While she’d been lost in her own thoughts, it appeared they’d come to some important decision, because all four men turned to look at her.
Derek finally spoke up in his no-nonsense lieutenant voice. “All right, let’s go. You two are staying with me.”
Chapter Nine
“You must be high.”
Derek frowned as Ginger’s words had the two rookie firefighters behind him snickering under their breath. Oh yeah? I’d like to see you try, assholes.
Scratch that. He didn’t want them trying anything with Ginger. He couldn’t blink without seeing the way she’d been dressed when he first came out of his apartment, and one look at the guys’ faces said they remembered, too. She’d been wearing a soaked white T-shirt that barely covered her ass, and her puckered breasts and red panties had been visible through the thin layer of cotton, baring her to everyone’s view. Even now, with her wearing his fleece, Derek remained unsatisfied with her lack of clothing. If rookie number two glanced at her legs one more time, he’d use the man’s suspenders to strangle him.
“Don’t argue with me about this.”
She scoffed. “Oh, this isn’t an argument. That implies you might win.”
Derek prayed for patience. “Can we have a moment?” he asked tersely, turning to the other men. They threw final glances over their shoulders at Ginger, setting Derek’s teeth on edge, then disappeared back into the apartment.
He stepped forward, reaching for her arm.
“Do not touch me, Derek. I will clean your clock.”
“Why don’t you explain to me what your problem is.”
She got right in his face then, looking righteously pissed-off and achingly beautiful, even with damp strands of hair sticking to her neck and face. He wanted to kiss her. “My problem is you telling me what we’re doing and not asking. I make decisions for us. Not you. Your badge has no jurisdiction here. Or in my place of work, for that matter!”
Shit. He’d known that artless move would come back to bite him in the ass. Even if he’d only given his detectives an unprecedented night off with the suggestion they try Sensation for a drink or two. The promise to transfer anyone who made a pass at Ginger to a precinct somewhere in Appalachia had merely been implied.
Derek knew the most expedient way to deal with this situation. She would probably hate him for it tonight, maybe even tomorrow. But he’d reached his limit of arguing in the hallway while her legs were exposed for everyone to see. And letting her leave the building wasn’t a viable option.
“It’s three in the morning. Are you planning on taking Willa out in the cold, soaked head to toe, to find a hotel at this time of night? That would be dangerous and could end up with you or Willa sick.”
Over Ginger’s shoulder, Willa’s eyes widened in horror. “Not cool,” she whispered.
Confused by Willa’s reaction, Derek’s eyes swung back to Ginger. Instead of the anger he expected over his blatant manipulation, her pretty features were stricken with guilt. Derek felt hollow inside just seeing the transformation. Had he actually put that look on her face to avoid a stupid argument?
Ginger turned to face Willa, who looked desperate for the earth to open and swallow her whole. “Of course. I wasn’t thinking, Willa. I’m sorry.”
The girl was already shaking her head. “Ginger, don’t listen to him. We’ll do whatever you think is best. You always do what’s best.”
Her smile looked sad. “No, I don’t. And he’s…right. We’ll figure something else out tomorrow, but tonight we’ll stay here. With Derek.”
Ginger turned to him expectantly, but didn’t meet his eyes. At a loss, Derek cleared his throat and gestured for her to precede him down the hallway to his apartment, which she did. As Willa passed, she waved toward the giant statue.
“Be careful with Dolly.”
Half an hour later, Derek sank heavily onto the end of his bed and ran irritated hands over his cropped hair. He stripped off his shirt and tossed it in the vicinity of his hamper, then collapsed back onto the mattress with a heavy sigh. The last half hour had been an exercise in frustration, with Ginger refusing to meet his eyes and Willa sending him constant death stares as he showed them to his guest room and gave them linens to make up the queen-size bed. He couldn’t shake the feeling he deserved Ginger’s cold shoulder, but with her refusal to acknowledge him, there wasn’t a hope in hell of getting her to talk.
Deciding sleep would prove impossible tonight, and knowing he was due at work in mere hours anyway, Derek grabbed the laptop off his side table and began scanning through crime scene reports. Halfway through the second one, he heard the bathroom door connecting to the living room open and shut. A minute later, the shower started to run. He tried to focus on work and block the image of Ginger naked twenty yards away, but the sound of muffled sobs drew him up short.