Page 68 of Hiding Hollywood

“Addie?”

She screamed, rolling over and right off the bed.

Lacy pounced, licking and jumping on top of her.

“Are you okay?” Cameron picked the dog up and a moment later picked her up. “I called your name when I first came in.”

She pushed her hair off her face. “Sorry. In the zone, I guess. Why are you back?”

His eyebrows pulled down. “It’s lunchtime. Said I’d be back by then.”

Glancing around, the clock on his desk showed twelve-fifteen. “Right. Time to go back to your parents’ house.”

He rubbed the back of his neck, looking so adorably uncomfortable with something that Addie couldn’t help but smile. “What’s wrong? You’re not getting that morning after awkward thing are you? Because it’s afternoon. You missed your chance.”

“No.” His hands rested on her shoulders. “I hated thinking of you here by yourself doing whatever it is you do. That someone might find out and come after you. I know what you said, but I can’t seem to get it out of my head.”

“Unless they have a supersonic jet, don’t think they could have made it by now.” She gave him a gentle squeeze. “You have to trust me.”

His eyes flicked away. It was subtle, but enough of a confirmation that he didn’t really trust her. She’d trusted him enough to let him in closer than anyone else before. Her job didn’t give her the opportunity to share everything. If he had a big case or something secretive, she wouldn’t expect him to tell her the nitty-gritty details.

“Actually, I hate asking you this, but I didn’t know if you could look back at the camera. See if they caught anything last night. The guy broke-in again, but this time it was at Ms. Iris’s diner. She’s upset because he left all the fridges in the back open. Made himself a sandwich.” He grimaced. “Becky’s already threatening to patrol the diner at night with her shotgun.”

“Becky has a gun?”

“She grew up hunting, so, yeah, she has a gun. Don’t show up at her house unannounced either.”

She raised her eyebrows. “I’ll remember that.” She settled back on the bed with her laptop, her fingers wanting to keep working onSunflower.

“What’s that?” He pointed to the avatar in the corner withHollywoodwritten across it.

“Oh, that’s my alias. Hollywood.” She closed her other screens and opened the server she’d hacked into before. The video from last night played.

The guy walked right past it.

“Wait. I think that’s Dexter.” She enhanced the video. “Those are his boots.”

“Boots? Are you sure?” He sat down on the bed behind her. “They look like ordinary boots.”

She rolled her eyes and leaned back against his chest. “They’re tan.”

“I own a pair of tan boots.”

“I didn’t say I was positive. It’s the way his pants bunched up around the top of them.”

His silence was proof enough. He didn’t buy her story. She fast-forwarded through the rest of the night, satisfied they had the best angle they could on him. Maybe it wasn’t him. It was a pretty lame way to identify a suspect.

“Thanks for looking it up. C’mon, let me take you back. I’m going to have to get back soon.”

Her head tilted to the side as his lips trailed down the column of her throat. His hands reached around her, closing the laptop screen. She closed her eyes. “Can I be with you tonight after work?”

“I’m planning on staying around the station. I’ve got to break this case, Addie.” His hands fisted along the side of the pajama pants of his she wore. “I can probably get a break at some point.”

She’d been afraid he’d start listing all the reasons they shouldn’t be together. Leaning back against his chest and turning her head, she reached a hand back behind his neck to pull his lips down to meet hers.

If he wasn’t going to discuss it, she wouldn’t bring it up. The countdown to the last kiss had begun. She wanted every moment with him without their future hanging over them like a dark cloud. To enjoy it and know she’d have to move on.

He rested his forehead against her temple. “I really need to go.”

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