Page 36 of Unlikely Guardian

She held up her hand to show him that she was shaking.

“That makes you feel like a wuss?” he challenged. “It’s a normal human response to having your life threatened.”

“You’re not shaking,” she pointed out.

“I’m a cop. I’ve been trained not to shake. But if it helps, I’m shaking inside.”

She didn’t believe him for a minute, but yes, it did help to think that he wasn’t impervious to all of this. How could murder and mayhem ever become routine for anyone, even for a cop? Lilly knew it would be a long time, if ever, before she could forget the sound of those shots. They’d gotten lucky. Any one of those bullets could have killed them.

“The incident reports are done,” Jason told her. “And it doesn’t appear Sandling is on the verge of a confession, so I’ll make arrangements for an officer to take you back to the house, okay?”

It wasn’t the first time Jason had suggested that. It was the third time in the four-plus hours they’d been at police headquarters. She wasn’t any more amenable to the offer now than the first time he’d made it.

“I want to be here when Raymond Klein is questioned,” Lilly reminded him.

“It might be hours before they even find him.”

“Then, I’ll be here for hours.”

Obviously not pleased about that, Jason huffed. But the sound had barely faded when he slipped his arm around her waist. “I don’t suppose you’ll let me get you a chair, either?” he asked.

Ah. So the arm thing wasn’t a lovey kind of gesture. It was because she probably didn’t look too steady on her feet. “It’s strange, but all the fear and adrenaline have made my leg muscles feel stronger. Don’t worry, though. I won’t be suggesting gunfire and near death as a form of treatment for rehabbing coma patients.”

“More sarcasm.” The corner of his mouth lifted a fraction. “You’re really good under pressure, you know that?”

“Right.” Just in case he’d forgotten, she gave him a repeat demo of her trembling hand.

“Proves nothing. We’ve already established that. And you are great under pressure.” He stopped, mumbled something incoherent. “But then, several of my perceptions about you have changed over the past few days.”

Lilly considered that. Nodded. “I could say the same for you.” She considered that some more. Shook her head in disgust. “But those perceptions have changed mainly because we have the hots for each other.”

Judging from the look in his eyes, he wanted to deny that. Lilly knew he couldn’t. “I shouldn’t have kissed you,” he concluded.

Yes, that particular intimate act was the proverbial point of no return, but she wouldn’t let him shoulder the entire blame for this. “I kissed you back.”

“It shouldn’t have happened. I feel guilty as hell. Like I’ve betrayed my brother—”

“I know. I feel guilty, too.” Not that it helped.

She’d known all along that Jason would see any attraction for her as the ultimate disloyalty to Greg. And there was a reason for that. Greg was…well, unrealistic when it came to her and the future he’d wanted them to have together. He certainly wouldn’t have given Jason and her his blessing to jump headfirst into a relationship.

“I’ll tell you what,” she suggested, because they both needed an out. “Let’s not kiss again, and that way we avoid this whole big guilt-fest. Agreed?”

Jason stared at her. “You think agreeing will make it happen?”

No way. But she kept that to herself. “I think we have to accept that abstinence is the way to go because we don’t have time for the alternative.” She tipped her head to Sandling. “We only have time for that. And by that, I mean I don’t want us to die. I want Megan to be safe. The only way all of that can happen is for us to prove Sandling’s responsible or else find the real culprit and put him or her behind bars.”

It was a good speech. And it was even true. Well, for the most part. Lilly did want to keep Megan and Jason safe. She wanted the would-be killer stopped. But she didn’t think all the distractions in the world would stop her from wanting the man beside her.

She’d relived that kiss a half dozen times. The taste of him. The way she’d felt when he’d held her in his arms. Everything about it was wrong, especially the timing. And yet, everything about it felt right. As long as it continued to feel right, she didn’t think she had a snowball’s chance in Hades of stopping what had already started.

But what exactly had started?

“Only a pathological liar could be that calm during an interrogation,” she heard Jason say.

She followed his gaze, and it was fixed on Sandling and the detective who’d just reentered the room. “He probably knows we’re watching him, and he wants to rile us with this iceman routine.”

“Well, it’s working,” Jason snarled.

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