“As a matter of fact, I did. Nothing worth mentioning.”
“Tell me.”
When he shook his head, I got up and padded across the carpeted floor. I folded my arms to let him know that I wasn’t going to let the comment slide.
He crossed his feet at the ankles. “Not a speck of blood in her hair. Even the most skilled Vampire tends to spill a few drops, especially if there’s a struggle. She was fair, and the way the tresses were spread out, I could see every strand that would have touched her neck. She must have cooperated, but if he drank her to death, then that’s a man who knows how to keep his mouth latched the whole time. Most of us like to take a breather.”
My hangover made it difficult to tell time using my Mage gift. “How long was I asleep?”
“It’s nearly dawn. We need to head back before they send out a search party.” He turned away from me and strolled off. “I’ll be in the shower.”
Christian slammed the bathroom door, and the faucet squeaked on. Half my brain was still thinking about the crime while the other half was paying attention to the sound of Christian’s pants hitting the floor. I’d heard stories about how cops took the job home with them, and I began to understand why. Some things are impossible to shake from your mind, especially when it comes to an unsolved case.
My reflection in the mirror was jarring. Disheveled hair, my red tank top wrinkled, my jeans unbuttoned, and I had raccoon eyes thanks to sleeping in my makeup. Everyone back at the house was going to get the wrong idea if I didn’t clean myself up. It looked like I’d been having hot sex for the past twelve hours.
After I made up the beds, I gathered his shirt and jacket and draped them over the chair. A piece of candy fell out of one of his coat pockets. Christian didn’t care much for eating food, but apparently he didn’t have an aversion to candy since he was always nibbling on something. Last week it was toffee. I glanced at the green wrapper, unable to read the Japanese writing. Just as I tucked it back in his pocket, his phone vibrated. Curious as to who would be calling him this time of morning, I pulled it out to see if he had a password lock on it. He didn’t, and the message was from Viktor.
Another murder?“We need to go,” I called out, scanning the dark room for my shoes.
When Christian opened the bathroom door, a shower of light poured out, followed by a cloud of steam.
I spotted my missing sock, and as I sat down to put it on, Christian emerged from the bathroom like a wet fantasy. Water glazed his body like icing on a hot donut. His skin glistened, water dripping from the ends of his wet hair and racing down his flushed chest. The white towel was barely holding itself together around his waist.
I managed to get my shoe on without gawking at him. “We have to go. Viktor said they found another body, and he wants us to meet them there.”
“And how do you know that?”
“You should put a lock on your phone.”
Christian lifted his shirt off the chair and strode in front of me to the mirror. I couldn’t pry my eyes away from his strong back and the shape of his ass beneath the towel.
Get it together, Raven!
“I hate washing up only to put on dirty clothes,” he muttered. Christian slipped on his thin cotton shirt, and I kept waiting for that towel to drop from all his twisty movements, but it clung to him like a chastity belt to a virgin.
Only there was nothing virginal in the way he looked at me. His eyes burned with secrets, and when he licked his lips, I felt the invitation just as surely as I saw it.
He tossed me my jacket, and I stood up to put it on. Christian did the same, his long black jacket swirling around him as he slipped his arms into the sleeves, until finally it covered everything but his legs below the thigh.
Thenthe towel dropped.
Christian swaggered back to the bathroom.Did he just chuckle?
Perturbed, I looked away and widened my eyes when I realized my bra was draped over the TV. I stuffed it into my coat pocket and then switched off the television.
As I neared the bathroom entrance, I peeked in and saw him leaning over the tub, his foot propped on the edge while he tied his laces.
“You look like something the cat dragged in,” he said, peering over his shoulder.
“If you were a gentleman, I might have gotten to use the shower first.”
He stood up and gripped the doorjamb over his head. “Perhaps next time we should share—that way nobody gets left out.”
I glared.
Christian winked. “Just trying to think about the environment and water conservation.”
“Exactly what did you say to that woman at the bar that made her a willing victim?”
