Page 30 of Taken By the Ripper
“Now I see the real reason you visit me,” he jested. “You only like me for my coffee.”
“You caught me,” she replied, but the sudden frog in her throat caused the words to escape as a rasp.
This was a terrible idea, getting caught up in this. By going out that night and getting cornered by vampires, she had involved herself in something big and could do nothing other than see it through.
Even if it meant deceiving a detective with her less-than-wily charms. She’d never had to attempt to charm a man, but it appeared as if she hardly needed to make the effort with Claude.
He leaned closer until his fingers skimmed over the fabric of her sleeve. Momentary panic crashed into her when she realized exactly what she’d encouraged. Not only that, but what must be done.
She cared for Jack. He was not the monster everyone thought he was. He deserved a chance to accomplish his admirable goals without the risk of a knife to his throat no matter which way he turned.
Therefore, she would help give him whatever chance he needed to succeed.
She set the mostly empty coffee mug aside and focused her attention on Claude. Her fingers ceased trembling. Her pounding heart stilled. Calm replaced her previous fear and uncertainty as she responded to his hesitant touch by leaningagainst the corner of his desk and moving her foot to rest against his.
As if bolstered by the action, he more daringly cupped her elbow. His thumb caressed her arm. “Am I in the wrong to believe you stopped by because…well…because I hold some form of your affection?”
Her throat seemed to close up, making speaking difficult when he looked at her likethat. With hopeful eyes and a hesitant twist of his mouth. Like he would be absolutely crushed should she reject him.
“You don’t skirt around, do you?” she whispered.
“Not one bit.”
He stepped impossibly closer, his hand now resting on her waist rather than her arm. But he stopped advancing and tipped his head to the side as if in question. Giving her a chance to push him away, to reject him and slip out of the room.
If this was the only way to help JackandClaude, then she refused to stop now.
In a quick movement, she wrapped her leg around his and pulled him closer. He gasped in surprise moments before their lips collided in a kiss.
What she hadn’t expected were the accompanying emotions.
They flashed past so quickly that it was difficult to grasp onto one long enough to make sense of any of it. All she knew was she hadn’t expected to kiss him. And she hadn’t expected to want more.
Her grip on his leg tightened as she pulled him even closer, sparking an unexpected passion growing wild between them. His arms looped around her until one of his hands held the back of her neck and the other cupped behind her knee. A whirlwind of heat and joy and panic consumed her until she might as well have forgotten her own name when her mind momentarily refused to work.
She had to stop this. She had to get out of there.
With what little remained of her self-control, she shifted on the desk, purposefully knocking files and folders to the floor.
“Sorry,” she gasped.
“I don’t care.”
More parchment fell to the floor, his doing this time, as he swiped a hand across the surface to make room for her to sit more fully on the desk. Her stomach fluttered. Her blood burned. And for a moment, she wanted to throw everything to the ground to make room forbothof them.
At least until the muffled laughter down the corridor reminded her of where they were, and that they weren’t alone.
She pushed him away and gasped, her face flaming with the heat of fluster. “I can’t… This is not the best… Someone will see…” She shook her head and stooped down to where the piles of folders and parchment lay scattered across the ground. “I’ll help you clean this up.”
“No, no, no. It’s not necessary.” He stooped next to her and gathered papers into his hands. “I can do it.”
He turned his back for the briefest moment, and she took that opportunity to snatch the Ripper files, stuff them into her basket, and cover them with the extra cloth she’d brought. She had to make a timely escape before he noticed.
“I-I-I’m sorry,” she stuttered, unable to look at him without her cheeks burning. She didn’t even have to feign fluster, unfortunately. “I-I-I have to go. My patients… And Norma…”
Not giving him a chance to reply, she spun on her heel and walked quickly out of the room and down the empty corridor. As she entered the main room, she was sure everyone must have noticed her flushed face and the way she smoothed down her hair as dozens of eyes trailed her departure.
She had not expected this to happen. This was not good. Not good at all.
