Page 27 of Her Irresistible Sheik
Did he growl that, or was she imagining it?
“I found blood on the floor,” she said, forcing her voice to stay crisp and professional.“And a tooth.Like, an actual molar.Not part of a meal.Just… there.”
Tom’s eyes moved to the spot she pointed at.“No one claimed it?”
“Shockingly, no,” she replied dryly.“Apparently it’s totally normal to drop a body part in my kitchen andnotleave a note.”
He huffed, which she suspected was his version of a chuckle.“Could be nothing.”
She narrowed her eyes.“You’ve seen this kind of thing before?”
He nodded.“Last time, it was an overzealous bodyguard with a popcorn kernel stuck between his molars.”
Heather sighed, rubbing her temples.“I just want my kitchen free of… dental evidence.And murder.That’s all I ask.”
Tom stepped even closer.“We’ll look into it.Anything else suspicious?”
Heather opened her mouth to say no… but paused.That feeling again.That gut whisper that something wasn’t quite right.
“Maybe.This might be nothing but it left me with a weird vibe.Some scones were...missing.”
He lifted one brow.He looked around, almost as if he were trying to figure out why that was significant.It was a kitchen, after all.“Is that code for something?”
She shrugged.“Yes.Sort of.”
Heather hesitated.She didn’t want to betray Nahla, but something about this felt… bigger.“The scones were baked by someone—who shall remain nameless—but they were completely inedible.Rock-hard.Like hockey pucks, but with powdered sugar.”She leaned in slightly, lowering her voice.“I think that’s how someone lost their tooth.”
Tom’s brow rose.
“They really werethatbad,” she added seriously.
Tom studied her, that sharp, assessing look in his blue eyes making her feel like he saw everything—down to her borrowed apron and messy ponytail.Then he nodded.“Understood.”
Heather crossed her arms, trying not to squirm under his focused gaze.Was it getting warmer in here?
“Anything else?”he asked.
“Um…” she faltered, getting momentarily distracted by the sheer intensity of his stare.“Yes.Blood.”
That got his attention.
“Blood?”he repeated, already scanning the area.
“And the tooth,” she added quickly.She gestured toward the small baking area off to the left.“We rarely use that corner, but yesterday, Princess Nahla wanted to learn how to bake.I set her up there so we wouldn’t be in the way of the main kitchen staff.”
Heather led him across the space and held out a hand to stop him just before the light dusting of flour.“There—see that?Footprints.Not ours.”
Tom’s eyes dropped to the floor, instantly taking in the irregular tread pattern and scattered splotches.
“We wear slip-resistant soles in the kitchen,” she explained.“These prints aren’t the right kind.And over there?”She pointed at the dark dots on the tile.“That’s not raspberry sauce.I think that’s blood.”
He bent closer, squinting at the dried smudges and the small, unmistakable shape on the ground.“You’re sure that’s a tooth?”
“Either that or someone’s baking with jawbreaker candy,” she said dryly.“Which, to be clear, I don’t allow.”
Tom didn’t smile, but his mouth twitched at the corners.
“When did you first notice all this?”he asked, still scanning the area.
