Page 4 of Immortal by Morning (Argeneau #37)

Abril was beginning to get more than a little annoyed. She was freezing her butt off out here while the men stood around talking.

She knew Officer Peters had to give them his report, but how long could that take? It wasn’t like she’d had a lot to tell

him that he would have to pass on.

The house wasn’t hers. She was house-sitting and the dog had dug up the bones after the digging had ended abruptly when the

excavator had crapped out. There! She’d said it all in two sentences. Well, she supposed she’d left out a couple of bits,

but seriously! She was cold! Her jeans were soaked from the mud she’d fallen into, leaving her legs feeling like two blocks

of ice, and while the mud on her hands had dried and started to flake off, her fingers were actually beginning to feel hot

and tingly. Wasn’t that a sign of frostbite or something?

“Miss Newman?”

Abril swung around with relief at that call, and urged Lilith to move back toward the men when the taller, good-looking one waved her over.

She grimaced inwardly at the thought. Really, both men were good-looking.

One was dark haired, and well-built with dark eyes, a strong jaw, and full lips.

The other also had dark hair, but was a couple of inches taller, a couple inches wider, and had the most beautiful silver-blue eyes Abril had ever seen.

He also had longish stubble on his face.

She had always preferred the tall, dark, and handsome type, but usually preferred clean-shaven too.

However, that stubble was really attractive on this man. .. She found him sexy as hell.

And that was probably a really inappropriate thought to have at a murder scene, she acknowledged, her gaze sliding to the

open hole. She had no idea what had happened to the people Lilith had uncovered, but it seemed pretty obvious they hadn’t

died of natural causes. Otherwise, they’d have been buried in a cemetery rather than in what used to be a garden along the

side of the house.

She peered around what she could see of the street as she crossed the yard. Considering the distance between the houses, and

the trees and bushes filling the yards, she suspected it wouldn’t have been hard to bury the bodies without being seen. Especially

since there were no streetlights on the crescent and it was black as pitch at night.

“We have some questions for you, Miss Newman. But we can go inside to ask them if you like. You are obviously cold. You are

shivering,” the shorter detective, Roberts, said as she reached the men coming out of the hole.

“Inside would be good,” Abril agreed, grateful at the thought of soon being warm again.

“Peters, keep an eye on the site until forensics gets here. Make sure no animals or anything else disturb the bones,” Detective

Delacort ordered and Abril couldn’t help noticing that he had a really deep, sexy voice even before he added, “Once the team

does get here, come inside. We might need your help with canvassing the crescent.”

“Yes, sir,” Peters said solemnly.

Abril actually felt bad for the guy. He’d been out here quite a while with her already while he’d taken down the information

and then had waited for the detectives. He was obviously feeling the cold. His fingers, ears, and nose were all red from it.

“I’ll make coffee and bring you one,” she offered. “How do you take it?”

Peters hesitated, and then shook his head. “That’s okay, miss. I wouldn’t want to put you to any trouble.”

“It’s no trouble,” she assured him. “How do you take it?”

“One cream, and one sugar,” he said finally and offered her a grateful smile.

Abril nodded. As she turned to lead Lilith to the front door, she heard Roberts say, “Pull your car up closer to the excavated

area and you can wait in it with the heat on, Peters.”

“Yes, sir,” Peters said smartly.

Abril glanced over her shoulder, intending to give the detective an approving smile for thinking of the officer’s comfort, but her view was blocked by a wall of man.

Detective Delacort was directly behind her.

Blinking, she raised her gaze to his face, realizing only then that he was more than tall, he was extremely tall.

He must be a good six two to her five five.

How had she not noticed that before now?

“Watch your step.” Detective Delacort’s concerned voice was deep and silken. When she was slow to turn her attention forward,

he caught her wrist, drawing her to a halt.

Abril flushed at the physical response she had to his touch and finally looked around to avoid his gaze and saw that she’d

been about to walk into the half wall that ran alongside the steps to the landing of the front double doors.

“Oh. Thanks,” she breathed, as confused by her reaction to him as she was embarrassed by her own clumsiness. When he released

her wrist, she took a shaky breath and quickly walked around the short wall to mount the steps.

