Page 31 of Mine to Share

That smirk grew into a full smile. “I assure you, Rain, there is nothing nice about the things I want to do to you.”

Yes. All the yeses. Is there a waiver I need to sign or—

A sharp knock on the office door had me jolting away, putting much-needed space between us as our surroundings came roaring back to my awareness.

Holy shit, we’re at work, in my office.

With guarded eyes, Slade tracked my frantic movements as I stood, legs a bit wobbly from kneeling and the want still pumping through my veins. Unable to fully support my weight, I bounced between pieces of furniture, then the wall as I wobbled toward the door.

His dark chuckle at my instability filled the office. Glancing over my shoulder, I shot him a glare before twisting the doorknob and giving it a forceful tug. Fully expecting to find Jameson, I didn’t cover my surprise at finding the female detective from last night standing there instead of the FBI agent.

“Hey,” Jennifer said, eyeing the partially closed door.

Nervous for her to see inside my office, I tightened my hold on the edge of the door and closed it a bit more. “Hey. It’s Jennifer, right?”

“Yep.” She studied me for a second before shifting on her feet, attempting to see around me into the office. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” I fake scoffed, which no doubt made Jennifer even more suspicious. “Yeah, of course. Why wouldn’t I be? I’m not hiding anything or anyone behind me in my office….”

She pursed her lips, clearly not believing me. Not that anyone would, police officer or not. “Right, well, I wanted to invite you to dinner with me and my partner. I saw your car in the parking lot as we were leaving and thought, ‘What the hell?’ Interested in joining us?”

Before I could respond, a massive presence stepped behind me, and the door was gently tugged out of my tight grip. Jennifer’s eyes widened before snapping to my face.

“Detective Gray,” Slade rumbled in his normal grumpy tone. “Dr. Evans and I were just talking over a case.” My heart sank when he moved past me, keeping a wide professional gap between us. His green eyes locked with mine over his shoulder. “Tell Agent Bend we can pick back up in the morning. I have a few other cases I need to follow up on.”

Without a second glance back, he lumbered down the hall and disappeared around the corner.

“No wonder you were acting all shifty. You were stuck in this tiny room with that asshole.” Jennifer stepped into my office using the wide gap Slade left between me and the door. “I’ve never been down here. Nice office, minus the murder scenes taped on the wall. Not my kind of decor.”

Sighing, I pinched the bridge of my nose. The emotional ups and downs of the day were wearing on me, causing a low throb to pulse between my brows.

“Yeah, that’s Agent Bend’s work.” Turning, I found her around my desk, staring at the pictures up close with a curious expression on her face. My steps slowed. “Which department do you work in?”

“Burglary,” she tossed over her shoulder. “Damn, who did these guys piss off?”

“That’s what we’re trying to find out.”

Her head bobbed, a tight smile on her face. “So dinner, yes or no? My partner is quiet, so I’d love the company.”

“Actually, I already agreed to dinner with Agent Bend.” And Slade, but not anymore, apparently. “But thank you for the invite.”

She nodded, shifting her weight from one foot to the other with both hands hidden in the pockets of her slim gray slacks.

“Was there something else you wanted to talk about?”

The detective’s gaze turned unfocused as she stared just over my shoulder.

“Jennifer?” I took a hesitant step forward, hand outstretched toward her.

With a jerk, she sidestepped my approaching touch with a hard headshake. “Sorry. I just—” She cleared her throat and ran a hand through her short dark hair. “I’ve just been—”

“Hey, Rain, you ready to—oh. Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt.” Jameson stood in the doorway, honey-brown eyes bouncing between Jennifer and me.

“It’s fine. Maybe next time on dinner,” she said.

“Sure,” I mumbled, watching her hurry toward the door when just seconds ago she was frozen in place.

With a dip of her chin toward Jameson, Jennifer skirted around him and rushed out the door.

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