Page 8 of Immortal by Morning (Argeneau #37)

if she wasn’t terribly flattered as she assured him, “Well, you’d be the first person to say so.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

“You’re just saying that because I’ve got multiple skeletons in my garden. Well, my boss’s garden anyway,” she corrected herself.

“You do not think it is one body chopped up and spread around?” he asked with interest.

“Well, I suppose it could be, but most people don’t have two right hands,” she pointed out.

A smile of approval grew on his face. “You noticed the two right hands. Well done. Peters did not notice that and he is an officer.”

Abril shrugged. “Detail oriented, remember?”

“Yes, you certainly are.”

They peered at each other in silence for a moment until Detective Delacort suddenly cleared his throat and straightened in

his seat. Pulling out a notepad, he flipped it open to a blank page and asked, “Can you give me a full name please Abril?”

“Abril Anne Newman,” she answered easily.

He made a note and then asked, “Can I have your phone number?”

When Abril’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, he quickly added, “For the report.”

“Oh, of course,” she said flushing with embarrassment and wanting to smack herself in the forehead for thinking he might actually

want her number for some personal reason. As nice and flattering as that would have been, she’d never been a femme fatale

that men fell all over. Clearing her throat she quickly rattled off her phone number and watched him write it down, then glanced

out the sliding doors when movement caught her eye. The excavated hole was directly outside the doors and somebody was climbing

out of it using a ladder.

Curious, Abril stood and moved to the doors at the end of the kitchen. Her excitement turned to concern once she could see

down into the busy beehive that the partially excavated area had become.

There were a lot of people in the large hole, all wearing special gear that covered them from head to toe in white so that the only thing showing was their faces and those were half obscured by masks.

Seeing the white coveralls with hoods they wore over their heads and outerwear, the white boot covers over their shoes and boots, and the gloves on their hands, Abril felt guilt slide through her.

She hadn’t had any protective covering at all to prevent contaminating the scene.

Worse yet, Lilith had been all over the area. But then Officer Peters and the two detectives had been without protective gear

as well, she recalled and would have relaxed a bit, but now that that worry was eased, others were crowding in to take its

place. Like, there were a lot of people bustling around outside now. A lot. Too many to be able to guess how many. She actually

had to count quickly under her breath. Apparently, not quietly enough she realized when Detective Delacort asked, his voice

distracted, “Hmm?”

“Oh, nothing. I was just counting the people working out there. There seem to be a lot of them,” she added a little worriedly

and glanced toward the parking area in front of the house. The sliding door overlooked the side yard. She couldn’t see much

of the driveway, just the front ends of one, two, three—

Giving up her position by the door overlooking the hole, she moved to one of the large front windows to get the full picture

of the driveway and parking area. Her face blanched with horror as she took in the many vehicles, both cars and vans, and

all of them bearing the label London Police .

“Gina’s going to kill me,” she breathed with dismay.

The rustle of clothing announced Detective Delacort’s approach as he joined her at the window. The heat of his body told her he’d arrived and stood directly behind her. As did his breath against her ear as he said, “She cannot blame you for this. You did not bury the bodies in the garden.”

Abril let her breath out slowly, resisting the sudden ridiculous urge to lean back against his chest. Instead, she straightened

slightly, and shook her head. “No. I didn’t bury the bodies there. But by now the whole neighborhood must be aware of the

foofaraw taking place in her yard and that’s what she’ll blame me for.”

“What could she possibly expect you to do? You cannot prevent us from doing our job. That would be illegal.”

“True,” she murmured, but knew that made little difference. Gina would be upset, not at her necessarily, but she would definitely

be upset that her beautiful new home had bodies buried around it. Not to mention that the police were now filling her driveway

and parking on the street in front of her house as they dug up those bodies and investigated. Sadly, Abril was the only one

Gina could vent to about it. And would. Unfortunately, that would take the shape of yelling and screaming at Abril unhappily

and it would feel like she was getting hell.

“Wait,” she said suddenly, as her gaze slid over a man carrying several large black zippered bags toward the excavated area.

“He must be carrying at least a half dozen body bags.”

“Yes,” Delacort agreed, sounding a little mystified at what her point might be.

“But—” Sidling out from between him and the window, Abril crossed back to the sliding doors to look down into the excavated area again.

Yes. As she’d thought she’d noted when she’d first looked, the people in the hole were still working, still uncovering bones in at least three different spots in the hole.

“Dear God. How many skeletons are down there?” she breathed with dismay.

Delacort joined her at the door and peered out at the working members of the forensics team.

“More than three apparently,” he said quietly and then placed a hand on her upper back when she slumped where she stood. Frowning,

he asked with concern. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I just...” Her voice died off as his hand began to move, gently massaging her tense muscles. It felt so good. Seriously.

