Page 20 of Lone Star Secrets

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Angel stood where he did every morning when he was home and not away on assignment. At the window of his office that overlooked the gardens.

And as usual, he was in awe of the view.

The flowers weren’t his doing but rather the landscapers that Ruby had hired when the place was built. Thankfully, those same landscapers came out on a weekly basis to tend the grounds. If not, they sure wouldn’t be worth looking at while he had his morning coffee.

This place, the view, the house were a far cry from his roots. The foster home hadn’t been a dump by any means, but this house, this life he was living, went far beyond his expectations.

And his expectations for himself had been damn high.

Now, it could be snatched away, and he had to deal with that.

With the revelation of Birdie’s blood on the knife, Angel had to take everything to the cops. Even though the statute of limitations would save him from being arrested for tampering with a crime scene, it wouldn’t set well with Ruby. She’d likely fire him. Mia was facing the same thing with her boss, who had apparently already put her on a leave of absence.

But he had far worse things to worry about than losing his job.

Mia and he would be murder suspects. Birdie, too. And depending on what else the cops found, one of them would likely be charged with killing Kenton. Angel only hoped before that could happen, he could find the person who’d actually put Kenton in that grave.

That search for the killer had kept him up a good chunk of the night. But Mia had also had a bit part in his inability to sleep. She was here, in the house with him. In fact, just up the hall in the guestroom, and his body wasn’t going to let him just forget that.

He wanted her.

Bad.

And that had to stop. Sex shouldn’t end up being a fatal mistake, and that’s what it could turn out to be if it caused him to lose focus. So, hands off. Thoughts off her, too.

That pep talk he was having with himself came to a quick end when Mia walked into his office and gave him another reminder of this heat between them. She’d obviously just showered because he took in the scent of the soap she’d used. Took in, too, that she was wearing his boxers shorts, and t-shirt.

“My clothes are in the dryer,” she said, fluttering her fingers in the direction of the laundry room. “I washed them while you were in the shower.”

That explained why he hadn’t heard the washer going. Then again, the laundry room was in the far back of the house off the kitchen, and the rooms had better than decent soundproofing.

“Presley went by your house this morning, picked up some things, and dropped them off,” he explained. “Not sure if they’re things you’ll actually wear, but he did grab another pair of shoes for you. Everything’s in a suitcase in the living room. I didn’t want to bring them to you in the guestroom because I didn’t want to wake you.”

And because Angel hadn’t wanted the temptation of being in there with her when she was in bed.

“Great. Thanks. But it’s sort of a cheap thrill wearing your things.” She glanced down at the boxers and tee. “Confession time—I stole one of your shirts shortly after we started dating.”

He frowned. “Why?” he had to ask.

She shrugged. “A comfort thing. Sort of like a teddy bear.” Mia frowned, too, and waved that off. “All right, you’re not remotely the teddy bear type. It was kind of sexual. Not so much comfort but sort of like having you in bed with me. And I’m babbling again,” she added in a mutter.

Yes, she was. But this was very enlightening.

“Is that creepy about me sleeping with your shirt?” she pressed.

Despite everything, Angel almost smiled. Almost. He didn’t come close to that particular expression very often.

“Not creepy,” he assured her.

He was about to say something that he was glad he managed to shut down before it came out of his mouth. That he wished he’d been wearing the shirt when it was in bed with her.

Yeah. That wouldn’t help this lust zinging back and forth between them.

Time to change the subject. “There’s coffee and plenty of breakfast stuff in the fridge and pantry,” he offered, ready to go to the kitchen and make her something to eat.

She shook her head and lifted the bottle of fizzy water. “My stomach’s a little unsettled so I thought this would help.”

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