“Just a few minutes.” He was tense. She saw it in the muscles at the back of his neck, the taut way his shirt stretched over his shoulders. The case and the lack of progress was getting to him.
To both of them.
She’d been hearing from Fink that she needed to come up with an in-depth story on the cases, as theSentinelwas keeping the story alive. It had been several weeks since Billy Huber’s body had been found, over two for Mavis Greenlee’s murder.
“All work and no play …,” she said, leaning over his back and wrapping her arms around his neck.
“You should talk.”
“I know, but come on up to bed.” Her head was next to his, and she brushed a kiss over his ear.
“You’ve got twenty minutes to cut that out,” he said, and she laughed, but her gaze had traveled to the computer screen, where he was reading an e-mail.
“What’s that?”
“Private police business.”
“About—?”
“Nikki,” he warned.
“We have a deal.”
He sighed. “It’s nothing really. I’m waiting for a report about the stones we found at the scene, and it hasn’t come through yet.”
“What kind of report?”
He clicked off the screen and turned around so that he was facing her. “Let it go. The report’s been hung up due to some technical problem in the lab and the fact that the main lab assistant is down with the flu. Information we should have had weeks ago.”
“You’re dodging.”
He pressed a finger tip to her nose. “And you’re pushing. If something big happens, I’ll let you know.”
“Will you?”
“As long as you stick to our agreement,” he said, and then, before she could argue, he twisted and pulled her onto his chair.
“Oh!”
“You were teasing me,” he accused as he positioned her so that she was straddling him.
“A little.”
“A lot.”
Then he kissed her. Long. Hard.
His tongue probing.
She melted inside. Warm and wanting.
And beneath her, she felt Pierce’s arousal. “For once, you’re right,” he said. “We do need to play. Come on!” Still holding her tight, her legs wrapped around him, he stood and carried her to the stairs.
“Don’t,” she warned. “Pierce, you’ll trip.”
“Worth the risk.”
“I don’t think so.”