Her tension was melting under his talented fingers, her body leaning into the pressure as he kneaded her shoulders with first

just the one hand and then with both as he stepped behind her. His hands moved down to her trapezius muscles and Abril heard

herself moan as he worked her. Then he let his hands move to her sides to grasp her by the waist.

For one minute, she was afraid he was going to set her away from him and stop what he was doing, but then his hands began

to move again. The kneading became more of a caressing though, and she raised her hands, one clasping the window frame, the

other pressing flat to the glass as his fingers slid up her sides until the tips of them trailed over the sides of her breasts

before gliding back down to her waist again.

While Abril’s muscles had relaxed under his touch, everything else seemed to be tightening.

Her nipples were becoming hard little buds, her toes were curling on the hardwood, and her thighs were pressing tight together in response to the tingling and pooling that had started between them under the influence of what he was doing. .. and in anticipation of more.

Much to her disappointment, though, there was no more. His hands suddenly stopped massaging and caressing. Instead, he simply

held her, his hands resting lightly at her waist, his breath stirring her hair, his body hard against her back and butt.

Abril’s eyes had drifted half closed, but blinked open now with realization. She’d leaned back so far into his touch that

she was resting against his chest and other parts, in effect, requiring him to spoon her or let her fall.

“Coffee.” The word came out on a breathless squeak as she forced herself to straighten away from him. She quickly slid out

from between him and the door and took a step away. “I promised Officer Peters coffee.”

“Roberts took him a cup when he went out,” Delacort told her, his voice deep and so goddamned sexy that it garnered the same

response as if he’d caressed her again.

Swallowing, she licked her lips and made herself meet his gaze. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—” Abril paused abruptly because...

what could she say? I shouldn’t have enjoyed your touch so much I leaned into you and got all turned on? She couldn’t say

that. So, what could she say to end the sudden awkwardness she was feeling?

Lilith caught her attention by shifting to her feet and staring at her, tongue hanging out and tail wagging. Inspired, Abril

said, “I should take Lilith out to do her business.”

She didn’t wait for a response from him, but hurried over to Lilith and then hesitated.

She would have to keep the Lab on a leash until the forensics team had finished working in the excavated area, and she wasn’t sure where the leash she’d had on Lilith earlier was.

It didn’t matter, she decided. Gina had at least half a dozen extra leashes.

Thinking she’d worry about where the other one went later, Abril hurried to the coat closet beside the sliding doors to grab one, then walked back to Lilith to snap it onto her collar.

She led the Lab out of the kitchen to the entry, and was reaching for the door when Delacort caught her arm to stop her. Turning

in surprise, she peered at him in question.

“Shoes,” he said simply.

Abril glanced down to see that not only did she not have shoes on, but she was missing socks as well. Embarrassed by her own

stupidity, she muttered under her breath and tugged Lilith with her as she hurried to the large coat closet across from the

entrance. She’d brought a pair of dress shoes for work, and runners for after work. The presently mud-covered shoes in the

laundry room were her work shoes. She would be using her running shoes.

“Do not forget a coat.”

Abril straightened abruptly in alarm.

“What is it?” Delacort asked, spotting her reaction to his words, but Abril didn’t bother to respond, she was rushing away

from him through the living room to the hall, dragging Lilith with her. Not that she really had to drag her, the pup was more

than pleased with this new game and happily ran along beside her as Abril raced up the hall to the laundry room.

The good news was, the washer was done. The bad news?

Laundry Fairies hadn’t put her coat into the dryer for her and shifted her muddy jeans and other clothes from the floor into the washer.

.. and her coat was now clean, but wet, she saw when she pulled it out of the washer and held it up.

She was turning it to be sure there were no traces of mud left that would necessitate another run through the washer when Lilith decided she’d had enough of the laundry room and made a run for the door.

The unexpected move yanked the leash from her hands and had her grip on the coat slipping.

It was headed for the floor when Delacort appeared beside her and snatched it up before her brain even fully realized what was happening.

He also had Lilith’s leash, she noted as she turned to face him.

“Thank you,” she said with relief.

“My pleasure.” Delacort handed her the wet coat. “I shall take Lilith out while you tend to drying your coat.”

“Oh, no! You don’t have to do that. I can take her out,” she said, reaching for the leash.

“Do you have another coat?” he asked, not releasing the leash she was trying to take from him.

“No. But I’m sure she’ll be quick if I keep her away from the dig site and tell her to do her business.”

Delacort had the good grace not to laugh in her face. “Your hair is still a little damp from your shower earlier, and you

are wearing a T-shirt and jeans. You would catch your death out there.”

“Oh, but—” her words died when his mouth suddenly swooped down to cover hers.