Page 48 of What We May Be

“Not if the killer is targeting men—”

He bumped her chin with their clasped hands, forcing her gaze up. “Charlie.”

Defiant eyes glared right back. “I’ll consider it.”

“I need to keep you safe.”

“You do remember I’m the cop, right?” She smiled softly, and he couldn’t resist unfolding his index finger to trace the corner of it. Charlie’s stuttered breath skated over his knuckles.

Followed by her lips.

It was a risk, putting all that was on the line for what could be. A risk he’d avoided taking after the last time Sean had left and he and Charlie had had to dig themselves out of heartbreak and claw their way back to friendship. A risk he shouldn’t take after putting himself out there with Tracy and getting burned again. But damn it, this was Charlie, her eyes darkened, her head tilted invitingly, her warm breath rushing over his lips as her eyelids fluttered shut.

“Charlotte! You down here?”

Abel’s shout from around the corner startled them apart. Except for their hands, which remained clasped.

“Coming!” Charlie called back, then cast him a half-hooded, half-embarrassed look.

He spared her the latter, standing and pulling her up. “Duty calls, Deputy Henby.”

She squeezed his fingers with a smile. “You want in on this meeting?”

“Think I’ll skip this one. Need to catch up on some work.”

“Can’t say I blame you. It only seems to get worse.”

She started for the door, but with her hand still in his, he stopped her midstep. “I need to keep you safe too.” With the future potential he’d glimpsed with Sean last night, then with her just now, he needed that more than ever. “For whatever this might be.”

She lifted his hand and kissed the back of it. “For whatever this might be.”

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