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“Thought you would.” Satisfaction underscored Memphis’s words. “So, just to be clear, though, you officially took the case?”

“I took the case. In fact, I’m in her house right now.”

Now Memphis was the one who became silent a bit too long. He cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah, want to run that by me again?”

A stair creaked behind him. He turned and saw Shelby on the stairs. Shelby in a black gown. Bare feet. Hair loose around her shoulders. And with a pillow and a blanket held under one arm.

“I’m in her house,” he repeated. His gaze never left her as he kept talking to Memphis. “Right after Shelby left my office, some jackass took a shot at her.”

“You are shitting me.”

“Oh, I shit you not.” That nightgown was insanely sexy on her. As she climbed down the remaining stairs, the silky fabric slid over her body. “The shooter missed her.” Luckily. “But I figured I needed to start my bodyguard duty immediately with her. So I’m staying the night.”

She was at the foot of the stairs.

“Damn.” Memphis whistled. “Do you think the attack is somehow related to the Sorority Seven Killer?”

“I’ve got no idea.” Not yet. “But I’ll be finding out.”

“And you’ll keep me updated?”

He owed Memphis, so…“Yeah, I will.” He started to hang up but then remembered an important point. “When you get a fruit basket, it’s from me.”

“What?”

“Thanks for the referral.” He hung up.

She gripped the pillow and blanket in front of her body now. Held them like some kind of shield as she edged closer to him. “Who was that? And why were you telling the person all about me?”

“It was Memphis. I had to update him because we might need him later on the case.” Unable to help himself, Hunter drank her in. She was truly gorgeous to him. Delicate but…

I can see the strength in her.

Memphis had been right. There was both fear and pain in her eyes. But there was strength, too. Determination. She’d survived hell. She’d clawed her way to safety. She’d fought off her attacker.

Spine. Of. Steel.

“I didn’t tell him anything that is confidential. And if you don’t want me talking to him again, I won’t. Your case. Your call. But I do think he could be valuable—his connections could be valuable—and my opinion is that we should not shut him out completely.”

“I agree.” Soft. She looked down at the pillow and blanket and then thrust the items toward Hunter. “You’ll need these.”

His hands brushed hers when he took the pillow. The blanket.

“I have more upstairs. More blankets, I mean. And another pillow. The couch isn’t going to be comfortable, so I was just trying to make it a little bit better.” She put her hands behind her back. The movement just made her breasts shift forward. Her tight nipples thrust against the soft silk of her gown.

Sweet mother of⁠—

Hunter strode toward the couch and dropped the new supplies she’d given him on the cushions. “I’ll be just fine. You don’t need to worry about me. But I appreciate the kindness.” Would the blanket smell like her? That soft vanilla scent that clung to her skin?

“When you touch me, I feel…odd.”

He faced the couch when she delivered those words. His spine stiffened. “Odd…good? Or odd…bad?”

“I don’t know. Good, I think. Heat runs through me.”

Same, baby, same. Only in his case, that heat was pure lust.

“I checked your background before I came to your office. Memphis helped, but I did some digging on my own. I know about the Distinguished Service Cross and the Silver Star.”