Page 124 of Proof of Guilt

And he kissed her.

It had been ten years since Theo’s mouth had been on hers, but the memories—and the feelings—came flooding back. Ivy hadn’t especially needed a kiss to remind her why Theo and she had been together in the first place, but the heat was just as hot as it had been back when they were teenagers.

He’d been the first boy to kiss her, and she had lost her virginity to him. And yes, there was still enough attraction there that she remembered exactly why that had happened. Theo had had her hormonal number then, and he still had it now.

She heard herself make a sound of pleasure, something she often did whenever she was around Theo, and the sound only increased when he deepened the kiss. He added some nice body pressure, too, with his chest moving right against her breasts. It didn’t take long for her body to recall just how good the pleasure could be. It also didn’t take long for Ivy to find herself wanting more.

Theo was obviously on that “more” page as well because he turned her, moving her so that her back was against the wall. He made the adjustment with her, still touching her with his body. Especially one part of him. In the maneuvering, his thigh ended up between her legs, and the pressure started to build there.

She broke the kiss so she could breathe, and when she pulled back a few inches, Ivy was staring right into his eyes. Those eyes had always had her number, too, and it didn’t seem to matter that ten years had passed, because her body was on fire. Still, she forced herself to remember they were in the break room where anyone could come walking in at any second. No way would Gabriel approve of such a thing, and she shouldn’t approve of it, either, since they had so many more important things they should be doing.

She repeated that last part to herself. It didn’t help. Every inch of her was still zinging from the kiss.

“I should say I’m sorry for that.” Theo’s voice was husky and deep, and it did nothing to cool her off. It also did nothing to make her want an apology from him or even regret that it’d happened.

But she should regret it.

There were still a lot of unsettled things between Theo and her. Added to that, someone was trying to kill them. The last thing she should have been doing was kissing him. Or wanting to kiss him again.

Which she did.

Ivy might have done just that, too, but the break room door opened, and Gabriel came in. Theo and she immediately stepped apart. She was certain they looked guilty, and equally certain that her brother was aware of what’d happened between them. And yes, Gabriel scowled in a way that only a big brother could manage when he believed his kid sister was making a mistake.

The same mistake she’d made a decade ago.

“I would offer to give you a moment,” Gabriel grumbled, sarcasm in his voice, “but this is important.”

That got her heart pumping. “Is Nathan okay?”

“This isn’t about Nathan. A courier just arrived with some very interesting things that you should take a look at.” He turned, headed back toward his office and said the rest from over his shoulder. “Cameron is calling Lacey now to get her in here. She’s in town, staying at the inn, so it shouldn’t take her long to get here. Once you see this, you’ll know why I might have to arrest her.”

CHAPTER TEN

Theo forced his attention on Gabriel and what he’d just told them. It should have been an easy thing to do, what with the investigation and the danger, but he first had to shake off the effects of that kiss.

What the hell had he been thinking?

He had no idea, but Theo knew for a fact which of his body parts had encouraged him to do that, and it was the very part of him that could make stupid choices just like that one. Later, he would owe Ivy that apology he’d skirted around, but it would have to wait for now. Clearly, Gabriel had something important t

o show them.

“The courier is still here,” Gabriel said to them as they walked into his office. “I’ve put him in an interview room so I can find out more about who had him deliver this. The envelope just has the name John Smith, no address, and the courier only had a vague description of the guy.”

It was probably vague because the person hadn’t wanted to draw attention to himself. Or could have even been wearing a disguise. If the person who’d attacked them was behind this, he or she probably wouldn’t have done something so stupid as approaching the courier themselves. They would have hired someone to do that. Someone who couldn’t be traced back to them.

Theo figured Gabriel was going to clarify all of this very soon, but for now he had one big question. “What does Lacey have to do with this?”

“Maybe everything.” Gabriel tipped his head to his desk where Theo saw not only a manila envelope, but the item that was lying next to it. It was in a clear plastic evidence bag.

A silver watch.

Hell. What was going on here? The watch face was ordinary, but the band had small copper insets. Theo had only seen one other watch like that.

It had belonged to Ivy and Gabriel’s father.

Ivy gasped, pressed her fingers against her mouth and took a step back. She shook her head. “Is that…Dad’s?”

“According to this, it is,” Gabriel said. He seemed to be struggling with seeing the watch, too. Of course, it didn’t help that Sherman had been wearing it at the time of his murder.

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