"Oh my goodness! He's not with me right now. I'm at the wedding venue. He's still at the hotel. What's going on?"
"The wedding venue?" she echoed.
"Yes. We're in St. Barts. My daughter is getting married today. Is my husband in danger?"
"Not if he's in St. Barts," she said. "This is more of a New York problem, but can you have him call me?"
"Yes, I will. You're sure he's not in danger?"
She didn't quite know how to answer that, because there were no guarantees. "It's unlikely. Please don't stress about it. Enjoy your daughter's wedding."
"Okay. I'll make sure he calls you back," Mrs. Androni promised.
She ended the call, feeling relieved that the judge and his wife were out of the country. She doubted he would be targeted on an island in the Caribbean, not that she could completely dismiss that thought, but she liked the odds.
As she debated what to do next, the sound of the shower running sent her thoughts in a different direction entirely.
Impulsively, she got to her feet and walked into the bedroom. She knocked on the bathroom door, then pushed it open. "Want some company?" she asked, shedding her robe as she entered the steamy room.
Max opened the shower door and beckoned her inside with a smile. "I thought you wanted to work."
"I changed my mind," she said, stepping inside.
"Did you find the judge?"
"He's in St. Barts. I think he's safe for the moment. So…" She put her hand on his shoulders, pressing her body against his.
"So…" he echoed, sliding his hands down her hips as he gave her a heart-stopping kiss that drove everything else out of her mind.
She was fast becoming addicted to his taste, his touch, to everything about him. The reckless, passionate madness would have to end sometime soon. But not now. Not yet…
An hour later, they were dressed and sitting at the table, drinking coffee and eating avocado toast, which were two ingredients she actually had in her kitchen. Despite the stress surrounding their relationship, she felt pretty relaxed right now. It was nice to have Max around. She could get used to this, she thought idly, then immediately told herself she definitely should not get used to it. Max had already told her he didn't do long relationships, and she'd told him that work always took priority. This was just a fling. It couldn't be anything else.
But if she was going to make work less of a priority, he wouldn't be the worst choice: smart, handsome, sexy, knew how to drive her crazy, and was happy to do so over and over again. She flushed at that thought.
Max also understood her in a way no one else ever had. Which didn't make sense. She'd dated a cop for a year, but even though they'd done the same job, she'd never felt as close to him in all that time as she did with Max, whom she'd known for a week.
"What are you thinking about?" Max asked, startling her with the question.
She looked at him in surprise, then lied, "The case."
"Really?" he challenged, giving her a doubtful look.
"Why? What are you thinking?"
"That I wouldn't mind spending the day in bed with you."
Her body shivered at that thought. "I can't. I want to. But I can't."
"Yeah, I know. But you asked what I was thinking, and I told the truth. You didn't."
"We need to stop…this, whatever this is, and focus. In fact, maybe you should go home. You're distracting."
"Good," he said with a smile. Then he surprised her by pushing back his chair. "I'll go home and change my clothes, check in with my contacts, and also with Dominic, and then I'll be back. Because I think we work better together." He paused. "Will you still be here?"
"Probably. If I go out, I'll text you." She met his gaze. "I think we work well together, too. But we need to actually work."
"We will," he said. "I want to close this case as much as you do." His jaw tightened, his gaze taking on a faraway expression.
