The Rogue Reviewer (Primrose, Minnesota Book 3) (10 page)

He ignored the silent jab, dialed, and
listened until Dara answered.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Dara. Everything okay?”

Jackson snickered. “You’re so whooped.”

Mace leaned forward and thumped him on the
back of the head.

“Peachy,” Dara answered. “And you?”

“I’m thinking that’s a loaded question.”

“Sorry.” She released a long sigh. “I don’t
mean to be so cranky. I just haven’t slept well since I discovered
a corpse in my living room.”

“Nightmares?”

“No. I just don’t like being forced out of my
home.”

“How about lunch?”

The several moments of silence tormented him
and when she finally answered, he didn’t know whether or not to be
relieved.

“Depends. Why?”

“Does my question concern you?”

“Yes”

His heartbeat thumped. The woman gave
stubborn
a whole new meaning. “Are you going to meet me or
not?”

“I said it depends.”

“Then I guess you don’t want to hear what I
have to say.”

“Guess not.”

Several more seconds of silence ticked by and
he knew she had him – by the balls, no doubt. He glanced at his
friends, expecting red-faced laughter at his expense. Instead, all
three now focused on his conversation with something close to
sympathy registering on their faces.

“Fine. I have news about the case.”

“What kind of news? Good or bad?”

“Dara, just meet me for lunch.” He ran a hand
across the top of his head while Jackson and Jake exchanged a look
he interpreted as being silent understanding.

“Where?”

“Is that a yes?”

“No, I asked where.”

“Does it matter?”

“Yes.”

“Where would you like to go?”

“How about McCoy’s Fish & Chips?”

“Never heard of it.”

“It’s new. Chad highly recommends it.”

Although a familiar flash of green flashed
before his eyes, he worked hard to remain cordial. “Okay. I’ll pick
you up in an hour.”

“Are you driving a police car?”

“I planned on it.”

“I’ll just meet you there.”

He frowned.
What the hell?
“Why does
it make a difference?”

“I’d rather not advertise the fact we’re
discussing a case, detective. I think it might be better to keep
things quiet.”

“You watch too much television,” he
mumbled.

“On the contrary, I don’t. I just do a lot of
research.”

Research. Damn.
“Any more stipulations
on the rendezvous?”

“No. I’ll see you soon.”

He disconnected the call, drew back his phone
and simply stared. What the hell just happened?

“Nice place for a first date.” Jackson didn’t
even try to conceal his amusement.

“It’s not a date.”

“Sounds like one to me,” Jake drawled.

“It’s not. Besides, she manipulated the whole
thing and I’m going to be really lucky if she doesn’t take me out
when I tell her what I’m doing.”

Ryker lifted an eyebrow. “You’re not doing
it, I am.”

“Believe me, this may be one job you don’t
want to brag about.”

“You’re packing, right?”

“Yes but I wouldn’t put it past her
either.”

“Better you than me,” Jackson grumbled.

“Speaking of you, what’s the deal with Alex
Jennings?”

“Another one?” Ryker shook his head. “Damn,
you guys live on the edge.”

“What about her?” He wasn’t surprised that
Jackson ignored Ryker.

“You were pretty quick to jump to her defense
the other night.”

“Hey, you’re lucky I did. She was just about
to take off your head.”

“True, but something tells me you didn’t mind
in the least.”

“Are you done? Because you, my friend, have a
date with a woman who will literally take you down if you stand her
up. And, I really don’t want to have to arrest her – Alex would
kick my ass.”

“Point taken.” He stood and headed for the
door. “I’ll meet up with you later.”

“Much later.” Jackson grinned. “I have
plans.”

Dara paced back and forth on the sidewalk in
front of the restaurant while she waited for Mace, doing her best
to ignore the pesky tingle in her nerve endings that she was
absolutely certain had nothing to do with Mace’s news. No, screw
his news – this electrical impulse had absolutely everything to do
with the sexy mountain of male who sent her hormones wild. She
stopped and silently mouthed his name.
Mace
. Her body gave a
sexual shudder at the mere taste of the word on her lips, all but
cursing the separation from him.

