Page 52 of The Billionaire's Temptation

“That could be…embarrassing,” she whispered and snuggled closer to him.

“It could be,” he replied, his voice turning husky. “I think you should stay close by so that I can…” he stopped and pulled back. “What the hell are you wearing?” He pulled the lapels of her overcoat away, staring intently down at her. As he watched, her nipples hardened, pressing against the flimsy material of her camisole. “Is this what you normally sleep in?” His voice was raspy now and he couldn’t seem to pull his eyes away from those delectable nipples.

She laughed and he caught her glancing around. That’s when he remembered that they were surrounded by police officers and the events of the night came back to him with a flash. “Right!”

“Ms. Donata?” a man in a pair of jeans and tee-shirt walked up to them.

Levi noticed the badge attached to his belt and the bulging muscles. Jealousy hit him like a white, hot poker when Clarissa moved out of his arms. Thankfully, she merely turned, then snuggled her back against his chest, pulling his arms around her again. That instantly soothed the green-eyed monster and he tightened his grip around her, realizing that she needed this just as much as he did.

“Yes?” she asked and her soft, sweet voice sounded like heaven to his ears.

“I’m Detective Simon Shelton,” he explained, tapping the gold badge on his belt, just in case either of them hadn’t noticed it. “Would you mind answering a few questions for me?”

Clarissa shrugged. “I’m not sure I can help much. Levi and Lance were the ones who discovered what was happening and rushed over here to stop the man.” She glanced over at the person sitting in the back seat of the police cruiser, leaning forward slightly because his hands were still cuffed behind his back. “Who is that man? And why did he break into my house?”

Detective Shelton glanced over his shoulder at the same moment that the man in the cruiser turned his glare in Clarissa’s direction. The detective chuckled, then stepped to the right, blocking the man’s view of Clarissa. “We don’t know who he is yet. He’s refusing to speak, but we’ll get his fingerprints to get an ID.”

Clarissa shrugged again. “I’ve never seen him before, and I definitely didn’t invite him into my house.”

“The bedroom upstairs was…” Levi began, then glanced down at Clarissa and stopped.

Clarissa knew that Levi was trying to protect her and she shifted, remaining in the circle of his arms simply because he felt too good. “What did he do?” she demanded. But she saw the hesitation in his eyes. “Levi, you need to tell me what’s going on.”

Levi sighed, then nodded sharply. “Why don’t we go inside for this conversation? It isn’t something I want to talk about out here.” He glanced around and Clarissa suddenly remembered where they were as well as what she was wearing.

“Good point,” she replied, then sighed and jerked her head towards the front door. “I need to put on something other than my father’s coat. Can I go upstairs and change clothes? I’m pretty sure that Martha and Joe are awake now. And I’d bet she’s just itching to get inside and cook something for everyone.”

The detective’s eyes brightened at the mention of food. “Who are Martha and Joe?”

“Martha is my father’s…uh…mycook and housekeeper. Joe is my landscaping manager. They both live on the property, in the apartment over the garage.”

“Clarissa?” a female voice called out.

“That’s her now,” Clarissa explained, smiling and waving to Martha who was in a bathrobe and straining to peer around the officers crowding the driveway. Joe was right beside her, his arm around her shoulders and they both looked worried.

“I’m fine, Martha!” she called out.

As soon as they saw her, the pair relaxed. Joe put his cheek against Martha’s head and they closed their eyes for a moment.

“Can you make some coffee?” Clarissa called out, slipping out of Levi’s arms and walking over to Martha and Joe. “The officers are trying to sort through what happened here tonight.”

“Yes!” Martha replied, obviously relieved to have something to do. “And they need some muffins too.”

An officer heard her and hurried over to the yellow crime scene tape, lifting it up so Joe and Martha could slip underneath.

“Coffee would be great!” the officer announced, nodding to the couple.

“Give me five minutes,” she told him and took Joe’s hand. “I’m so relieved you are okay, dear,” she said, putting a gentle hand on Clarissa’s shoulder.

Clarissa didn’t hesitate. She threw herself at Martha, feeling her soft, wonderful arms close around her. “Someone tried to kill me,” she whispered, then turned her head towards Joe who wrapped his arms around them both.

“But they didn’t succeed,” Joe hissed. “You’re safe!”

“Thank goodness!” Martha whispered. Then she straightened, sniffed, and wiped a stray tear. “Coffee. These officers need coffee and sustenance in order to figure out this mess.” And with that, she marched inside the house, her head held as high as if she were royalty. Joe chuckled, then winked at Clarissa. “As soon as she has her mixing bowl filled with something, she’ll calm down.” He paused, looking into Clarissa’s eyes. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine,” she replied, smiling at the older man. “Thanks Joe.”

He grumbled something, then nodded and headed for the house, following his wife.

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