Someone had broken her window.There hadn’t been a storm last night.Tears stung her eyes, and she threaded her fingers through her hair.The sensation of being violated burned her veins.She needed to call the police.
She moved her feet, and her toe hit something hard.She frowned at the large gray brick sitting smack-dab in the middle of the sea of translucent shards.A piece of paper secured with an elastic band was wound around the brick.
She bent down and pulled off the rubber then peeled away the paper.Handling it carefully so as not to ruin any fingerprints that might be on it, she spread open the sheet.
Stay away, Witch, or the next brick will be for you.
Her hands trembled and an icy wave washed over her—one so powerful that goosebumps pulled at her flesh.The kind of goosebumps that warned.
She secured the paper under the brick and ran for the back.On the phone with the police, she rattled off what had happened then hung up and sank into the chair at her desk.The only thing that could make this morning any worse would be if Aiden showed up to investigate.Surely her luck couldn’t be that bad.While she waited for a cop to show up, she went over and over in her mind who could have threatened her.
Could it be meant for one of her staff?She made a mental note to call Louise and Daphne later.Fifteen minutes after she’d made the call to the police, gravel crunched outside the front of her store.The sound carried to the back room, as there was no longer a barrier to diminish any noise from outside.
Relief loosened the bands of anxiety cinching her chest.She wasn’t alone now.She stood and moved around the corner of the office into the main part of the shop.A cop waltzed toward her front door—which seemed almost silly when he could literally step right through the vacant window.
The smoothness of his gait made her stop in her tracks.Her breath hissed through her teeth.Damn.Of course the universe would send her Aiden.Of all the cops on the force, why did it have to be him?
He pulled open the shop door and stepped inside.His dark-blue short-sleeved button-down uniform shirt was stretched to the max to fit his muscles inside.Couldn’t the man find a bigger shirt?No, he couldn’t, because why would he hide all that gloriousness?It’d be a mortal sin.
Aiden lifted his shades from his eyes and tucked the arm into the V of his shirt.His finger-length black hair waved away from his face as his stark green eyes swept over the glass on the floor.He strode farther into the room, bringing his gaze to her face.
A smile danced at the corner of his lips, but professionalism—or lack of being an asshole—made him tuck it away.“Long time no see.Sorry this happened.When did you find the mess?”
Dez rocked back on her heels and clamped her hand around her wrist in front of her.She shouldn’t be so nervous.She’d only screwed the guy, snuck out of his bed, and painted his counter with lipstick.At least she’d worn fitted jeans and a white crop top with a cardigan over her shoulders.Not too sexy, but not the frumpy clothes she usually wore to work.
She cleared her throat.“Uh, right before I called.”
He bent down to the brick and retrieved the piece of paper.He opened it and slowly nodded.“Sounds like someone wants to scare you.”
“Right.Figured that.So are you going to dust for prints?When’s the rest of the team coming?”
He snickered, his laugh a bit too humorous for the mood.“Sorry, honey.This isn’tCSI.I’ll write a report so you can claim insurance and I’ll investigate.Hopefully one of the other businesses has some cameras.The coffee shop down the street is open until 11:00 p.m.I’ll ask the staff if they saw anything suspicious.Unfortunately, we don’t dust for prints—”
“Ohh, you mean the person has to kill me before you look for them?Gotcha.”Sarcasm dripped from her words.Why did it bug her even more that the guy hadn’t even mentioned their night together or her departure?Maybe she’d made it easy for him and he would have given her the boot anyway.
Still, it stung that he acted as if they hadn’t just shared hours exploring each other’s bodies.
He held up his palms.“I don’t make the budget or the rules.Any idea who would want to hurt you?Vandalize your business?”
She rolled in her lips.It wouldn’t do any good to argue with hunky mister officer.And she really didn’t want him in her shop a minute longer than necessary because part of her wanted to make him strip search her.“No, I don’t have any enemies.”
He kicked the brick and shook his head.“Seems as though you do.”
“Aren’t you observant?”
He threw back his head and laughed.“You weren’t this salty Saturday night.”
Heat surged to her cheeks.There it was.“Look—”
“No, you look.”He took a step forward, all six-foot-two and two-hundred and something pounds of gorgeous flesh.“I’m a little confused that you left like that.Did I do something wrong?”
She dug her fingers into her wrist.She must look awkward as all get-out, but she couldn’t summon enough dignity to hang her arms at her sides.“No.It’s just.Me.That’s all.”
He arched an eyebrow and her insides melted.God, he was sexy.
“You don’t strike me as a hit-it-and-quit-it kind of lady.As a matter of fact, I haven’t heard about you dating anyone in town.Ever.”
Okay, now he was punching some sensitive buttons.She propped her hands on her hips even though the movement thrust her chest forward.“That’s none of your business.”
