she was flushed to the roots of her hair. Someone was only a part-time doctor. She was definitely a full-time woman.
That pleased him because he was a man all day long.
“Blue. Stop! I served in the military. I’ve been walked in on a few times in my life by men, women, desert animals, and a few scorpions too. I’m okay. You’re the one freaking out.”
And he loved it.
She was too stagnant in her life. Ivan wanted to see if he could shake her up to make her feel. Pizza wasn’t her first or last adventure.
“Thank you for doing my reports,” she said. “I really appreciate it. You saved my ass.”
Oh, he’d love the chance to do just that.
“That’s okay. I didn’t want Elizabeth to crucify you because I distracted you.” He pointed at the bed. “I’ll dress in the bathroom so you don’t have a stroke. Why don’t you have a seat? Then I’ll walk you up to the bosses.”
She did what he said.
Blue was still thinking about his body. It was hard not to do just that. The whole room smelled like him. That woodsy, musky scent that made her want to do something stupid.
Then there was the way his body had looked. Blue had seen lots of bodies, but his…
Jesus.
He was sexy.
“You did tell me to come over here, right?” she asked as he headed into the bathroom to get dressed.
Ivan left the door open.
Sue him.
He was going to use his body to attract a woman. They did it all the time, right?
Besides, he watched her in that tiny tank top all night, and those barely-there shorts. He hadn’t seen panty lines, and that had been hell on his libido.
She should have to suffer a little too.
Then maybe they could stop each other’s suffering…together.
“I did tell you to come here,” he said, dropping the towel so he could put on the show and get dressed.
Why not kill two birds with one stone?
Blue tried to be a lady and stare only at the door, but she could see him in the mirror. It was a full-length shot of his body.
Jesus.
The man was hot. There was a tattoo on his thigh, and she was pretty sure it was a tattered flag, a skull, and a gun. To be sure, she’d have to get closer.
God!
She’d never wanted to stare at ink more than this moment right now.
The man was built like no man she’d ever seen before. He had sexy lines and well-defined muscles. When he bent over to retrieve the towel, she stared at his truly spectacular ass.
It was the hottest thing she’d ever seen.
Then he turned around.
No, the front of him was the hottest thing she’d ever seen. He was fully erect, large, and she swore he actually twitched.
She closed her eyes and prayed.
“I hope I didn’t screw up your reports,” he offered. “I know Elizabeth is particular.”
“No, they looked really good.”
Ivan smiled. She was flustered. He was going to mess with her. “They were really hard. I had to force my way through them, but after I got the rhythm, it was easy.”
“What?” she said, trying to figure out what he was talking about. For some reason, she was getting overheated. Blue wanted to strip down, cool off, and then…
She had to push it out of her head. It involved his erection and her body.
“We shouldn’t be late to get upstairs,” he offered. “I know that she likes to be at the morgue early.”
“Okay,” she squeaked.
He peaked his head out. “Are you okay? You look a little flushed.”
“Yes, I think I’m good,” she said. “Is it warm in here or is it just me?”
It was about to get warmer.
He came out of the bathroom with his cargo pants on, only they were unzipped, unbuttoned, and he was shirtless.
“No, it feels right in here. Are you coming down with something?” he asked, trying to keep a straight face.
Yeah, like sexy man-itis.
“I think I’m good. I should go wait in the hall.”
She went to get up to escape.
“Wait, can you get the water off my back?” he asked, handing her a towel. “I seem to have missed a spot. I don’t want my shirt to be wet.”
“Uh…”
“Please.”
That’s when she saw it.
When she stood, Blue caught that smirk in the mirror. He must not realize she wasn’t only focused on his actual body, but his reflection too.
He was screwing with her.
At first, she wanted to be upset, but it didn’t feel malicious. It felt…flirty.
He was trying to get her all riled up.
Oh, well, she had news for him. She could teach him a lesson on being a dick—a sexy one, but one none the less.
“Okay,” she offered, taking the towel from his hand as she moved around his back.
She was ready to make him work for it. He wouldn’t tell her about his past, but he’d let her catch him in a full frontal?
Yeah, that was what gave him away. Someone so carefully guarded didn’t forget to bolt the door.
Blue took her time, running her fingers of her one hand all over his back as she sought out the paltry few droplets.
From the way that his body reacted to her fingers, Blue stopped being upset. He wasn’t being mean.
He was being Ivan.
Well, she could show him how to really make someone wild with just a touch.
Of lips…
“All done,” she offered.
When he turned around, it was her turn. Blue didn’t hesitate as she shoved him backward onto the bed and then pounced. Her mouth found his, and she kissed him like the end of the world was coming, and they had seconds to live.
Blue could feel his whole body coming alive beneath her. His erection throbbed, his muscles quaked, and his mouth…he kissed her back.
They had a battle of tongues as he held her trapped to his now overheating body.
