Page 15 of Pretty Stolen Dolls

“Perfect and pretty?” He flashes me a panty-melting grin. “Just like you.”

Pretty little doll.

I suppress a shudder and force a smile.

His arms reach around my waist and clasp together to keep me locked against the hard planes of his chest. Bo eventually did grow muscle, and he works hard at the gym to maintain it. He’s the ultimate dream for any woman.Any woman but me.

Spinning in his arms, I wrap mine around his neck and devour his lips with my own. Pushing past the threshold into his warm inviting mouth, I swipe and duel with his tongue until his cock strains against the apex of my thighs and he lifts me onto him. My legs snake around his waist and he breathes against my lips. “You’ll be late.”

I reply by grinding my pussy against him and biting down on his lip, and he rewards me with orgasms that make me forget my guilt.

Dillon hovers near my desk with his mug of black coffee that makes his breath smell like a barista threw up in his mouth after eating coffee beans straight from the plant. Looking at his watch and giving me the evil eye with a shake of his head, he says, “You’re late.”

“Eat another doughnut and stop stalking my timesheet,” I quip, giving him a faux smile and double salute with both hands.

“Real mature, and stereotypical,” he complains. “Seriously?”

The fucking sugar is still on the side of his mouth. Reaching out, I swipe the dust from the corner of his bottom lip and hold it up for him to see. His posture is rigid. Boundary issues are a problem for me. “Don’t be a girl,” I pfft, and then suck the sugar from my finger. It’s not often I allow myself sugary treats. I shove away the box of half-eaten doughnuts I didn’t put on my desk and quirk a brow. Pointing back to his face and shaking my head, I say, “No one needs to be a detective to solve this mystery.”

He swipes at his mouth with the back of his hand and then places his mug on my file, leaving a dirty amber ring. I move it and shove it back at him.Dick.

“Any news on the missing girl?” I ask, hoping some new evidence came to light while we were sleeping.

He nods and points to a board that has all the cases pinned to it behind me. “The girl’s mother came forward and said they had an argument before she went to the mall. We could be looking at a runaway.”

“Why wouldn’t she tell us this before?” I demand.

He shrugs and reaches for another doughnut. “She didn’t want us not to look for her.”

Of course we would look for her.

“Phillips, Scott, get in here,” Lieutenant Wallis barks, signaling us with a hand wave before disappearing into his office.

“What have you done now?” I growl, knocking his last bite of doughnut from his hand.

“Bitch,” he hisses to my retreating form before bending down and picking the dough blob up. “Five second rule,” he barks.Gross.

“Close the door, Scott,” Wallis orders, collapsing into his leather chair behind the desk. “I have a homicide that just came in. Chief wants youbothon it.”

“What about the missing person?” I say, a little too much need in my tone, gaining me a narrowed glare from Wallis. “Jones and Henderson will take over that case. She’s more than likely a runaway who will be getting hungry and remorseful and return before the day is out. I need you two to work this case.” He shoves a folder across the desk and gestures toward the office door. Grabbing the file before my partner can, I march from his office and mumble under my breath, “This is bullshit.” I didn’t mind taking lead on a homicide, but that girl was still out there, by choice or not. What if she was waiting to be found and rescued, but no one came looking for her?

“Let’s go,” Dillon orders, walking to my desk and reaching for the last doughnut. Jogging to keep up with his wide strides, I smack the fried goody from his grasp and grab it up for myself. He swipes up his jacket and smirks over his shoulder at me.

“We’re heading out,” he says, stating the obvious into the room at no one in particular.

Getting there before uniform officers trample all over the crime scene is paramount, so I follow Dillon out, taking one last glance at the photo of fourteen-year-old Alena Stevens tacked to the board before indulging in the doughnut, just to stop him from enjoying it.Bitch.

As we pull up to the location where a shop owner has been murdered in her store, my insides quake and my movements slow. It’s almost like dirt inside my veins has solidified into concrete and I’m fighting to breathe.

Porcelain dolls decorate the shop window, all neat in a symmetrical space, glorifying their beauty.Thud,thud,thud.

Pretty little dolls…

“Phillips?”

A shudder threatens to ripple through me, but I somehow manage to keep it at bay. Jerking my eyes to his, I nod a little too quickly. “I’m fine, I’m okay…I’m good,” I stutter, and his brows crash together as he studies me with dark, intense eyes. They’re not Benny dark, though. They swirl with caramel and behind the asshole I know on the outside, his eyes tell me there’s a gentler version inside.

He’s still staring at me and I realize I’m locked in his gaze, staring right back.

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