When Lilith began to tug then, obviously not interested in going inside and abandoning the treasures she’d dug up, Abril said,

“Treat.”

That was the magic word. Lilith stopped digging her feet in and yanking her head around. Instead, she was suddenly up at the

door, waiting for Abril to catch up.

“She is food driven,” Detective Delacort commented.

“Oh, yeah, definitely food driven,” Abril agreed, managing a wry smile. “Masked bandits could break in and kill all of us

and she’d let them do it and even wag her tail while they did if they threw her a couple of treats. She is not a very good

guard dog.”

Delacort chuckled, his warm breath brushing her ear.

That and the deep, rich sound of his amusement actually sent a shiver through Abril’s body.

It was because of the cold, she assured herself.

That was a shiver of cold, not excitement.

Dear God, the man was gorgeous and sexy as hell and— You are obviously delirious from the cold , she told herself firmly.

There is a dead body or three in the garden.

This is no time for flirting, or even noticing the man is attractive. Get inside,

get these wet clothes off, make coffee, and answer their questions like the smart executive assistant you are.

“Shall I get the door for you?”

Abril blinked at the question, and then realized she was standing in front of the double doors, her fingers merely lightly

clasping the door handle. Before she could shake herself out of her stupor, Delacort suddenly reached past her to do as he’d

offered. His fingers glided against hers as he grasped the handle and opened the door.

Abril closed her eyes as his chest pressed against her back and she was half encompassed by his arm and body. The chaos that

set off inside her wasn’t just embarrassing, it was downright alarming. She’d never reacted like this to anyone, ever in her

life. What was he? Some kind of warlock or something with a love spell, or more accurately a lust spell that was turning her

into a bitch in heat? Hell, if she had a tail like Lilith, it would be wagging right now. She was actually surprised her tongue

wasn’t hanging out.

Abril was tempted to lean back into the man, but before she could, she was dragged forward as Lilith suddenly lunged through

the open door.

Eyebrows high on his forehead, Crispin gaped after Abril as she stumble-jogged through the entry and out of sight to the right, pulled along behind the Lab. He then turned to Roberts when his partner chuckled.

“Are you laughing?” he asked with disbelief. Roberts rarely laughed. The man was usually the inscrutable stare type of guy,

but he was definitely laughing now.

“Oh, yes. I am laughing,” Roberts assured him. “Between her thinking if she had a tail, it would be wagging, and your fascination

with where that tail would be on her, I just cannot help it.”

“I am not fascinated with her ass,” Crispin growled with irritation, telling himself it was true. He’d merely been peering

at her behind because he was... well, behind her.

Roberts released another chuckle. “Sure. So if she had been facing you, you would have been eyeing her other goods?”

“No, I would not. I—Wait.” He narrowed his gaze on his partner. “Are you reading my thoughts? You are,” he accused when Roberts

merely shrugged. “How the hell are you reading my thoughts? I am older than you.”

“I do not know, my friend,” Roberts said, slapping him on the shoulder and moving past him to enter the house. “You are a

detective. Sort it out. How could I possibly be able to hear your thoughts? When are older immortals vulnerable to being read

by immortals younger than themselves?”

Crispin opened his mouth, closed it, and then his eyes widened incredulously. “No,” he said, denying the thought that immediately came to mind. Then, realizing that he was just standing there on the stoop alone, he stepped inside and pushed the door closed behind him.

Pausing, he peered around what he could see of the house. He was standing in a large foyer with a set of closed double doors

directly ahead across an expanse of white marble. The closet? He suspected so, then glanced to the left where the marble gave

way to a cream-colored carpeted walkway beside a large indoor garden full of tropical trees and plants. Crispin was impressed

until he noted the plants themselves. They really weren’t very attractive, but then to each their own, he supposed and glanced

past the garden to the living room beyond. Finding that empty, he turned to look to the right, peering through an open doorway.

He had just recognized that it was a very large kitchen when he heard Abril Newman’s voice.

She was saying something about “good girl” and “treats” he noted and gave up his position by the door to enter the long, rather

spectacular kitchen. It had to be forty feet long and at least sixteen wide, with a long island running down the middle between

the cupboards and counters on either side. Everything was white except for the countertops, which were made up of a silver-streaked