When he moaned in pleasure, Blue released his mouth.
Looked at her watch.
And then hopped off him.
“Time for work. Thanks for the reports. We’re even. See you upstairs,” she said, grabbing her things.
This time, it was Ivan who couldn’t speak.
Blue headed out, grinning as she chocked this one up as a victory. Yes, she was socially inept, but she wasn’t the village idiot. She knew when a man was tormenting her.
Well, now, he could suffer all damn day.
Right alongside her.
Misery loved company.
* * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *
When she wrangled her team, they were going to head to the morgue to get their day started. All the way there, Chris didn’t say anything.
She could see it on his face.
He was worried.
Something was eating at him. All last night, he’d stayed close, held her hand, and didn’t want to leave her side. It was as if he was legitimately scared.
She didn’t get it.
“Spill it.”
He couldn’t tell her. If he told Elizabeth what he suspected, there would be a bloodbath.
So he lied.
“Remember the first time we had sex, and then had to go into work the next day?” he asked.
“Yeah, we were fine. In fact, we had a damn good day—if I remember correctly.”
“Yeah, I know, and this doesn’t feel like that day. For the first time, I dread going to work. I feel like I’m going to throw up.”
Callen grinned. “Not in the ride.”
“Thanks.”
“Just tell her it was a onetime thing, and that you’re not into her.”
Both men laughed.
Elizabeth looked over.
“What?”
“And get killed?” Callen asked. “If I had a one-night stand with you, and then said…‘My bad. That didn’t work for me’, what would you have done?”
She thought about it.
“Yeah, the other option is a better idea. Keep doing it to avoid any kind of awkwardness.”
Callen detected sarcasm.
Chris wanted to be honest with her. He wanted to tell her that he thought she drugged him. As a doctor, he knew the signs—maybe not while he was drugged, but now he was sure.
Jesus.
He felt…violated.
“I was kidding. You have to tell her. Just be your normal professional self in the workplace. No kissy face.”
“I kiss you. You kiss me. We both kiss Callen,” Chris tried to tease.
He really wanted to tell her his suspicions. Chris really wanted to say something so he wouldn’t have this knot in is stomach.
“If you ever do that again, I’m going to punch you in the throat,” he warned.
Chris was silent. Elizabeth could tell he was struggling, but she couldn’t figure out why. So she took one for the team.
“I’ll handle it,” Elizabeth said.
“How?” he asked, his eyes going wide behind his wire frame glasses.
“Well, how do I normally get rid of pains in my ass?” she asked.
“Tylenol?” Callen quipped.
“HAR HAR. I piss them off, then boot them off the team. It’s fairly simple.”
Chris wasn’t sure that was going to work.
This was, if anything, a big issue. He didn’t think he could work beside her if she drugged him.
Chris prayed the woman wouldn’t show up for work. Now he understood how so many victims had felt. Yeah, he’d had an erection, but he’d been out of it.
What did she give him?
Christ!
He wished he’d drawn his blood.
“Like I said, I’ll handle her. You ignore her, you tell her not in the workplace, and then you tell her later that it’s not happening again. You don’t bone the people you work with.”
What choice did he have?
He was going to have to face her down, and he was scared. He was about to have to work with a woman he was sure violated his trust, and his body for her own desires.
“Okay.”
Callen pulled into the parking lot.
When he helped his wife down, he took her hand. Then, when people were watching, he took Chris’s.
The man yanked it away in horror.
“That was for the kiss.”
Elizabeth laughed her ass off as the rest of her team followed her inside.
Chris tried to join in, but it wasn’t happening. He felt like he was about to be sucked under a flood. He was already having a hard time breathing.
God!
He needed a miracle.
And fast.
As the team entered the morgue, Doctor Julliard was already there, and she was working on an autopsy for the city.
Well, at least Chris could avoid her.
“Team, let’s do this because I’m going to Harvard to do an interview.”
“Well, we certainly know it’s not to go to school,” Doctor Julliard said, giving her attitude.
Elizabeth ignored it.
She was accustomed to shit like that.
“What did you find, Blue? I got your report. You must have been up all-night working.”
“Actually, I wasn’t.”
They all looked over.
“I fell asleep. Ivan did the research. I don’t take credit for other people’s work.”
Doctor Julliard made another comment.
Again, she let it go.
“Well, I don’t care who did it. As long as it’s done. How about you tell me what you found?”
She pulled out her paper.
“I found two men who called the victim the night of her disappearance. They talked for three minutes each. That’s it. Neither have called since. She’s had about forty other calls, and that might be from other johns.”
Elizabeth agreed.
“Who do you have that I can interview?” she asked.
“The first man is Elijah Elliot. He lives in the city, and here’s his address. I checked, and he called her weekly.”
She sent her boss his address so she could do the interview.
“Thank you, Blue.”
“You’re welcome.”
Callen was mulling it over.
