Page 71 of Sinful Seduction
MINKA
“Ineedyou to tell me the truth, Mayet.” Sophia Solomon is so rarely rattled. She’s a fortress of hard lines, unfaltering confidence, intelligence far outstripping anyone else we know, and she’s not the type to let someone else—her enemy, in this case—shake the foundations on which she stands.
But she calls me for the third time today, her teeth gritted and a certain intensity in her voice that reminds me of an addict strung out, desperate for their next hit. “I like candy. I like knowing I can eat whatever I want, whenever I want, and my metabolism will take care of it. I like knowing who my fucking rivals are! But Aubree’s out here doing that thing she does, and she’s predicting my death!”
“So, ask her about it.” I swallow my laughter and settle back in my chair, staring out at the city that swelters with heat. “Your beef is with Aubree. Not me. I’m way too logical-minded to understand her foo-foo.”
“She doesn’t remember the foo-foo! She wasn’therin that moment. She was a fucking angel of death, delivering a message, and when she was done, she went back to being the weird hippie she is.”
“So what exactly do you think I can do about it?”
“I don’t know! She’s your friend. She’s your hippie. Figure it out and tell me who I have to kill before they kill me.”
“Everyone warned you to leave her alone.” I look inside my coffee mug, desperately considering the dregs of cold, long-ago leftover caffeine that, admittedly, has a tiny fly floating at the top. “You picked, picked,picked. You called her fake and a phony, and even when she was gracious and kind, not rising to the bait, you kept pushing.” Sighing, I set my mug down again. “You demanded proof of what she can do, and then you got it. I don’t know what else to tell you.”
“You can tell me who on my crew is gonna take me out. Tell me who to watch.”
“I don’t?—”
“I haven’t had a single candy bar in more than a month, Chief! I’m losing the plot over here.”
“What even is happening with that case, anyway?” Tormenting her, I change the subject—ish—and smile as the elevator doors open outside my office and none other than the devilishly handsome Detective Malone steps out. He’s here, which means I get to go home and eat something. “Have you heard anything? Did they dig her up?”
“Yeah. They brought a medical examiner in from out of town and had the machinery on site within a couple of days. Blunt force trauma to the head. I haven’t checked in since then, so I don’t know what else they’ve got.”
Archer strides through my door, his eyes dancing with a playfulness that has me considering sex before infusion. Get to the good stuff before the admin.
“But let’s circle back to my first point,” Soph demands. “Aubree?”
“Already left for the day, and hasn’t spoken of…the incidentsince it happened.”
“I’m callingJericho, woman! I’m saying?—”
“I can’t help you.” I swallow my bubbling giggles, tucking them deep in my chest before they get me in trouble. “But seeing as how she found that body without knowing it was there, and then predicted the candy thing, I’d heed her warning and steer clear of all things sugary for a while.”
“I’ll just pop them all,” she growls. “Riley’s cool and all, but I’m not that attached. Gunner’s always pissing me off, and he hit on me that one time, so he could probably go, too.”
“If they go missing, I’ll be sure to make myself available to the investigating officers.” I straighten in my seat and watch, captivated, as Archer comes around and perches on the edge of my desk. With a wolfish grin, he takes my free hand and places the tip of my pointer finger between his teeth.
“Chief, I need you to?—”
“I’m hanging up now.” I cough and clear my suddenly dry throat. “Don’t kill anyone. See you Saturday.”
“Fuck you very much!” She slams her phone into the cradle, the loud crack bouncing in my ear. But I set my end down far gentler and meet my husband’s teasing eyes.
“I’m thrilled to see you at this hour, Chief.” He nibbles on my fingertips. “Unharmed.”Bite. “Not asleep on your feet.” He suckles on the end. “Not even particularly pale.”
“Isn’t it crazy what a full night’s rest and a big lunch will do for a woman?” I switch my computer off and toss my things into my bag, all one-handed. Then I rise to my feet and trade my fingers for my lips, dropping a kiss right where his are thickest. “You seem happy. Solve your case?”
“Close. I’m just waiting for a confession. You wanna go out on a date with me tonight?”
“A date?” Surprised pleasure swirls in my stomach, so I twist out of his reach and cross my office, shrugging my white coat off and hanging it on the rack. “What’s the occasion?”
“Love.” He snags my bag and follows me to the door, taking my arm in his firm grip. “I was a boy from a dark world, and there have been a million chances for me to slip.”
“Ooo… kay?”
“But you make it so the line I will,or won’t, cross… it’s wrapped around you.” He pulls me closer and cups my cheek, stroking my flesh with the pad of his thumb. “I love my family, and I’ll go to war for them. I love Fletch and Moo. I love Aubree. I even kinda like Clay enough to wanna keep him safe. I’ll protect them all. Butyou’remy line, Minnnnka. You. And I guess I realized today, our love didn’t make me soft. It just gave me a reason to keep that line safe.” He leans in and places a feather-soft kiss on my jaw. “I love that I get to love you. You’re the best thing about my day.”