He took out his phone and began dialing then moved away into the hall as Duke answered the call.
As he gazed at her, Ace noticed Summer’s complexion had returned to a more normal rosy-cheeked ivory color and was not so pale anymore. She drank the rest of her water, and Ace was mesmerized as her full, soft lips pressed against the glass and she swallowed delicately. His cock responded to the pretty sight, and he imagined her sucking on him. He closed his eyes and was very thankful for the suit jacket that he’d buttoned after replacing his revolver in its holster. He was also grateful that he preferred snug-knit boxer briefs, otherwise she’d have gotten a show.
Placing the emptied glass on the desk blotter, Summer said, “So you were both texting me last night.” She looked up at him with uncertain eyes as though she were looking for confirmation of their earlier phone conversation. When he’d overheard her mention being “big” as she spoke to Kemp, he’d wanted to sweep her up into his arms and do his best to personally convince her that she was beautiful the way she was.
“Yes.”
“I didn’t sleep at all last night.”
“Me either.” That was the truth. It had felt all kinds of wrong to leave the club without making contact with Summer. He’d had the pleasure of watching her face as they’d each sent her text messages. The color in her cheeks had deepened as she’d read them then looked around trying to locate them.
He and Kemp had come within about ten feet of her as she held the phone to her ear the night before, and he’d regretted not being able to continue the conversation right then.
The man they’d followed home had no apparent link to the blog, so they would keep looking. There was a connection out there somewhere. Once they found it they would do some more digging. Everyone had skeletons in their closet.
When he’d gone to bed, thoughts of her, the way she moved, the adorable way she bit her lip kept floating through his mind. He’d also remembered the hurt in her eyes at being ignored by that idiot blind date.
She sat in her chair studying him now. “I liked that you called me this morning. It was almost like…”
“What?”
She waved her hand dismissively. “You’d think it was silly.”
“Like kissing you good morning?”
Her cheeks took on a bright pinkish tinge, and she chuckled. She bit her lip, and he had to suppress the urge to pull her into his arms and kiss her. She probably had no idea how that innocent, yet sexy, little mannerism affected his libido. “You’re a mind reader as well as a security specialist?”
“I don’t think I can read your mind, that’s just how it felt to me, getting to hear your voice on the line again. That sounds really sappy, but it’s true.”
Kemp returned to the office and said, “Duke is on it. He’ll get back to us if he hears of any likely suspects. He said things appear normal with that guy we followed home last night, but his instincts are telling him otherwise so he’s going to be watching him.”
Summer smiled at both of them and said, “Will you be at The Dancing Pony again this weekend?”
Ace replied, “Until we turn up some good leads, yes. Nothing new has been posted to the blog, but there have been new comments popping up daily. We’d like to get that thing canned sooner rather than later. Besides how much it bugs Jack and all the other guys, the things they say about Grace trouble me. It’s just wrong.”
Summer seemed to hesitate for a moment then smiled at them both and rose from her chair. Approaching, she said, “You know what I think?”
Ace smiled as she stood between them both, her gorgeous hazel eyes looking very serious as her gaze swept from him to Kemp. She laid a hand on both their chests. Her gentle fingertips caressed both their pectorals, and Ace felt a tingle slide from her fingertips down his torso to his cock.
“What, kitten?”
“You’re really tough because it’s what you specialize in, but you’re soft as marshmallows on the inside.”
Kemp placed his hand over hers and murmured, “Only where certain people are concerned.” The smile on his friend’s face was genuine and happy. “You look as though you’re feeling better.”
“I am, Kemp. The shakes seem to have stopped. It hit me hard afterward, but I really am better now.”
The fact that they were both into her didn’t seem to trouble Summer in the least. Ace wanted to take her in his arms right then and kiss the daylights out of her. He was about to when she asked, “Should I report the break-in to the sheriff? I know there isn’t much he can do about it.”