Page 70 of Fatal Vision
Stupid dog.
Colton picked a fry out of Shelby’s braid and helped her to her feet. He intended to carry her upstairs to the bathroom and clean her up before he tucked her into bed, but they were both naked and as soon as he swept her up in a cradle, she started kissing him and his mind went blank again.
Her fingers tweaked one of his nipples as she plunged her tongue into his mouth, and the next thing he knew, he was taking her on the table, slamming the poor furniture into the wall hard enough to knock the clock off its hanger. The impact scared the dog, who ran from the room, which was probably good. Too many chicken fries and Salisbury would spend the night scratching at the back door, needing out.
And Colton had no intention of spending the rest of this precious night manning the door.
After their second round of lovemaking, Colton’s legs shook badly enough, he could barely carry Shelby upstairs. But thanks to a renewed vigor from the sex, he managed, getting her into the bathroom where he cleaned her up.
“We should go over the information we stole,” she yawned from her seat on the top of the toilet lid.
“First, you need sleep. A nap won’t hurt either of us. Then we’ll dive in.”
“If Theo finds out I took that file, he could have me arrested. You too. We need to know what’s in it and who we can trust to handle the case if we do end up in jail.”
“He already knows,” Colton said, handing her a clean T-shirt to sleep in. “And he’s not throwing you in jail. Me, maybe. You, no. He’s stupid, but notthatstupid.”
She sat up straighter, blinking away her tiredness. “He knows?”
“You didn’t see that micro leak on his face in your office today?”
Speculation danced in her eyes. “You were reading him?”
“Weren’t you?”
“Yeah, but I didn’t see anything that said he knew I’d already stolen the file. He would have said something.”
“Why? He wants you back on the case, Shel. He brought the file to you at Premiere, hoping to stir up your natural impulse to get back to work. All that blustering about how you can’t come back without a doctor’s permission is total bullshit. He knows you’re the one to figure this out and you were very close to doing it before you got shot. I think that’s what he’s hoping for, that you’ll remember now that he’s got you obsessing about it again. And the more he tells you to stay away—”
“The more I’ll push to wrap it up.” She shook her head. “Why wouldn’t he just give me the file then? Why try to keep me from it?”
“He plays by the rules. Technically, he can’t let you work a case until you’re cleared for duty. You’re making good progress with your recovery, but you’ve got a long way to go before you can officially go back to work. Months of therapy, more time in training and testing with the Bureau.” He helped her off the toilet seat and into the bedroom. “The honest truth is, you may not ever be cleared for field work again.”
“Colton!” Her body went rigid. “Don’t say that.”
“You’ve got the determination and the drive, Shel, but we just don’t know how your body and brain are going to respond to treatment over the next few months.”
She bit her bottom lip. “I hate you sometimes.”
“I know. But you also appreciate my honesty. I’m not your parents, praying for a miracle, and I’m not your friends, who cover up their worry about you with false platitudes.” He got her under the covers, hating his own honesty sometimes. “Ingram’s being realistic. He needs you to solve this case and he can’t risk waiting to see if you ever get back to your desk.”
“You’re right.” She sighed. “He knew if he told me I couldn’t have access to the files, that would only make me work harder to get them. Not just because I want to stop a serial killer—I have to prove I can do my job. To him and the Bureau, but also to myself.”
Salisbury snuggled in next to her. Colton went back to the bathroom. “He knows it’s wrong to taunt you into breaking the rules, and he feels guilty, but the pressure to solve cases is overriding that.”
“Did you read that on his face too? Guilt?”
He’d read something, he just wasn’t sure what it was. A twitch when he’d told Ingram that Shelby’s doctor thought coming to the office and seeing her friends might stimulate her memory. “Hey, Shel?”
“Yeah,” she answered from the bedroom.
“Did you and Theo ever…you know.”
A pause. “What?”
“Guilt wasn’t the only thing I saw on Ingram’s face today.” He went to the door and leaned on the frame. “Your boss is hot for you. Can’t say I blame him, but did you two ever…?”
Her brows raised and she smiled. “You think I hooked up with Theo?”
