The thought of Josh in her apartment sent a fresh wave of tingles around her body.
‘Yes. It’s just one of my many flaws,’ she replied, still hunting around in her bag, unable to meet his eyes. ‘I swear this thing is like a black hole. Things go in but never come back out.’
‘I think you did really well today, Lexie,’ Josh told her. ‘You handled everything brilliantly.’
Lexie took his unexpected words completely the wrong way. Her hackles rose and she drilled him with a stare.
‘What did you expect? Did you expect me to fall apart? Didn’t think I could handle it? Thought I’d lock myself in the car and freak out? Faint, throw up?’
She nearly had done that, but that didn’t count, that was after the fact. She was on the defensive and couldn’t stop her tongue.
‘Let me tell you, I’ve dealt with far worse than what I’ve seen today . . . yesterday.’
Josh was staring at her, speechless and apparently stunned by her outburst.
The look on his face made her realise she was completely out of line, had totally overreacted. Embarrassed, she muttered, ‘I’ll put my gun away and then I’ll head home.’
She was such an idiot.
Not waiting for Josh to reply, Lexie jumped out of her chair and made a beeline for the storage room before her composure cracked completely. As soon as the door slammed shut behind her, she slumped against it and let the torrent of tears run freely down her face.
CHAPTER 29
Josh sat immobile for a moment, not sure what to do and trying to digest what had just happened. He’d meant to give Lexie a compliment, let her know he was impressed with her performance, her professionalism, the way she had taken control. But her response had been nothing short of hostile and he was left wondering what he’d done to warrant such a reaction.
He really did have a way with words.
All thoughts of the murder investigation dissolved as he attempted to decipher how to react. She had clearly taken his comment the wrong way, but why? He had no idea. Would he ever understand women? Probably not! He had thought they were getting along well. The weird tension he sometimes sensed between them seemed to have thawed and he was actually enjoying working alongside her – maybe a little too much. So what had he done wrong?
He shook his head, attempting to get some clarity. He needed to concentrate, ignore his hormones, though it was more than that. The thought that he had inadvertently upset her, hurt her feelings or offended her, was gnawing a hole in his chest.
It had been so long since a woman had affected him in this way. He felt like a high school kid unable to control his body’s response. It was crazy. After all, it wasn’t as though he was without experience. He’d had his fair share of women – more than his share. In fact, he’d almost perfected the proverbial ‘one-night stand’ into his own personal art form. So why was he letting his fascination with Lexie blindside him?
Shouldn’t he be too tired to be thinking of anything but sleep? Probably, and yet every nerve-ending felt alive and on fire. He was completely attuned to the proximity of her body, and even now, as she was locking her gun away in the secured room behind him, he could feel her presence as if she was still sitting in front of him.
Without thinking or considering the consequences, Josh jumped out of his chair. He couldn’t leave things the way they were.
The door to the storage room was heavy as he pushed it open. Lexie stood with her back to him. The gun safe’s large metal doors were wide open. She was placing her firearm on its peg and securing it with the lock. As he came up behind her, she turned slowly.
In her heels she stood almost level with him and as she lifted her face he saw remnants of tear tracks on her cheeks. Her eyes were delicious pools of uncertainty as they searched his. It was the first glimpse of vulnerability he’d witnessed and it compelled him like a magnet, dragging him in. He was powerless to resist her overwhelming pull.
‘I’m sorry, I overreacted,’ she whispered.
‘I was trying to give you a compliment.’
‘I know, I know. I was being defensive. I thought . . . it doesn’t matter.’
She shook her head and waved a hand in the air. ‘I’m sorry.’
He watched her lips move as she spoke, then his gaze drifted over her face, finally meeting her eyes, where they stayed and locked with hers. Electricity crackled and jumped between them, igniting the air. She parted her lips, about to say something else but in one fluid movement Josh bent his head forward and stopped her words with his mouth.
He heard her surprised gasp and expected her to pull away, but instead, after the briefest hesitation, her lips began to move with his, parting willingly to welcome the intimate play of his tongue.
Their lips, fusing together in a kiss that went beyond erotic, sent a surge of lust throughout his body unequalled to anything he could remember. Then, when she reached up and linked her fingers behind his head, the room began to spin. He was having trouble breathing. He was surprised by his reaction and was no longer able to control it.
He kissed his way down her neck.
‘I’ve wanted to do this for days,’ he whispered breathlessly.
Lexie pulled his face back to hers, finding his lips with a passion that sent fire through his veins. She brought her hands around his waist as she melted against him, crushing her breast against his chest and pulling his hips against hers as she deepened the kiss. They fitted perfectly. Their bodies moulded together intimately, filling every gap between them. And when she inclined her hips, rotated them just a little, to make the contact even more provocative, Josh let out a growl that came from deep inside.
Oh God.
This is what they had been moving towards. The strange vibe that surrounded them whenever they were together had been about this from the start. Good old-fashioned sexual tension.
The kiss got hotter and hungrier than before. Her lips were urgent, devouring. His body was on fire. Their breathing was coming in short rugged gasps. He could feel his heart smashing against his chest. His body trembled. The flood of passion rushing through him was primal, overwhelming and could not be contained. He was experiencing the kind of kiss that is purely sexual, that you never want to end. That makes you feel vibrantly alive and in mortal danger all at once.
