Jeb narrowed his eyes at the both of them. “Alright then,” he relented. “You go with your brother, Sandra. But I find out there’s something more to this, you’re both going to get the strap.”
Sandra gave him a relieved grin before turning and hurrying off to get ready, but Jeremy lingered a few moments, looking more than a little nervous. He shifted from one foot to other as if he had something to say.
“What is it, boy?” Jeb finally demanded, tiring of the boy’s indecision. Mark and Derrick were never so wishy-washy. They acted—without worrying about the consequences. He didn’t always agree with their decisions, but at least they’d had the balls to do what needed to be done.
Jeremy cleared his throat. “I think maybe Sandra is going to town to meet someone.”
Jeb’s hand clenched into a fist, but he managed to say evenly, “And you offered to give her an escort down the road to sin, is that it?”
“No, sir,” Jeremy said quickly. “I thought I’d find out who it is. Figured you’d want to know who she’s seeing on the sly.”
Something twisted in Jeb’s gut—a strange mixture of irritation and relief. “She’s not seeing anyone,” he spat, getting back to work. “When would she meet anyone? Only people she’s around are at church, and I know all those boys—so do you. None of them would dare to touch a hair on your sister’s head.”
Jeremy looked a little skeptical, giving away what he was thinking before he said, “I think there are a couple of boys who are more interested in the sins of the flesh than concerned about what might happen to them if they lead Sandra astray.”
Jeb’s relief was quickly replaced by fury. He punched his fist down onto his desk and ground out, “Who are they?”
“I don’t know,” Jeremy admitted, edging back toward the door. “But I’ve heard her talking to some of her friends when she didn’t think I was listening. Some of the things they’re telling her…”
Jeb nodded. “Well, we’ll put an end to this. You tell me who you see her talking to, and I’ll make sure they’re dealt with.”
* * *
“Gabe?”
Gabe looked up from the plate of sushi he’d picked part, meeting Elle’s gaze, his brows lifting by way of response.
Elle sighed. Clearly he’d been a mile away, as she’d suspected. “I’m sorry to say you haven’t been a very lively date this evening.”
He reached across the table and took her hand in his and brought it to his lips, pressing a kiss to her palm. “Sorry. Just going over everything in my head, trying to piece it all together, figure out something we might’ve missed that would implicate Monroe.”
She loved his doggedness, had always admired his inability to back off when he was on a case. It was what made him one hell of a deputy. But she’d suggested coming to the sushi place near her office so they could have a quiet dinner after the party, just enjoy being together like they had at the fair.
“You’re off the clock, Dawson,” she reminded him.
He gave her a terse nod. “You’re right. What can I do to make it up to you?”
She gave him her best sultry look. “Oh, I think I can come up with a few things.”
Without missing a beat, he signaled the waiter for their check, making her giggle. Giggle? She was hardly in the habit of giggling, but, yep, that was the effect the man had on her. Well, that and other very naughty, pleasurable effects she couldn’t wait to delve into once they got back home.
Gabe paid for their dinner and then clasped her hand, leading her out to the car. She shivered at the sight of it. Good lord, that car… Never in a million years had she ever dreamed of making out in a car, let alone making love in one. Or against one, for that matter. But she had a feeling there were lots of things she’d never dared to dream of before. And when they reached the car and he pulled her into his arms for a heated kiss, she had no trouble letting her imagination run wild.
When the kiss ended, he pressed his forehead to hers. “So where we headed?”
She grinned, ready to suggest they stay at her place this time around, but then she gasped and pulled back. “Crap! I almost forgot—I have to pick up something at my office. I have to depose a witness first thing tomorrow morning.”
“No problem,” he told her. “It’s cooled down finally. Why don’t we just walk to your office and get what you need, then I’ll drop you off at your place.”
She felt the heat rising in her cheeks as she said, “Thanks, but I wasn’t suggesting that we call it a night so soon. I just need a couple of minutes to grab a file.”
His grin spread slowly, his eyes darkening with desire. “Good thing,” he murmured, pressing a hand to the small of her back and guiding her toward her office. “Because I think a few minutes is about all I can wait.”
They didn’t talk the few blocks to her office, nor on the stairs that led up to the third floor of the historic building that housed her office. He was silent as a grave as she rummaged around on her desk, looking for the file she needed, her thoughts so distracted she had to pause on several occasions just to remember what exactly it was she was looking for.
Elle’s thoughts were so distracted, in fact, she didn’t even hear him when he came up behind her and put his hands on her hips. She started, making him chuckle as he pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder, covered only by a thin strap of her sundress.
She moaned softly as she leaned back against him and rested her head on his chest. “Keep doing that and I’m going to be in trouble.”