Lost in mental ecstasy, she moved to pace
again but her collision with something hard and warm caused her to
lose her balance and stumble forward. She raised her head long
enough to see two big hands wrap her arms, pull her upright, and
then smash her against a nice warm chest. Electricity raced through
her veins as a familiar woodsy cologne tickled her nose.

“Why are you waiting out here alone?” he said
against the top of her head.

She sighed, not really interested in her
defense. “I’m a big girl, detective. I don’t talk to strangers and
I look both ways before I cross the street.”

“And someone left a dead body in your living
room.”

She closed her eyes, magnificently comforted
by the warmth between them. Suddenly she wasn’t even bothered by
his comment. “It’s a public place and in the middle of the
day.”

He didn’t immediately answer. Instead, he
pressed her harder against him. Her earlier tingle became an urgent
throb and she flattened her palms against the rippled muscles of
his abdomen while she opened her mouth against the smooth skin of
his neck. “No tie,” she whispered.

“I’m not on official business.” His grip on
her hips tightened and she felt a delicious pressure against her
midsection.

Pressed against him, she allowed herself to
bask in the intense desire that wrapped her body from head to toe,
barely aware they stood in the open, until he finally broke the
magical spell.

“Inside.” He stepped backward, turned her
around, then placed his hand at the small of her back and nudged
her into the restaurant.

Dara shook the cobwebs from her brain and
forced herself to concentrate on her mission as they followed the
hostess to their table. Once they were seated in a secluded corner
with a menu, she cornered him.

“So, tell me the news.”

“In a minute.” His eyes never left the
menu.

She placed her hand palm down, directly in
his line of vision and spread all five fingers. “No, now.”

“Are you always this difficult?”

“Always. Spill.”

“You’d make a helluva interrogator,” he
mumbled. “Can we order first?”

She regarded him silently for a moment.
Judging from his reaction earlier, she had the impression this
meeting just might be more than a briefing – it might actually be
the mid-afternoon rendezvous he mentioned.

She moved her hand. “I’ll have the chicken
salad on wheat.”

“You didn’t even look at the menu.”

“It comes highly recommended.”

“Chad?”

“Chad.”

As soon as the waitress returned to the table
with two glasses of water and silverware, Dara waited patiently
until Mace placed the order – and then she dug in.

“We’ve ordered. Tell me.”

He reached across the table, took her hand in
his, and braided their fingers, a move that knocked her curiosity
about his news right in the rear end. Instead, her heartbeat
quickened and a familiar tingling began to travel the nerves toward
the vee of her legs. News? What news?

“I’ve released your townhouse as a crime
scene.”

“Oh.” Her voice wasn’t more than a breathy,
Marilyn Monroe whisper. “Thank you.”

“I sent a cleaning service this morning to
remove the carpet and tile.”

“All in the line of duty?”

“Actually, no. I didn’t want you to see all
that again and I have a few contacts.”

He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles,
causing shivers down her spine and across her thighs, and although
he could’ve been reciting the alphabet for all she cared, she
couldn’t shake the distinct feeling he wasn’t telling her
something.

She cleared her throat to assure the throaty
tone was gone. “What else?”

“What makes you think there’s more?”

“There is.”

The arrival of their food interrupted the
conversation for a few seconds. As soon as the waiter placed the
plates on the table and left, Dara scooted Mace’s plate away from
him.

“What else?” she repeated.

“Do you need a drink?”

“Nice try. No and besides, you’re on
duty.”

“Oh hell.” He leaned forward. “Give me both
of your hands.”

“Why?”

“Just do it, Dara.”

“Not until you tell me why.”

“Because I don’t want you to smack me when I
tell you.”

“Do I look like a violent person?”

“You did beat my chest when I caught you back
at the scene,” he reminded her.

He had a point. She placed both her hands in
his and almost melted at the warmth between them. He closed his
fingers around hers.

“I don’t like the idea of you returning home
alone, especially since we don’t know how the perp entered.”

