Page 69 of The Luminosity of Loriana Harper

Neither moved toward her.

She slammed the door shut. In her race to get home, she hadn’t bothered with a coat. Given the temperature was well below freezing, that might not’ve been the best idea. But she couldn’t bear the thought of Mitch alone in her house facing a classic Colton interrogation. Not her idea of a pleasant way to spend the morning.

“Ms. Harper.” Colton’s eyes were flinty.

“I told you to call me Loriana.” She snapped it. They’d known each other all their lives. He’d always been six years behind her in school, but she’d known he was there. She’d helped tutor his younger sister, Mallory. She’d watched how he cared for Mallory when both their parents died when he was in his late teens. As soon as the girl had graduated from high school, he’d left for Depot—determined to be an RCMP officer. And he’d succeeded. Like Seth, he’d served in various remote posts in Canada, but had eventually made his way back home.

And now he stood in her living room, calling herMs. Harper, and that really pissed her off.

“Loriana.” Said quietly as Mitch moved to her.

“Stay where you are.”

He halted at Colton’s words.

So she went to Mitch. He appeared none the worse for wear except… “Where are your socks?”

“Didn’t get a chance to put them on.”

“I keep this house quite cold. Go get them.” She held Mitch’s gaze for another moment before spinning to Colton. “You should’ve given him a chance to put on socks, for Christ’s sake.”

The cop appeared slightly ruffled by her profanity. “I offered to let him.”

“I’m sure you did.” A sneer. “I can just imagine how accommodating you were. Offer to follow him? To see my bedroom?” Somewhere he’d never seen and somewhere she had no intention of letting him see now. No way could Mitch have had enough time to make the bed. No, signs of their lovemaking would be everywhere.

“Go get your socks. I’ll be waiting.” Implacable Colton.

Mitch headed toward the master bedroom.

“We’ll be waiting.” She put her hands on her hips. “I want to know what the hell is going on, Colton. You come to my house when I’m not here—”

“How did you know about that? Did he call you? Or do you have some kind of surveillance?”

“I do have surveillance.”

The cop looked around.

“In the form of Norma.”

Understanding dawned as his eyebrows shot up.

“Yes, so now I’ll be the talk of Mission City. Loriana had a man stay overnight, and the cops showed up the next morning. Do you know the level of scrutiny I’m facing?”

His now furrowed brow assured her that, although he hadn’t thought about it before, he certainly was now.

Mitch re-entered the room.

Plato, who’d been lying on his chair in a sliver of sunlight, meowed. Whether in delight the big man was back, or annoyance at the disruption to his normally placid life, she wasn’t sure.

“Why don’t we sit?”

Mitch’s voice was smooth and, if she wasn’t coming to know him so well, she would’ve said calm. But she knew him. And she heard the edge.

“Loriana’s not staying.” The cop pointed. “This has nothing to do with you.”

“My house. My rules. I stay.” In defiance, she plopped down in the middle of the couch.Mitch has to sit next to me. Unless he takes the rocking chair.But the rocking chair would diminish his power—that much was plain to see.

After a moment, he sat.

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