Page 35 of Once Upon a Curse for True Love
Sarah Michelle leaned forward, her eyes sparkling.“Do you have a secret kink for handcuffs?”
“No, I don’t!”Andromeda shouted, then lowered her voice when she realized how defensive she sounded.“Look, it was… a moment.A weird, confusing blip that’s over, thanks to your impeccable timing.”
“Uh-huh.”Sarah Michelle looked unconvinced.“So your hormones didn’t go haywire when Detective Tall, Dark, and Dominant got up in your personal space?”
Andromeda let out a long, defeated sigh, slumping farther into the couch.“Fine.My lady parts are… not indifferent to him.”
“Your ‘lady parts?’”Sarah Michelle repeated, eyebrow high.“What are you, twelve?”
“Would you prefer I use more anatomically correct terminology?”Andromeda shot back.“Because I can go into explicit detail about which bits are reacting how if you’d like.”
“Please don’t,” Quill squeaked, his quills flattening in distress.“There are present parties with delicate sensibilities.”
“Speak for yourself,” Nox chimed in.“I’d love to hear what’s doing what.Does the detective know about this yet, or is he still in the dark about your lady garden’s enthusiasm?”
“Hex off,” Andromeda muttered, wondering if it was possible to die from embarrassment.“Can we please change the subject before I cast a silence spell on all of you?”
But Sarah Michelle wasn’t about to let her off the hook.“Not a chance, Andy.”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” Andromeda pointed out.“This is… I don’t know what it is.”
“It’s called attraction.”Sarah Michelle’s tone softened.“It happens to the best of us, even with insufferable men who introduce themselves by arresting us.”
“What else do you know about him?Beyond the whole ‘kicks down doors first, asks questions later’ approach to law enforcement.”
Sarah Michelle considered the question, tilting her head.“He’s a good detective.Thorough.Committed.He can be intense about cases.”
“And?”Andromeda prompted.
“And…” Shelly pursed her lips.“He’s decent.Underneath the swagger, he cares about getting things right.He’s been with SMPD for about five years now, worked his way to detective pretty fast.Has one of the highest closure rates in the department.And when Chief King pulled me off Lorcan’s case last year, he didn’t gloat.Malatesta let me still work on it, sharing the credit when we made the final arrest.”
“Anything else?Like, I don’t know, why he’s allergic to common courtesy and normal human interactions?”
Sarah Michelle laughed.“He’s a lone wolf.Doesn’t socialize much with the rest of the department.Keeps to himself.”
“Any specific red flags why?”Andromeda asked, curious.
At this, Sarah Michelle’s expression clouded.“Not sure.There are rumors, but…” She shrugged.“You know how departmental gossip can be.Mostly nonsense.”
“What rumors?”Andromeda pressed.
“The most common one is that before he transferred from Chicago, he had a partner who died in the line of duty,” Sarah Michelle mumbled.“But he never talks about it, and nobody asks.”
A small, uncomfortable knot tied Andromeda’s stomach.“Oh.”
“Yeah.”Her friend nodded.“So cut him slack on the social graces front.He’s a decent guy who can be a cocky jerk sometimes, but aren’t we all?”
“You are,” Andromeda agreed, earning herself a playful swat from her roommate.
“Look who’s talking, Miss I-Turn-People’s-Hair-Purple.”
“He deserved it.”Andromeda went defensive.“And it looks good on him, anyway.The lilac works in his favor.”
“I bet you’d like to work him, too,” Nox muttered.
“Think of your professional obligations!”Quill persisted.“This arrangement is a legal sentence, not a dating opportunity!A dalliance is ill-advised.”
“I’m not planning adalliance.”Andromeda sighed.
