Page 23 of A Match Made in Coven (Paranormal Romance #2)

Chapter Twenty-three

Hostile Witnesses

SARAH MICHELLE

He was wearing glasses. Hexing “bring me to bed and do as you please” glasses.

Sarah Michelle gaped at how the dark-rimmed glasses perched on Lorcan’s nose transformed his already handsome face into something irresistible. The frames accentuated his chiseled jawline and drew attention to his piercing eyes, ever more intense as they focused on the laptop screen before him.

A stray lock of his golden hair fell across his forehead, and Sarah Michelle itched to brush it back. The soft glow of the fire did nothing to help.

And don’t get her started on how the casual clothes he was wearing made everything worse. Couldn’t he match the stuffy decor of the house and wear something unsexy like tweed? A sweater vest she could’ve handled, but a soft hoodie and sweatpants?

Nuh-uh. They were doom to her ovaries.

Lorcan leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms above his head. The movement caused his hoodie to ride up, revealing a tantalizing glimpse of his toned abdomen—whose ripped glory Sarah Michelle had had an unwelcome reminder of when she’d arrived and he’d opened the door not wearing a shirt.

Sarah Michelle tapped her forehead with the pad of her palm to clear the inappropriate thoughts from her mind. She was here to work, not fantasize about Tall, Blond, and Focused.

Because, unlike her, Lorcan seemed completely engrossed in their investigation. He was frowning in concentration as he scrolled through document after document on his laptop.

The steady rhythm of his typing echoed alongside the crackling fire. Every few minutes, he’d pause, scribble a note on the legal pad beside him, then dive back into his research.

He pulled up financial records, property deeds, and meeting memos from the town council.

His gaze darted back and forth, absorbing information at a dizzying pace.

Occasionally, he’d mutter something under his breath, a habit she found endearingly nerdy despite her best efforts to remain professionally detached.

After a while, Lorcan turned to Sarah Michelle, his eyes alight with excitement. “Look at this.” He pointed to a series of data points on the screen. “The councilman’s opposition to the project created market uncertainty, which had several contractors drop out of the bid.”

Sarah Michelle leaned in, the scent of his cologne enveloping her as she studied the numbers.

The muted crackle of the fireplace rang louder in her ears, and she ignored how her pulse quickened at the closeness, focusing instead on the information he presented.

“So, the councilman was manipulating the market?”

Lorcan nodded, his blond hair falling into his eyes. “Exactly. While publicly attacking the project, he must’ve always been aware that it would get approved, regardless. He was strategically opposing it to scare the competition.”

Sarah Michelle sat back, her mind whirring with the implications. “Could Elijah have uncovered the councilman’s involvement?”

“It’s possible,” Lorcan mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Maybe he was threatening to expose him.”

“But why?” Sarah Michelle wondered aloud. Her eyes widened as a thought struck her. “Or, or… what if Elijah was blackmailing MacGregor? He needed the money to repay Silas, right?”

Lorcan’s gaze sharpened. “He wouldn’t.”

“He was desperate.”

“There was nothing in his accounts that suggested he was getting money from someone, only that he was being scammed out of it.”

“If someone was blackmailing you, wouldn’t you pay them in cash?”

“You’re right,” Lorcan agreed reluctantly. “But the cash must come from somewhere. Can Andromeda hack into MacGregor’s accounts?”

“I prefer to refer to it as an expedited background check.”

She whipped her phone out and texted Andy, then Malatesta, asking her colleague if Silas’ logs had a record of the payments the thug had received from Preston.

After an excruciating half an hour of waiting, during which Sarah Michelle’s only occupation was to look anywhere but at Lorcan, both sources came through.

She forwarded the docs to Lorcan. He moved to his desk, and Sarah Michelle followed, rolling a chair around to sit next to him.

She watched, fascinated, as he whipped up a program to search through the records and compare amounts.

The results populated the screen within moments, and it became eerily obvious how MacGregor’s regular cash withdrawals from various accounts added up to the same sum Elijah would pay Silas with precise one-day delays.

“This proves Elijah was getting hush money from MacGregor and using it to repay Silas.”

Lorcan’s brow furrowed. “And that was reason enough for MacGregor to kill him?”

Sarah grabbed her chin. “It would explain why the cameras were off and there were no signs of infraction. Elijah could’ve let MacGregor in and turned off the security system himself, not wanting to record the councilman coming in if he was extorting him.

The dates of the previous payoffs to Silas were toward the end of the month. It adds up.”

“Was it premeditated?”

“No. Poison is deliberate. Grabbing a random object from a desk and killing someone is not.”

“Then what changed?”

“Maybe Elijah started asking for more money as he lost more and more to Silas. So, MacGregor nipped the problem in the bud… or in the back of the head.”

Lorcan winced at that, and Sarah Michelle’s heart clenched with guilt at her casual mention of Elijah’s brutal murder. This might be only a case for her, but Elijah had been his best friend.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be disrespectful.”

Lorcan’s gaze met hers, the tightness in his jaw softening.

To ease the tension, Sarah Michelle offered a small smile. “Andromeda would be proud of that little fit of coding you pulled off to search the financial records.”

Lorcan stood up, his eyes never leaving hers. “And what about you, detective?”

A prickle of awareness spider-walked down her spine as she became acutely aware that they were alone in his house in the dead of night.

She got up herself. Her intention had been to scoot away, but somehow, she ended up rooted to the spot, closer than before.

Her gaze dropped to his lips before she whispered, “I have to admit, I am impressed, too.”

Lorcan’s lips curved into a teasing smirk. “Just impressed? I was hoping for ‘awestruck’ at least.”

She couldn’t tear her eyes away from his as she replied, “Don’t push your luck, Black.”

“Really? From the way you keep looking at my mouth, a wizard might think he might get lucky.”

Sarah Michelle’s cheeks flushed, but she didn’t back down. “A wizard might think that, but a detective knows better than to jump to conclusions without proof.”

He moved closer until only a sliver of air separated them.

“You want proof? How about this?” One of his hands cupped her head from behind, his fingers sinking into her hair.

His other hand came to rest on her hip. He lowered his forehead toward her until their noses were almost touching, his mouth hovering over hers, but not making contact.

“What are you trying to prove exactly?” Sarah Michelle asked on a ragged breath.

Lorcan smiled, slow and cruel. “That you’re dying to kiss me, detective.”

“That’s circumstantial evidence at best. Wouldn’t hold up in court.”

“Is it? Then allow me to present Exhibit A. You’re not pulling back.

” She should, but she didn’t move, and he continued, “Exhibit B, you’re letting me touch you.

” As if to emphasize his words, he traced lazy circles on her hip with his thumb while the fingers of his other hand kept sifting through her hair.

He smirked again as he asked, “Permission to treat the witness as hostile?”

Sarah Michelle was so wound up she could only nod. In response, Lorcan pulled her body flush against his hard one, closing the last inch separating them. The contact was brain-frying.

“Do you want to kiss me, Sarah Michelle?” he whispered a breath away from her lips.

Hearing him say her name for the first time was the last straw. Sarah Michelle lost her self-control. She pulled his face to hers, closing the final millimeter between them, and kissed him.