One of his arms circled her waist, the other cupped her butt. When he pushed himself into her, grinding his hardness against her pelvis, she let out a strangled groan that almost drove him crazy.
Moving his hand to her chest, he cupped one breast. They were firm, perfect and her nipple was hard beneath the palm of his hand. Lexie gasped and staggered backwards against the wall, taking him with her. Josh didn’t know how much more of this he could take. He wanted her so badly he didn’t know if he could stop.
Just then, somewhere outside the room, a door slammed. Lexie and Josh sprang apart like startled teenagers about to be caught by their parents. Panting heavily, she nervously straightened her hair, her eyes skittering around the room, stopping at random points as though searching for an escape route, looking everywhere but at him.
‘Shit,’ she whispered. ‘Someone’s outside.’
Josh noticed her hands were trembling as she closed the gun safe.
‘Don’t worry. We’re just putting our guns away,’ he told her, readjusting his clothing.
Taking a deep breath, trying to control his breathing, he said, ‘You walk outside first. I’ll follow in a few minutes.’
He needed more than a few minutes. He needed a bucket of cold water.
She nodded, smoothing her hair and wiping her mouth. Avoiding his eyes, Lexie disappeared through the door.
Josh lingered in the tiny room feeling ridiculous and willing no one to walk in. Hearing voices outside the door, he waited a few minutes longer before venturing out into the office. When he finally pushed the door open his heart sank to his toes as he realised the room was in darkness and he was all alone.
—
Lexie fle
d the office as though it was on fire and raced home, her mind spinning in total disorder. She could not believe what had just happened. Josh had kissed her. Really kissed her; deeply, passionately, incredibly. And worse, she’d kissed him back as if her life had depended on never breaking the contact.
She was mortified and exhilarated all at once. The sensations he created and her reaction to him was so intense it scared her. She wanted to run away and hide from the memory of his touch. It was dangerous, reckless and menacing to her sanity. She needed to stay in control and, with what had just happened, Lexie feared that was going to be her biggest challenge.
Josh Harrison was becoming her biggest weakness.
Lexie drove away from the office and the greater the distance she covered, away from Josh, the lighter she felt. By the time she got close to the sanctuary of her own home she had started to feel more in command of herself.
But the moment she opened her front door the feeling of solace vanished. Her intuition was suddenly on overdrive; her senses on full alert. Without stepping through the door, into her apartment, she took in the dark living room. Sheer white curtains took on a ghostly form as they floated in the gentle breeze, blowing in through the open window. How had she forgotten to close the window? Being so security-conscious, it was totally out of character for her to do that.
That prickle of unease increased as her heart took off at a gallop in her chest.
The wooden venetian blinds knocked intermittently against their frame. She was hyper-aware of every sound. Lexie fought the irrational panic, the almost overwhelming urge to turn and run from her demons. But where could she go? There was no escape. They followed her, were part of her. She flicked on the light, the room lit up. Adrenaline pumped through her veins as her eyes did a full sweep of the room, scanning the corners, behind the lounge.
This is what the job does to you, she thought. You begin to feel evil all around you, even when it’s not there.
Leaving the front door open – in case she needed to make a hasty escape – she edged along the small hallway that led to the one bedroom. On the way she poked her head into the tiny kitchen that ran off the main living area. A positive of owning such a small unit was that it left barely any place to hide. The kitchen was clear; perfectly clean and tidy – as she’d left it.
Reaching her bedroom, she pressed herself flat against the wall next to the closed door. Feeling foolish, she cursed her illogical fears but reasoned that it was better to be safe than sorry. Her arm connected with something and her stomach did a somersault as she glanced over her shoulder. She’d nudged the gilded mirror hanging on the hallway wall. It now hung at an angle but she didn’t pause to fix it. Instead, her hand slowly reached for the door handle. Did she close her door, or did the breeze slam it shut? She tried to remember.
Holding her breath, Lexie turned the doorknob and threw it open. The door bounced off the wall, nearly flying back and hitting her in the face. Her heart was now pounding violently and she wondered why she was so scared. Logic told her no one could be in here, but still her fear remained.
Having decorated her bedroom with Balinese furnishings, to give it a peaceful, holiday flavour, she noted the hand-carved wooden bed, which took pride of place in the centre of the room, was as usual, perfectly made up. From above the bed the large canvas of a golden Buddha stared back at her. The room appeared undisturbed but then she did a double-take. The bamboo ladder propped against the far wall was draped with silk scarves. Had one of the scarves been moved?
No, she decided, pushing her paranoia to the back of her mind. It is exactly as she left it. Though, to be completely sure, Lexie checked under the bed and inside the built-in wardrobe. She was relieved to find no ghosts or monsters hiding in there.
Moving into the tiny bathroom, she saw that the shower curtain was drawn. Her heart rate increased as she flung it back. Letting out a sigh, Lexie was finally satisfied that she was alone.
Remembering the front door was still wide open, she made her way back into the lounge room. Closing the door, she secured the deadlock then made sure the balcony doors were also bolted shut.