“Me either,” she mumbled.

“So,” he continued, “a friend of mine owns a
security company. His crew is installing a security system as we
speak.”

She sat deathly still for a few seconds,
processing the information he’d provided. Half of her wanted to
shake in horror at the reality that the suspect hadn’t been
apprehended and could return to her home at any given time, but the
other half – the other half wanted to strip naked, crawl across the
table on all fours, and show Detective Mace Turner her full
appreciation.

A slight squeeze to both of her hands brought
her out of her lust-filled thoughts. “Dara?”

“Do you provide this service for all crime
victims?”

A sexy smile split his lips. “No.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

He continued to hold her eyes hostage with
his deep blue gaze and she was sorely tempted to move his hands
higher up and onto other strategic parts of her body. The waiter’s
return, however, prevented her risky maneuver – that and the fact
that she wasn’t an exhibitionist.

Once Mace reassured the waiter everything was
fine with the meal, she reluctantly escaped his hold and attempted
to eat her sandwich. Except that every time Mace fed himself, she
couldn’t help but plan a number of after-dinner activities he could
perform with his mouth.

Finally, she pushed away her plate. “You
honestly thought I’d clock you for installing a security system in
my house?”

“The thought did cross my mind, yes.”

“Well, you didn’t ask me first.”

“No, you’re safety means more to me than a
black eye.”

She couldn’t help but smile. “I wouldn’t have
blacked your eye.”

“No?”

“Split your lip, maybe.”

He released a hearty laugh and dropped his
napkin on the table. “I’ll take you there when we leave so we can
learn to use it.”

“We?”

“Yes. I won’t leave you alone until we catch
the perp, Dara.”

What about after you catch him?
She
bit her lip to keep from asking that question – especially since
she really, really didn’t want him to leave her alone …. ever.

He slid from the booth, stood, and offered a
hand. “C’mon, I’ll walk you to your car.”

She tucked her hand into his, incredibly
anxious to feel his skin against hers once again. And once they
stood next to her vehicle, she found herself ticked off that she
had to release him.

“Don’t smack me,” he told her, his lips
inches from hers.

“Why?” she whispered.

“Because I’m going to kiss you.”

A low moan was the only response she could
muster as his lips landed atop hers in a gentle massage. And when
he moved his hands to grasp her hips, she buckled hers around his
neck and pressed him flush against her while her lips savored the
soft pressure of his assault. Lost in ecstasy, she opened her mouth
and welcomed his tongue inside while electricity traveled the
length of her body, zapping each and every nerve ending she
possessed. Her legs became wet noodles and if it weren’t for the
hold he had on her, she would’ve melted to the pavement. Oh yeah,
Alex was exactly correct in her assumption – Detective Turner
definitely
knew his way around a woman’s body.
No
doubt.

With one final small peck to her lips, he
lifted his head and broke the magical connection. She was afraid
she may have to go back on her word not to hurt him.

“Wow,” she said instead.

He grinned as his eyes sparkled. “I was
thinking more like
hot damn
, but that’s just me. Get in the
car before we get arrested for lewd behavior.”

“I’ve been arrested. It’s not that bad.”

“In.” He chuckled as she unlocked the door
and climbed inside. “I’ll follow you. Don’t break the law.”

“You realize I could help you crack this
case, don’t you?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Seriously, I have resources.”

“I don’t doubt that, but finding the suspect
is my job. Your job is to stay safe and out of the way.”

She pursed her lips in silence and shut the
door. Lucky for him that kiss had been out of this world or she
might have had the wherewithal to argue.

He tapped on the window and motioned for her
to lower it. Releasing a heavy breath, she obliged.

“I mean it, Dara. I want you to stay out of
the way.”

“Fine,” she agreed as she started the car’s
engine.

“Good girl. Go on, I’ll catch up.”

She shifted into reverse and backed out of
the parking space, rolling up the window as she turned onto the
street. She glanced in her rearview mirror and smirked when she saw
him pull out behind her.
I’ll stay out of your way, Detective,
but I still intend to solve your case.