Mickey pressed her lips together and returned his intimidating stare with one of her own. He hated it to admit, but hers was better.
He sighed. They’d wasted enough time arguing. “Let’s go. My car’s parked in a garage a couple blocks over.”
“We can walk. His apartment is closer than the garage.” She looked at her broken door and winced. “What should I do with the door? I can’t even shut it all the way, let alone lock it.”
“I’ll make a call and have someone stand watch until the guy comes to fix it. You said he’d be here soon, right?”
“Yeah.” She glanced around the apartment. “Okay. There’s nothing much for anyone to take, and I want to get to Pete’s in case we find something to get Becca back. I don’t want to waste time.”
“If you’re worried about it, you can stay here while I check out the apartment.”
If looks could kill, he’d be flat on the floor. “Never mind. It was only a suggestion. Let’s go.”
He closed the door as best he could, and then followed Mickey down the stairs. He sent off a quick text to Eric, requesting a man stationed at Mickey’s door, and then put hisphone back in his pocket. He stepped outside and a light mist sprayed down on him. Gray clouds filled the early morning sky, and people huddled under umbrellas as they hurried past. The sun hadn’t even risen and people were already on their way to work. Or maybe on their way home from the bar. He glanced at Mickey. “Do you still want to walk?”
She smirked at him and the small mole above her mouth lifted. “Afraid of a little water?”
“No, but I’m not the one wearing white.” His eyes scanned the long line of her body and his chest tightened.
Mickey’s chin dropped, taking in the color of her T-shirt, and a crimson blush crept up her chest and consumed her entire face. He smiled. Damn, she was cute when she was embarrassed.
She hunched her shoulders forward and took off walking, her long legs carrying her quickly down the sidewalk. “I guess we better walk fast then,” she called over her shoulder.
Graham couldn’t help the smile that took over his mouth. He followed closely behind her, weaving in between people they passed on the way down the block. The light mist formed into tiny droplets that coursed down his face. He didn’t mind. A little bit of water was better than the suffocating humidity from yesterday.
Mickey stopped short in front of him and the toe of his shoe came down on her heel. She lurched forward and he reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist to steady her. She fell back against him. The subtle curve of her spine and the rounded shape of her ass molded to his body. He sucked in a sharp breath through his nose. Heat poured through his veins and need pulsed deep inside him.
The drops of rain grew larger as they fell from the sky. He bunched the wet material of her shirt in his hands and his knuckles brushed against the smooth flesh hidden underneath. Her body tensed. The smell of rain mixed with the damnstrawberries that clung to her tempted him to draw her closer. He leaned down and buried his nose in her hair.
She spun around and faced him. “What are you doing?”
His hands released her shirt and he gripped her hips. “I’m… I don’t know.”
Anger darkened the color of her eyes. “You sniffed my hair. Why?”
He avoided her pointed stare, but he couldn’t pull himself away from her. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”
“Obviously not.” She pointed at the old brick building in front of them. “Do you want to go in, or stand in the rain and keep smelling me?”
He dropped his hands from her hips but didn’t step away. Heat vibrated between them, mixing with the rain as if he were standing in the middle of a damn jungle. He glanced around. People continued to pass by them, oblivious to the battle warring inside him.
Was Mickey oblivious, too? Did she know how bad he wanted her?
Of course she does, you idiot. She just caught you sniffing her hair.
He finally took a step back. Flirting with Mickey was a big mistake. Not only was it taking his mind off the case, but she could be playing off his obvious attraction to her to keep him from putting the pieces of her involvement with Pete together. He had to get his shit together, and quick.
“Lead the way,” he said, extending an open palm toward the building.
The smirk from earlier came back on her face, and he fought every impulse not to kiss it off.
Pete’s building was older than Mickey’s, even though it was only a block away. And if he were a block from Mickey, he had lived close to all three of the girls he had taken in the last month.He hunted close to home. Pulling his phone out, he brought up Eric’s number. His thumbs flew over his screen as he wrote out Pete’s address.
Here’s his address. Find out who it’s listed under.
Mickey held the door to the building open for him, and then turned to the only apartment on the first floor.
“Did you come here a lot?” he asked as she pushed open the door and followed her inside.