“She must have had a standing appointment with him,” Callen stated.
Yeah, that’s what she was thinking.
“Did you get anything on him?” she asked.
“I sent that one to Johanna.”
Elizabeth faced her. “What did you find?”
“Well, he’s a banker in the city, and he’s quite the lady’s man. I found him on social media. He’s banging chicks left and right on the weekend.”
She pulled it up.
“Only, he’s a liar. Take a look.”
Elizabeth studied his online social media account on the big screen on the wall.
That’s when she saw it.
“He called her his girlfriend. She’s in the posts that happen on the weekends.”
“Yep. He’s either lying, or he’s into dating hookers. That’s up in the air.”
“Some men like whores,” Doctor Julliard stated.
Elizabeth, again, said nothing. This woman was NOT going to bait her into a fight. She’d bide her time—for Chris.
“Who did you find next?” she asked.
“Joseph Gates is the owner of the second number. He called at four at night, and he called every four days or so.”
“Did you shoot him over to Joey?” she asked.
“No, I didn’t. That one wasn’t searched yet. I’m sorry,” Blue offered.
Elizabeth let it go. She was in a pretty awesome mood. Ethan was coming, she was going to interview people, and it was a good day in her world.
“I can have it done pretty fast,” Blue offered.
Elizabeth pointed at Johanna. “Get on it.”
She saluted.
“Joey, find me something and fast.”
She began typing. On the screen, two pics popped up. One was of an older man, the other a younger one.
The older man looked familiar.
“I’m going to bet it is the kid. He’s twenty, and he’s a party boy. Look at his social media.”
They did.
“Guess where he goes to school?” Joey asked.
“Please say Harvard. Hitting the sorority houses isn’t enough fun for me. I want to beat down some coeds.”
“You should get in easy. Every party needs a stripper,” Doctor Julliard stated.
Elizabeth bit her tongue.
LITERALLY.
“Well, he’s going to be first on the list. Since we have to go there to ask around about Tajel West, we’ll kill two birds with one stone. You know me. I like to make sure I am all over people who are on the suspect list. Make sure I have his details by the time I get to Harvard.”
“On it boss.”
“If they let you on the campus. They have a standard,” Doctor Julliard stated.
Elizabeth opened her mouth to school the woman. She was about to drop kick this woman’s attitude out the freaking window, with her following it.
Only, she didn’t get to do it.
Chris flipped his shit all over the room.
“Everyone who isn’t a director or doctor out of the room,” he said, waiting for it to clear.
Johanna grabbed Blue by the arm and pulled her out. Yes, she was one, but he meant an ME.
Callen headed out too.
He needed to keep one of them on the city ME’s good side. Besides, Chris was good at protecting Elizabeth.
When they were all gone, he pointed at her.
“What the hell is your issue?”
>
“I don’t have one with you, Doctor Leonard. She and I are a different story.”
Elizabeth ignored her.
Haters were going to hate, and she was going to punch the bitch out.
“She’s running this. Have a little respect. You’re acting like you’re twelve. She came in today and didn’t say shit to you. I’m not going to stand here and allow you to disparage her.”
“Why do you care? Clearly, she moved on with her life, leaving you behind.”
“Just shut up,” he stated. “Leave her out of this.”
“I think she can fight her own battles. I really believed you two were still an item, but last night, you proved otherwise.”
Elizabeth wanted to kill the media.
For spreading lies about them all.
“We are an item,” he said, “and last night was a horrible mistake and I regret it.”
There was a gasp, and it wasn’t from Elizabeth.
Oh boy.
This was about to go nuclear.
“I didn’t intend to sleep with you.” Chris knew he had to bit the bullet and just deal with the woman. If she drugged him, he may never find out, but he wouldn’t let this woman hurt Elizabeth.
Yeah, not on his watch.
“Oh, really?” she asked. “You seemed really into it. I came more times than I could count.”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes.
What the hell had Chris been thinking?
“It was out of my control, and we both know it,” he said, going red.
She laughed.
“You drugged and then raped me.”
Elizabeth was hard to catch off guard. She was always pretty much ready for anything.
Except this. She dropped the tablet and it hit the floor.
“WHAT?” she asked.
“After I ate, I felt odd. By the time I got back to the table, I had an erection, and I was dizzy. She drugged me. It had to be in the food and wine.”
“Did you drug him?” Elizabeth asked.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“I’m betting something that amps the sex drive like marijuana or a hallucinogen. By how long I had a painful erection, I’m going to say you double dosed me with Viagra too.”
Elizabeth was going to kill her.
“You drugged a Fed? Are you out of your damn mind?” she asked.
“He needed a little help. It was harmless, and by now…” She looked at her watch. “It’s out of his system. You can’t prove it. The Viagra didn’t make him come to my place. He did that. The Viagra kept him up and the pot…well, that made him horny as hell.”
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