Page 34 of The Criminal

Lee: No. Naps are luxurious. Cool, crisp sheets. Fluffy pillows. Blackout shades.

Derek: Can’t say I’ve ever done that.

Lee: You’re missing out.

Derek: Its weird to sleep when I could be productive.

Lee: Boy scout.

I held the phone, waiting. No dots appeared showing he was working on a reply. I guess I got the last word.

I set the phone face up on my desk, wishing that another message would appear. Disgusted with myself, I turned the phone over, hiding temptation.

For the last three days, I’d spent entirely too much brain power reliving the kiss I gave him at Mission Critical. I studied it from every angle. And I wasn’t any closer to understanding my motivations and goals. I was a goals kind of girl. And that kiss hadn’t furthered a single one of my goals. In fact, it undermined my plan to keep Derek at arm’s length.

I blamed the intoxicating scratch of his stubble on my cheek. It did things to me. Even now, remembering the sensation, a shiver raced up my spine and crawled over the top of my scalp. I bit my lip and looked at my phone. I reached for it and yanked my hand away.

Nothing good came from playing with fire. And Derek Sawyer was incendiary.

With a weary sigh, I turned back to my accounting program. Fun times.

Chapter 16

Derek

Igotoutofmy car and pocketed my cell phone. I was dragging some serious ass. The walk from my parking spot in the driveway to my front door seemed infinitely farther than it was. I stumbled for the kitchen coffee maker once inside. Caffeine would fix me. I did not nap. I had a report to finish up for Smith on some operational aspects of the Leck kidnapping.

I shoved the coffee pot under the faucet and flipped on the water. While it filled, I yawned and stretched. My joints popped and cracked, making noises I was sure they hadn’t made ten years ago. Hell, five years ago.

When did my shit get old? Oh yeah, when I turned forty. Six fucking years ago.

I picked my phone up off the white marble countertop and scrolled back through the chat with Lee. I blamed my lack of sleep, and the startling fact that her car’s GPS tracker was still live, for the urge to message her. Voice texting while driving made an impulsive thought a reality before I could second-guess it.

Naps are luxurious, that’s what she texted. I traced the digital words with my gaze, and the thought took hold. In the sink, the coffee pot had overflowed. I turned off the water.

Fuck this.

“I’m taking a nap.” My voice echoed off the new marble countertops and white walls. I’d have to do something about the acoustics before I listed this place for sale.

Even the word nap sounded indolent. Lazy. Things I strove never to be.

Before I left the kitchen, I tugged my shirt off. I was totally doing this. I undid my pants while walking through the living room; the open belt buckle clanged with each step. The mattress called my name, and I was going to answer.

In the bedroom, per Lee’s instructions, I closed the drapes and fluffed the pillows. I pulled on an old favorite pair of sleep pants and crawled under the covers. My body sagged into the mattress. I couldn’t have kept my eyes open with toothpicks. There was no second-guessing this decision. I was too exhausted.

It was still daylight when I woke up. Light filtered in from around the drapes. The clock on the nightstand showed I’d lost one hour of productivity. I stretched; the nap was worth it. I felt better. Less grumpy.

I would have time to write Smith’s report and email the detective up in Broward County that caught the Leck kidnapping case. After that, I’d call Sydney O’Connor and talk through a postmortem on her first real operation with the team. This napping stuff was incredible. I was a new man.

I flipped back the duvet, and before I swung out of the bed, I snapped a photo of my bare feet tangled in the sheets and sent it to Lee.

Derek: It was a great nap.

My feet hadn’t hit the floor before I got her reply.

Lee: Are you wearing pajamas?

I looked at my sleep pants. Sure, I guess they were PJs. But cool, manly PJs. It wasn’t like they had fluffy feet or baby lambs printed on them.

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