Page 10 of Detective for the Debutante (SAFE Haven Security #3)

If the smells were mouth-watering, the taste is heaven on earth. The pulled pork melts in my mouth, and the mac and cheese is a blend of sharp and rich cheddar.

“I ate there before I headed this direction. I never turn down Urban Barbecue when I’m on this side of town.” He leans against the edge of my desk, his presence overwhelming my space. But not in a way that’s unwelcome.

“You said you had an errand? For work?” I ask around another mouthful of sandwich.

I can only imagine the picture I make as I devour the food in front of me.

He shakes his head.

“Mom needed me to pick up something for her.”

As if he already wasn’t a dream come true, the fact he’s bringing me food while doing an errand for his mother? It just elevated him another notch.

“You didn’t have to bring me food,” I tell him, forking a bite of coleslaw.

“You need to eat, Little Bit. Make sure you take care of yourself.”

The sweet words are countered by a fucking nickname that makes me feel stabby or bitey.

Stabby . Keep your mouth away from him!

Easy to do when I have delicious food to occupy it.

A gentle smile hovers on his lips, his muscles testing the seams of his dress shirt while his hazel eyes focus on me like I’m the only other person in the world. Despite being at my workplace, it’s like he belongs here, and his quiet confidence is the biggest turn-on of all.

It’s a struggle to fight that attraction. To focus on the food and not the desire unfurling like a butterfly’s wings in my belly.

I do an admirable job. Mostly.

But a small part of me sits up and begs to kiss him again.

And it isn’t long before food no longer occupies my attention.

“Thank you again,” I tell him. “That was delicious.”

“Maybe next time you won’t duck my invitation?”

I blow out a breath.

“I wasn’t.” Today.

But it’s as if I say the last part out loud for his benefit.

“And the others?”

Because there had been others. And while working in the public defender’s office requires long hours, there were still plenty of other nights and weekends I could have said yes.

Instead, I hung around Hannah Grace’s—my—house, absentmindedly flipping through TV stations until I was tired enough to go to bed.

My computer dings with the reminder of the after-lunch meeting I had given as my excuse this morning.

Saved by the bell.

“I need to go.”

“Mm-hmm.” The deep rumble of his agreement tickles my eardrums, the sound some secret direct line to my core that throbs in response.

No, ma’am, not gonna happen .

“Can I walk you out?” I ask, proud of myself when my voice doesn’t betray anything other than polite inquiry.

Mama would be proud too.

Or maybe not, considering her desire to see me married and settled.

“I suppose I should be going. Since you have your meeting.” He says it like he has all the time in the world.

“Don’t you need to get back to work?”

He nods, but his gaze remains laser-focused on me.

“I do. But now I can at least tell Cole I’ve seen you. He and Hannah Grace have been worried.”

And there it is. The reminder. This is an obligation. At least on his part.

“I just talked to Hannah Grace and she didn’t seem too worried. I don’t think they’re as concerned as they led you to believe. You don’t have to keep checking up on me for them.” I try to give him the out.

Grabbing my laptop and notebook, I gesture to get past him. But he takes up so much space—both literally and figuratively—his cologne surrounds me as I brush past him.

“It’s not just for them. I meant what I said—about us being friends,” he murmurs.

I really, really want that to be true.

And he’s given me no reason to question him.

There are only two things making me hesitate.

First, how much of his desire to be friends stems from his promise to Cole, Hannah Grace, and my parents?

And second, how can you be friends with someone you’re so attracted to? But how do I explain all this to him?

Try . He might surprise you .

“I—”

“Leigh, you ready?” Lindsay’s door opens and she steps into the hallway.

“Yep. Just walking Murphy out now.” I’m not sure whether to be relieved or frustrated I’m out of time.

“Great, see you in the conference room shortly.”

We follow Lindsay to the lobby and I stop, turning to him while she steps into the conference room.

“Hang out with me this weekend,” he says.

“Is that a request or a demand?” I ask, hoping for one more than the other.

“A request. I want to be friends. Will you be my friend?” He accompanies the question with a crooked grin almost impossible to turn down.

“I…I’ll think about it.”

His smile dims, but he nods.

“I’ll hold you to that.”

A shiver works its way down my spine with the determined set of his jaw as he says those five words.

“Thank you again for lunch, Detective,” I say and turn to head into the conference room.

“I meant what I said, Leigh Whittaker,” he calls after me.

I have no doubt he did.

“Fucking pig.” The venomous words are a low growl, echoing through the lobby, and the hairs at the nape of my neck stand on end.