“How are you feeling?” he asked.
“Headache’s gone. I’m a little sore but I’m okay. Did Briscoe say what he wanted?”
“No. I guess we’ll find out when we get there.” He reached out and grabbed his jeans, pulled them on. “There’s a couple more pain pills in that bottle the doctor gave you. You want me to get them?”
She shook her head. “They make me sleepy and I really don’t need them. I’m feeling much better today.”
She dropped the sheet, grabbed her robe off the chair, and slipped it on, felt Beau’s gaze following her every move. Need swelled again. She had never met a man who could make her want him with a single glance.
“I need a shower,” she said, dragging her gaze away from all the glorious muscles in his chest. “I wish I’d had time to go by my house and get some fresh clothes. And I need to have my car towed to the garage.”
“I’ll have Marty take care of your car. And there’s a washer and dryer in the mudroom if you need to wash your clothes. Or we can send the stuff out to the dry cleaners.Mrs. O’Halloran will be in this morning. She can take care of it.”
“Are you sure about my car?”
“You’re working. Your car needs fixing. It won’t be a problem.”
“I can take care of my clothes later. It’s just . . . it would have been nice to have something different to wear.”
He drew her against him and kissed her, sliding his hands inside the robe to cup her breasts. Her nipples went instantly hard.
“I like you best in nothing at all,” he said, kissing her again. Heat rolled through her. She draped her arms around his neck, then winced as he bumped the cut on her arm.
Beau instantly stopped. “Dammit, I’m sorry. I don’t want to hurt you.”
Cassidy checked the bandage, saw the cut wasn’t bleeding. “I’m okay.” She wished he’d go back to kissing her, but it looked like that wasn’t going to happen. “I really do need that shower.” She tossed him a sexy glance and took hold of his hand. “We could save water if you joined me.”
Beau’s beautiful eyes gleamed for an instant; then he shook his head. “Give yourself a chance to heal. Besides, we don’t have that much time.”
Cassidy ignored a trickle of disappointment. He was probably right. Of course, taking a shower with Beau would certainly keep her mind off her aches and pains.
Half an hour later, dressed in brown tights under a tunic-length beige turtleneck sweater and her knee-high brown boots, she was ready for their drive to Pleasant Hill.
On the way out to the garage, Beau stopped in the kitchen and introduced her to Mrs. O’Halloran, his gray-haired housekeeper, who seemed only a little surprised that Beau had a woman in the house. It wasn’t the first time,Cassidy figured, but from the respectful way the woman treated her, it didn’t happen that often.
Beau chose the Lambo for the hour-and-a-half trip to Pleasant Hill. Cassidy settled in the seat as the doors slid down and locked into place and Beau backed out of the garage. God, she loved this car. Just riding in it made her smile.
But as the distance rolled past, Beau grew quieter and quieter. He was obviously worried about what might happen when they got there, and so was she.
“You don’t think they brought me back here to arrest me, do you?”
It could happen. He was the only suspect in two homicides. “It’s possible, I guess. But you have a very powerful attorney. I think they would have informed him if that was the case.” But there was always a chance they would wait to call Temple until after Beau was in custody.
“You think I should have phoned, asked him to meet us there?”
“Probably. If the police start asking questions, you can always refuse to answer until he arrives.”
They drove on in silence. Cassidy turned her attention to the passing landscape along Interstate 30. The ground was mostly level, small farms and open country crossed by intermittent streams heavily lined with oaks and other deciduous trees, wild berries, and shrubs.
The day was clear, with big white clouds in a brilliant blue sky, but the temperature was in the fifties and the forecast called for late-afternoon rain.
“What about this guy in your office?” Beau finally asked, cutting into the silence. “Maddox. He seemed to have more than a passing interest in you.”
“It’s not that. Jase can be a little overly protective. So are the rest of the guys in my office.”
“The rest of the guys?”
“It’s a detective agency, Beau. Only one other female investigator works there.”
