Page 61 of Scripted for Love and Poison
“Uh-huh, I have a very stubborn partner who thinks I must stay away from all this investigating business. Apparently, and I’m quoting here, I’m an amateur anddatinga detective doesn’t make you one,” she continued, running her fingers through her hair and sweeping it to one side to look sexier.
Luke groaned again in a mix of regret and anticipation. She knew he wanted to know what she’d figured out about the case. But there was something Sol wanted first.
“Please don’t hold my foolishness against me. I didn’t mean what I said yesterday. I just wanted you safe and stupidly thought that was a good strategy,” he said.
“So you’re ready to admit that you were a total ass,” Sol said.
“An idiot. An arse. Someone who most definitely doesn’t deserve you.”
“Okay, okay. Don’t overexaggerate. But I’m going to need you to sweet-talk me. A lot.”
He returned to the bed, grabbed her waist, brought her back against the mattress, and pressed himself on top of her, brushing but not quite touching her neck with his mouth.
“We said we’d talkbeforethe lovemaking. In the end it was the other way around,” she whispered. “And now you’re trying to make me lose focusagain.”
“This is no lovemaking attempt. This is sweet-talking and me trying to extract information from you. Information that you clearly want to be tortured for,” he said, grinding his hips against her body. His tongue took a slow, thorough trip along the length of her neck.
“Okay, okay, okay,” she gasped. “You win. Let’s wrap up this conversation quickly.”
“Gladly,” he said, rolling to his side and propping his head over his muscled, flexed arm.
“There was no need for the whole pinning me down and tortuous neck play since I’ve already divulged the information you’re so interested in.”
“Huh?” Luke asked.
She had to admit that toying with him was fun. Plus, a confused Luke was an even sexier-than-usual Luke.
“I had a chat with your work partner this morning, remember?” Sol said. “I told her about what Simon wrote at the very end of his manuscript.”
When Luke returned a blank stare, Sol continued talking. “I guess she still hasn’t told you about that since you were probably pestering her so that she’d give you my location ...”
“What does Simon say in the book, Sol?”
31
“Can somebody please explain the needto go bloody sock-less in January! It’s rainy. It’s not even that hot today!” Luke grumbled as he saw a man dressed in a paradoxical mixture of a woolen hat, down jacket, shorts, and clog Birkenstocks with no socks. He was walking an enthusiastic, tail-wagging golden retriever.
“I reckon you should eat,” Divya said.
They sat side by side inside their rental car, parked a few houses down from Lola’s home and hoping for a sighting of Mystery Delivery Person.
“Here y’are, mate—take some of these,” Divya said, handing Luke the half-full packet of milk-chocolate Cadbury Fingers she’d been eating. “If you are feeling summat healthier, there are pistachios and chia seed crackers in my backpack.”
“Chia seed crackers?” Luke argued in disbelief. “California’s a bad influence on you.”
“I can’t wait to be back in London!” Divya grumbled.
“Me neither.” Luke sighed in agreement while eating abiscuit and keeping his eyes trained on Lola’s house across the street.
“Oh, I know, believe me,” Divya said. “But the reason I can’t wait to be there is so you stop being a pain in my arse!”
“Alright, fair enough,” Luke admitted.
“Looks like we’re gonna be stuck here for a while, so how’d that chat go with Sol, then? Did you tell her you’re an idiot?”
“I did,” Luke said. Why did he have the feeling that his colleague and friend was enjoying herself at his need to admit his shortcomings?
“Good on ya! And I take it she forgave you?”
