He cups my face with both hands. “Released pending further investigation. I won’t lose my license unless I’m charged and convicted. Definitely not going to prison for criminal trespass.” He kisses the tip of my nose. “It’ll be okay. I have a buddy who’s a lawyer, and he’ll eat them for breakfast.”
I lean into his touch, my eyes fluttering shut. “Are you sure? You’re making it sound too easy.”
“It is easy, because Willowbrook’s police force is a joke.” He smiles softly. “Relax, Freckles. We’re okay.”
I try, really. “Thank you for being okay.”
“I couldn’t leave you like that.” His forehead dips to rest against mine. “What kind of happily ever after would that be?”
We stay still, close and quiet, our breaths mingling in the stillness of the room, until his lips meet mine, gentle and easy. Once I reciprocate, the kiss becomes more intense, his grip on my waist tightening as he draws me closer.
I wrap my arms around his neck, standing on tiptoes to meet him, and his fingers slide under the hem of my shirt, grazing my skin, until a small noise escapes me. I press closer, my heart racing as his lips leave mine to trail along my jaw, down my neck.
“Ugh.Gross.”
The voice cuts through the haze like a bucket of cold water, and I jerk away from Rafael, spinning around to find Ethan standing in the hallway. His arms are crossed, his face twisted in mock disgust. “You’re not about to have sex, are you?”
I gape at him, my cheeks burning. “No!” I burst out, just as Rafael says, “Yes.” I whip my head back, and, noticing my expression, he corrects. “No?”
Ethan’s eyes dart between us. “Well, I’m going to sleep, and I’djust like to warn you that if I hear a single noise, I will run away and leave barf in my wake.”
He scoops up Sherlock and leaves the room.“You don’t need to see that, either, Sherlock.”
Ethan’s footsteps fade up the stairs, and in a second, Rafael is back to nibbling on me. My skin tingles where his teeth pinch lightly, but I can’t focus, my thoughts running to the horrors we witnessed today. To Paige, heartbroken, and to Vanessa.
“Where are you?” he asks, pulling back.
I awkwardly smile. “Sorry.”
“You did nothing wrong.” He rubs my shoulders. “Today was a lot, huh?”
“I just keep thinking about Vanessa. The conversation we had… and— I don’t know.”
“What is it?
“Something doesn’t sit right with me.”
“Something like what?”
I shake my head, not sure of it myself. “She said, ‘I’d never hurt anyone.’?”
“Oh, yeah. I thought about it, too.”
“You did?” I widen my eyes. “Rafael, what if we got it wrong? What if she’s not the killer?”
“Whoa.” He exhales sharply. “Not so fast. Every single piece of evidence we have points at her.”
“Not every single one.” When his brows rise, I clarify. “Both witnesses described a man.”
“Which was me. Not the murderer.”
“Quentin saw you and, well,stabbedyou,” I concede. “But the first witness, in Catherine’s case? That wasn’t you, was it?”
“No.” Rafael tilts his head back, his eyes fixed on the ceiling as if the answer might be written there. “So they’re wrong. It wasn’t a man. I mean, Vanessa is a big girl.”
“But a T-shirt? I just don’t see Vanessa gearing up for murder in a T-shirt.”
“You’re not seriously considering that Vanessa could be innocent, right? Yousawthat room.”
