Page 50 of Between the Lies

Hell, she hadn’t slept this well in ages.

Bang!

Nina startled. Even Robert’s gentle snores broke off, and his arm lifted.

Bang!

They both sat up in bed, staring at the door.

Nina flicked the bedside light on and saw what the night had hidden.

Robert had muscles. But he didn’t flex cartoon muscles like a superhero. No, he sported the sort of muscles you got when you spent all day in a physically demanding job. Like a farmer, a construction worker or, apparently, a cop.

Fuck, she’d licked those abs last night. And even now her fingers ached to reach out and trace those lines. To feel his tender skin?—

Bang!

Robert jumped out of bed, giving her a flash of his own enthusiasm for her. Unfortunately, the glorious sight disappeared into his trousers.

Nina’s senses finally kicked in. There was someone at the door!

She too jumped up, not bothering to cover herself. He had seen – hell, licked – every inch of her. She shivered at the memory and found her own clothes.

Robert was stuffing his feet into shoes when Nina found her T-shirt.

Somehow, her clothes were scattered all over the floor while his had lain in one spot. A minute later, Nina stumbled out of the bedroom just as Robert pulled the front door open.

‘Why didn’t you answer the door?’ the voice boomed through the space before DI Cheryl Spiers walked in. ‘What?—?’

Cheryl caught sight of Robert and stopped speaking. While Robert had buttoned up his shirt perfectly, it wore all the markings of a garment that had spent the night crumpled on the floor. And the pillow marks on his cheek didn’t lie – he’d been sleeping – and he’d clearly had a woman’s fingers clutching and tugging his hair.

When Cheryl’s eyes found Nina, framed in the corridor with, she was sure, a similar look, the DI figured it out. ‘Good God, Robert! You’ve got to be shitting me.’

‘Er…’ Robert cleared his throat. ‘Hello to you too.’

‘Don’t fucking “hello” me! You had sex!’

‘In my life, I have. Aye.’

Cheryl’s wide eyes met Nina’s, then she smacked Robert’s chest. ‘The last I heard she was your chief suspect. Now here I am, and youbothstink of sex. Hell, this entire flat does.’

‘Please don’t?—’

Whatever Robert was about to say died when another man swaggered through the door, his grin wide.

‘I told you,’ the man said then nodded at Nina. ‘I’m Joshua. I think I remember you from the pub.’

Joshua MacLeod – the one who’d arrested Shah at the pub. She’d briefly seen him before her escape. Nina nodded her greeting.

Robert smacked the door closed and stared at his friends. ‘Why are you both here?’

Cheryl whirled round from where she’d been peeking out the windows. ‘You’re just lucky I didn’t use my keys! Jeez.’

Nina rolled her eyes. This was getting weird. It wasn’t like she’d spent the night with a man who lived with two other roommates. So why did she have to experience this walk of shame after her spectacular night? Besides, this was her flat!

Nina stalked to the kitchen in dire need of coffee and breakfast. Everything else could wait.

When she reached for the coffee and French press, Cheryl entered the kitchen. ‘I’d get dressed if I were you. DCI Dickinson is on his way.’

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