AllFreeNovel
Share Us
There. I’d said it. I thought I could bribe my way into Gus’s affection. He’d be so grateful I’d saved him from a life of solitude, it would translate into us riding off into the starlit plains on the same horse.
The worst part: it was actually starting to feel like a mushy, gooey love story. This morning, when my alarm went off, he pulled me closer into the warm protective cocoon of his body. Slow kisses trailed down my back, leading to slow, sleepy fucking as he lifted my leg and entered me from behind, whispering into my ear that I was his Crow, and how my pussy was made for him, and how much he needed me to come for him.
It felt like love when his shoulders relaxed and the tension left his brow whenever he found my face after walking into the same room, as if I was his refuge.
Or when he prayed, and I meditated, or he recited the evening hours and I observed respectfully, and his hand would slip off his book and search for my mine, threading our fingers together, needing us to be close.
It had been too easy; us playing house, slipping into the roles I’d always dreamed we could play.
Something had to be wrong.
Chris was giving me that look he did whenever I started to get too attached to a case. Like I was an idiot. “Gus does love you. Notlike a priest or friend. He’s in love with you. Maybe it started out strained. Maybe you pushed too hard for it to happen artificially, but that’s kind of your MO.” He smiled as he teased. I looked more closely into his eyes. His smile was just a smile now. There was no desire behind it. His advice was the advice of a friend, not a jilted lover. I smiled back at him—to myself, really, feeling the shift in his emotion. He was already perfectly over the jilting. I knew it. I felt it. “That doesn’t mean his love isn’t real now. Please trust it. And trust him enough to tell him about the job.”
“He’ll make me go after it.” I grimaced.
He turned to face me, smiling his crooked smile. “I know.”
I thought about tromping through the one-acre patch of woods in the center of campus, teaching budding forensics students about insect larvae and guiding their research. My feet knew the familiar squish of the earth there. The spectrum of scents as donor bodies ebbed and flowed with the change of seasons and semesters. Did I want to go back anymore?
“That’s not what I want anymore.”
“But you’re not sure you’re happy with your marriage, either?”
“No... I... don’t know.” I wished Granny were here.
“Just keep your options open. Don’t deny yourself opportunities because you don’t want to disrupt the apple cart.”
“What are you talking about? I love disrupting the apple cart.”
“As long as none of the planets are in retrograde, and the tarot cards said it was a good day for applesauce.” His mouth quirked in his half smile. A quiet chuckle escaped his lips.
Suddenly, a field of blonde popped into view. Daphne. My occasional assistant, looking even colder than I in a beat-up motorcycle jacket, short skirt, and combat boots.
“Hi, Dec! Where do you want me?”
Chris’s smile faded into a half-dazed expression as he took in the gorgeous pixie in front of him. I’d seen that look on other men’s faces. The look of sudden curiosity. Like he wanted to discover everything about her, from her favorite book to her Starbucks order, and no matter what she said, it was going to be fascinating.
It was how Waylon looked at Soula from across the bar the night they met. It was George’s default expression whenever he wasn’t grimacing at Bethany. I’d never seen it on Chris. Especially not when he looked at me.
Maybe this was the development I needed. It would certainly be a good distraction from my own relationship.
My polite smile widened into something real. “Chris, this is my assistant, Daphne McKinnon.”
“Daphne,” he said, still dazed.
She reached out her hand, and he removed his fur-lined glove to shake it.
“We’re still waiting for the police to make sure it’s safe for us to descend. Ladder’s the only way down from the tracks, and it’s a little rickety. A lot rickety, actually.”
“Want me to see how close they are?” she offered.
“If you want,” I said, knowing she was also someone who needed a project to keep her occupied.
Chris stared after her as she jogged away. I said nothing. He’d only deny his instant chemistry, and that would make it harder to plan a sneak attack later. I’d talk to Daphne and get a read on her feelings. Then she and I would strategize.
“You really make all that Mercedes Benz money by doing veneers?”
“No.”