Fifteen minutes later, after a hot shower, Lexie managed to crawl into bed. It was now 8.50 pm and she set her alarm clock for 6.00 am. She reached for her book then thought better of it. Normally she would read before she went to sleep so she could escape somewhere safe, somewhere happy, away from the real world, and away from her nightmares. But tonight she just needed to sleep, to get away from her own real life fantasies, which all revolved around a firearms storage room and a gorgeous detective sergeant.
CHAPTER 30
For the past thirty minutes Josh had been tossing and turning in a futile attempt to get comfortable. It was a warm summer’s night and the sheet draped across his hot skin was now tangled around his body imprisoning him like a straitjacket. Impatiently, he kicked and pulled at the fabric to free himself from its strangle-hold.
All he wanted to do was sleep. His body was exhausted but his mind was still active, and it wasn’t the investigation that was keeping him up. It was illicit thoughts shoving their way to the forefront of his mind; the image of Lexie’s lean body pressed against his, the taste of her beautiful lips – lips made for kissing – her tongue, the feel of her breasts and the passionate way she had kissed him back.
He groaned at the memory.
Getting out of bed, he stepped into a pair of boxers and walked into the kitchen. Standing at the sink, he poured a glass of bourbon then, adding a dash of coke and a couple of cubes of ice, he downed the liquid in one fluid motion, savouring the burn as it slid down his throat. He promptly poured himself another.
Josh had promised himself he wouldn’t drink tonight. To make certain he stuck to his promise he’d come straight home from the office, showered and gone to bed. But where had that got him? Nowhere! He was still awake and incredibly frustrated.
Taking the bottle of bourbon and a tall glass filled with ice, he moved into the lounge room and flicked on the lamp next to his favourite armchair. Taking a seat in the recliner, he closed his eyes, rested his drink in his lap and tried to focus on the investigation.
What was Burgh up to? He didn’t trust that man as far as he could throw him. Why had Burgh denied knowing Sandy Croft when he’d obviously been speaking to her the week before? And why had he been speaking to her in the first place? Why had Sandy Croft jumped out of a bedroom window to avoid them? How does a bikie like Maggot disappear off the face of the earth? Was it coincidence or a highly orchestrated arrangement that so far all Assassins – bar Maggot – had alibis for their whereabouts at the time of the shooting? The medical examiner had said the shooter was a precise shot, and he had been smart not to get too close to his victim to leave evidence. How did Lexie still manage to look so good even after she’d been crying?
Bloody hell!
Like a scratch on a record his thoughts kept jumping back to her. His heart had almost broken in two when he’d noticed the dried tears on her cheeks. Thinking about it now gave him an ache deep in his gut. It worried him. It was too soon to be feeling things for a woman he had only known for two weeks. He was not used to experiencing these emotions; or at least hadn’t for a very long time. He was usually an expert at keeping his emotions under lock and key. But as he sat in his armchair now, an image of Lexie wrapped in his arms sent a current of sensation buzzing along his nerve-endings.
He swallowed another mouthful of liquor and tried to push away the vision. He was not doing a good job of keeping an emotional distance. It was fine to have a good professional working relationship with your colleagues but tonight he had crossed the line, something he had promised himself he would never do. He had violated his own rule and that filled him with a sense of self-loathing. He couldn’t live up to his father’s expectations and now he couldn’t even live up to his own. He took another swig of bourbon.
What he needed was to become absorbed in the case, the way he usually did. It would act as a distraction
from his wandering thoughts. But even that was impossible when he and Lexie were partners and he had to look at that beautiful face every day.
Though it wasn’t just her looks that were pulling him in, Josh realised. He was beginning to see that there were many layers to Lexie. She could be fun, light-hearted and easygoing. She was self-assured without being cocky. She took orders easily, yet he’d seen a spark of assertiveness that displayed she was not the type to be walked over. Intelligence and determination sparkled in those big brown eyes but at times, especially tonight, he’d glimpsed a hint of vulnerability she seemed determined to conceal.
A thought pushed its way to the front of his mind. Why had he suddenly become so intrigued by Lexie Rogers? When had he developed this thirst to know all there was to know about her?
It won’t work!
His eyes sprang open. The room around him had softened to a blur, the lamp casting everything in a warm glow. His arms were getting heavy as he poured himself another drink. Tomorrow he would apologise for kissing her and tell her it would never happen again. He stared into his glass as if it held all the answers. He would just finish this last drink, then hopefully his body would be numb and his brain would be blank enough to sleep.
At 2.00 am Josh woke with a stiff neck. He was in the same position. What was left of the bourbon still sat miraculously unspilt on his lap. He shook his head at his own pitifulness and dragged himself back into bed. This time he fell into an alcohol-induced slumber as soon as his head hit the pillow.
CHAPTER 31
Hugging her tiny waist, Sandy rocked back and forth on the narrow bench at the edge of the duck pond. It was close to midnight, twenty minutes past their designated meeting time, and although the night was warm, a chill invaded her bones as she thought about how crazy this was, possibly even suicidal, to be here, alone, in the middle of Centennial Park, waiting for a killer.
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