Page 16 of Dark Terror
“No.” He pulled into a parking space at the courthouse. “You can stay in the car with the doors locked if you want, but I’d feel better if you came in with me.”
“Okay.” By the time she exited the car, Gabe was already waiting for her on the sidewalk. Still dressed in her work clothes, it was an effort to keep up with him. If she’d known she’d be spending the day with him, she would have worn pants and flats, instead of the pencil skirt and heels. Business attire wasn’t required for her job, but she liked the look and felt more professional dressed up.
Her heels tapped out a fast tattoo on the marble floors as she double stepped to match his long strides. Halfway down the hall he came to an abrupt halt, and as she tried to stop, the smooth surface of her soles skidded on the slick marble. Her arms windmilled as she tried to find her footing. It was no use, and she was totally going to embarrass herself by going down on her butt.
“Easy,” Gabe said, circling an arm around her back.
Their position was that of a lovers’ embrace, the kind on the cover of a romance novel where the heroine was draped over the hero’s arm, her head dipped back as she anticipated the kiss coming her way. Mesmerized by the green eyes staring down at her, at the way they darkened, she could only stare back, her breath caught in her throat.
His face came a few inches closer to hers; then he blinked as if coming out of a trance, dropping his arm from her back. “Sorry for the sudden stop. I realized you were having trouble keeping up with me and only meant to slow down.”
“Well, thanks for saving me from a landing on my butt.”And no, he wasn’t about to kiss you. Bummer, that.
He smiled. “Believe me, it was my pleasure.”
What did he mean by that? She was so confused where this man was concerned. Mostly he seemed all business, a cop concentrating on his job. Every so often, though, she caught glimpses of interest from him. Either that or it was wishful thinking. That also confused her because until meeting him, she’d been firm in her no-cops rule. She didn’t know what to think anymore.
He put his hand on her lower back, and they continued on their way. Was he keeping his hand there in case she slipped again? Whatever the reason, she liked how his touch felt. It only took a few minutes to get the warrant, and then they were on the way to the morgue, a place she did not want to go in.
“I’ll wait in the car,” she said when he came to a stop.
“Okay. I’ll only be a minute.” After he was out of the car, he clicked his remote, locking her in.
As seemed to be a new hobby of hers, she admired his backside as he jogged into the building. When he disappeared from view, she sighed.You’re in deep doo-doo with that one, Cara.
“Tell me something I don’t know,” she muttered.
* * *
He’d looked into those brown eyes with gold flecks in them and had come within a hair’s breadth of kissing Cara in the hallway of the courthouse where anyone—judges, lawyers, other cops—could have seen them. That wasn’t cool, and it wasn’t him. Obviously there was some sort of mind control going on. Maybe Cara was a sorceress and had cast a spell on him. That would explain his weird behavior since meeting her.
The key to Sheri Carstad’s row house in hand, Gabe returned to the SUV. The sooner he got this case solved, the better. Cara could go back to her life, and he could stop thinking about eyes with gold flecks in them.
And then there was that blue streak in her hair. The streak was at odds with her white button-up shirt, black pencil skirt, and black heels, and it fascinated him. The clichéd image of a sexy librarian flashed across his brain, and more than once today he’d had some very naughty thoughts where Cara Jenner was concerned. That had to stop.
When they arrived at her house, he walked her to her door. “If you need me for anything, you have my cell number.”
“I do. Thanks.”
There was an awkward silence between them as they stared at each other. He had no idea what was going on in her mind, but in his… He was reluctant to leave her… because he was concerned for her safety.
Keep telling yourself that,a laughing voice said in his head.
He took a step back. “I’ll check in with you later.”
“Okay.”
“And keep your doors locked.”
“I will.”
Another step back. “You have my number…” He’d already said that. “Go inside, Cara.” Before he decided it would be a good idea to kiss her. Her lips curved in a smile, and then she was gone. He waited until he heard the click of the lock before returning to his car. Even then, he hesitated, uneasy about leaving her unprotected.
He made a quick call.
“Masuka, here.”
“This is Detective Caulder. Is patrol still doing drive-bys on Cara Jenner’s house?”
