Ace let the kiss go on, slow and consuming, until breathing became necessary. Until restraint became impossible. Reluctantly, he lifted his head.
May looked up at him, eyes bright, mouth slightly swollen.
“Now can I stay the night?” he asked.
Awareness returned to her gaze in a sudden flash. She stepped back quickly, the heat cooling into caution.
Ace saw it.
Felt it.
Understood it.
“No,” she said softly. She didn’t sound completely certain, but a no was still a no.
“All right. Lock the door behind me.” Ace turned, his body on fire, and his every nerve raw. His cock throbbed painfully, and his jeans felt too tight. He stepped onto the porch and waited to hear the door click shut and the lock engage behind him.
Only then did he move.
He climbed into the truck and drove slowly down the lane. At the bend, he pulled off to the side and switched off the ignition. From there, he had a clear view of the small blue-and-white clapboard house tucked against the trees.
Something about Senator Kyle Mercer didn’t sit right with him.
Ace leaned back in his seat. He wasn’t going to sleep much, so he might as well stay close and keep an eye on her.
His phone buzzed, and he lifted it to his ear. “Yeah?”
“Thought we were meeting for a drink,” Brock said, sounding rough and tired. “I just finished interviewing the kids from Montana.”
“Any luck?”
“Nope. But I was lucky the troopers let me sit in since you’re still their main suspect.”
Ace keyed in. “What about Tyler?”
“Tyler hooked up with some gal named Brandy. They were together all night. Every one of those kids has an alibi, even though most were drunk.”
Damn it. Ace stared at May’s darkened windows. “Then who the hell killed Laura Jordan?”
“I don’t know.” Brock paused. “But I do know you lied to the troopers.”
Ace’s shoulders jerked back.
“Where were you last night, Ace?”
Ace rested his head against the seat, his gaze fixed on the quiet house. “I went up to see Smitty.”
Silence reigned for a moment. “You did?”
“Yeah. He wasn’t home. I waited a couple hours and might’ve fallen asleep in the truck. Then I headed back to my place around two.”
“Smitty wasn’t there?”
That just figured, didn’t it? “No.”
“And you didn’t leave a note?”
Ace frowned. “Why would I leave a note? He’s probably out illegally hunting.”
