Sure, she wanted to solve the case—and prove she was still good at her job. But it was something more. Seth was something more. One of those dangerous, tough-guy alpha types she read about in romance novels. Until now, she hadn’t thought they really existed.
Too bad he might be a murderer.
She really, really didn’t want him to be a murderer.
With a clang, the ancient glass door opened, and she sensed him before he came into view. The air vibrated with a different intensity, a sense of maleness that had the hairs on the back of her neck standing up.
Or maybe she was just freakin’ crazy. The family history sure made that possible. Her mother had always skirted the line between reality and other worlds and had crossed over more than once.
Mia forced her body to relax into the booth as Seth stalked toward her. Most women probably either met him halfway or sat to full attention for him.
His gaze landed on her…even bluer and more intense than she remembered. It stayed as he maneuvered past the waitress and patrons lining the counter, his body moving with a sinewy grace surprising for such a large frame.
He slid onto the seat across from her. Sage mixed with his unique male scent surrounded her. A sense of intimacy filtered around them.
“Thank you for meeting me, Mia.”
He said her name with a sense of satisfaction—possession. So she lifted her chin. “I’m hoping you have more information regarding Ruby.”
“I know why you’re here, darlin’.” The slightest of twangs lifted his consonants.
She cocked her head to the side. “Where are you from originally?”
One dark eyebrow lifted. “I’ve always lived here.”
“Liar.” No heat echoed in her word. For some reason, she really didn’t care. But the man was lying.
Now surprise had his eyes narrowing. “I’m an exceptionally good liar. Most people have no clue.”
Interesting that he’d admit the skill so easily. “You’re not that good.”
The words hung between them. A slow smile spread across his face—sexy and sure. “Oh. I’m that good.”
Heat slid up her chest, spreading across her neck until it warmed her face. The damn man had made her blush. She’d dealt with sexual innuendos her entire life. Yet Seth was a master at it. “Let’s keep to the case, shall we?”
“I thought we were,” he said blandly, his eyes darkening.
The man had absolutely no problem lying, now, did he? “How about you make me a promise?”
“What’s that?”
“You don’t lie to me for the rest of our lunch.” Sure, he could lie about the promise, but something told Mia that if she got him to commit, he’d see it through.
Heat rolled from him, even across the table. “What would I get out of that?”
“What do you want?” Sure, the question held danger. But what the heck?
“I don’t think you’ll give me exactly what I want—right now, anyway.” He sat back and ran a broad hand through his thick hair. “How about you tell me the story about the guy you shot recently?”
At least he’d asked about the recent shooting and not about her teenage years. He wanted to get inside her head as badly as she wanted to get into his. But she’d been trained by the best and had never lost in this kind of battle. “Okay.”
His expression held the warning of a predator. “Excellent.”
The waitress chose that moment to bop up to their table, her hips swaying in an unnatural attempt by a teenager to be a femme fatale. Thick mascaraed eyelashes fluttered in a purple parade of motion. “Hi there, Mr. Volk. It’s so nice to see you again.”
“You, too, Mandy.” Seth smiled at the girl. “What’s good today?”
The girl pouted her lip out in a style more suited to monkeys. “The special is a steak sandwich with homemade fries.”
